Search results for ‘Subject term:"learning disabilities"’ Sort:
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Strategies for supporting the online publishing activities of adults with learning difficulties
- Author:
- SEALE Jane K.
- Journal article citation:
- Disability and Society, 22(2), March 2007, pp.173-186.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
This paper reports on a study that explored the online publishing activities of adults with learning difficulties, the strategies that carers and professionals have used to support these activities and the implications these strategies may have for empowerment and self-advocacy. Content analysis of 15 home pages revealed that despite having a certain degree of information and communication technology literacy, many of the authors were being supported in their online publishing activities. For, the majority, their family provided this support. The supportive strategies that were used involved including the home page as part of a bigger family web site and taking sole or joint responsibility for writing the narrative of the home page. These strategies raise interesting questions about the validity of online publishing activities as vehicles for self-advocacy and the power relationships that such activities expose.
An evaluation of Beck's cognitive theory of depression in adults with intellectual disability
- Authors:
- ESBENSEN A.J., BENSON B.A.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 51(1), January 2007, pp.14-24.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
The theories supporting cognitive treatment for depression among individuals with intellectual disability (ID) have not been formally tested with this population. The current study evaluated Beck's cognitive theory of depression to determine its appropriateness for adults with ID. Forty-eight adults with primarily mild or moderate ID participated in semi-structured interviews, twice approximately 16 weeks apart, as did an additional 12 adults diagnosed with depression. Participants reported on depressed mood, the cognitive triad, as measured by views of the self, the world and the future, hopelessness and self-esteem. The Cognitive Triad Inventory for Children (CTI-C) displayed adequate psychometric properties in this sample. In addition, it was correlated with depressed mood, and individuals diagnosed with depression had significantly higher scores on the CTI-C than those with no psychiatric diagnoses. Contrary to hypotheses, a negative cognitive triad did not predict depressed mood 4 months later, but the inverse relationship where depressed mood predicted a later negative cognitive triad approached statistical significance. The findings indicate that the cognitive triad can be measured among individuals with mild or moderate ID and is related to depression and depressed mood. However, the role of the cognitive triad in the development of depression is still unknown. The findings provide some support for Beck's cognitive theory of depression among individuals with ID and provide suggestions for further testing the theory. Implications for the treatment of depression among individuals with ID are discussed.
Medication matters: final report
- Author:
- NORAH FRY RESEARCH CENTRE. Medication Matters Team
- Publisher:
- Norah Fry Research Centre
- Publication year:
- 2007
- Pagination:
- 31p.
- Place of publication:
- Bristol
The aim of this project was to find out what people with learning difficulties, their carers and the prescribers of their medication understand about why psychotropic medication has been prescribed and what the implications of taking it are. Interviews were held with 21 people with learning difficulties living in four different regions of England. They were contacted via voluntary and statutory sector organisations providing support for people with learning difficulties living in those areas. People were selected on the basis that they had learning difficulties and had been prescribed psychotropic medication. The majority of people interviewed thought that people with learning difficulties should be given the same information about their medication as anyone else, in an easy to understand format. As a result of the research findings, the research team have been working on a number of resources to help people with learning difficulties, their carers and prescribers. These are: a booklet for people with learning difficulties, their families or carers where information about a medication can be recorded; a decision-making tool for people with learning difficulties to help them make informed choices about medications they are prescribed; and information about where to find out more about medications.
Eating well: children and adults with learning disabilities: nutritional and practical guidelines
- Author:
- CRAWLEY Helen
- Publisher:
- Caroline Walker Trust
- Publication year:
- 2007
- Pagination:
- 159p.
- Place of publication:
- Abbots Langley
This report summarises the current evidence on the nutritional needs of children, young people and adults with learning disabilities in the UK. The report looks at issues around nutritional health, food choice and eating well and provides both nutritional and practical guidelines to promote eating well. This report aims to enable all those who support people with learning disabilities to improve their knowledge about what constitutes good nutritional health, to signpost areas where additional support is urgently required and to highlight other resources and support available in this area.
