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An anxious time? Exploring the nature of worries experienced by young people with a mild to moderate intellectual disability as they make the transition to adulthood
- Authors:
- FORTE Marisa, JAHODA Andrew, DAGNAN Dave
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 50(4), November 2011, pp.398-411.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Transition to adulthood can be particularly challenging time for young people with mild intellectual disabilities (IDs) because they are often more socially marginalised, remain more dependent upon their family, and have fewer options for future careers than their typically developing peers. The aim of this study was to examine the content and salience of worries experienced by young people with mild ID during their transition to adulthood. The participants were 26 young people with mild ID and 26 typically developing young people all recruited from a Further Education college in the West of Scotland. The participants underwent a semi-structured interview about their worries and completed self-report assessments concerning anxiety and self-efficacy. The findings showed that that the ID group's most salient worries were largely different from their non-disabled peers at this stage of transition. The ID group worried about: being bullied; losing someone they are dependent upon; failing in life; and making and keeping friends. The non-disabled group worried about: getting a job; not having enough surplus money; failing; and having to make decisions about their future choices. Not only was there a difference in the nature of worries expressed, but the intellectually disabled group also reported ruminating significantly more about their worries and being more distressed by them.
Transition – a priority?
- Author:
- RICHARDS Zoe
- Journal article citation:
- Llais, 100, Autumn 2011, pp.38-40.
- Publisher:
- Learning Disability Wales
Disabled young person conferences often talk about the importance of transitions for young people, yet many disabled people have not heard of the term. The Welsh government has made transition a priority to tackle issues faced by young disabled people, and this article examines the progress made over the last ten years. It examines why young disabled people are still not in meaningful employment, and questions why they have little choice about the things they will do when they become an adult. The article explores several new projects that are being set up to help provide young people with the positive outcomes they require as adults, and how local authorities can work to coordinate services to better serve the needs of this group.
Student perceptions of progress in a postsecondary residential program for adults with learning disabilities
- Author:
- DOTY Kristine J.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Social Work in Disability and Rehabilitation, 10(3), July 2011, pp.150-165.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
In the US, a small number of residential postsecondary schools have been created to help adult students with learning disabilities who have completed high school but need further assistance to make the transition to college or a career. This article describes a qualitative study to explore the subjective experiences of adult men with learning disabilities at a postsecondary residential educational facility in a Mountain West state. 16 students who had been in the programme for at least 18 months were selected to participate in semi-structured interviews to identify areas in which they had made progress towards their goal of living independently. The results, including examples from the interviews, are presented. The students acknowledged gains in social and emotional growth, employment training, academic achievement, and independent living skills development. The article concludes that the results suggest that residential postsecondary intervention is beneficial for adults with learning disabilities.
An inspiring project
- Author:
- -
- Journal article citation:
- Viewpoint, 125, November 2011, pp.24-25.
- Publisher:
- Mencap/Gateway
Briefly describes the Inspire Me project, run by Mencap and ENABLE Scotland, which is helping young people with a learning disability through the difficult transition to adulthood. The project focuses on young people aged 16 to 25, and uses six workshops on volunteering, preparation for the world of work, managing my money, action planning and goal setting, citizenship and community, and motivation and confidence to help young people.
Together as one
- Author:
- BUKOWSKI Matt
- Journal article citation:
- Learning Disability Today, October 2011, pp.36-37.
- Publisher:
- Pavilion
- Place of publication:
- Hove
North East Lincolnshire Care Trust Plus is undertaking a project to reshape the local market for services for people with learning disabilities. The project brings together commissioners and providers in a new way to provide better, more person-centred outcomes for service users. The principle objective is to create new opportunities for people to be supported to lead their own lives in their own homes as an alternative to institutional care. Commissioners are focusing on 2 groups, those already in care homes and young people in transition who would go into care homes if there was no other option. The project has established a collaborative partnership with 5 providers. Progress and Inclusion were appointed as the project’s housing providers, and Care UK, Creative Support, and Lifeways were appointed as the support service providers. The trust will collect information and evidence through a new outcome-based commissioning process to ensure that all the providers are delivering better outcomes at lower cost. The first tangible outcome of these strategic collaborations is that this year, for the first time, no transition pathways have led to residential care.
Can transition meetings in school be done in a person-centred way?
