Search results for ‘Subject term:"severe learning disabilities"’ Sort:
Results 1 - 10 of 44
Autism in adults with severe intellectual disability: an empirical study of symptom presentation
- Authors:
- MATSON Johnny L., WILKINS Jonathan, ANCONA Martin
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disability, 33(1), March 2008, pp.36-42.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
The American study represents a first attempt to describe symptom patterns of autism for adults with severe ID. Fifty-seven adults with ID who met DSM-IV-TR and ICD-10 diagnostic criteria for autism were compared to 57 matched controls with ID only (no Axis I diagnosis). Marked differences were noted in a range of symptoms, particularly with respect to impairments in social interaction and restricted or repetitive behaviours and interests. These items were able to predict the presence or absence of autism at a high rate of diagnostic accuracy. Based on these findings, it appears that adults with ID and autism evince a distinct pattern of impairment when compared to controls with ID alone.
Relationships matter! – utilising ethics of care to understand transitions in the lives of adults with severe intellectual disabilities
- Authors:
- JACOBS Paula, et al
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 49(3), 2021, pp.329-340.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Background: Within the current literature, there is a focus on early transition experiences, such as people's school years, while adulthood remains a lesser researched chapter in the lives of people with intellectual disabilities. Furthermore, most studies focus on those with mild or moderate intellectual disabilities and people with severe or profound intellectual disabilities are often excluded from research. Methods: This article explores the transition journeys of six adults with severe intellectual disabilities, including transitions from school to adult services and moving out of the family home. Data collection involved observations, document reviews and interviews with families and professionals in Scotland. Taking an ethics of care perspective, our focus was to explore in how far each person had people in their lives able to listen to them and if, in turn, those close to them were listened to during times of transition. Findings: Our findings demonstrate that transitions are complex processes that occur across different systems. Additionally, our findings emphasise the importance to consider relationships that are available to people within their adult lives when planning and supporting transitions. Combining interviews with observations helped us to see how the six adults showed agency and were communicating their preferences through the relationships they had with people within their immediate environment. Conclusions: The need to reconceptualise participation from a relational and interdependent perspective is stressed to facilitate the involvement of people with severe intellectual disabilities within decision-making processes. (Edited publisher abstract)
Friendship and adults with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities and English disability policy
- Authors:
- HUGHES Rachel Parry, REDLEY Marcus, RING Howard
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, 8(3), September 2011, pp.197-206.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Recent policy documents in England give great prominence to friendship and frame it explicitly as a force for good in the lives of adults with profound disabilities. The language used in these policy documents signals the tensions and complexities entailed in the idea of friendship with adults with profound disabilities. This article suggests that the failure to address these tensions and complexities is a recipe for failure in the implementation of policy recommendations. It notes the need for policy in this area to be reconsidered and suggest that this process should be informed by both empirical research and conceptual analysis. The article is divided into five sections. Part one describes the development of an earlier policy agenda, that of “citizenship and rights”. Part two suggests that friendship could remedy existing failures and establish the social and moral standing of adults with profound disabilities. Part three summarises sociological and philosophical research on friendship in order to set out how friendship is understood in England today. Part four describes references to friendship that exist in key policy documents. Finally, part five analyses these policy references.
Estimating future numbers of adults with profound multiple learning disabilities in England
- Authors:
- EMERSON Eric, HATTON Chris
- Publisher:
- Lancaster University. Centre for Disability Research
- Publication year:
- 2009
- Pagination:
- 11p.
- Place of publication:
- Lancaster
This research was conducted by the Centre for Disability Research (CeDR) at Lancaster University on behalf of the Department of Health. The study aimed to estimate change in the future numbers of adults with profound multiple learning disabilities (PMLD) in England over the period 2009 to 2026. The report considers changes arising from one of four key factors: change in birth rates in the general population; change in the incidence of children being born with or acquiring PMLD; change in infant and child mortality among children being born with PMLD; change in mortality among adults with PMLD. The data suggests sustained and accelerating growth in the numbers of adults with MPMLD in England, and therefore an increase in the need and demand for health and social care services.
A general practice-based study of the relationship between indicators of mental illness and challenging behaviour among adults with intellectual disabilities
- Authors:
- FELCE D., KERR M., HASTINGS R.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 53(3), March 2009, pp.243-254.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
The purpose of this study was to explore the association between psychiatric status and level of challenging behaviour, while controlling for adaptive behaviour and occurrence of autistic spectrum disorders. Data were collected on the age, gender, adaptive and challenging behaviour, social impairment and psychiatric status of 312 adults with ID. Challenging behaviour was higher among participants meeting threshold levels on the psychiatric screen. The regression analysis confirmed the association and demonstrated an interaction between total score on the psychiatric screen and level of adaptive behaviour. This moderated effect showed the relationship between psychiatric status and challenging behaviour to be stronger at lower adaptive behaviour. The study reinforces previous findings that psychiatric morbidity among people with ID is associated with higher levels of challenging behaviour and supports predictions that this association is more pronounced for people with severe ID. The precise nature and causal direction of the association requires further clarification. However, the understanding of how psychiatric problems might contribute to challenging behaviour needs to be part of the clinical appreciation of such behaviour.
