Estimated Prevalence and Living Circumstances of Parents with Intellectual Disability In Australia from Selected National Surveys

Abstract

Analysis of SDAC 2009 data identified an estimated 0.41% of Australian parents had intellectual disability. This equates to an estimated 17,000 parents with intellectual disability residing in private dwellings in Australia. Analysis of GSS 2010 data revealed that, compared with non-disabled parents and also compared with parents with other disabilities, parents with intellectual disability were significantly more likely to: -be in a jobless household -be in households in the lowest three deciles of equivalised weekly income -be on government pensions as the main source of personal income -have ever been without a permanent place to live -have ever stayed in a shelter, squatted in an abandoned building and/or slept rough -have less frequent contact with family and friends -have negative or mixed feelings about life -have poorer self-assessed health