Planned pregnancy, planned parenting: enabling choice for adults with a learning disability.

For adults with learning disabilities, becoming a parent can fulfil childhood dreams to take their place in society through a highly valued social role. Recent research aimed at describing the experience of parents with a learning disability suggests that there are barriers to successful planning for both pregnancy and parenthood. However, with the right support, these parents can provide a secure and loving environment for their child. Enabling informed decisions about becoming a parent could increase the number of parents who successfully raise their own child. In this article, stories that highlight the experiences of six parents are used to illustrate issues relevant to informed decision-making, including knowledge of contraception, the development of parenting skills and the importance of social support. Through their contrasting stories, a combination of family support and appropriately responsive services was identified as critical to the development of a positive parenting context. This finding highlights the need for professionals and support people who work with young people with a learning disability to ensure that they educate and support them to make informed decisions about contraception, pregnancy and parenting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]