An examination of the quality of life and changes in behaviour for a cohort of 49 people with intellectual disabilities and self injurious behaviour (SIB) over time. 84% of the sample continued to self-injure nearly 20 years on, and whilst a number of people had moved from hospital in the period their SIB had not reduced. More [read the full story…]
Differential reinforcement (DR) is a non-aversive, reinforcement based behavioural intervention; which works by singling out a desired behaviour and reinforcing it, whilst ignoring other non desired behaviours. This literature review looked to summarize and provide a methodological analysis of studies, conducted between 1980 and 2009, using differential reinforcement to reduce problem behaviours in adults with [read the full story…]
New generation anti-psychotic medications are being used to treat aggressive behaviours in people with learning disabilities, whether or not individuals have a formal diagnosis of a mental health problem. This study set out to evaluate the effectiveness of two such new generation anti-psychotic medications, olanzapine and risperidone. The study looked at how effective these [read the full story…]
The prevalence of psychiatric disorders in people with learning disabilities is very difficult to ascertain with studies varying in their definitions and inclusion criteria. Estimates suggest that it may be as low as 3%, but despite this, antipsychotic medications comprise between 30–50% of all psychotropics prescribed for people with learning disabilities. This literature review set [read the full story…]
