We have posted before about inclusive research projects, including the work of MyLife My Choice looking at annual health checks and work to involve and engage people in secure settings in research findings. The authors of this study worked with people involved in research about how they support each other. They were looking at a [read the full story…]
National and international research consistently shows that the most significant factor in raising educational achievement is the employment and retention of good quality teachers. Teacher recruitment and retention; an historical context In recent history, the UK Government has introduced many initiatives to tackle the problems of teacher recruitment and retention (Menter, 2002), including bursaries for [read the full story…]
Postnatal (or postpartum) depression is moderate to severe depression that affects women just after they have given birth. It’s a relatively common illness, affecting 7-15% of childbearing women. Suffering from depression in the first few weeks of motherhood can have a significant impact, not just on the health of the mother, but also on her [read the full story…]
Benzodiazepines are an effective treatment for acute anxiety and transient insomnia, but guidelines advise that they should not be prescribed for longer than a few weeks as their long-term use can lead to dependency and falls in older people (amongst other things). The evidence appears compelling and yet benzodiazepines are still widely prescribed in the [read the full story…]
Services for people with learning disabilities will be subject to external scrutiny to ensure they are meeting minimum standards of care delivery and will also have internal quality assurance processes to look at the quality of the support they provide, The key question however, particularly in a situation where an individual may be getting support [read the full story…]
Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) cover a range of developmental disorders, including Autism, Asperger Syndrome and Rett’s Syndrome. ASD can involve a variety of symptoms, which fall into 3 main categories: Difficulties with social interaction Impaired language and communication Unusual patterns of behaviour and thought Social interactions can be extremely difficult for children with ASD, and [read the full story…]
The relationship between attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and substance use in children is hotly debated. ADHD symptoms include inattention, hyperactivity/impulsivity and conduct disorders, and there’s considerable interest in finding out which of these predicts early substance use. If we have reliable evidence that answers this question we can make informed decisions about treating ADHD and [read the full story…]
Foetal alcohol syndrome, a neurodevelopmental disorder caused by the use of alcohol during pregnancy. FAS Aware UK� points out that there is are varying estimates of the prevalence of the disorder, but is thought to have a prevalence of around 1 in 1000. The researchers in this study were interested in finding out about the [read the full story…]
International comparisons of school systems have been widely reported. The results of the international PISA test in 2009 highlighted some troubling statistics about the performance of highly able students in England, when compared to pupils from other countries. In maths, only 1.5% of English 15 year olds achieved the highest level of attainment, compared with [read the full story…]
The excellent Time to Change initiative is quick to point out that people with mental health problems are more likely to be the victims of violence than the perpetrators. However, it remains the case that certain mental health conditions are more frequently associated with antisocial behaviour and violence than others. Personality disorders (PD) are one [read the full story…]
