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Efficacy of a peer-guided exercise programme for adolescents with intellectual disability
- Authors:
- STANISH Heidi I., TEMPLE Viviene A.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 25(4), July 2012, pp.319-328.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Despite substantial evidence to support the importance of physical activity, relatively few American youth meet national targets for exercise. In addition, activity declines during the transition from adolescence to young adulthood. Young people with intellectual disabilities are no exception. It has been proposed that offering programmes in inclusive community settings involving peers may help to promote socialisation and encourage youth with intellectual disabilities to engage in exercise. This study examined the efficacy of a YMCA-based, peer-guided exercise training programme. Canadian adolescents with intellectual disabilities and typically developing peer partners provided reciprocal support during 1-h exercise sessions that included aerobic exercise, weight training and stretching activities. Team Up for Fitness was conducted 2 days/week for 15 weeks and pre- and post-test fitness was assessed. The ten male and ten female participants had mild to moderate intellectual disabilities and were aged between 15 and 21 years. There were significant improvements in curl-ups, 6-min walk and BMI. Exercise session attendance was high and participants typically completed all of the prescribed aerobic and stretching exercises; weight training exercises were completed less consistently. The authors conclude that this peer-guided model integrates social and instructional support for adolescents with intellectual disabilities and may encourage exercise participation in community settings.
Students’ behavioural intentions towards peers with disability
- Authors:
- BROWN Hilary K., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 24(4), July 2011, pp.322-332.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Inclusive education is an important element of the current focus on social inclusion for individuals with disabilities. A barrier to the social inclusion of students with disabilities is the attitude of their non-disabled peers towards them. The aim of this study was to compare the behavioural intentions of high school students towards individuals with intellectual disabilities and individuals with physical disabilities, and to explore reasons for these behavioural intentions. A sample of 319 Grade 9 and Grade 12 students in Ontario, Canada completed a questionnaire regarding their behavioural intentions towards peers with intellectual or physical disabilities. They also responded to open-ended questions concerning their feelings about participating in a class task or social activity with these individuals. The findings showed that behavioural intentions towards students with intellectual disabilities were significantly more negative than were those towards students with physical disabilities. This difference was also reflected in responses to the open-ended questions. Common reasons for discomfort were perceived dissimilarities in interests or abilities. The findings demonstrate a need to provide interventions to support students with and without disabilities to find commonalities and to encourage reciprocity in their interactions.
Parents with intellectual disability pilot project
- Author:
- ALEXANDER Angela
- Journal article citation:
- Disability, Pregnancy and Parenthood International, 75, Spring 2012, pp.12-20.
- Publisher:
- National Centre for Disabled Parents
This paper describes a peer support group set up to support parents with intellectual disability in Victoria, Australia. The group, called Totally Awesome Parents (TAP), was established as part of the 2011 Parenting with Intellectual Disability (PWID) pilot project. The project was set up amid concerns over the overrepresentation of families of parents with an intellectual disability in areas such as child protection and out of home care. The key initial aim of the group was to address social isolation and facilitate healthy positive friendships. The weekly sessions are informal, relaxed and fun. Families enjoy sharing morning tea during activities and discussion. The group has become a significant learning environment for parent participants, as well as a community supported project benefiting from enthusiastic volunteer involvement and extensive networking at both a local and global level. Participant parents report and demonstrate increased confidence and self-esteem, evident by their growing willingness to actively share skills, tell their stories, and take on co-facilitator roles.
Establishing a context to reduce challenging behaviour using procedures from active support
- Author:
- LANGTHORNE Paul
- Journal article citation:
- Tizard Learning Disability Review, 14(4), October 2009, pp.37-39.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
This short article offers commentary on, and should be read in conjunction with, “Establishing a context to reduce challenging behaviour using procedures from active support: a clinical case example” (Toogood, Tizard Learning Disability Review, October 2009). It suggests that supporting people in active participation can be very difficult, especially when working with someone with a history of using challenging behaviour as a means of removing activity-related demands. The author suggests that, over time, staff learn that they can successfully avoid challenging behaviours by no longer placing demands on the person. Creating an active support environment requires breaking this cycle and developing a skilled staff team who can encourage participation while minimising challenging behaviour. The author concludes that the paper this article references has helped to relate active support to this underlying behavioural science.
Opening up a whole new world for students with intellectual disabilities within a third level setting
- Authors:
- O'BRIEN Patricia, et al
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 37(4), December 2009, pp.285-292.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
This study investigates the experiences of students with intellectual disabilities gaining access into a university setting, specifically Trinity College Dublin. The qualitative study, of 19 students aged between 19 and 48 years, aimed to understand the phenomenon of inclusion for the students with intellectual disabilities completing a 2-year certificate course entitled, Certificate in Contemporary Living. The perceptions of the students, family members and tutors were captured through focus groups, questionnaires, and use of Photovoice and document analysis. Triangulation of the multiple sources of data was used as well as open, axial and selective coding for thematic analysis. The student, as well as family members and tutors, found that inclusion within a university setting led the students to see themselves more alike than different to their peers, feeling more accepted, more competent and more socially networked. Vital to the development of friendships was a mentoring programme. The aspect of the certificate programme that supported students to participate in a range of undergraduate classes is described, and how this strategy continues to be researched is outlined. By being included within a university setting opens up new possibilities for students who have previously experienced marginalisation, such inclusion is a cogent way to promote ability.