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Guide for calculating and interpreting effect sizes and confidence intervals in intellectual and developmental disability research studies
- Authors:
- DUNST Carl J., HAMBY Deborah W.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disability, 37(2), June 2012, pp.89-19.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Null hypothesis significance testing, which uses probability levels to evaluate the results of studies, has been the most commonly used method for evaluating the results from intellectual and developmental disability research studies. This paper argues that effect sizes and their confidence intervals are better indices for establishing the impact of different kinds of interventions. It provides a non-technical description of methods for calculating effect sizes in intellectual and developmental disability studies, and uses different hypothetical studies to illustrate how null hypothesis significance testing and effect size findings can result in quite different outcomes and therefore conflicting results. Sources of information on effect size calculators are included to provide researchers with data analysis procedures for computing effect sizes and confidence intervals for different types of research designs and studies.
Screening for intellectual disability in children: a review of the literature
- Authors:
- MCKENZIE Karen, MEGSON Paula
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 25(1), January 2012, pp.80-87.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Noting increasing interest in the use of screening tools for early identification of possible intellectual disability, and the difficulty in identifying children with intellectual disability at an early age, this study reviews the literature to investigate how well screening tools identify children with an intellectual disability. It includes an introduction to the subject and a table summarising the psychometric characteristics required of a good screening tool. Database and reference searches for English language articles from 1990 to 2009, followed by detailed examination of studies, identified only one article which examined the ability of an assessment to specifically identify children with a potential intellectual disability. However, the review's overall conclusion was that no single screening tool which was reviewed was shown to be sufficiently valid or reliable to use to identify children with a probable intellectual disability. The authors highlight areas for future researchers to address in developing a screening tool.
Doing research inclusively, doing research well? Report of the study: quality and capacity in inclusive research with people with learning disabilities
- Authors:
- NIND Melanie, VINHA Hilra
- Publishers:
- Economic and Social Research Council, University of Southampton
- Publication year:
- 2012
- Place of publication:
- Southampton
This ESRC funded research looks at on what counts as quality in inclusive research. The study used a range of focus groups to look at how the research community has progressed with inclusive research, the challenges that remain and where and how to move these challenges forward. Focus were held with researchers with learning disabilities who lead and conduct their own emancipatory research, researchers with and without learning disabilities who work together as co-researchers, academic researchers and people who influence policy concerning, or commission or fund, inclusive research. Some of the findings of the research were: that issues of power dynamics and accessibility are important; people have different ways of working and it is beneficial to place emphasis on support, negotiation or interdependence; that inclusive research is of high quality if it is relevant and interesting to people with learning disabilities; and there are social inclusion benefits of doing inclusive research. (Original abstract)
Keeping wartime memory alive: an oral history project about the wartime memories of people with learning difficulties in Cumbria
- Authors:
- DIAS John, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Disability and Society, 27(1), 2012, pp.31-49.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
In this article, the authors discuss an oral history project funded by the Heritage Lottery that recorded the memories of eight people with learning difficulties during the Second World War in Cumbria, UK, before their personal histories were lost forever. The process of emancipatory research is examined in relation to the main project findings. Some difficult issues were experienced by the team, such as the ill-health and death of participants, negotiating access with gatekeepers and concerns around decision-making. Cumbria experienced limited war activity, but people’s lives changed in subtle ways. This led to discussion around false/given memories; formal/informal interview processes and transcription/recording issues. The unexpected revelation of the study was the knowledge created around approaches to inclusion.