- Authors:
- KAEHNE Axel, BEYER Stephen
- Journal article citation:
- Learning Disability Today, October 2011, pp.28-30.
- Publisher:
- Pavilion
- Place of publication:
- Hove
Transition from children’s to adults social services can be a time of upheaval for young people with learning disabilities. This article considers the quality of transition reviews and whether they can be done in a person-centred way. The study worked with a school in the northwest of England to examine the way in which they carry out transition review meetings, whether they meet the criteria of person-centred planning and, if so, how this ensures that everybody who should be involved in transition planning is effectively participating in the meeting. Records of transition meetings and transition plans for 43 pupils about to leave school were analysed. In addition, half of the families were contacted to find out their feelings about the meeting and the planning process. The findings indicated that the young people, their families, school and Connexions staff were consistently present at the meetings; however, social workers and staff from voluntary employment agencies only attended a minority of meetings. Only 44% of the meeting records and transition plans were ‘somewhat accessible’, while almost a third used highly technical language, effectively preventing the young person from understanding their own transition plans. The biggest problem was that many of the meetings did not discuss the whole range of needs of the young person or long-term planning. In particular, only 25% of transition plans outlined clear and actionable employment goals.
Disconnected expectations: staff, family, and supported employee perspectives about retirement
- Authors:
- BIGBY Christine, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disability, 36(3), September 2011, pp.167-174.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
This paper reports the first stage of a study that aims to understand how older people with intellectual disabilities who retire from supported employment can be supported to participate in mainstream community organisations. In particular, it explores the perceptions and expectations about activities and participation held by older supported employees, family members, staff in disability services, and participants in mainstream community organisations for older people. Six focus groups to discuss retirement were held comprising 5 distinct participant groups: 7 staff from disability accommodation; 7 staff from employment services; 4 members of mainstream activity programmes for older people; 5 family members; and 2 groups of 6 supported employees. The findings showed that the participants perceived retirement as a risk to the well-being and participation of employees. They were pessimistic about the availability of necessary support in retirement. The need for additional resources and skills was identified. However, the utility of inclusion strategies was not recognised, and continued segregation through specialist programmes or adaptation of existing employment programmes was the most commonly suggested retirement option by staff and family members. The article concludes that the perceptions of the participants does not reflect the current policy imperatives of social participation.
‘Stroppy’ or ‘confident’? Do carers and professionals view the impact of transition support on young people differently?
- Authors:
- KAEHNE Axel, BEYER Stephen
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 39(2), June 2011, pp.154-160.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Transition from school for young people with intellectual disabilities remains a time fraught with disruption and stress for young people and carers despite the emphasis on their greater involvement with the transition support services. The study examined the effects of transition support to 2 cohorts of young people who were in their last year in school or college in 2005/2006 and 2006/2007. The young people received additional support around employment choices beyond the normal transition planning. This paper reports the views of carers, teachers and support workers of the impact this additional support made to the young people. Semi-structured interviews were held with 59 young people, 58 carers and 59 interviews with teachers and support workers. Analysis of the data reveals a difference between the views of carers and those of professionals. The paper argues that these differences may reflect different understandings of the purpose of transition support which may make it difficult to achieve a smooth transition for all stakeholders. Professionals look for the development of skill sets that can help the young person to cope with novel environments in post-education placements, whereas carers experience transitions as challenges to family relationships. The findings have implications on how to structure and deliver transition support.
The Butterfly Project: making creative use of individual budgets
- Author:
- KELLY Sean
- Journal article citation:
- Community Living, 24(3), 2011, pp.14-15.
- Publisher:
- Hexagon Publishing
The Butterfly Project is a social enterprise in Newham that supports young people with learning difficulties during their transition into adult life. It works with people where the mainstream services wouldn't work with them, such as people with profound and multiple disabilities. Largely funded from pooled individual budgets, the project provides a programme of workshops and training to promote independence and communication skills.
Spread your wings
- Authors:
- ELLIOTT Sonja, BURNS Leann
- Journal article citation:
- Learning Disability Today, April 2011, pp.34-35.
- Publisher:
- Pavilion
- Place of publication:
- Hove
The Butterfly Project is a social enterprise based in the London Borough of Newham which uses a personalised approach to work with young people with complex learning disabilities as they transition into their adult lives. After providing an overview of the project, the article uses a case vignette to illustrate how the service can support young people with learning disabilities.