Designed for those parenting adolescents with an intellectual disability, it is one of the first of its kind in the world to prove its effectiveness through a randomised controlled trial. Raising a child with an intellectual disability is challenging enough, he points out, but with adolescents, “you have all this extra aggression and sexuality; they’re not cute any more”. I think the benefits outweigh the deficits” in growing up with a special needs sibling. For all the challenges of having a child with an intellectual disability, there’s also “loads of joy and that’s what keeps people going”, adds Wayne. Such a scenario had come up in the Parents Plus special needs programme, “which is something I had never been more grateful for”, says Niamh, who had attended because of Troy’s sister, her eldest child Lauren (16).

Source: The Irish Times October 06, 2020 04:52 UTC