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Answering a call for help
- Author:
- CALDWELL Phoebe
- Journal article citation:
- Learning Disability Today, April 2010, pp.16-18.
- Publisher:
- Pavilion
- Place of publication:
- Hove
This article describes the use of ‘Intensive Interaction Plus’ to work with people with challenging behaviour. It explains that challenging behaviour can be the result of sensory differences resulting in sensory overload, so that behaviour considered to be challenging is actually the result of stress and fear triggered by sensory distortions. Intensive Interaction Plus is a person-centred approach involving the use of a variety of therapeutic approaches rather than simply using body language. It requires a shift of viewpoint to understand that that the patient may be viewing reality in a quite different way. This technique can be used across the whole spectrum of non-verbal people with autism, learning disability, multiple disability, and even dementia. The article describes 4 case studies in which the author worked with staff to focus on what was setting off the negative behaviour of the people involved and thus to recognise and deal with the underlying triggers.
The autism matrix: the social origins of the autism epidemic
- Authors:
- EYAL Gil, et al
- Publisher:
- Polity
- Publication year:
- 2010
- Pagination:
- 240p.
- Place of publication:
- Cambridge
Using a combination of historical narrative and international comparison, the authors offer a new interpretation of autism from a sociological perspective. They argue that the recent rise in autism should be understood in the context of the deinstitutionalization of learning disabilities in the mid-1970s. This resulted in a change in the way institutions had to deal with childhood developmental disorders, but also of the cultural lens through which we view them. The authors show that where deinstitutionalization went the furthest, as in Scandinavia, UK and parts of the USA, autism rates are highest. Where it was absent or delayed, as in France, autism rates are low.
Communication issues in autism and Asperger syndrome: do we speak the same language?
- Author:
- BOGDASHINA Olga
- Publisher:
- Jessica Kingsley
- Publication year:
- 2005
- Pagination:
- 288p.,bibliog.
- Place of publication:
- London
Providing a theoretical foundation for understanding communication and language impairments specific to autism, the author explores the effects of different perceptual and cognitive styles on the communication and language development of autistic children. She stresses the importance of identifying each autistic individual's nonverbal language, which can be visual, tactile, kinaesthetic, auditory, olfactory or gustatory – with a view to establish a shared means of verbal communication. She offers an explanation of why certain approaches, might work with some autistic children but not others. The ‘What They Say' sections of the book enable the reader to see through the eyes of autistic individuals and to understand their language differences first hand. ‘What We Can Do to Help' sections throughout the book give practical recommendations on what to do in order to help autistic individuals use their natural mechanisms to learn and develop social and communicative skills. The final chapters are devoted to assessment and intervention issues with practical recommendations for selecting appropriate methods and techniques to enhance communication, based on the specific mode of communication a person uses.
A psychoanalytic approach to language delay: when autistic isn't necessarily autism
- Author:
- URWIN Cathy
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Child Psychotherapy, 28(1), April 2002, pp.73-93.
- Publisher:
- Routledge
This paper describes family work with four children from different ethnic backgrounds presenting with autistic features in the context of delayed or deviant language development and, in one case, elective mutism. It begins by describing how psychoanalytic approaches to language development have tended to see the process as underpinned by symbol formation as a compensation for loss of the object. This is contrasted with an approach which emphasizes language development as an aspect of a broad process concerned with enabling emotional experience to become thought. I also emphasize the significance of the survival and development of the self in achieving separation. In the case studies, the paper highlights the degree of trauma in the parents' backgrounds, which had impeded them from containing their children's developmental anxieties. The parents' telling their stories was both valuable to them and enabled them to become more emotionally available to their children. In all cases the work promoted language development and autistic features disappeared or waned considerably after relatively brief intervention. The conclusions discuss the relevance of these findings to the autistic child population, and the value of child psychotherapy to differential diagnosis within the autistic spectrum.
