ABSTRACT
Whether an act of God or fate, chance mutation, or the inevitability of a genetic blueprint, having a child with an intellectual disability is rarely a welcome event. To further complicate matters, such children do not come with instructions. Parents are often rushed through a crash-course in their child’s disorder and disability, and they are prepared neither for the behavioural and emotional challenges that their children might bring, nor for the family stresses that often ensue.
