Previous studies have reported that the use of applied behaviour analysis by a specialist team in addition to standard treatment for adults with learning disabilities and challenging behaviour was both clinically effective and cost-effective after 6 months. This study reported a 2-year follow-up of the same trial cohort. The study found that participants who were [read the full story…]
Communication is a fundamental human right, at the heart of how we interact with our environment, express choices and build relationships. People with learning disabilities often have difficulties with verbal communication and this study set out to look at the extent to which children with learning disabilities depended on manual signs during the process of [read the full story…]
Previous posts on this blog have pointed to the fact that there is a lack of knowledge in some areas around the mental capacity act. This paper sets out the learning from developing and implementing a two phase process to help professionals involved in conducting capacity assessments to overcome any hesitation or lack of confidence. [read the full story…]
People with learning disabilities with schizophrenia and related psychoses have been found to be more likely to be treatment resistant than those without learning disabilities. This paper describes a case study which highlights many of the issues faced when carrying out assessments and developing management plans for such individuals. The authors point out that Clozapine, [read the full story…]
This audit of clinical practice in a mental health service for people with learning disabilities looked at the current approach to people with learning disabilities and psychotic disorders. The researchers looked at clinical practice with 910 people who were patients of the learning disability psychiatrists in Buckinghamshire. The current approach to clinical practice in the [read the full story…]
Training for staff supporting people whose behaviour is challenging is a crucial part of appropriate and consistent supports. This study set out to provide a pilot evaluation of development workshops with direct care staff supporting people described as having significant psychosocial difficulties. The staff teams attended a series of workshops which were designed to use [read the full story…]
Supporting people with learning disabilities can be a stressful job. Previous studies have identified predictors of staff burnout but there is little consensus about the way these factors interact with each other, or their relative importance. The researchers in this study looked at the direct and indirect associations between work stressors, emotional responses by staff, [read the full story…]
This paper reports on the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme which was established to treat people with mild to moderate depression and anxiety. Interestingly, although Positive Practice Guidance was published in 2009, there are currently no geographical areas listed as having a special interest in specifically rolling out psychological therapies to people with [read the full story…]
In common with other European countries, Ireland’s national database of people with learning disabilities has shown increasing ageing trends in prevalence rates and the biggest proportional increase in the next 5-10 years is expected to be will be among persons aged 50 years and over with the associated risks of developing diseases such as dementia. [read the full story…]
The Independent Mental Capacity Act Advocacy (IMCA) service was established in 2007 following concerns expressed during the implementation of the Act that there was a need to provide extra support in the Act for the most vulnerable people. The purpose of the service is to help those vulnerable people who lack capacity facing decisions made [read the full story…]
