Working with Parents who have Cognitive Limitations

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): People who have developmental disabilities are increasingly assuming typical adult roles and responsibilities, such as employee, community citizen, and neighbor. Perhaps the greatest challenge for people with cognitive disabilities however, is in the role of parent. The number of families where one or both parents have cognitive disabilities is increasing, and these families can be successful if supports are available to them. Professionals in schools, community health, and social work need to know how to recognize and effectively work with parents who may be hesitant to seek their support. The goal of this project is to develop and evaluate media training programs for professionals in healthcare and social work; the video training for elementary teachers developed during phase one was found to be significantly effective and enthusiastically received. Training content addresses expanding awareness of parents who have cognitive limitations, building respectful working relationships, supporting self-determination, and improving communication skills. Each set of interrelated materials will include a video and user guide with assessment materials (all available also on DVD). A tipsheet and parent handouts will be included in the user guide and will be available for free download via the web.