Search results for ‘Subject term:"learning disabilities"’ Sort:
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A real home a real life
- Author:
- INCLUSIVE FILMS
- Publisher:
- Inclusive Films
- Publication year:
- 2014
- Pagination:
- 30 mins.
Stories about eight people with learning disabilities or autism, the kinds of support they receive and the varied ways they have gained a real home of their own and are living their own lives. (Publisher abstract)
How psychiatric in-patient care for people with learning disabilities is transforming after Winterbourne View
- Authors:
- GLOVER Gyles, BROWN Ian, HATTON Chris
- Journal article citation:
- Tizard Learning Disability Review, 19(3), 2014, pp.146-149.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Purpose: Two censuses, from 2010 and 2013, respectively, shed light on the trend in use of in-patient psychiatric care for people with learning disability or autism following the BBC documentary exposing abuse of patients at Winterbourne View. This paper considers the implications of the detailed trends for future care for this group. Design/methodology/approach: Published data from a September 2013 census are compared with the re-analysis of a census undertaken by the Care Quality Commission in March 2010. Findings: An overall 35 per cent reduction in numbers of in-patients is made up of larger falls in groups generally easier to discharge (older, female, in general as opposed to secure units). There is also substantial variation around the country. Research limitations/implications: There are some uncertainties about the comparability of the two censuses and the question of how complete enumeration was of people with learning disabilities in general mental illness beds. Originality/value: The paper raise the question of whether the beds that are reducing fastest may be those most likely to be of value to a high quality and sustainable service in the long term. (Edited publisher abstract)
Quality of life: standards and toolkit
- Author:
- CHANGING OUR LIVES
- Publisher:
- Changing Our Lives
- Publication year:
- 2014
- Pagination:
- 48
- Place of publication:
- Hagley
These Quality of Life standards aim to raise people’s expectations about what a good quality of life really means. The standards have been written by over 650 children, young people and adults with learning disabilities and autism. They are based on people with disabilities being seen and respected as equal citizens in society, capable of having a full and valued life. The standards, which apply to all people with disability, and use a rights based approach, spell out what expectations people with disability should have with regard to personal autonomy and control over their life, staying safe, personal care, enjoying a full life, housing, employment and financial autonomy. The document also contains a toolkit, which gives an overview of some of the ways the Quality of Life standards can be used to both check the quality of support and services and to challenge culture and develop new practice. (Original abstract)
Working with people with autism: the autistic perspective
- Author:
- SOCIAL CARE INSTITUTE FOR EXCELLENCE
- Publisher:
- Social Care Institute for Excellence
- Publication year:
- 2014
- Pagination:
- 11 minutes 56 seconds
- Place of publication:
- London
- Edition:
- Revised
In this film, we see how Scott, a man with autism and learning disabilities, and Marie, a professor with Asperger’s Syndrome, learn to make sense of society, with the support of colleagues and family members. Scott’s parents speak of the rituals he employs to cope with daily life and the behaviours that are triggered when the world does not make sense to him. Marie talks of the challenges she faces in learning the rules of professional communication and the techniques she uses to interact with others and manage her anxieties. She makes the point, however, that these anxieties come about because society does not yet understand people with autism, and disables them as a result.
Living in fear: better outcomes for people with learning disabilities and autism. Main research report
- Authors:
- BEADLE-BROWN Julie, et al
- Publisher:
- University of Kent. Tizard Centre
- Publication year:
- 2014
- Pagination:
- 185
- Place of publication:
- Canterbury
Reports on the findings of a three-year research project to investigate incidents of disability hate crime experienced by people with autism and learning disabilities in Medway, Kent. The research was carried out by Autism London, MCCH, Kent Police and the Tizard Centre at the University of Kent. The study included a review of calls to the National Autistic Society and Autism London helplines; focus groups with people with learning disabilities and autism (n=31) and with family and paid carers (n=33); responses to a survey exploring the victimisation experiences of people with learning disabilities and autism (n=255); and in-depth interviews (n=27); and focus groups with the police to identify the difficulties they experience in responding to hate crime. Results found that at least one third of people involved in the research Medway had experienced some form of victimisation as adults. Types of hate crime varied and included physical attacks, threats, verbal abuse and damage to property. Key findings from focus groups with the police identified: lack of a clear definition of disability hate crime, a low level of individual police officers’ knowledge and experience of disability; and lack of a systematic method of establishing whether people reporting victimisation are vulnerable. The report calls for more specialist victim support, counselling and therapies for victims with autism and learning disabilities. It also identifies a need for better and more effective ways for victims to report incidents. Recommendations are made for National and Local implementation. The report also provides some examples of good practice in dealing with situations of victimisation or hate crime. (Edited publisher abstract)
A human rights perspective on reducing restrictive practices in intellectual disability and autism
- Editor:
- KARIM Sam
- Publisher:
- BILD
- Publication year:
- 2014
- Place of publication:
- Birmingham
This book explores the importance of human rights legislation and ethical decision making on reducing the use of restrictive practices when supporting people with an intellectual disability and people with autism. It provides examples of how legislation, case law and guidance have been used in the countries of England, Wales, Australia and North America to uphold people’s rights and challenge abusive practices. Chapters include: legal reflections on the human rights of restraint reduction; the importance of safeguarding rights and the role of legislation: the Australian perspective; ethical principles and good practice in reducing restrictive practices; replacing restraint: good practices in North American human service programmes for persons with intellectual disabilities and autism; and good practices in Australia in the use of restraint reduction practices for people with intellectual disabilities and autism. (Edited publisher abstract)
