The authors of this study set out to look at whether trauma treatment had been successfully used with people with learning disabilities and substantially limited verbal capacities. They found no case studies in the literature. The article describes and assesses the applicability of eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) a trauma therapy based on the [read the full story…]
This Australian study set out to look at the use of restraints and seclusion as responses to people with learning disabilities with behaviour described as challenging. The authors point out that the prevalence rate of such restrictive practices is difficult to agree as previous studies have not used population-level data. They used data on the [read the full story…]
Intrathecal Baclofen Therapy (IBT) is used in the management of severe spasticity in the body which cannot be adequately treated by oral means. The treatment is administered through an implantable infusion system, introduced into the space under the arachnoid membrane of the brain or spinal cord. This study set out to explore the impact of [read the full story…]
Concerns about levels of engagement in meaningful activity by people with learning disabilities have been explored through studies using a method known as momentary time sampling, an interval recording method, where an observer observes whether a particular behaviour is occurring or not during a specified time period. However, the majority of such studies have taken [read the full story…]
Active Support involves concerns training staff in working practices and organisational procedures to improve levels of resident participation and increase levels of engagement in activities. It is being introduced in many support services for people with learning disabilities to help bring about such improvements. This Australian study set out to look at what happened when [read the full story…]
This American study set out to look at the use of physical restraint in services for people with learning disabilities. The researchers looked at data on the incidence and implementation of physical restraint for 448 adults with learning disabilities in community-based day services and shared supported housing. They found that physical restraint was used exclusively [read the full story…]
People with Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) often have excessive appetite and a decreased calorific requirement owing to low energy expenditure levels. This very small study involved three people with PWS who took part in a long-term, multicomponent mindfulness-based health wellness programme aimed at reducing levels of obesity helping them to change their lifestyles. The components of [read the full story…]
Regular physical activity is a cornerstone of good health and previous studies have shown that many people with learning disabilities do not engage in such activity. This systematic review set out to critically assess the evidence on the effectiveness of physical activity interventions for adults with learning disabilities. The authors found eleven clinical studies that [read the full story…]
Physical restraints were found to be in use for nearly 20% of more than 500 adults living in group homes in Sweden in the week preceding the study. 99.2% of these had been subjected to more than one type of restraint. The authors concluded physical restraints are frequently used in Sweden and that physical impairments [read the full story…]
