Generally speaking, these parents live in different circumstances to most other parents in the community. For many families, poverty and isolation are not temporary but enduring features of their lives. Practicing good communication and self-esteem boosting strategies come a long way down on any priority list when mothers are struggling to keep their family fed and clothed. Clearly, these circumstances need to be addressed prior to, or alongside, parents' childrearing practices. The first concern is around housing and money matters .
Most families live in public housing.
Social security benefits are often their only source of income. With such limited resources, it is a difficult task ensuring that children are fed and clothed, and the bills paid. This is especially so in middle childhood when children are perpetually hungry, growing rapidly and 'rough on clothing'. Parents with intellectual disability may be stretched providing for their family's basic needs. As children get older and become more aware of what their friends have and they don't, they may pressure their parents for the latest craze, expensive items such as a Sony playstation or roller blades.