Search results for ‘Subject term:"learning disabilities"’ Sort:
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More than words
- Author:
- FRY Suzanne
- Journal article citation:
- Learning Disability Today, June 2012, pp.26-27.
- Publisher:
- Pavilion
- Place of publication:
- Hove
This article describes the journey of ‘Ben’ who contracted measles at the age of five leaving him with a damaged brain, resulting in learning difficulties. Frustrated by not being able to communicate, Ben became disruptive and unmanageable, forcing his parents to place him in a residential care home in Hampshire. Ben was taken to a speech therapist for an assessment, where he was introduced to a programme run by Lancaster University that was using a communication aid called ‘Orac’, which plays pre-recorded messages to others. This article describes how Orac has enabled Ben to live a more fulfilling life, even enabling the use of telephones to talk to his family.
The effectiveness of Talking Mats with people with intellectual disability
- Authors:
- MURPHY Joan, CAMERON Lois
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 36(4), December 2008, pp.232-241.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
People with intellectual disability have significant difficulties in ensuring their voice is heard. Talking Mats is a low tech communication resource which helps understanding and supports expression. This study examined the effectiveness of the resource for people with intellectual disability. A mixed method quantitative and qualitative study involving 48 people at four levels of comprehension was designed to compare the effectiveness of Talking Mats with the individual's main communication method. Thirty of the 48 participants were identified as using Talking Mats effectively. Effective use of Talking Mats was associated with functional comprehension. The study found that scores on all indicators of communication effectiveness were higher when using Talking Mats compared to main communication methods.
Commentary on “The People in Control Conference at City University, London: ‘We have opinions to share about our lives’”
- Author:
- BRADSHAW Jill
- Journal article citation:
- Tizard Learning Disability Review, 17(4), 2012, pp.177-183.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
This article provides a commentary on Harding et al.'s article (ipid, pp.169-176) about the involvement of people with learning disabilities in university teaching and conference presentations. Harding et al. outline the range of communication strengths and needs which this group of users experience. This article explores some of these in more detail, highlighting the role of communication partnerships between service users and members of staff with a view to identifying communication barriers to the involvement of people with learning disabilities. It argues that the generally poor communication environments in which people are supported are likely to limit opportunities for involvement. It then reflects on how the profile and importance of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) as a valid form of communication can be raised. It argues that this may best occur as part of general service-wide approaches to improving service quality, such as person-centred active support.
Rapid literature review on assistive technology in education: research report
- Author:
- EDYBURN Dave L.
- Publisher:
- Great Britain. Department for Education
- Publication year:
- 2020
- Pagination:
- 49
- Place of publication:
- Manchester
Assistive technologies (AT) are specialised products designed for people with special educational needs and disabilities. This report summarises the available evidence concerning AT use and outcomes in education for policy makers, administrators, educators, researchers, and industry in order to provide a comprehensive snapshot of the evidence informing when, where, and for whom AT works. The goal was to understand both the state of the art (as reflected in literature for practitioners), and the state of the science (as reflected in peer-reviewed research literature), concerning AT use and the outcomes and benefits experienced by pupils and students with SEND. The findings of this rapid review of the AT literature revealed a knowledge base of over 950 documents of which 96 were literature reviews. 30 evidence reviews provide moderate – strong evidence concerning the efficacy of specific applications of AT. The most research validated AT intervention focuses on speech, language, and communication disabilities and the use of communication systems known as augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices. This body of research evidence is strong and exceedingly clear: providing individuals with a method of communicating, the earlier the better, improves a variety of outcomes relative to independence, educational outcomes, and quality of life. AT is an under-utilised intervention to provide pupils and students with special needs and disabilities a means for accessing and engaging in the curriculum in ways that are representative of the ubiquitous nature of technology in society. Realising the potential of assistive technology will require the coordinated efforts of students, parents, educators, administrators, policymakers, developers, service providers, and researchers to scale the number of pupils and students benefitting from AT interventions that have been shown to be effective. (Edited publisher abstract)
IIAM (important information about me): a patient portability profile app for adults, children and families with neurodevelopmental disabilities
- Authors:
- JIAM N.T., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 12(6), 2017, pp.599-604.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- London
Purpose: To describe the development of important information about me (IIAM), an application (app) used to communicate and organise healthcare information for people with neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDD). Methods: Prior to the development of IIAM version 1.0, households with NDD were selected to participate in a focus group. Respondents (n = 7) were parents of children with NDD. Participants were asked to use a beta version for at least 2 months in day-to-day applications and to complete a questionnaire at the end of the trial. Results: Over half (57%) of the participants found the beta version to be useful. The greatest limitation in usability was the child’s age and literacy level. All participants found the app to be visually appealing and easy to navigate. IIAM was commonly used to communicate information to caregivers, and to facilitate quality interactions between the child and others. Conclusion: Mobile technology has become ubiquitous and has emerged as an important tool in healthcare. New applications could potentially promote accessible, cost-effective and self-managed interventions for the disability community. IIAM is a user-friendly, well-accepted and useful app for people with NDD. The focus group feedback elicited from the beta testing was used to develop the IIAM app version 1.0. However, the sample size in this initial feasibility study is small, and warrants a prospective study that evaluates the overall benefits of this app in improving quality of life and helping individuals with developmental disabilities manage their day-to-day activities. Implications for Rehabilitation: a) Mobile technology has been more ubiquitous in health care and has emerged as a tool in communicating healthcare needs; b) New applications could potentially promote accessible, cost-effective and self-managed interventions for the disability community; c) IIAM (important information about me) is a new iOS application that enables adults and children with neurodevelopmental disabilities to organise their medical records, advocate for their healthcare needs, and help overcome communication and time limitations with health professionals and caregivers. (Edited publisher abstract)
Carer satisfaction with telephone consultations in a community intellectual disability unit
- Authors:
- BAINS Harinder, BONELL Enrique, SPEIGHT Peter
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual Disabilities, 14(4), December 2010, pp.259-265.
