The authors of this review of the literature set out to look at the assumptions held about the impact of short breaks on family carers and disabled children. 60 articles or reports were identified for inclusion in the review, the vast majority being cross-sectional studies. The reviewers found eight studies using quasi-experimental pre-post designs or [read the full story…]
The reporting of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms has been increasing in people with learning disability but researchers have also argued that such symptoms are being under diagnosed and also poorly treated. This review set out to identify the level of ADHD symptoms in children and adults with learning disabilities reported in published studies [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…]
A Health Foundation review reports that active involvement of clinicians with quality improvement remains largely unrealised. With the challenge of having to do more with fewer resources, engagement becomes ever more critical yet the NHS “often relies on overly simplistic rational-linear approaches to change that: end in disappointment which could be predicted by the ‘person [read the full story…]
This literature review looked at the evidence for environmental causes for challenging behaviours, looking at 173 empirical studies where functional assessment served as the primary method of identifying causes of challenging behaviour. Most studies identified a clear function or functions, most commonly attention, efforts to acquire tangibles, negative reinforcement in the form of escape and [read the full story…]
This literature review looked at evaluations of service provision in the UK for people with challenging behaviours, reviewing the literature from 1990 to 2010 looking at studies that evaluated a range of UK service provision in terms of impact on challenging behaviour and other quality of life indices. The author found very few evaluations, although [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…]
Depression can be difficult to spot in people with learning disabilities. The Royal College of Psychiatrists in its information leaflet points out that for many people with learning disabilities expressing their feelings in words may not come easily, so their actions may speak for them. They suggest that sudden changes in behaviour or mood, or [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…]