Characteristics of referrals and admissions to a medium secure ASD unit
- Authors:
- O'DONOGHUE Therese, SHINE John, ORIMALADE Olufunto
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual Disabilities and Offending Behaviour, 5(3), 2014, pp.138-146.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present preliminary data on a cohort of patients referred to a specialist forensic medium-secure autism spectrum disorder (ASD) service during its first two years of opening and to identify variables associated with admission to the service. Design/methodology/approach: Data on all referrals to the service (n=40) was obtained from clinical files on demographics, offending history, psychiatric history and levels of therapeutic engagement. The sample was divided into two groups: referred and admitted (n=23) and referred and not admitted (n=17). Statistical analysis compared the two groups on all variables. Findings: Totally, 94 per cent of all individuals assessed had a diagnosis of autism, however, structured diagnostic tools for ASD were used in a small minority of cases. About half the sample had a learning disability, almost four-fifths had at least one additional mental disorder and almost three-quarters had a history of prior supervision failure or non-compliance with treatment. The sample had a wide range of previous offences. No significant differences were found between the groups on any of the variables included in the study. Research limitations/implications: The present study presents a starting point to follow up in terms of response to treatment and characteristics associated with treatment outcome. Practical implications – The sample had a wide range of clinical and risk-related needs. Both groups shared many similarities. Originality/value: This highlights the need for comprehensive assessment looking at risk-related needs so that individuals are referred to an optimal treatment pathway. (Publisher abstract)
Personalisation, family relationships and autism: conceptualising the role of adult siblings
- Author:
- ATKIN Karl
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Social Work, 14(3), 2014, pp.225-242.
- Publisher:
- Sage
Summary: Current policy discourses demonstrate a weak connection to broader theoretical debates about family obligation and in particular how family responsibilities become negotiated over time and across the life course. How policy imagines family care can, therefore, be different to the actual experiences of families. This qualitative paper, using semi-structured interviews, explores the experience of a particularly neglected group, adult siblings, who have a brother or sister with autism (plus learning disability). The authors spoke to 21 adult siblings, met with 12 of their siblings with autism and talked to 12 health and social care professionals. Findings: The authors' analysis suggests that connectedness and commitment, which remained subject to continuous redefinition by all family members, informed sibling relationships Practitioners, however, struggle to engage with this complexity, thereby undermining the extent siblings’ relationships can be realised. Application: The paper concludes that policy initiatives are at risk of becoming an uneasy compromise, in which the need to offer choice occurs alongside the ‘problem’ of managing family care. Sibling relationships are more than simply ‘being of’ or ‘belonging to’ a family. They are dynamic, subject to contingency and negotiation. Interventions should be formulated to work with these assumptions, without presupposing a definite experience fixed in time and space. This would not only maximise the disabled siblings’ quality of life, but also ensure a more productive and fulfilling context for family relationships. (Edited publisher abstract)
Winterbourne View: time for change. Transforming the commissioning of services for people with learning disabilities and/or autism
- Authors:
- BUBB Stephen, TRANSFORMING CARE AND COMMISSIONING STEERING GROUP
- Publisher:
- NHS England
- Publication year:
- 2014
- Pagination:
- 48
This report sets out recommendations for a national commissioning framework under which local commissioners would secure community-based support for people with learning disabilities and/or autism. The Concordat published after the Winterbourne View scandal set out the necessary key steps very clearly (starting with pooled budgets and joint local commissioning plans), and has been followed by a range of further analysis and guidance. This report aims to ensure that vision is implemented, by removing the barriers that make it hard for stakeholders across the system to make change happen and by empowering and supporting the agents of change, including people with learning disabilities and/or autism themselves and their families. Key recommendations include: the closure of inappropriate in-patient care institutions; a Charter of Rights for people with learning disabilities and/or autism and their families; to give people with learning disabilities and their families a ‘right to challenge’ decisions and the right to request a personal budget; a requirement for local decision-makers to follow a mandatory framework that sets out who is responsible, for which services and how they will be held to account, including improved data collection and publication; improved training and education for NHS, local government and provider staff; a social investment fund to build capacity in community-based services, to enable them to provide alternative support; and empowering people with learning disabilities by giving them the rights they deserve in determining their care. (Edited publisher abstract)
‘My brother likes meeting new people, but don't ask him any direct questions’: involving adults with autism plus learning disability in a qualitative research project
- Authors:
- TOZER Rosemary, ATKIN Karl, WENHAM Aniela
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 42(4), 2014, pp.292-300.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
People who have difficulties in communication and understanding are often excluded from research which is about them. As part of a qualitative study focusing on the adult siblings of people with autism and learning disabilities, the authors met twelve people with autism plus severe learning disability with their brother or sister. Individually tailored resources were used to make the meeting accessible and positive. Sibling involvement was essential to the participation, and inclusion of adults with autism plus learning disability strengthened the research findings, making them more valid and more relevant to policy and practice. This article describes the authors experiences of facilitating this involvement, the methods used and understandings gained, with the aim of encouraging practitioners and researchers to do likewise. Meeting the brothers and sisters with autism was important as it helped the researchers understand their relationships much better and make suggestions about how they and their siblings could be better supported. (Edited publisher abstract)