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Measuring goal realization associated with disability services and supports: initial evidence for a new tool
- Authors:
- HAGILIASSIS Nick, KORITSAS Stella, CUZZILLO Celeste
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, 17(1), 2020, pp.4-12.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
There are few outcome measurement tools that can be accessed directly by people with intellectual disability (ID) and that can be readily used in service delivery settings. Developed to address these limitations, the Measuring Outcomes in Services and Supports – Short Form is a measure of the extent to which a person's goals are realized in the context of service and supports delivery. Specific aim is to establish initial evidence for the face and content validity of the tool, an essential step in the first stage of developing evaluation tools. Face validity was explored via an on‐line survey eliciting information from an “expert group” about the purpose, adequacy, clarity, and attractiveness of the tool. Content validity was examined by comparing goals for people with disability against a framework for categorizing personal outcomes and their influencers, to gauge the tool's relevance, and representation for measuring whole of life disability outcomes. Participants gave positive support overall for aspects of face validity surveyed. Suggestions for further improvements were provided, most of which were accommodated. Other issues raised reflected themes general to the field of outcomes measurement in disability populations (e.g., complexity for people with ID), with strategies suggested for attenuating their impact. Participant goals were representative of outcome domains reflecting the current policy environment in disability, as were their influencing factors. With limited tools to measure goal realization for people accessing a range of disability supports, the tool has acceptable face validity and content validity and is sufficiently practical for use in disability services. (Publisher abstract)
The availability of normative data for the Developmental Behaviour Checklist for Adults
- Authors:
- MOHR Caroline, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disability, 37(1), March 2012, pp.61-64.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
The Developmental Behaviour Checklist (DBC) is a teacher and carer-completed screening checklist of emotional and behavioural disturbance which is available in several forms which cater for all age levels of people with intellectual disability and developmental disorders. An important component of checklist development is the provision of standardised normative data that can be used by clinicians, researchers, and service providers. The purpose of this article is to alert readers to the availability of new normative data for the adult version of the DBC (DBC-A). This data was obtained from the use of the DBC-A in a large-scale Australian study of emotional and behavioural disturbance. The population sample for this study comprised 1,538 adults aged 18 to 85 years of which 35.0% had mild intellectual disability, 29.5% had moderate intellectual disability, and 35.6% had severe intellectual disability. Normative data for the DBC-A is available for 3 age groups and 3 levels of intellectual disability. A condensed version of DBC-A normative data is presented in the article, and more detailed information can be obtained from the authors.
A quality framework for personalised residential supports for adults with developmental disabilities
- Authors:
- COCKS E., BOADEN R.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 55(8), August 2011, pp.720-731.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
The purpose of this study, the Personalised Residential Supports (PRS) Project, was to examine the nature, purposes and outcomes of residential supports that are developed around the needs and preferences of individual adults with developmental disabilities and their families. It considered the perspectives of all key stakeholders including service providers. PRS as conceived initially as having four key criteria in the support arrangements, a high degree of: individualisation; individual/family influence; informal relationships; and person-centredness. Four methods were used to develop a descriptive framework for PRS: a review of empirical and descriptive literature; 2-year case studies of six adults from Western Australia whose living arrangements met the initial PRS criteria; a focus group of adults with developmental disabilities; and a series of written surveys of 18 ‘experts’ including family members, service providers and policymakers. Qualitative analysis resulted in a PRS quality framework made up of nine themes containing 28 attributes. The nine themes were named as: Assumptions, Leadership, My Home, One Person at a Time, Planning, Control, Support, Thriving and Social Inclusion. The research is continuing to develop the framework so that it can be used in the evaluation of existing or planned residential support arrangements.
The utility of the Personal Wellbeing Index Intellectual Disability Scale in an Australian sample
- Authors:
- MCGILLIVRAY J.A., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 22(3), May 2009, pp.276-286.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Subjective wellbeing (SWB) in people with intellectual disabilities has been the focus of increased interest in the identification of support needs and as an outcome measure for interventions and service delivery evaluations. It is therefore important to conduct further research in this area, and to develop appropriate scales to measure SWB. A new scale, the Personal Wellbeing Index-Intellectual Disability (PWI-ID) was administered to 114 adults with mild (n = 82) or moderate (n = 32) level ID in Victoria, Australia. The PWI-ID demonstrated good reliability and validity. A comparison of the findings with previous research indicates that participants' SWB levels are within the normative range, and are similar to those reported by the general population. The results support the notion that individuals with ID do not experience life quality lower than normal, which can be explained theoretically by the Theory of Subjective Wellbeing Homeostasis. The use of the PWI-ID may ultimately assist in ensuring that the needs of people with ID are being met and inform the planning and delivery of congruent resources and services.
