Donald Beasley Institute for research and education on intellectual disability.

Research on Parenting

Protecting Children - Strengthening Families: When a parent has an intellectual disability

Photo of a corridor in the Donald Beasley Institute.

Over the past decade the Donald Beasley Institute has been involved in research in the area of parenting by adults with an intellectual disability. Our interest in this important topic commenced in the mid-1990s when we began to receive an increasing number of requests for information and advice related to how best to support parents with intellectual disability. Families, lawyers and disability support services all appeared to be facing the challenge of providing appropriate and timely support to parents with intellectual disability. At this time the Institute was funded by the Health Research Council (HRC) to conduct a pilot study designed to provide an estimate of the prevalence of parents with intellectual disability (Mirfin-Veitch, et al, 1999) in the Otago-Southland region. In 2004 the Institute was successful in securing further funding from the HRC to conduct research that was focused on the experiences and perspectives of parents with intellectual disability themselves. This three-year qualitative study included 19 parents and their nominated support person, as well as other key informants, child protection workers, family or disability service managers, foster-parents, and family members.

This opportunity to learn directly from parents themselves about the factors that enhance or detract from their experiences as parents has been very important. While a great deal of international literature exists in the area of parenting by adults with intellectual disability, there is little research in the New Zealand context. The "Protecting Children - Strengthening Families" research has generated important information in the areas of support relationships; biological parent-foster parent relationships; legal issues; gendered perspectives of parenting; the importance of citizenship and community participation; and methodological and ethical issues encountered when working with parents with intellectual disability.

For publications related to this study, please refer to the publication profile of Brigit Mirfin-Veitch or Jenny Conder.