In the spring of this year, Helena Connors & Aoife Gaffney from our Member Support Team participated in a pilot rollout of a new evidence-based Special Needs Programme with Parents Plus. The is the first international parenting programme developed to address the needs of young people with an Intellectual Disability, 12 – 25 years, and their families. Until now, there have been no tailored parenting programmes for parents of adolescents with I.D. to help them deal with the significant challenges they face during this time and to meet the needs of this under-served group.
The programme was involved in research with Trinity College Dublin & results from the research of the Parents Plus Special Needs Programme reported significant improvements in:
- Parenting practices
- Problem behaviours
- Parental satisfaction
- Parental self-efficacy
- Personal goal attainment
Parents Plus are now launching the Special Needs Programme on September 18th with a free online introduction, which you can read more about over on their website.
This would be a great opportunity for Down Syndrome Ireland branches to offer this programme & support at a local level to families. Although this is a free session, registration is required to claim a spot for the session.
