Abstract
Parents with disabilities are no more likely than
other parents to abuse or neglect their children, but
they are disproportionately more likely to interact
with the child-protection system than their
nondisabled counterparts. The beliefs of mandated
reporters, such as teachers and doctors, about the
inability of people with disabilities to raise children,
have contributed to this overrepresentation. There
is, however, very little research that has examined
how often child-protection cases involving parents
with disabilities are substantiated. (Substantiated
child-protection cases have enough evidence to be
investigated, but they may or may not result in
charges of abuse.)