Search results for ‘Subject term:"learning disabilities"’ Sort:
Results 1 - 4 of 4
Screening for intellectual disability in children: a review of the literature
- Authors:
- MCKENZIE Karen, MEGSON Paula
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 25(1), January 2012, pp.80-87.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Noting increasing interest in the use of screening tools for early identification of possible intellectual disability, and the difficulty in identifying children with intellectual disability at an early age, this study reviews the literature to investigate how well screening tools identify children with an intellectual disability. It includes an introduction to the subject and a table summarising the psychometric characteristics required of a good screening tool. Database and reference searches for English language articles from 1990 to 2009, followed by detailed examination of studies, identified only one article which examined the ability of an assessment to specifically identify children with a potential intellectual disability. However, the review's overall conclusion was that no single screening tool which was reviewed was shown to be sufficiently valid or reliable to use to identify children with a probable intellectual disability. The authors highlight areas for future researchers to address in developing a screening tool.
Searching for a diagnosis
- Author:
- MCKENZIE Karen
- Journal article citation:
- Learning Disability Today, October 2012, pp.12-15.
- Publisher:
- Pavilion
- Place of publication:
- Hove
Being identified as having a learning disability is crucial to ensure that an individual has access to appropriate support. Increasing restriction of budgets may mean that learning disability services will be reluctant to provide support until the person has been diagnosed. Unfortunately, many people with a learning disability continue to go undiagnosed. The assessment of intellectual functioning must be carried out by a qualified applied psychologist, on an individual basis, using a properly standardised test that has good psychometric properties. The limited number of available psychologists may result in a bottleneck while individuals wait for diagnostic assessment before being able to access services. In addition, in some settings where there is an urgent need to identify whether someone has a learning disability, such as police stations and accident and emergency departments, access to a psychologist is likely to be limited. The challenges to quick and accessible diagnostic assessment have led to increasing interest in the use of screening tools in a range of settings. Screening tools can offer a practical solution where services are unable to meet demand for diagnostic assessment in a timely way. This article presents 2 evidence-based screening tools: the Learning Disability Screening Questionnaire, for adults aged 16 upwards; and the Child and Adolescent Intellectual Disability Screening Questionnaire, for children aged 8-18 years.
The impact of staff training on the knowledge of support staff in relation to bereavement and people with an intellectual disability
- Authors:
- WATTERS Laura, MCKENZIE Karen, WRIGHT Rachel
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 40(3), September 2012, pp.194-200.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Despite a growing understanding of bereavement and mourning in the general population, the needs of individuals with a learning disability who are bereaved have often been neglected and misunderstood. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of a 1-day training course on the knowledge of care staff about supporting an individual with a learning disability who has experienced bereavement. The training included content on bereavement and grief, responses to bereavement in individuals with learning disability, and how to support an individual with learning disability after bereavement. The study utilised a questionnaire based, mixed design. Forty-eight participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 equal groups. The 2 groups were trained at different times, allowed group 2 to act both as a control group and later to receive training. Within- and between-group comparisons were made. The training was shown to have significantly improved care staff knowledge in all the areas measured. An analysis of staff knowledge at 1 month after training was not possible due to a low response rate.
Stigma, social comparison and self-esteem in adults with an intellectual disability
- Authors:
- PATERSON Lucy, MCKENZIE Karen, LINDSAY Bill
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 25(2), March 2012, pp.166-176.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
This paper examines the perception of stigma in 43 adults (25 women, mean age 40 years) with an intellectual disability living in Scotland. It looked at the relationship this has with their psychological well-being and whether the process of social comparison has a moderating effect on this relationship. The authors also examined the types of social comparison processes used by people with ID when compared to their peer group. Participants completed a questionnaire with three self-report measures of perception of stigma, self-esteem and social comparison. Perception of stigma was found to be significantly related to negative social comparisons, which in turn was significantly related to low self-esteem. No difference was found between social comparisons made with other service users and those made with people in the community. Social comparison was not found to have a moderating effect on the relationship between stigma and self-esteem. The results provide support for the influence of the perception of stigma and social comparison on the self-concept of individuals with an intellectual disability.