Whilst there is a developing literature aimed at a better understanding of end of life care for people with learning disabilities, there is little published that relates directly to the perspectives of paid carers. The researchers in this study used a series of focus groups to analyse responses from 64 people who worked in learning [read the full story…]
This Canadian paper looked at the situation of people with learning disabilities in Montreal who were homeless, to try to understand the nature of their situation, The paper draws on data from people who were known to a dedicated team in the city working with homeless people. The researchers collected data from files of 68 [read the full story…]
This study evaluated the outcomes of a public health nurse home visiting system for mothers with learning disabilities and for those in a comparison group without learning disabilities. The study authors carried out a secondary analysis of existing family home visiting data using a two-group comparative design. They looked at 68 (17 for mothers with [read the full story…]
This study set out to look at how an inclusive approach to data analysis in a research project with a group of self advocates increased the group’s capacity for self advocacy. The researchers presented numerical data in three visual formats for analysis, which were analysed and interpreted by 17 members of a People First group [read the full story…]
This study set out to investigate the natural history of thyroid function in adults with Down syndrome as there is currently a lack of good long-term follow-up data. The study team looked at annual thyroid function tests in 200 adults with Down syndrome over a 15-year period. They found that in healthy adults with Down [read the full story…]
There are many barriers to people with learning disabilities becoming parents. Published research describing the experience of parents with a learning disability suggests that these include planning for both pregnancy as well as for parenthood. Studies have also shown however that the provision of the right support at the right time can enable parents with [read the full story…]
Self determination is a key thrust of current learning disability policy and indeed sits at the heart of the personalisation agenda in adult social care. This study worked with 17 people with learning disabilities, using interviews to help gather information to help improve our understanding of what impact self determination was having on their lives. [read the full story…]
The authors of this study look at the way the criminal justice system responds to people with learning disabilities by focusing on the first response to people suspected of a minor offence. They argue that at this early stage, the decisions of all the key players have a significant impact on the journey of the [read the full story…]
This study looked at the behavioural phenotype of people with Prader-Willi syndrome and the relationship between behavioural problems and age groups, genetic subtypes and BMI categories. It found statistically significant differences between age groups and between genetic subtypes but none in different BMI categories. The authors suggest that special attention should be paid to behavioural [read the full story…]
This review of the literature searched Medline and PsychInfo to find clinical trials and case reports which were published between 1975 and 2009, focusing on pharmacological interventions for sleep disturbance in children with developmental disabilities. The authors found 58 articles that met the inclusion criteria, including 25 controlled trials in typical children and children with [read the full story…]
