Abstract
The prevalence of intellectual disability in the world population is approximately 1% (Maulik et al., 2011). Coexistence with medical conditions is common and people with intellectual disability often experience poorer health and less access to care than people without intellectual disabilities (Havercamp and Scott, 2015). There is also higher risk of adverse pregnancy and postnatal outcome for women with intellectual disability and their infants (Höglund et al., 2012; Lo et al., 2025), likely due to both medical and social factors (Lo et al., 2025). Providing person-centred care and tailoring support during pregnancy is important to improve outcome and give the best possible start for mothers with intellectual disability and their babies. However, as reported in this study as well as in a recent systematic review (Lo et al., 2025), there is a need for maternity services to enhance their knowledge regarding how to care for and support mothers with intellectual disability.
This qualitative case study explored a bespoke interdisciplinary placement within maternity care from the perspectives of two student learning disability nurses and two midwifery students. The study aimed to explore the students’ experiences when supporting mothers with intellectual disability. Findings showed that the students appreciated the bespoke placement, which they described gave valuable insights into their different professional fields and enhanced skills through interprofessional learning. The students noted that the language used in their professions sometimes differed, leading to miscommunications within the interprofessional team. Furthermore, they reflected on difficulties professionals in maternity services may have in asking a woman if she has an intellectual disability, as well as a lack of awareness regarding the role of a learning disability nurse and the contributions they can make in maternity services. According to the students, these are aspects that could likely be overcome with increased knowledge and interprofessional teamwork, which preferably could be supported by interprofessional learning during education. Lack of experience in supporting mothers with intellectual disabilities impacted their confidence to provide care and support. Therefore, greater awareness of how to support the mothers, making reasonable adjustments, and having knowledge about services with which to collaborate to provide optimal care was highlighted as important. Safeguarding referrals were mentioned as an issue where the professions could have different perspectives. While the experience was that maternity services were more likely to make a safeguarding referral once the woman’s diagnosis of intellectual disability was known, learning disability nurses, through their assessment, could more easily identify the woman’s capabilities and by providing tailored support they did not necessarily view a safeguarding referral as required
Becoming a parent is challenging, not withstandingdisability. Parents with intellectual disabilities can find parenthood challenging, exacerbated by increased vulnerability due to their disability and sometimes experiencing negative attitudes from others regarding their parental abilities (Cox et al., 2021; Höglund and Larsson, 2012). This can be problematic in several aspects. Experiencing that others question one’s ability as a parent may undermine parental self-efficacy and parenting skills (Bandura, 1997). Research has also shown that women with intellectual disability do not always disclose their diagnosis in maternity care. However, they would if they thought it would benefit their child and provide them with support in how to care for their child (Höglund and Larsson, 2012). There is a risk of further increasing the vulnerability of mothers with intellectual disability and their children if women fear disclosing their disability and maternity services lack knowledge regarding how to identify and support their needs. It must be acknowledged that professional knowledge and skills are not the only aspects needed to improve care. Relationships and trust matters. Relationship, that might have been developed over many years, between the woman and a learning disability nurse may facilitate trust, assessing needs, and providing support. A positive mindset with focus on strengths and capabilities, and professionals working together and recognising that familiarity and trust are essential have been identified as important factors in optimising care and support for mothers with an intellectual disability (Cox et al., 2021).
An interesting finding from this study was the students’ awareness of each profession’s expertise and recognition of how interprofessional collaboration could complement and improve support for mothers with intellectual disabilities. The results provide valuable insights not only for healthcare professionals who work with mothers with intellectual disabilities but also for those interested in the broader potential benefits of interprofessional collaboration and interprofessional learning in healthcare education. These insights may be applicable in various contexts within healthcare organisations and are of interest for anyone striving to provide holistic and person-centred care.