Supporting Parents With Intellectual Disabilities or Mental Health Conditions

Parents with intellectual disabilities (ID) or mental health conditions (MHC) may benefit from tailored coaching efforts to support their children within Part C Early Intervention (EI) services. This scoping review examined training or coaching studies including parents with ID/MHC from cross-disciplinary fields outside of EI in order to understand alignment with best practices in Part C EI and provide preliminary recommendations to the field. A total of 27 articles were included (8 qualitative, 18 quantitative, and 1 mixed-method design). Sixteen studies involving parents with ID and 11 studies including parents with MHC were reviewed. The review revealed common strategies used for parents with ID (e.g., behavioral strategies, visuals, role-plays, feedback) and MHC (e.g., mindfulness/self-regulation, reflection, videos) as well as modifications to support participants. Although no study took place within a Part C context, a majority of studies used one or more practices found in Part C EI coaching frameworks (joint planning, observation, modeling/practice, feedback, reflection). Implications for EI practice and research are discussed, including use of more tailored modifications and/or accommodations when working with caregivers with ID or MHC, as well as the importance of common reporting and naming conventions across disciplines in future research efforts.