Psychotherapy for adults with learning disabilities requires a more rigorous evidence base

Talk_and_listen

We posted last year about a review of the literature on the effectiveness of psychotherapy with people with learning disabilities which suggested that there was evidence that it could be moderately effective. However, the authors urged some caution as the studies they reviews did not include any randomised controlled trials. This current review summarises the [read the full story…]

Dutch policy makers look to international experience to help reduce the use of restraints in people with learning disabilities

Headache-2

Recently in the Netherlands, Dutch TV showed footage of a teenager known as ‘Brandon’ who was resident in a long stay institution. Because of his challenging behaviour, he was managed in this institution by the use of a harness, which was attached via a leather strap to a metal bracket on the wall. Dutch psychiatrists have [read the full story…]

Restraint interventions widely used in children with learning disabilities despite absence of evidence based guidance

autism children holding hands

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…]

Review suggests need for enhanced training and practice opportunities for professionals supporting people with dual diagnosis

Flipchart men

Estimates of the numbers of people with learning disabilities who also have a co-morbid psychiatric disorder vary considerably between studies, from 14 to 39%. This review set out to look at the knowledge, attitudes and training of professionals supporting people with both learning disability and psychoatric disorder, termed in this study, dual diagnosis. The authors [read the full story…]

Review finds no consensus on developmental or behavioural outcomes for children of parents with learning disabilities

family on beach

The authors of this review set out to take a comprehensive look at the literature relating to the outcomes for Children of parents with learning disability to test assumptions that such children are at risk of poor outcomes. The authors identified 26 studies from a database and reference search published in one year from March [read the full story…]

Improvements in psychological well-being in parents with learning disabilities can be achieved by improvements in social support

Family

Adults with learning disabilities who become parents face a range of challenges in addition to those faced by their non-disabled peers. As adults with disabilities, they are more likely to be socially isolated and at risk of poor psychological well-being and the added pressure of parenthood can magnify these risks. The authors of the current [read the full story…]

Internet based groups for older carers of people with learning disabilities can improve social support

Computer

We recently posted about the views of older people with learning disabilities and the things they wanted in relation to their support. In recent years there have also been a number of projects that have focused on ways to provide support to older carers of people. Those projects have suggested the key mediator role of [read the full story…]

Research collaborations between academics and people with learning disabilities can strengthen the ethical integrity of research

Analysis showed significant lack of robust evidence on impact or cost effectiveness

The involvement of people with learning disabilities in research has been increasing. The authors of this review stress the important benefits of this inclusion. However, the involvement raises a number of ethical questions, as they can be vulnerable in the context of research. This review looked at peer-reviewed literature on ethical practices in research with [read the full story…]

Review fails to find direct link between childhood disability and increased risk for child abuse and neglect

shutterstock_14786077 mother playing with two young children

The authors of this review were interested in empirical evidence for presumptions that children with disabilities are at increased risk for child maltreatment, and that parents with disabilities may be more likely to perpetrate child abuse and neglect. From the findings of the review, the authors conclude that the evidence for any relationship between child [read the full story…]

Adult mediation has pivotal role in promoting engagement through haptic strategies in children with learning disabilities and visual impairment

Grapevine

This review of the literature looked at issues relating to the development of haptic exploratory strategies in children who have visual impairment and learning disabilities. Haptic perception refers to the recognition of objects through touch, involving the perception of patterns such as edges, curves and textures, whereby people can identify three-dimensional objects by moving their [read the full story…]