Whilst there is no evidence that dementia affects people with learning disabilities in ways that are different to those without learning disability, there is a risk that the early stages of the disease may be missed or misinterpreted. People with Down syndrome may present with clinical symptoms in their late 40s or early 50s. Estimates [read the full story…]
This review of the literature set out to summarise the current status of knowledge and clinical practice in the area of relationships and sexuality for people with learning disabilities, which the review authors describe as an area that is complex and challenging. Services for people with learning disabilities have undergone a move towards personalisation, person-centred [read the full story…]
There is a limited literature about self harm in people with learning disabilities. There are some qualitative studies, but mostly relating to forensic services. The researchers in this study were interested in the extent to which the beliefs that staff hold about self-harm influence their response to the behaviour. The researchers used Q-methodology a research [read the full story…]
In 2009, researchers in Surrey completed an audit of pain recognition and management within the learning disability services there. One of the key recommendations from that audit was that staff in learning disability services should receive training in pain recognition and management. As a result, nearly 200 services in the locality (from an invitation list [read the full story…]
This Scottish study set out to review the evidence on support for spirituality for people with learning disabilities, an area the author describes as relevant but neglected as a topic and rarely addressed by healthcare professionals. The author met with a wide range of stakeholders including people with disabilities, local faith groups, service managers, parents [read the full story…]
Researchers in this Canadian study looked at the factors associated with the use of psychiatric emergency services by people with learning disabilities who were living with their family. They conducted an audit of hospital chart audits for a sample of 20 such individuals with learning disabilities who had visited the emergency department (ED) at the [read the full story…]
Active Support concerns training staff in working practices and organisational procedures in homes to help provide direct support for resident participation and increase levels of engagement in activities. The researchers in this study looked at the effect of staffing levels, e.g. either one or two staff on the amount of assistance provided to people with [read the full story…]
This study set out to understand whether recent approaches to informing people with learning disabilities about the findings of research ((e.g. simplified information sheets, reading out information etc) are effective and to discover what people with learning disabilities understand about research. The researchers invited seven men and ten staff members to work as co-researchers with [read the full story…]
Mindfulness in modern psychology relates to bringing complete attention to the present experience, often involving a non-judgmental attitude to that experience. The authors in this study wanted to look at whether a new measure of staff values in learning disability services could help to better understand the potential effectiveness of mindfulness in the well being [read the full story…]
Sleep problems are commonly found in people with learning disabilities who live in residential settings, but the authors of this study were concerned that insufficient attention was being is paid to them in the literature and consequently in practice. They set out to improve the knowledge and understanding of sleep quality and sleep problems among [read the full story…]