The multi-component model of harmful sexual behaviour for people with autism and co-morbid intellectual disabilities – a theory and practice guide
- Author:
- WORTHINGTON Rachel
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Forensic Practice, 21(1), 2019, pp.1-13.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore to what extent neuro-typical theories of sexual offending apply to clients with Levels 2 and 3 autism with a co-morbid intellectual disability (ID). The paper develops a model of harmful sexual behaviour (HSB) for this client group and makes suggestions for how these behaviours can be understood and reduced. Design/methodology/approach: The revised Integrated Theory of Sexual Offending (ITSO) (Ward and Beech, 2016) is used as a starting framework to understand HSB in this client group. This attends to specific neuropsychological systems, brain development, motivation and emotional processing. Findings: The revised ITSO has some utility in understanding HSB in this client group. This is improved when neuro-atypical specific state factors are identified. Practical ways of establishing these state factors are made which attend to the function of the behaviour in line with “Good Lives” model of rehabilitation. Research limitations/implications: Recommendations for ways in which the function of HSB in this client group can be identified are made as well as recommendations for how treatment can be tailored dependent on the function of behaviour in this client group. Practical implications: The paper makes practical recommendations for how interventions for people with ID and autism in line with Ward, Clack and Haig’s (2016) Abductive Theory of Method which noted that interventions should be adopted to consider wider explanations for offending thus acknowledging that treatment could extend beyond cognitive behavioural therapy for clinical phenomena. Future treatments for clients with autism and LD are suggested which attend to sensory needs, teaching alternative communication strategies for seeking out “deep pressure” or attention in ways that do not involve sexual offending, using picture communication, information technology or Makaton to communicate needs or using social stories to explain the consequences of behaviour. In addition, neuro-atypical interventions which attend to the neuropsychological functioning of clients could also be included in treatment for neuro-typical clients, thus ensuring that interventions attend to every aspect of the ITSO and not purely clinical phenomena. Social implications: Enhancing treatment interventions for clients with ID and autism could both reduce risk and enhance quality of life for this client group. Originality/value: Much of the work to date exploring HSB in clients with autism has attended to clients with Level 1 autism or those without an additional ID. This paper provides practitioners with a theory upon which to understand HSB in clients with a dual diagnosis of Levels 2/3 autism and an ID as well as practical recommendations for reducing HSB in this client group. (Edited publisher abstract)
Understanding controversial therapies for children with autism, attention deficit disorder and other learning disabilities: a guide to complementary and alternative therapies
- Author:
- KURTZ Lisa A.
- Publisher:
- Jessica Kingsley
- Publication year:
- 2008
- Pagination:
- 208p., bibliog.
- Place of publication:
- London
This book offers an overview of complementary and alternative therapies for children with autism, ADHD and other learning disabilities. It will be of interest to parents and professionals working with children who have disabilities that impact on their behaviour. For each treatment the author provides a description of what it involves, which professionals will be working with the child and an explanation of the rationale behind the therapy. The alternative medical systems section covers acupuncture/acupressure, ayurveda, homeopathy, naturopathy and osteopathy. There is a large section on mind-body interventions covering: animal assisted therapy; aromatherapy; art therapy; auditory training; dance movement therapy; hypnotherapy; music therapy; sign language; visual modelling. Biologically-based interventions include Bach flower remedies, elimination diets and hyperbaric oxygen therapy. The section on Manipulative and body-based methods covers Alexander Technique, massage therapy, reflexology, yoga and others. Energy therapies covered include chromotherapy, magnetic field therapy and reiki. A list of recommended reading resources and useful contacts is included.
New horizons in special education: evidence-based practice in action
- Editors:
- CARPENTER Barry, EGERTON Jo, (eds.)
- Publisher:
- Sunfield
- Publication year:
- 2007
- Pagination:
- 230p.
- Place of publication:
- Stourbridge
This book presents new ways to enable children with severe learning disabilities and autism to learn, and is based on the evidence of seven years of research by professionals working with children and young people at Sunfield. Projects included communication and self-advocacy, community access, health and mental health, family inclusion, curriculum development , psychology and therapies, and the Arts. Therapists, psychologists, teachers, teaching assistants, care workers, social workers and catering staff, along with families and children have all contributed to the book.