Parents With Cognitive Limitations (PWCL)

A generation ago, the idea of people with cognitive limitations parenting children was unheard of. With the advent of de-institutionalization and the end of mandatory sterilization, many people who would not have had an opportunity to parent in previous generations, now do. The number of families headed by a parent with cognitive limitations is uncertain, although members of the Parents With Cognitive Limitations Workgroup report contact with a significant number of such families. The Connecticut Parents With Cognitive Limitations Workgroup was formed in 2002 to address the issue of identification and support of parents who are developmentally disabled.

People with cognitive limitations have difficulty with such tasks as planning, organizing, integrating memory, and regulating emotion. In every day life they have trouble scheduling and keeping appointments, exhibit poor judgment, and have difficulty setting limits and following through. These limitations result in problems maintaining a home, a job, and benefits. Isolation, lack of transportation, and few community supports tailored to meet their needs are persistent problems for these families.

Service providers often inaccurately identify these parents as mentally ill or as substance abusers. When services designed for these other populations are not effective for such parents, they are often labeled as resistant to the services and blamed for the ongoing difficulties within the family. The population needs to be recognized as distinctive and in need of specific services tailored to its needs.

The Connecticut Parents With Cognitive Limitations Workgroup conducts a series of trainings for service providers.  Please contact Connecticut Clearinghouse at 800.232.4424 for training information and schedule.

Source: Connecticut Department of Children and Families