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Learning Disabilities Elf Blog post. In their recent paper, Kant and colleagues have focused on expanding the evidence base for efficacy of using functional analysis (FA) with children who have FXS and severely challenging behaviour.
The study included more than 5,000 mothers, around 1,500 of which had received some form of infertility treatment, and assessed their child’s development at three years of age.
They looked at whether there was a different effect, depending on whether it was a single or twin birth, and the type of infertility treatment given – either assisted reproductive techniques such as IVF, infertility drugs or artificial insemination.
Overall, there was no convincing evidence that infertility treatment had any effect on a child’s development.
This study looks at the experience of women with learning disabilities who go for breast screening (X-ray of the breast)
Women with learning disabilities reported that there were many things that encouraged and discouraged them from going for breast screening.
Carers were very important in supporting women with learning disabilities through breast screening. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - request a copy of the article from the library - www.sssft.nhs.uk/library
A new report from PSSRU suggests that adapted parenting programmes for people with learning disabilities might be a cost-effective way of providing support for this group. The authors – Annette Bauer (Research Fellow) and Gemma Williams (Research Officer) – discuss their findings.
Training support staff in dealing with challenging behaviour in clients with intellectual disabilities (ID) is needed. The goal of this study is to determine which elements need to be incorporated in a training on staff interactions with these clients, building upon a framework and an interpersonal model. As in functional analysis, this study tests the influence of client interpersonal behaviour, three types of staff reactions to challenging behaviour, two types of staff psychological resources and staff team climate on four styles of staff interpersonal behaviour. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - request a copy of the article from the library - www.sssft.nhs.uk/library
Aim To examine whether there is a relationship between the temperament and character of university students and their attitude towards people with disabilities.
Methods The study investigated the views of nursing students in their second year of university who had elected to take a course on disability. Questionnaires were distributed to 100 people and 81 filled in the forms completely, 75 of whom (92.6%) were women. The study data were collected in January 2014. Data were analysed using the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) and Attitudes Toward Disabled Persons (ATDP) scale. Login using your SSSFT NHS Athens for full text. SSOTP - request a copy of the article from the library http://www.sssft.nhs.uk/library
A learning disabilities’ dementia battery was developed to assess cognitive abilities in individuals referred to the learning disabilities service because of concerns of possible dementia. The present study aimed to establish concurrent validity with previously validated measures of cognitive ability and its clinical effectiveness in detecting dementia in this population. Login using your SSSFT NHS Athens for full text. SSOTP - request a copy of the article from the library http://www.sssft.nhs.uk/library
We investigated the performance of 13 adults with mild to moderate intellectual disability (ID), relative to 13 age-matched controls, on three tasks of emotion recognition (emotion categorisation; recognition of valence; and recognition of arousal), using a number of ‘basic’ (angry and happy) and more ‘subtle’ (compassionate and critical) emotional expressions, as well as the posers face in a default relaxed (i.e. ‘neutral’) state. Importantly, the sample was drawn from a community-based initiative and was therefore representative of populations' government schemes target. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - request a copy of the article from the library - www.sssft.nhs.uk/library
Conclusions Women with intellectual and developmental disabilities are slightly more likely to have labour inductions and caesarean sections than women without intellectual and developmental disabilities. The elevated occurrence of these interventions is not fully explained by their pre-pregnancy health conditions or pregnancy complications. Non-medical issues should be evaluated for their influence on the timing of labour and delivery in this population. To read the full article, log in using your NHS Athens
This study finds that the proportion of people being hospitalised per year is statistically, but only slightly, different among adult people with ID and the GP. The results must be interpreted in light of the organisation of the health care system in Norway. Login using your SSSFT NHS Athens for full text. SSOTP - request a copy of the article from the library http://www.sssft.nhs.uk/library
Several factors that correlate with the onset or continuation of challenging behaviour are mentioned in research. These are factors related to persons with ID, but also to direct support professionals and the context. Although many of these factors seem to affect the onset or continuation of challenging behaviour in people with ID in general, results are often inconclusive and have little focus on people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities (PIMD). The present study aimed to assess the extent to which known factors related to challenging behaviour are also applicable to a group of 198 people with PIMD. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - request a copy of the article from the library - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
Self-regulation has been found to be an important contributor to a range of outcomes, with delay of gratification (a self-regulatory skill) predicting better academic, social and personal functioning. There is some evidence that individuals with Down syndrome have difficulty with delay of gratification. We investigated the question of whether this difficulty is common to intellectual disability irrespective of aetiology, or whether it presents a particular problem for those with Down syndrome. The latter was considered a possibility because of language difficulties in this group. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - request a copy of the article from the library - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
This week we held a breakthrough Learning Disabilities Conference - Using primary care data to plan better services for people with learning disabilities - where we launched the first round of a new set of national and local information data from GPs about the health of people with learning disabilities and the care they get. The conference was a great success, generating lots of discussion among stakeholders on the new indicators and the light they shed on why this group suffer a 20 year deficit in life expectancy. The indicators should help to improve adjustments to health care and health promotion for people with learning disabilities and point to ways of reducing health inequalities for them. They are expected to play an important part in the revamped annual learning disabilities self-assessment process. There will be further publications to come from this data.
The programme and the slides from the day can be downloaded here
Following our 2015 survey it was evident that many people that use IHaL resources would like regular email updates about our work. We are anticipating sending an update every two months. These will include links to recent publications and information about forthcoming events. If you would like to receive this email then please contact us at LDT@phe.gov.uk
Little is known about the role of behavioural executive functioning (EF) skills and level of intelligence (IQ) on math abilities in children with mild to borderline intellectual disabilities. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - request a copy of the article from the library - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
The Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities has launched a survey that aims to map the current hate crime initiatives around the UK. There are lots of different schemes and projects happening out there - for example, disability awareness training in schools; third party reporting sites; safe places schemes; helping people to have a circle of support and developing training to educate people with learning disabilities.