Search results for ‘Subject term:"learning disabilities"’ Sort:
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Making a difference. Visual health needs of people with a learning disability
- Authors:
- MCGLADE Anne, et al
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 38(3), September 2010, pp.187-193.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
This article discusses the findings from a study to assess the impact of corrective eye treatment in adults with a learning disability. The service was delivered by the Special Visual Assessment Clinic (SVAC) an optometry led, multi professional out-reach service delivered in a Resource Centre in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It was designed to provide high quality optometric services to people with learning disability and to improve the uptake of visual assessments amongst this group of the population. The study, which included user and carer input in its design, involved 15 people with a learning disability, 21 of their family carers, and 12 members of staff in interviews, group discussions, completion of checklists and clinical audit. The findings revealed that prior to the SVAC taking place there was limited awareness of vision related problems amongst all these groups. Following assessment and corrective treatment which, in the main included the provision of glasses, there was a heightened awareness of visual needs and of the benefits of eye examinations which included some tentative links to quality of life.
Positive goals for positive behavioural support: interventions to improve the quality of life for people with learning disabilities whose behaviour challenges
- Authors:
- FOX Peter, EMERSON Eric
- Publisher:
- Pavilion
- Publication year:
- 2010
- Pagination:
- 80p., CD ROM
- Place of publication:
- Brighton
This resource is written to help with the selection and evaluation of outcomes of intervention for people with learning disabilities whose behaviour presents challenges for services. The authors cover a range of potential outcomes, enabling selection of those which are most relevant in order to evaluate progress towards achieving those outcomes. They look at both the personal and social consequences of the person's challenging behaviour and the effect of interventions on these quality of life factors, rather than simply focusing on attempting to reduce the challenging behaviour itself. The book is designed to act as an addition to existing assessment and intervention processes and documentation, and can be adapted to suit individual circumstances. Sections include: positive goals and positive behavioural support (PBS); development of positive goals; and how to use positive goals. It is aimed at carers, clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, behaviour therapists, community learning disability nurses, social workers, care managers, members of community learning disability teams and members of challenging behaviour teams. The resource is presented in ring-bound format with a CD-rom containing video clips and photo stories.
How to detect developmental delay and what to do next: practical interventions for home and school
- Author:
- MOUNTSTEPHEN Mary
- Publisher:
- Jessica Kingsley
- Publication year:
- 2010
- Pagination:
- 176p.
- Place of publication:
- London
A practical guide which provides advice on how to recognise the signs of developmental delay, address difficulties effectively and help the child develop. It draws on the expertise of specialists in the field and details interventions and tools to tackle the problem. Part 1 looks at child development and the signs of delay, and covers: Factors affecting early development; What to expect in the early years; Detecting special educational needs. Part 2 covers interventions for home and school, including: Movement and learning; Vision, visual processing and learning; Hearing, auditory processing and learning; and How a Psychologist can help. Relevant for parents, teachers and other professionals working with children.
Challenging behaviour: a training pack to develop good practice in working with people with learning disabilities whose behaviour is described as challenging
- Authors:
- HARDY Steve, JOYCE Theresa
- Publisher:
- Pavilion
- Publication year:
- 2010
- Pagination:
- 271p., bibliog.
- Place of publication:
- Brighton
This training resource aims to ensure that the workforce have the capabilities to provide effective and ethical support to people with learning disabilities who have challenging behaviour. It uses a person-centred support approach, emphasising the need for individualised interventions, understanding needs and environmental implications. Modules cover topics such as: understanding and assessing challenging behaviour; interventions; supportive strategies; reactive strategies; cognitive approaches; use of mediation; working with families; active support; mental health problems; and challenging behaviour and offending. Each module is divided into individual sessions, providing details of topics to discuss, time taken per session and resources to use. An accompanying CD-ROM contains slides and handouts that can be printed off. Relevant for front line staff in health and social care settings, and professionals in training.
Science and pseudoscience in developmental disabilities: guidelines for social workers
- Authors:
- THYER Bruce A., PIGNOTTI Monica
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Social Work in Disability and Rehabilitation, 9(2-3), April 2010, pp.110-129.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Individuals with a developmental disability can now be provided a variety of empirically supported treatments that have been shown to be useful in promoting educational attainments, social and vocational skills, self-care, and in reducing behavioural problems. Unfortunately, a large number of pseudoscientific or bogus therapies continue to be offered to this population and their families. This article reviews the characteristics of pseudoscientific and bogus treatments, and provides several examples of unsupported or harmful interventions offered by contemporary social workers and other human service professionals, to the detriment of people with disabilities. It examines pseudoscientific treatments such as animal-assisted therapies. In conclusion, the authors encourage social workers to identify pseudoscientific interventions and avoid providing these, in favour of using empirically supported treatments.
