Social networks and personal support from the perspective of young people with intellectual disabilities

A strong, stable social network constitutes a potential guarantee that people with intellectual disabilities can have natural supports throughout their lives that will help them in their process of social inclusion. Having a supportive social network is considered the pinnacle of social inclusion. But the social networks of people with intellectual disabilities are usually very limited, and their connections are mainly with family and professionals. Few studies have focused on analysing the social networks of young people with disabilities and the functional characteristics of these networks. In order to study the basic characteristics of the social networks of young people with intellectual disabilities, and specifically their perception of the support received, 13 young people between 18 and 27 years of age completed a questionnaire aimed at obtaining information on the size of their network, its composition, the types of relationship or bond, the types of support (instrumental, informational or emotional), as well as the structure of the network. The results obtained have made it possible to present guidelines aimed at enriching social networks and so increase the potential for social support.