Screening for parental intellectual disability: a first step in planning and delivering equitable support services?

Abstract

Parents with intellectual disability, like all parents, need support with childrearing. Early identification of parental intellectual disability may be key to the planning and delivery of appropriately adapted, inclusive family supports and services. The purpose of this study was to investigate the performance of a brief screener for parental intellectual disability. A total of 185 parents, including 91 parents in receipt of specialist intellectual disability services and 94 parents utilizing generic family support services, completed an interview/survey which incorporated candidate screening questions. The results of logistic regression and ROC curve analysis showed that a simple four-item screener performed well (accuracy 90.44%, sensitivity 92.31%, specificity 90.43%, AUC .96). The potential benefits of screening have to be weighed up against the risks of potential misuse. We therefore suggest that screening be introduced in the context of continuing professional education and initiatives to build system’s capacity to support parents with intellectual disability and their families.