Able or unable: how do professionals determine the parenting capacity of mothers with intellectual disabilities

Aunos, Marjorie; Pacheco, Laura

doi:10.1080/15548732.2020.1729923

Cited by 24 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 64 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In six out of 10 cases, the child was apprehended by child protective services at birth. These findings are consistent with a long line of previous research showing custody deprivation as a result of the parents' intellectual disability (Aunos & Pacheco, 2021; Booth & Booth, 2004a; Brown et al, 2018; Callow et al, 2016; Mayes & Llewellyn, 2012; McConnell et al, 2011; McConnell et al, 2021), as well as judges' negative attitudes (Sigurjónsdóttir & Rice, 2017).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

“…Although research has demonstrated that IQ alone does not predict parenting capacity (e.g., Tymchuk, 1992), the diagnosis of intellectual disability and IQ scores continue to be used in parenting capacity assessments ordered by courts (Aunos & Pacheco, 2021; Callow et al, 2016). Often, when a parent with intellectual disabilities is involved in a child protection investigation, there is a hasty assumption that they are incompetent parents and the appropriate assessments may not be pursued to substantiate claims of child maltreatment (Aunos & Pacheco, 2021; Feldman & Aunos, 2010; Mayes & Llewellyn, 2012). The optimal way to assess parenting capacity is by completing a comprehensive assessment rather than psychological testing (Feldman & Aunos, 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Accessibility of child protection investigations during pandemic: A qualitative analysis of court proceedings

Tahir

Cobigo

2022

Research Intellect Disabil

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Qualitative research using published court records to examine contextual factors that contribute to child protection decisions in cases involving parents with intellectual disabilities is limited, particularly during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Method The present study conducted qualitative content analysis on 10 published Ontario court cases to study child protection decision‐making between 2019 and 2021. Results The findings corroborated previous literature with nine out of 10 cases resulting in loss of child custody. Four major themes emerged from content analysis: (1) Impact of COVID‐19 pandemic on cases; (2) Systemic barriers to accessibility; (3) Attitudes and bias toward parents with intellectual disabilities; and (4) Ultimate reliance on intellectual disability status for final custody decision. Conclusions Conducting content analysis on published court cases is useful in learning about accessibility barriers for parents with intellectual disabilities and may help in understanding the impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on the child protection system.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Accessibility of child protection investigations during pandemic: A qualitative analysis of court proceedings

Tahir

Cobigo

2022

Research Intellect Disabil

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Research points to the factors of improper or insufficient support and lack of training on the part of CP and support staff [ 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 ] and flawed or lacking disability assessments during CP investigations [ 15 ]. Deficiencies in regard to CP investigation techniques, parenting capacity and risk assessment procedures have been noted in general [ 16 ] and which are intensified in the context of parents with ID [ 9 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Child Protection, Disability and Obstetric Violence: Three Case Studies from Iceland

Rice

Bjargardóttir²,

Sigurjónsdóttir

2020

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This contribution is a collective re-analysis of three research projects in Iceland focused on parenting with a disability which draws upon data spanning a twenty-year period. The core purpose of these projects is to understand why parents with primarily intellectual disabilities encounter such difficulties with the child protection system. Our aim with this contribution is to identify, through a longitudinal and comparative framework, why these difficulties persist despite a changing disability rights environment. A case study methodology has been employed highlighting three cases, one from each research project, which focus narrowly on disabled parents’ struggles with the child protection system in the context of the maternity ward. The findings, framed in the concept of structural violence, indicate poor working practices on the part of healthcare and child protection, a lack of trust, and that context is still ignored in favour of disability as the explanatory framework for the perceived inadequacies of the parents. We contend that child protection authorities continue to remain out of step with developments in disability and human rights. The contribution concludes to make a case as to why the concept of obstetric violence is a useful framework for criticism and advocacy work in this area.

show abstract

“…[30][31][32][33][34] In addition, intellectual disability is associated with differences in many domains of parenting, including heightened parenting stress, lower caregiving sensitivity related to adults' own experiences of childhood maltreatment, elevated rates of mental health difficulties and decreased social support that influence parenting, and over-representation within the CPS system. 14,[35][36][37][38][39][40] Given the high co-occurrence of intellectual disability with autism, autistic adults, especially those who are not speaking and/or have cognitive differences, may share similar pregnancy and parenthood experiences.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Pregnancy and Parenthood Among Autistic Adults: Implications for Advancing Maternal Health and Parental Well-Being

McDonnell

DeLucia

2021

Autism in Adulthood

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Strikingly little research has considered how autistic adults experience pregnancy and parenthood, two key transition periods in adult development with potentially far-reaching implications for physical and psychosocial health outcomes across the lifespan. This article reviews the research on pregnancy and parenthood among autistic adults, to summarize existing research and identify future directions to advance this critical area of study. Methods: We conducted a systematic review of the literature on pregnancy and parenthood among autistic adults. Researchers extracted selected articles for key information, including methodology and sample size, study location, demographic characteristics of participants, measurement approaches, and key study findings. Results: Overall, we identified 13 studies that used a range of quantitative and qualitative approaches to study pregnancy experiences and outcomes and parenthood among autistic adults. The findings show that autistic adults (1) experience difficulties and dissatisfaction communicating with health care providers throughout pregnancy and birth, (2) are more likely to experience depression during and after pregnancy, and (3) experience higher rates of pregnancy complications, including preterm birth, cesarean delivery, and pre-eclampsia. During parenthood, autistic adults report lower parenting competence, experience parenthood as isolating, have difficulty communicating with professionals about their child and are questioned by providers about their ability to parent, experience high rates of involvement with child protective services, and express a desire for increased parenting support. Autistic adults also reported parenting strengths, including high levels of finding parenthood rewarding and putting their children's needs ahead of their own. Conclusions: A key limitation of the literature is the significant lack of sociodemographic diversity among participants, the small number of existing studies, and reliance on cross-sectional mono-method designs. Future research should be conducted in partnership with autistic adults to develop assessment and intervention approaches for supporting pregnancy health and parental well-being among diverse and underserved communities.

show abstract

Able or unable: how do professionals determine the parenting capacity of mothers with intellectual disabilities

Cited by 24 publications

References 64 publications

Accessibility of child protection investigations during pandemic: A qualitative analysis of court proceedings

Accessibility of child protection investigations during pandemic: A qualitative analysis of court proceedings

Child Protection, Disability and Obstetric Violence: Three Case Studies from Iceland

Pregnancy and Parenthood Among Autistic Adults: Implications for Advancing Maternal Health and Parental Well-Being

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About