Adults with intellectual disabilities and their carers as researchers and participants in a RCT
- Authors:
- TURK Vicky, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 25(1), January 2012, pp.1-10.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
People with intellectual disabilities are rarely involved in research about their health, either as researchers or participants. This article describes how a project facilitated inclusion of adults with intellectual disabilities as researchers and participants in randomised controlled trial (RCT) research. The research study was an evaluation of the implementation of personal health profiles for people with intellectual disabilities and their carers, and was funded as part of a Department of Health consumers in research programme. It involved 4 teams of researchers, each comprising a researcher with intellectual disabilities, a supporting professional and a carer researcher. Researchers with intellectual disabilities and/or carers of people with intellectual disabilities gathered information through interviews with participants with intellectual disabilities and/or their carers. The article describes the context of the research, the design, how it was implemented and made accessible, recruitment, training and support, and research processes and outcomes. The authors discuss the project and conclude that the inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities as researchers and as participants was achieved through key factors including appropriate design, strong research partnerships and teamwork.
Engagement of people with long-term conditions in health and social care research: barriers and facilitators to capturing the views of seldom-heard populations
- Authors:
- BEADLE-BROWN Julie, et al
- Publisher:
- Quality and Outcomes of Person-centred Care Policy Research Unit
- Publication year:
- 2012
- Pagination:
- 56
- Place of publication:
- Canterbury
Explores the recent literature on barriers and facilitators to including seldom heard groups as participants in research. Eighteen databases were identified for the final search, and 83 papers included in the review. These predominantly focused on four categories as being difficult to reach or engage in research: intellectual disability, older adults, in particular those with dementia, mental health conditions and minority ethnic groups. Almost half the papers reviewed focused on those with intellectual disabilities. A key barrier to inclusion was the assumptions made by various people (researchers, gatekeepers, ethics committees, funders and so on) involved at each stage of the research process, including research design, ethics and recruitment. The paper suggests that there has been limited progress in developing methods to systematically include these groups in recent years and that there is a need for more research exploring the use of alternative techniques for eliciting responses. (Edited publisher abstract)
Choosing staff members reduces time in mechanical restraint due to self-injurious behaviour and requesting restraint
- Authors:
- JENSEN Craig C., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 25(3), May 2012, pp.282-287.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
This brief report describes an attempt to reduce self-injurious behaviour and associated mechanical restraint of a women who had a history of biting herself to the point of causing nerve damage. The use mechanical restraints to protect her from dangerous self-injury was decreased by the client choosing the staff person who would work with her. The client was a 28-year-old woman diagnosed with autism, bipolar disorder, static cerebral encephalopathy, moderate intellectual disabilities, hypotonia and musculoskeletal deformities. Mechanical restraints were applied when she bit, tried to bite herself or asked for them. When she was allowed to choose staff members, the use of mechanical restraint decreased. The authors conclude that reducing the time spent in mechanical restraint by giving the client a choice of staff members who would work with her demonstrates that such a choice may be an establishing operation. The value of cumulative records and scatterplots to evaluate changes in the occurrence of self-injurious behaviour and associated mechanical restraint is demonstrated as are the advantages of using alternating treatment designs to assess the effectiveness of treatment conditions for someone who exhibits long-term cyclic behaviour.
Understanding and addressing underrepresentation in a postal survey of social care users
- Authors:
- SMITH Nick, MALLEY Juliette
- Publisher:
- Quality and Outcomes of Person-centred Care Policy Research Unit
- Publication year:
- 2012
- Pagination:
- 91
- Place of publication:
- Canterbury
This report draws together the findings of a review of postal surveys, examining the potential causes of underrepresentation and looking at methods of improving representation, such as such as the Adult Social Care Survey (ASCS). Evidence from postal surveys is increasingly being used in England to monitor and improve the performance of social care services. This review has highlighted that it is not only the characteristics of users but the behaviour of the organisation delivering the survey that can affect response rates. It outlines a range of approaches when participation is not possible and highlights four key methods that can be used to enable participation in postal surveys: recognising that the study information section of a postal survey can be a barrier to participation if it does not appear to be relevant to the respondent; adapting the questionnaire to reflect the 'individualised' needs of the participant, such as versions in other languages and Easy Read versions for adults with learning disabilities; employing alternative methods of data collection, such as face-to-face or telephone interview, alongside the postal survey; and encouraging or even providing support to complete the survey. (Edited publisher abstract)