- Publisher:
- Sage
- Place of publication:
- London
Telephone consultations have been shown to reduce the number of surgery contacts and out-of-hours visits. However, previous studies in general practice settings have shown patient dissatisfaction with a model based on telephone consultations. This paper reports on a survey of carer satisfaction with telephone consultations with doctors in a community service in Lincolnshire, England, for people with learning disabilities. Eleven participants returned a 10-item carer satisfaction questionnaire following telephone consultations over a 4 week period with questions about suitability, effectiveness, efficiency and appropriateness of telephone consultations. Findings indicated a high level of satisfaction with accessibility, effectiveness and suitability. Also, telephone consultations were an efficient use of time. However more than one-third of carers said they would have preferred a face-to-face consultation with the doctor. The paper concludes that, although routine practice in psychiatry, telephone consultations need further research to establish them as an alternative to face-to-face consultations.
From Dare I say ...? to I dare say: a case example illustrating the extension of the use of Talking Mats to people with learning disabilities who are able to speak well but unwilling to do so
- Authors:
- BELL Dorothy M., CAMERON Lois
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 36(2), June 2008, pp.122-127.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
This article presents the case of a woman with mild learning disability and with good verbal and expressive language ability. However, she was unable to explore verbally with her clinical psychologist issues concerning her low mood and to discuss strategies to address this. Talking Mats provided a low-tech communication framework to help the woman think about the issues and express her views. This article explores this approach and the woman’s response and considers the advantages of using Talking Mats in such cases.
An exploration of communication within active support for adults with high and low support needs
- Authors:
- IACONO Teresa, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 32(1), 2019, pp.61-70.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Background: The aim was to explore the relationship between quality of active support and communication support for people in group homes with high and low support needs. Methods: Data from 182 service users, 20–81 years (mean = 40), 89 with high support needs, were observed to have either good (n = 142) or poor (n = 40) communication support. Measures were of quality of active support, engagement and staff contact; field notes provided examples of good and poor communication supports. Results: We found a relationship between the quality of communication support and active support. Receiving good communication was associated with higher levels of engagement. Field notes included some examples of appropriate communication supports, but limited use of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Conclusions: Staff show limited use of appropriate communication with people having high support needs who require AAC. Strategies to improve quality of practice are discussed. (Edited publisher abstract)
Supporting the direct involvement of students with disabilities in functional assessment through use of Talking Mats®
- Authors:
- BRADSHAW Jill, GORE Nick, DARVELL Cathy
- Journal article citation:
- Tizard Learning Disability Review, 23(2), 2018, pp.111-116.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Purpose: Bowring et al. describe ways of using the Behavior Problems Inventory – Short Form, illustrating how to use clinical norms to evaluate change. This commentary focuses on the importance of considering information gained directly from people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) during assessment. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach: A pilot project involved interviews with four children with IDD. A Talking Mats® (TM) framework was used to gather children’s views regarding challenging behaviours (CBs) and variables relevant to a functional behavioural assessment, such as things they found to be reinforcing, things that set the occasion for CB and things that helped prevent this. Findings: The children were able to provide information and insight into several areas that are influential in the maintenance of behaviour that challenges. Some of this information may not have been obtainable from other sources or informants using traditional assessment methods alone. Originality/value: Gathering the views of people with IDD is important. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (United Nations, 2009) states that people have the right to be heard. Many people with IDD have difficulties communicating. A TM framework is one method by which people may be able to express their views. Taking the views of the individual into account during the process of gathering information about behaviours that challenge should lead to greater understanding of the functions of any behaviours and therefore to more targeted, acceptable and effective forms of support. (Edited publisher abstract)
Evaluating service users’ experiences using Talking Mats®
- Authors:
- STEWART Kitty, BRADSHAW Jill, BEADLE-BROWN Julie
- Journal article citation:
- Tizard Learning Disability Review, 23(2), 2018, pp.78-86.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to establish the effectiveness of Talking Mats® (TM) in evaluating service users’ experiences, and explore their views of the implementation of person-centred active support (PCAS). Design/methodology/approach: This is a mixed-methods study, employing qualitative interviewing and observational measures. Findings: Both qualitative and quantitative measures indicated inconsistent implementation of PCAS. It was possible to effectively gain participants’ views on positive and negative aspects of quality of support and quality of life, using TM, across three themes, My life, My support and Self-determination. Research limitations/implications: Generalisability of the research may be limited due to the sample, and the potential for researcher and interviewer bias is acknowledged. Practical implications: TM provides a mechanism that may facilitate the inclusion of the views and experiences of people with intellectual and developmental disability (PWIDD) who have limited verbal skills. Their views need to be reflected in adaptions made to PCAS. Originality/value: This study included a population who are often left out of qualitative research because of the methodologies adopted. It also included older PWIDD, where there has been less research about the effectiveness of TM. (Edited publisher abstract)