Background: The transition from school to adulthood for young adults with an intellectual disability involves movement from a generally secure and supported school environment to an emerging adult life that may be characterised by a wide variation in adoption of adult roles related to employment, independent living, friendships, and day…

Background: Despite the frequency with which mothers with intellectual disability have their children removed, little theoretical or empirical work has understood the mothers' perspectives on this. A few studies have reported mothers' feelings of grief and loss and their sense of powerlessness in the child protection system. Method: This…

Background: Children of parents with intellectual disability are assumed to be at risk of poor outcomes but a comprehensive review of the literature has not previously been undertaken. Method: A database and reference search from March 2010 to March 2011 resulted in 26 studies for review. Results: Two groups of studies were identified. The first…

It is unlikely that every parent with intellectual disability comes under the scrutiny of the care and protection system. That many do is evident in the figures from a number of countries that report between 30 and 40% of the children of parents with intellectual disability are removed from their parents' care and placed in protective custody, in…

Background: This study investigates depression, anxiety and stress in pregnant women with intellectual disabilities and/or self-reported learning difficulties, and examines the association between these negative emotional states and perceived support and conflict in the women's interpersonal relationships. Method: Eight-hundred-and-seventy-eight…

The developmental status of 37 Australian preschool children (ages 5-78 months) born to mothers with intellectual disability was assessed. In all developmental domains, a substantial proportion of the children (between 35 and 57%) showed a delay of at least 3 months. Delays in physical and communication development were most prevalent. (Contains…

This introductory article to a special issue on parenting by persons with intellectual disabilities discusses the need for information sharing across nations, the facilitation of political self-activism by parents with intellectual disabilities, the need for suitable support for this population, and the epidemiological data needed to promote…

A study investigated the characteristics of the support networks of 25 Australian mothers with intellectual disabilities. Three types of support networks were found based on mothers' living arrangements: mothers living in a parent/parent-figure household, mothers living alone with their children, and mothers living with a partner in their own…