title: Home and the social worlds beyond: exploring influences in the lives of children of mothers with intellectual disability.
abstract: Mothers with intellectual disability are likely to raise their children in socially disadvantaged circumstances, and many face social isolation; however, the impact of a potentially restricted home context on children's social worlds has not been examined. This study was conducted to explore influences in the social worlds of children of mothers with intellectual disability from a child's perspective.
  
  
  
  Seven children aged 7 to 11 years took part in at least two semi-structured interviews over a year. Narrative accounts of each child's social interactions were analysed to ascertain if a pattern was present across the group.
  
  
  
  Home was found to influence the children's social interactions elsewhere by providing (or not) predictable routines and rules, and support from a significant adult other than a mother. Home environments were found to influence other social worlds by establishing a foundation for children's expectations about social interactions.
  
  
  
  The social worlds of school-aged children of mothers with intellectual disability are shaped by influences in the home that cannot be attributed exclusively to having a parent with intellectual disability. Significant adults provide an important support role and can be fulfilled by social service workers when a family-centred approach is applied.
authors.affiliation: Intellectual Disability Behaviour Support Program, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, UNSW Australia, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: S
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-0344-7399
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Collings
authors.affiliation: Centre for Disability Research and Policy, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Llewellyn
authors.affiliation: Children and Families Research Centre, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Grace
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002668:Child Rearing; D002669:Child Welfare; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000523:psychology*; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D009517:New South Wales; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology*; D010379:Peer Group; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012574:Schools; D066107:Social Skills; D057545:Social Stigma; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
keywords: middle childhood; parenting with intellectual disability; social interactions