Development and psychometric evaluation of the Group Home Culture Scale
- Authors:
- HUMPHREYS Lincoln, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 33(3), 2020, pp.515-528.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Background: Organizational culture in group homes for people with intellectual disabilities has been identified as influencing staff behaviour and residents’ quality of life (QOL). Despite this influence, culture has been under‐researched, with no published and validated instrument to measure its dimensions in group homes. The aim was to develop such a measure. Method: The Group Home Culture Scale (GHCS) was developed using a theory‐driven approach. Items were generated from the research literature, which were reviewed by experts and tested in cognitive interviews. Data from 343 front‐line staff were used for exploratory factor analysis. Results: The content and face validity of the GHCS were found to be acceptable. Exploratory factor analysis indicated that the GHCS measured seven dimensions of group home culture. Cronbach's alpha for the dimensions ranged from 0.81 to 0.92. Conclusions: The GHCS has potential use in research to determine whether dimensions of group home culture predict the quality of staff support and residents’ QOL. (Publisher abstract)
Inter-rater reliability of the Developmental Behaviour Checklist for Adults in community accommodation settings
- Authors:
- MOHR C., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 55(7), July 2011, pp.710-713.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
The Developmental Behaviour Checklist for Adults (DBC-A) is a carer-completed 107-item questionnaire that assesses a comprehensive range of emotional, behavioural and mental health problems in adults with mild, moderate and more severe levels of intellectual disability (ID). Earlier studies have reported acceptable results of test-retest reliability studies with family members and paid carers in community settings. The aim of this study was to report on another aspect of DBC-A reliability, namely inter-rater reliability with paid carers in community-based accommodation settings. The participants were 38 pairs of paid carers employed by 2 non-government agencies providing residential services in small group homes to 38 adults with ID in the community. The carers completed the DBC-A describing residents they knew well. Each pair of raters knew the adults with ID in the same context, and completed the DBC-A independently within the same week. The findings demonstrated an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0.69 between the pairs of raters. This compares favourably with the results of an earlier inter-rater study completed with the family members of people with ID living in the community. Inter-rater reliability on the 6 DBC-A sub-scales was also computed and the results were satisfactory.
Development and psychometric properties of the family life interview
- Authors:
- LLEWELLYN Gwynnyth, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 23(1), January 2010, pp.52-62.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
This study describes the development and trialling of the Family Life Interview (FLI), a clinical tool designed to examine sustainability of family routines. The FLI, a self-report instrument completed by a parent within a semi-structured practitioner-parent interview, was administered to 118 parents, with re-test interviews being conducted with 39 parents. Rasch analysis was used to examine scale structure, evidence for construct validity and precision of measurement of the FLI items. Logistic regression was used to explore the contribution of the FLI to predicting out-of-home placement scores. The FLI produced valid data on the sustainability of family routines. The FLI was found to be useful for predicting families at risk of seeking out-of-home placement driven by crisis. The FLI offers practitioners a psychometrically sound instrument designed to illuminate the particularity of each family's circumstances, critical to developing interventions for increasing the sustainability of family routines.
Checklists for general practitioner diagnosis of depression in adults with intellectual disability
- Authors:
- TORR J., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 52(11), November 2008, pp.930-941.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
In Australia, diagnosis and management of depression in adults with intellectual disability (ID) often occurs within the primary care setting. Few tools are available to assist general practitioners (GPs) in the diagnostic process. The study aim was to assess properties of carer and GP checklists developed to address this problem. Participants were 49 adults with ID and their paid carers (support workers), and GPs for 27 adults. Data from carer and GP checklists were gathered, in addition to carer completed Developmental Behaviour Checklist – Adults (DBC-A). Adults with ID also received a comprehensive psychiatric assessment. Both checklists demonstrated good internal consistency (KRS-20 = 0.90). A factor analysis of the carer checklist indicated a single factor on which three section totals had loadings of greater than 0.722 (depressed mood, loss of interest, and social interaction and communication). This factor was interpreted to be depression. The GP checklist data were insufficient for factor analysis, but section totals were moderately correlated with most corresponding carer checklist section totals. Carer section totals related to depression also correlated highly with the DBC-A Depression sub-scale, demonstrating good concurrent validity. Contrasting results were obtained for the GP checklist. Most (n = 42) of the participants were diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder, precluding the testing of checklist specificity and sensitivity. The carer checklist shows promise as a means of gathering information needed by a GP in the diagnosis of depression in adults with ID. Further research into its underlying properties and clinical uses of a combined depression checklist is warranted.
Challenging the myths and redressing the missteps in family research
- Author:
- CUSKELLY Monica
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, 6(2), June 2009, pp.86-88.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Families of children with disabilities have been the subject of a number of myths, some of which have been introduced and promulgated by researchers influenced by cultural norms that may incline them to ask questions in particular ways and which may result in the institutionalisation of ideas and methods, rather than subjecting established beliefs and perspectives to scrutiny. Only relatively recently, for example, has the conviction that only negative consequences will be experienced by families with a child with a disability been challenged. Research questions and instruments or approaches must allow for positive experiences and outcomes. In addition, often family research has failed to recognise the importance of cultural differences. One example of this can be found in assumptions of the applicability of instruments used in family research across different cultural groups. The capacity of instruments to reflect the constructs being measured must be established before they can be used confidently across cultures. In addition, the relationships between constructs must be tested rather than assumed. Finally, before intervention programs or approaches that have been developed by one culture are adopted or applied to another, their fit with the attitudes, beliefs, and resources of the latter culture should be established.
Students with mild disabilities in regular classrooms: the development and utility of the Student Perceptions of Classroom Support scale
- Authors:
- O'ROURKE John, HOUGHTON Stephen
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disability, 31(4), December 2006, pp.232-242.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
There is a dearth of empirical research pertaining to the perceptions of students with mild disabilities of the academic and social outcomes of classroom support mechanisms. The absence of suitable measures is a primary issue contributing to this situation. The present study reports the development and utility of the Student Perceptions of Classroom Support (SPCS) scale, which was specifically designed to assess students' perceptions of curricular, instructional, physical, and peer support received in regular classrooms from both an academic and social perspective. The SPCS was administered to 60 secondary school-aged students with mild disabilities who experienced both regular classroom and traditional special education. Person and item discrimination analyses, and calculation of internal consistencies (Cronbach's alpha) revealed the SPCS to have excellent psychometric properties ( = 0.92 for academic outcomes and = 0.87 for overall social outcomes). Internal consistencies for each of the subscales are also reported. The SPCS provides educators with a valid method of assessing students' preferred support strategies, which can then be articulated within Individual Education Plans (IEPs).