Sad case highlights problems and difficulties of parents of disabled children

There has been a lot of media attention to the trial and conviction of a UK mother who drowned her 4year-old daughter with cerebral palsy over the past week. Today in The Times, Alexandra Blair looks at the problems and difficulties faced by parents bringing up disabled children, who battle daily to get services , none of which will be new parents of children with cerebral palsy.

http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/families/article4820556.ece

These comments are supported by other parents who speak out about the pressures and how close they have come to breaking

http://www.eveningleader.co.uk/news/Parents-of-disabled-children-need.4527081.jp

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2008/09/25/i-weep-for-naomi-and-her-mum-i-know-what-it-s-like-to-get-pushed-to-the-brink-115875-20751469/

including a mother whose child receives Conductive Education

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2008/09/23/mother-guilty-of-murdering-disabled-naomi-91466-21883091/

and a mother (and journalist) describes her sympathy for the mother of Naomi in the Daily Mail after meeting a man struggling with his severely disabled son in a supermarket car park

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1061302/Yes-evil-act-deserved-punished-So-I-feel-sorry-mother-drowned-little-Naomi.html

Norman Perrin has highlighted similar problems with a posting about the difficulties his adult disabled daughter has obtaining the right care in her own home
http://paces.typepad.com/paces/2008/04/does-anyone-at.html

There are many more examples to be found by searching the internet and I wonder when care will be provided according to need and not according to how much it costs.

I do have an article on the psychological well-being of mothers of children with cerebral palsy written by some researchers at Coventry University, which concludes that

levels of psychological well-being are a cause for concern and warrant exploration of interventions that will reduce maternal distress and increase self eficacy

Barlow, J., and others (2006) Psychological well-being among mothers of children with cerebral palsy. Early Child Development and Care, 176(3-4), pp.421-428.