Behaviour support plans to guide the way supporters respond and react to people with learning disabilities who are described as having behaviour that challenges are fundamental to the quality of support they receive. The authors of this Australian study were interested in looking at the quality of the plans and their effectiveness in providing support. [read the full story…]
A report from the learning disability charity mencap, based on data from a freedom of information request to 152 local authorities, an online survey of 280 people with learning disabilities and their carers and a survey of nearly 200 professionals suggests that nearly a third of local authorities have closed day services in the last [read the full story…]
Difficulties experienced by people with learning disabilities with communication can impact greatly on their ability to have control over their lives. Problems can be with receptive, expressive, or written domains. The researchers in the present study set out to look specifically at the communication difficulties faced by 204 people described as having profound learning disabilities [read the full story…]
The reasons that children engage in stereotypic and repetitive behaviours are many and varied, and it is thought that heir motivation to do so changes with the context. The researchers in this study set out to test the empirical evidence for this observation. They looked at interventions designed to reduce the behaviours and posited that [read the full story…]
Payment by Results (PbR) was introduced into the NHS with the aim of improving efficiency and increasing value for money. The approach uses a national tariff of agreed fixed prices reflecting average prices for procedures. In this article, the authors argue that given that outcome focused approaches to payment by results will be incrementally introduced [read the full story…]
The term ‘physical interventions’ refers to ‘any method of responding to challenging behaviour which involves some degree of direct physical force to limit or restrict movement or mobility’ The authors of this literature review set out to look at the current evidence on the use of restraint as an intervention in managing challenging behaviours in [read the full story…]
We have posted previously about the impact of carer attributions regarding the behaviour of people with learning disabilities and the impact these can have on carer responses. The authors of this systematic review were interested in the effects of carer training in challenging and complex behaviour. The researchers searched the literature and included papers that [read the full story…]
The authors of this study were interested in looking at the use of integrated sports as one strategy for promoting health and social participation of adolescents with learning disabilities. They set out to improve understanding of the factors associated with such integration by carrying out individual interviews with 40 adolescents with learning disabilities and their [read the full story…]
Life expectancy of people with Down syndrome has been increasing over the last ten years, with consequent increases in the incidence of morbidity as they age. The authors of this study carried out by Israeli researchers point out that there is not much literature exploring this morbidity or looking at hospitalisation of adults with Down [read the full story…]
Rates of mental illness in adolescents with learning disabilities have been reported as higher than those expected in adolescents without learining disabilities. This study set out to look at the prevalence and predictors of mental health needs and service use in adolescents with learning disabilities. They researchers worked with a service-based sample of 75 young [read the full story…]
