Tause bekymringer. Om oppvekst og familierelasjoner for unge med intellektuelle funksjonsnedsettelser.

In this article, we analyse how young people with intellectual disabilities experience interaction with their parents and providers during the period they are transitioning into adulthood. We analyse data from consultations in specialist health services and individual interviews with the young people. We find that the young people want support from parents and providers, but also that support can undermine their independence. They want to be recognised as valuable contributors to their families, and this has consequences for how they understand themselves and act. They often find themselves and their parents and providers to be silent about mutual worries, especially the consequences of experiences with sexuality and abuse, and for future consequences of their disabilities. The young peoples’ silence can be understood as an attempt to give an impression of independence, but this impedes them from getting the necessary support. This is especially problematic for young people who actively seek independence and who are at risk of for violence and abuse. Demarcations between what issues parents and providers should engage in when young persons with intellectual disabilities seek independence and what should instead be addressed by health and social services should be further explored both within the services themselves and in future research.