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The estimated prevalence of visual impairment among people with learning disabilities in the UK
- Authors:
- EMERSON Eric, ROBERTSON Janet
- Publisher:
- Public Health England
- Publication year:
- 2011
- Pagination:
- 35p.
- Place of publication:
- London
It has been known for some time that visual impairments are more common among people with learning disabilities, especially people with more severe learning disabilities, and that the presence of visual impairments can significantly impair the independence and quality of life of people with learning disabilities. The aim of this report is to estimate how many people with learning disabilities in the UK are likely to have visual impairments. The report suggests that, at present, approximately 50,000 people with learning disabilities who are known to services in the UK have visual impairment. An additional 15,000 are blind. Whilst most children with learning disabilities are known to services, not all adults with learning disabilities are known to adult health or social care learning disabilities services – it is estimated that there may be an additional 44,000 adults with learning disabilities and visual impairment and 11,000 with learning disabilities and blindness. It is estimated that all of these figures will rise by approximately 0.5% each year over the next two decades.
The practical implication of comparing how adults with and without intellectual disability respond to music
- Authors:
- HOOPER Jeff, et al
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 39(1), March 2011, pp.22-28.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Arousal is described as ‘a condition conceived to vary in a continuum from a low point in sleep to a high point in extreme or intense excitement’. An aroused person is generally wide awake and alert, and someone who is unaroused is sleepy or relaxed. Previous researchers who compared how people with, and without, an intellectual disability respond to music focused on musical aptitude, but not on arousal. This paper presents the background, methodology, and results of a study that selected fifteen different pieces of music, and compared the arousal response of 48 adults with, and 48 without, an intellectual disability. Findings revealed a very strong and significant positive correlation, which implies that music, identified as sedative by individuals who do not have an intellectual disability, can be used appropriately in an intervention predicated for lowering the arousal levels of those with learning disabilities.
Active support: a handbook for supporting people with learning disabilities to lead full lives
- Authors:
- JONES Edwin, et al
- Publisher:
- ARC
- Publication year:
- 2011
- Pagination:
- 60p.
- Place of publication:
- Chesterfield
The authors of the Active Support Handbook have updated the original 6 booklets to create a useful Handbook. The active support project was a highly successful project in Wales, which has now become the UK-wide Active Support Practice Development Service. The Active Support Service can provide training, consultancy and information to any organisation wishing to implement Active Support. Active Support is proven to improve the lives of service users, making it easier to live independently and have greater quality of life. The Active Support Handbook is organised into four sections. Part one: an overview – this looks at what active support is, how to implement it and why it is so important. Part two: interacting to promote participation – this looks at supporting engagement, dealing with problems and thinking in steps. Part three: activity support plans – this part details what an activity support plan is, how it can be used, keeping track of these plans and administration. Part four: maintaining quality – this looks at working as a team, being consistent, positive managerial support, using the information recorded and quality assurance. The Active Support Handbook is a useful resource for anyone supporting people in an adult social care setting.
Staff perspectives of substance use and misuse among adults with intellectual disabilities enrolled in Dutch disability services
- Authors:
- VANDERNAGEL Joanneke, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, 8(3), September 2011, pp.143-149.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
The rates of substance misuse among adults with intellectual disability (ID) are unknown in the Netherlands. It is also unclear how ID services deal with substance-related problems. This study investigated the views of staff with respect to the occurrence of substance use and abuse and service organisation policies regarding substance use. A questionnaire asked staff from 39 ID services to comment on substance use among their clients and describe policies within their service regarding substance-related problems. Estimations of occurrence of substance use varied greatly across services. Alcohol was reported to be used most often but at lower rates than reported in the general population. Cannabis and other drugs were reported to be used relatively often when compared to the general population. Of the interventions the services reported using, restrictive measures were rated as most effective and collaboration with addiction facilities and rewarding abstinence as least effective. The authors concluded that the low effectiveness of mainstream addiction treatment or consultation suggests that there was a need for cross-system collaboration to address the problem.
Self-management abilities of diabetes in people with an intellectual disability living in New Zealand
- Authors:
- HALE Leigh A., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, 8(4), December 2011, pp.223-230.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Diabetes is more prevalent is people with intellectual disabilities than the general population. This qualitative study aimed to understand how to improve the self-management abilities of diabetes in people with an intellectual disability (ID) by exploring the understanding of diabetes held by 14 adults with ID and either type 1 or type 2 diabetes in New Zealand. Participants fell into three categories of understanding: those who had a good understanding; those who had limited understanding; and those with only a very basic understanding. While all of the participants were actively engaged in the self-management process, support from others was important, even for those with a good understanding of the disease. The authors concluded that while those with ID could be taught self-management, it was important to continue education and support throughout their lives. User-friendly teaching resources are recommended to achieve the education and support required.
