Parental access to assistance from services: Social status and age-related differences

Abstract

Parental access to community-based assistance was investigated in relation to occupational status and age of their child/teenager with an intellectual disability. Three age cohorts were included in a stratified sample of 70 households. Results indicated both status and age-related differences in access to assistance. While most upper-occupational-status parents had received help with “information” most lower-occupational-status parents had not. Age-related differences indicated that assistance was more likely to have been received by parents of 3–5 year olds than at any time by parents of older children or teenagers. These results are discussed in relation to differential access to parental support from community based services.