Children with intellectual disabilities and/or complex needs

The birth of any child leads to new circumstances that require parents, and other family members to make significant changes to their lifestyles (Gates and Mafuba, 2015). These changes are more significant and complex when a child has been diagnosed with an intellectual disability and or complex needs (Barr and Millar, 2003). Carpenter (2005) noted that at diagnosis, parents of children with intellectual disabilities ‘….are frightened, disturbed, upset, grieving and constantly vulnerable.’ (p. 181). According to Gray (2002), parents of children with intellectual disabilities and or complex needs are more likely to face and experience challenges that are beyond normal societal expectations. When children with intellectual disabilities are born, their parents are likely to experience shock, loss, disappointment, bereavement and self-blame. These reactions are likely to lead to denial, anxiety, parental and family conflicts and conflicts between professionals and agencies. The presence of intellectual disabilities and or complex needs in children is more likely to result in extended parental needs that are correlated to the degree of their level of intellectual disability, social and cultural background and economic status of the family. The needs of children with intellectual disabilities and or complex needs will vary over time according to gender, age, and level of impairment. In the UK the National Service Framework for Children, Young People and Maternity Services (DH, 2004) has highlighted the complexity of meeting the needs of children with long-term conditions such as those with intellectual disabilities