A preliminary investigation of the utility of the "Behavior Support Plan Quality Evaluation Guide II" for use in Australia
- Authors:
- WEBBER Lynne S., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disability, 36(4), December 2011, pp.273-277.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
In Victoria, Australia, the Disability Act 2006 specifies that all people receiving a government-funded disability service and who are subject to a restrictive intervention (such as a chemical or mechanical restraint) must have a behaviour support plan. The quality of behaviour support plans can be an important influence on the quality of the support provided to people with disability who show challenging behaviours. The Behavior Support Plan Quality Evaluation Guide II has been used to assess behaviour support plans to support children in schools in the United States. This study examined its usefulness for assessing behaviour support plans designed for adults with an intellectual disability in community support services in Australia. The researchers surveyed experienced practitioners about the relevance of the evaluation guide components, and an audit was conducted of randomly selected behaviour support plans submitted as a statutory requirement. The findings showed evidence of acceptable validity and reliability, and evidence of the need for substantial improvement in the quality of behaviour support plans. The authors conclude that the findings support the utility of the Behavior Support Plan Quality Evaluation Guide II to inform and evaluate service planning in supporting adults with intellectual disability who show challenging behaviour.
A home of my own: report from visits to people with learning disabilities who are living in care homes which are registered with the Care Commission as having more than 20 places: June to September 2010
- Author:
- MENTAL WELFARE COMMISSION FOR SCOTLAND
- Publisher:
- Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland
- Publication year:
- 2011
- Pagination:
- 29p.
- Place of publication:
- Edinburgh
One of the ways in which the Mental Welfare Commission monitors individual care and treatment is through visit programmes in a range of settings throughout Scotland. These visits take place at home, in hospital or in any other setting where care and treatment is being delivered. This report presents findings from a programme of national themed visits to people with learning disabilities living in the larger residential care homes registered with the Care Commission as having more than 20 places. The visits are designed to assess and compare care and treatment for particular groups of people across Scotland. This report provides an overview of findings from a series of visits in Scotland between June and September 2010. Positive outcomes from the visits showed that people had pleasant homely bedrooms where they could spend time with their personal belongings, music, and TV and had some choice in the décor or furnishings. There was good access to primary health care services and Community Learning Disability Teams in nearly all units. However, communal units were less homely.
Access to healthcare services by people with intellectual disabilities: a rural-urban comparison
- Authors:
- NICHOLSON Laura, COOPER Sally-Ann
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual Disabilities, 15(2), June 2011, pp.115-130.
- Publisher:
- Sage
- Place of publication:
- London
Considering that access to healthcare services is difficult both for adults with intellectual disabilities and for people living in rural areas, it is likely that adults with intellectual disabilities in rural areas may be at an extra disadvantage. This study examined data from 39 rural and 633 urban participants from Scotland. Data on demographics, healthcare, and access to services were collected from face-to-face interviews and primary care notes. Analysis revealed that the rural sample to have significantly more contact with primary and secondary health care. However, contact with allied healthcare professionals was not significantly different, except that people in the rural sample were significantly more likely to have had recent contact with a dentist and an optician. The authors concluded that adults with intellectual disabilities in rural areas were not disadvantaged when compared to urban service users.
Attachment style and mental health in adults with intellectual disability: self-reports and reports by carers
- Authors:
- LARSON Felicity V., ALIM Nadja, TSAKANIKOS Elias
- Journal article citation:
- Advances in Mental Health and Intellectual Disabilities, 5(3), 2011, pp.15-23.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
For this research, participants were recruited from organisations providing services for people with intellectual disabilities in East Anglia, London and South East England. The study aimed to investigate whether adults with mild/moderate intellectual disabilities could accurately self-report their attachment style, and to explore the association between attachment style, challenging behaviour and mental health problems. 60 adults with intellectual disabilities completed an adapted attachment style questionnaire. They were also asked to select a supporting person to complete a questionnaire about them. 39 supporters completed questionnaires, which also provided information about challenging behaviour. The article describes the study and its results. The researchers found that people with mild/moderate intellectual disabilities show the same range of attachment styles as the general population. Insecure attachment was significantly associated with a reported diagnosis of depression but not anxiety, and a link was found between insecure attachment and the presence of challenging behaviour (specifically refusal of medication), but attachment style was not linked to any other kind of challenging behaviour explored in the study. The authors discuss their findings and the implications.
Personalisation - making it happen: the social worker's perspective
- Author:
- SOCIAL CARE INSTITUTE FOR EXCELLENCE
- Publisher:
- Social Care Institute for Excellence
- Publication year:
- 2011
- Place of publication:
- London
This film looks at the work of a personal budget team in Hull. It shows how the team works with people who use services to provide personalised care, focusing on one family where a mother is having difficulty coping with one of her adult sons who has learning disabilities. The opportunity to spend time at a garden centre transforms the life of her son, but also gives his mother a much-needed break. Without personalisation, this solution would not have been possible and the family would have been reliant on traditional services. Social workers from the team talk about their new ways of working and about the benefits it brings to both them and the people who use their services.