Quality of life of adults with intellectual disabilities who live with families in Taiwan
- Authors:
- CHOU Y. C., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 51(11), November 2007, pp.875-883.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Little research has been conducted about the quality of life (QOL) of people with intellectual disabilities (ID) in Taiwan, particularly their subjective QOL. This study examined the personal perceptions of these individuals as measured on internationally recognized core QOL domains and indicators. A census interview survey was conducted in Hsin-Chu City in Taiwan; 233 adults aged over 16 years with mild ID and living with their families participated in the study. Data were collected using the Cross-Cultural QOL Indicators (CCQOLI) together with socio-demographic data that included ‘activities of daily living’ and ‘instrumental activities of daily living’ (IADL). The CCQOLI were based on the three most commonly reported indicators of each of the eight QOL domains: emotional well-being, interpersonal relations, material well-being, personal development, physical well-being, self-determination, social inclusion and rights. Each indicator has two sets of questions related to the indicator's ‘importance’ and ‘use’. These are answered by the respondent using a 4-point Likert scale. The importance and use of the QOL indicators were evaluated positively by the respondents. The adults' individual characteristics, namely IADL and educational level, were significant predictors for the ‘importance’ while the adults' perceptions of ‘use’ for overall QOL were significantly affected by his/her socio-economic data, that is, residence location and father's educational level. The present study addressed the issue of self-reported QOL in people with ID in Taiwanese society, becoming a possible benchmark for similar measurements carried out by disability movements there. These results contribute to current advocacy efforts towards creating a supportive environment for people with ID.
The impact of the Supporting People programme on adults with learning disabilities
- Author:
- JOSEPH ROWNTREE FOUNDATION
- Publisher:
- Joseph Rowntree Foundation
- Publication year:
- 2007
- Pagination:
- 4p.
- Place of publication:
- York
The Supporting People programme, which began on 1 April 2003, was designed to separate out the costs of bricks-and-mortar housing (which, where needed, would continue to be paid through Housing Benefit) from the costs of the support necessary to enable vulnerable adults to attain or maintain independent tenancies. For people with learning disabilities, this new funding mechanism appeared to offer a much-needed opportunity for some of the changes set out in the 2001 Valuing People White Paper to be made a reality. This research project set out to examine how local Supporting People teams were interpreting national guidelines in relation to the provision of housing-related support and to explore the impact that this was having on people with learning disabilities. It also hoped to discover the extent to which the Valuing People core aims – of promoting rights, choice, independence and control in the lives of people with learning disabilities – were being supported by this new programme.
Progression through partnership: a joint strategy between the DfES, DH and DWP on the role of further education and training in supporting people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities to achieve fulfilling lives
- Authors:
- GREAT BRITAIN. Department for Education and Skills, GREAT BRITAIN. Department of Health, GREAT BRITAIN. Department for Work and Pensions
- Publisher:
- Great Britain. Department for Education and Skills
- Publication year:
- 2007
- Pagination:
- 39p.
- Place of publication:
- London
The Government is committed to improving the life chances of people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. It wants to develop services which centre around the needs of disabled people and provide seamless support to help everyone achieve their full potential. This report sets out a vision of how the departments most closely involved in this area will work together to deliver high quality support and incentives for young people and adults with learning difficulties and/or disabilities in further education and training.
Community-based day activities for adults with learning disabilities
- Author:
- -
- Journal article citation:
- Community Care, 14.06.07, 2007, p.32, 34.
- Publisher:
- Reed Business Information
This article analyses recent research findings behind good practice in community-based day activities for adults with learning disabilities.
Opening doors
- Author:
- CHIMBA Innocent
- Journal article citation:
- Llais, 83, Spring 2007, pp.9-11.
- Publisher:
- Learning Disability Wales
The author reports on the progress of a new project which aims to extend the advocacy support services provided by Advocacy Action Wales (AAW) to adults with a learning disability from the black and ethnic minority communities in the Gwent region. The project is funded by the British Institute of Learning Disabilities (BILD).
Assessing learning styles of adults with intellectual disabilities
- Author:
- LISKE Angela Mary
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual Disabilities, 11(1), March 2007, pp.23-45.
- Publisher:
- Sage
- Place of publication:
- London
The development of an electronic inventory to assess learning styles of adults with intellectual difficulties was seen as an inclusion strategy to aid learning and achievement. Some argue for the ‘centrality of e-learning to educational diversity’, for example. The use of VAK inventories (whether electronic or paper based), however, has been derogated as leading to theory-practice pedagogy that is misinterpreted and ill-informed. The focus here is dual in that the vigour and ‘user friendliness’ of the tool developed is analysed in the midst of a critical appraisal of its use. Assessments conducted using the inventory developed showed 34 percent of the participants have visual preferences, 34 percent have auditory, 23 percent have kinaesthetic, and 9 percent have multimodal learning preferences. Thus, this participant group requires a varied and diverse learning programme. The inventory was found to be user friendly but in need of further development, and would best be used as part of a self-reflective learning package.