Research has found 96% of autistic individuals experience sensory processing difficulties, and being a parent presents many sensory demands that may be especially challenging for autistic mothers. Despite the high prevalence, no research exists exploring the sensory experiences of autistic mothers, highlighting the gap in current knowledge.…

Evidence-based maternal and early childhood home visiting (EBHV) may support health and well-being among families headed by a caregiver with an intellectual disability or other learning difference. Little is known about tools EBHV staff can use to identify caregivers with learning differences and inform service delivery strategies. Investigators…

Early childhood home visiting programs are well positioned to improve equity and reduce health disparities for families headed by caregivers with intellectual disabilities and other learning differences. Early identification of learning differences through screening may help home visiting staff tailor services and thus improve family engagement…

Background: Newborns of parents with intellectual disabilities face higher risks in their environment for child unsafety, despite parents' good intentions. To help parents prevent unsafe circumstances, a good understanding of the risk factors faced by these parents is needed. Methods: This casefile study examined (1) which risk factors were…

Research has demonstrated that deaf children of deaf signing parents (DOD) are afforded developmental advantages. This can be misconstrued as indicating that no DOD children exhibit early language delays (ELDs) because of their early access to a visual language. Little research has studied this presumption. In this study, we examine 174 ratings of…

Background: Parental intellectual disability is considered a risk factor for child removal internationally. In New South Wales, Australia, authorised clinicians are court appointed experts who assess parenting and cognitive capacity in child protection matters. Method: This study examined a sample of 20 assessment orders requesting parenting…

Background: This paper explores experiences of mothers with intellectual disabilities, with an emphasis on oppressive circumstances and stereotypes that contribute to poorer antenatal and social outcomes for mothers and their children, potentially leading to child removal. Drawing parallels to archetypical figures of Solomon and Medea, we explore…

Little is known about the parenting experiences of autistic mothers, yet there is reason to believe that autistic mothers of non-autistic daughters have a unique set of experiences, especially during their daughters' adolescence. Seven autistic mothers of adolescent (n = 5) and adult (n = 2) non-autistic daughters were interviewed about their…

Background: Mothers with learning disabilities are at higher risk of child removal and mental health difficulties and may face more barriers to developing attachment relationships with their children. Mothers with learning disabilities' voices are still underrepresented in research, with less known about those who are actively parenting their…

Evidence-based maternal, infant, and early home visiting (EBHV) is a potential strategy to support parent and child health and well-being among families headed by a parent with an intellectual disability (ID). Little is known about the capacity of EBHV programs to meet the needs of parents with ID effectively. This study examined home visitor…

Parents with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) experience a unique set of contextual challenges that may limit the effectiveness of traditional parenting interventions. Identifying effective adaptations to existing evidence-based parenting interventions to address the needs of this vulnerable population is critical for maximizing…

Purpose: To explore the recalled experience of pregnancy and motherhood in women diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) without intellectual disabilities, focusing on sensory perceptions and mood. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated, through an ad-hoc structured interview, the sensory sensitivity during the pre-partum, the peri-partum,…

Background: Many fathers with intellectual disabilities experience some difficulties in fulfilling their parenting role due external factors. The quality of their parenting depends on various factors, including the availability and adequacy of support. The aim of this study was to understand the lived experiences associated with social support of…

Background: This article reports on the perspectives of fathers with a learning disability in England about being fathers and the support they have received. Although there is an established literature that considers parenting with a learning disability, few studies have focused on the perspectives of fathers. Method: We adopted a qualitative…

Parental capacity is one of the main aspects assessed by social workers as part of child protection investigations. The aim of this study is to explore the social workers' perceptions of assessing the parental capacity of parents with intellectual disabilities in child protection investigations. Four focus group interviews were conducted with…