Behavioural interventions for self injurious behaviour: a review of recent evidence (1998–2008)
- Author:
- PRANGNELL Simon
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 38(4), December 2010, pp.259-270.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
This study provides an update to a review by Emerson published in 2001 on behavioural interventions for self injurious behaviour (SIB) for people with learning disabilities. A systematic search of peer reviewed journals and the ‘grey’ literature identified 34 relevant documents published between 1998 and 2008, the majority of which were single case studies. These papers tended to report only on changes in the frequency of SIB during the intervention; therefore conclusions cannot be made about the long term efficacy and generalisability of these approaches. Reductions in SIB were highly variable, often produced in controlled environments and with the use of aversive interventions. This study presents implications for research and clinical practice and highlights the need for more research reporting on the effectiveness of new interventions such as positive behavioural support.
Effectiveness of a stress-relief initiative for primary caregivers of adolescents with intellectual disability
- Authors:
- HU Jung, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disability, 35(1), March 2010, pp.29-35.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
This study provides a perspective on the mental health status and analyses the effectiveness of a stress-relief programme for primary caregivers of adolescents with intellectual disability. Seventy-seven primary caregivers of people with intellectual disability living in Taiwan were recruited, of which 31 were in the intervention group, and 46 in the non-intervention group. The study involved participation in one stress management workshop (intervention group only) and both groups reading an education booklet on stress management. Findings revealed that 22% of caregivers in the study were at high risk of depressive stress and in need of mental health consultation. This prevalence was nearly six times that of the general population. The effectiveness of mental health initiatives resulted in a significant reduction in depressive stress for the intervention group. The authors concluded that face-to-face workshop were an effective way to decrease levels of depressive stress in the sample group.
The use of restrictive interventions in Victoria, Australia: population data for 2007-2008
- Authors:
- WEBBER Lynne S., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disability, 35(3), September 2010, pp.199-206.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
In Victoria, Australia, all disability service providers who use restrictive interventions are required by the Disability Act (2006) to register with the Senior Practitioner, appoint an Authorised Program Officer to monitor the use of these practices within their own service, and report the use of chemical and mechanical restraints and seclusion to the Senior Practitioner using the Restrictive Intervention Data System (RIDS). The data included in this paper summarise findings from the first 12 months of the RIDS as collated at March 2009. During the year from July 2007 to June 2008, approximately 9% of people who were receiving a disability service were subjected to a restrictive intervention which included about twice as many males as females. The proportion of males subject to restrictive intervention was higher (65%) than would have been expected based on the proportion of males with an intellectual disability receiving a funded disability service in Victoria (58%). Most subjects (98%) were reported to have either an intellectual disability and/or an acquired brain injury, and the majority had more than one disability. The majority were subjected to some form of chemical restraint. Chemical restraint constituted 96% of routine interventions and 57% of PRN and emergency interventions combined. Mechanical restraint was used in 9% of subjects and seclusion in 7%. Limitations of the data are discussed.
Outcome measurement for people with intellectual disability who present challenging behaviour
- Authors:
- BAKER Peter, DAYNES Shona
- Journal article citation:
- Advances in Mental Health and Intellectual Disabilities, 4(2), June 2010, pp.13-19.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
People with challenging behaviour are commonly referred to the National Health Service for assistance and support. Good clinical practice would indicate that such interventions should be routinely monitored and evaluated in order to be maximally effective. It is imperative that the outcomes chosen are both valid, in that they reflect the true nature of the phenomenon of challenging behaviour, and reliable, in that they reflect accurately the true nature of any change. Frequency, duration and severity of behavioural episodes are important outcome indicators, but they should not be considered in isolation, and the wider impact of the individual’s challenging behaviour, in particular the quality of life of the person and those with whom they share their environments, needs to be made clear. The article argues that it is unlikely that a single measure will ever capture the full impact of challenging behaviour, and that a battery of measures currently holds most promise in relation to representation of what would be considered valid acceptable outcomes.
The development of a sex offender assessment and treatment service within a community learning disability team
- Author:
- LANGDON Peter E.
- Journal article citation:
- Tizard Learning Disability Review, 15(1), January 2010, pp.44-50.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
This article comments on the review by McBrien, Newton and Banks (in pages 31-43 of this journal issue) on the development of a community sex offender assessment service to map and assess risk. This commentary discusses the treatment needs of sexual offenders with intellectual disabilities, and the failure of the Prison Service to meet these needs. It argues that people with intellectual disabilities who exhibit inappropriate sexual behaviour should be afforded local interventions provided by community learning disabilities teams and specialist NHS secure services, and that this work should occur jointly with criminal justice agencies.