Prescribing patterns in a Hong Kong institution for adults with severe to profound learning disabilities
- Author:
- LIM Woon Chu Winston
- Journal article citation:
- Tizard Learning Disability Review, 10(4), October 2005, pp.3-9.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
There has been increasing concern about inappropriate or excessive medication of people with learning disabilities. This paper reports on a survey of prescribing patterns in an institution that cares for adults with severe to profound learning disabilities in Hong Kong. The survey found that 27% of the 294 hospital patients were receiving psychotropic drugs, but this rate was significantly higher (90%) in the ward for people with challenging behaviours. Most patients (67%) received a single psychotropic drug, 26% received two and 7%, three. Around half the patients (151) had epilepsy, of whom 90% received anticonvulsants. Of these, 52% received a single anticonvulsant, 37% received two and 11% received three or more. Dosages were generally within the recommended ranges. This survey revealed several good aspects of prescribing practice at Siu Lam Hospital, but also areas that need improvement. The latter include a drug-reduction programme for the people with challenging behaviours, trials of drug-free periods for seizure-free patients receiving anticonvulsants and replacement of phenytoin and phenobarbitone with safer alternatives.
Challenging behaviour: a guide for family carers on getting the right support for adults
- Authors:
- SOCIAL CARE INSTITUTE FOR EXCELLENCE, CHALLENGING BEHAVIOUR FOUNDATION
- Publisher:
- Social Care Institute for Excellence
- Publication year:
- 2011
- Pagination:
- 6p.
- Place of publication:
- London
This briefing paper provides information for family carers who are supporting an adult with severe learning disabilities and behaviour described as challenging. It aims to help carers understand what expect from local services, to help identify what 'good' services look like, to help them ask for the support they and their family need and to help them work in partnership with the professionals. Short sections cover: what is 'challenging behaviour'; your rights; support with challenging behaviour; what does good support look like; working with professionals; choosing where to live ;education, work and other opportunities; and what a good service looks like. Organisations that can provide further information and advice are listed at the end of the briefing.
Identification of PTSD in adults with intellectual disabilities in five patients in a specialised psychiatric inpatient unit
- Authors:
- BAKKEN Trine Lise, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Advances in Mental Health and Intellectual Disabilities, 8(2), 2014, pp.91-102.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe and discuss assessment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in adults with intellectual disabilities. Existing research in this area encompasses case studies, and includes, for the most part, persons with mild intellectual disabilities. Design/methodology/approach: The aim of this study is to investigate symptom presentation and subsequent identification of PTSD in persons with more severe intellectual disabilities; i.e. persons with moderate or severe intellectual disabilities. Five patients in a specialised psychiatric inpatient unit for patients with intellectual disabilities were included. Information about the patients was collected through case files and interviews with key informants: family, milieu therapists, and caregivers in community settings, and observations through inpatient admission. The authors of this paper followed a training programme for trauma therapists in addition to the inpatient treatment of the five patients. The five patients all met criteria for PTSD according to the Diagnostic Manual – Intellectual Disability. Findings: Previously, it was not suspected that the five patients suffered from PTSD, although they had experienced terrifying incidents. All patients displayed severe changes in behaviour, which may have overshadowed symptoms of PTSD. PTSD in persons with more severe intellectual disabilities may be interpreted as challenging behaviour, or other psychiatric disorders such as psychosis. Research limitations/implications: The limitation of the study is the small number of participants. Practical implications: Practical implication is linked to clinical practice related to identification of PTSD in persons with intellectual disabilities. Originality/value: The paper may encourage more research into how PTSD can be identified in persons with moderate and severe intellectual disabilities. The case reports may help clinicians to look for traumatic experiences in persons with intellectual disabilities who have experienced terrifying incidents. (Publisher abstract)
Low mood and challenging behaviour in people with severe and profound intellectual disabilities
- Authors:
- HAYES S., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 55(2), February 2011, pp.182-189.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
“Diagnostic overshadowing” has been an obstacle for people with intellectual disabilities (ID) exhibiting symptoms of a mental illness. Progress has been made but there remains a tendency to assume that challenging behaviour stems from the ID rather than being symptomatic of mental illness. This study investigated the relationship between low mood and challenging behaviour in people with severe and profound ID, while controlling for the presence of potentially confounding variables such as diagnosis of autism, physical and sensory problems and ill health. The key workers of 52 people with severe and profound ID, living in residential care in Ireland, completed measures of depression, communication, challenging behaviour and provided information on demographic and health variables. Using the Mood, Interest and Pleasure Questionnaire, a significant difference was found between a ‘low mood’ and ‘normothymic’ group in the reported occurrence of challenging behaviour. This difference remained after confounding variables such as the presence of autism, health and sensory difficulties were controlled. The frequency and severity of challenging behaviour was predicted by measures indicating the presence of low mood. The authors conclude that people with severe and profound ID show clear and measurable signs of low mood, and in this relatively small sample of institutionalised individuals, low mood was associated with challenging behaviour.
The content of support of persons with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities: an analysis of the number and content of goals in the educational programmes
- Authors:
- van der PUTTEN A., VLASKAMP C., POPPES P.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 22(4), July 2009, pp.391-394.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
This study focuses on the support of persons with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities (PIMD) by analysing the number and content of formulated goals in the educational programmes. The programmes of 145 persons with PIMD were analysed. The number of long- and short-term goals as well as the number of goals reached was determined. To clarify the content of given support, goals were categorised into different domains. In total, 220 long-term goals were formulated, of which 14% were reached. Of the 1624 short-term goals formulated, 52% were reached. Further detailed analyses show that although the number of goals was not dependent on age, the number of long-term goals reached was significantly higher in children; 52% of the 220 long-term goals focused on 'interaction and social' roles and 68% of the 1624 short-term goals focused on 'gathering knowledge about the client'. Results indicate that support to persons with PIMD especially focuses on 'interaction and social roles'. Especially, health issues seem to be under-represented. Short-term goals mainly focus on gathering knowledge. Further studies are needed to clarify if professionals indeed lack detailed information about their clients or if available knowledge (e.g. in files) is not transferred into day-to-day practice.