Supporting Parents with a Learning Disability or Autism

Parents with a learning disability can often struggle to understand abstract concepts, can’t easily access resources that rely on the ability to read, and may find routines a challenge. They also have to face a common perception amongst the public and professionals that they can’t learn the necessary skills to parent.

Understanding the strengths and needs of every parent is important, and for a parent with a learning disability, we need to be really creative in how we support her growth. She may take a bit longer to learn how to do something, and things like visual prompts can be very helpful, but she may also have compensatory strategies which we can encourage; things like having a good memory. Any information she is given, for example about her parenting assessment, needs to be accessible to her, and her disability needs to be considered as part of her longer-term support package. In the List of online resources below, there are lots of resources designed for parents with LD, and you can read more about best practice in anti-discriminatory practice in Good practice guidance on working with parents with a learning disability (2016 update of 2007 document). Working Together with Parents Network (WTPN) support professionals working with parents with learning difficulties and learning disabilities, and their children – membership is free.

Parents with autism also need us to really listen and understand the triggers which make them anxious, and how to manage or avoid these. There are some really great resources out there to increase our knowledge and share with parents as we support them. The National Autistic Society has pages on all kinds of things, from managing money, to explaining to non-autistic people how to be more sensitive to the ways that autistic people see the world.

This series of pictures by artist Rosanna Rosetti summarise some important ways that autism particularly affects women and girls.