Journal of Intellectual Disabilities

Access to regular, high-quality respite care has a beneficial impact on a carer’s ability to fulfil their caring role, but provision varies widely. The current study aims to report family and informal carers’ perceptions of respite care services offered to them by their local authority. A mixed method, triangulated design, yielded both quantitative and qualitative data. Members of a parent/carer federation were sent a questionnaire which included a section on ‘respite care’; 151 of 647 responded. Two focus groups were held with 15 carers who had previously completed the questionnaire. The majority of carers reported that their respite needs were not being met. Unmet needs were hampered by the lack of information regarding criteria for access to respite. Discrepancies were evident between professionals and carers on a shared definition of respite care. Carers were unsure of exactly which activities constituted respite care and for whom the service was being provided.

Cognitive, social, motor and language skills are key factors that contribute to the quality of life for people with learning disabilities and for their carers. Development of these skills for children with severe learning disabilities who have other complex needs however remains a challenge. A pilot study was undertaken by the staff from The Jai Vakeel School for Children in Need of Special Care, Mumbai, with a view to examining the effects of training offered by parents of children with severe learning disabilities and complex needs on their emotional, social, language, cognitive and motor skill development. Using a Parental Involvement/Engagement Scale it was seen that children with lower parental involvement had less improvement in the above areas whilst children with higher parental involvement showed greater improvement. The findings are discussed in relation to the hypothesis that the pre-clinical condition of the child will affect the outcome of therapy.

Over the last quarter of a century, much attention has justifiably been given to the closure of long-stay hospitals and the subsequent community-based experiences of people with learning disabilities. This has inevitably led to debate regarding how best they might continue to be supported, and by whom. Having identified a range of accredited provision currently available to prepare or develop staff working with adults with learning disabilities in the United Kingdom, this article reviews a range of contemporary literature relating to education in learning disability health and social care that is typically produced and viewed in isolation. Four themes are identified: training social carers, user involvement, (inter)professional practice and work-based learning. Key messages emerge from these themes to form recommendations for the future education of learning disability practitioners across the workforce.

Studies on psychoeducation in schizophrenia demonstrate significant effects on rehospitalization rates, compliance and knowledge. Within the framework of the Munich COGPIP study we examined whether borderline intellectual disability in patients with schizophrenia limits the benefit from psychoeducational groups. A total of 116 inpatients with schizophrenic or schizoaffective disorders were recruited for the COGPIP study. A manualized, interactive psychoeducational programme of eight sessions (4 weeks) was initiated. Measures of knowledge, adherence and the concept of illness were completed before and after the groups. The short-term outcome of 22 participants with schizophrenia and borderline intellectual disability (IQ 70—85) was compared with the outcome of 75 participants with schizophrenia and IQ > 85. Results showed that individuals with schizophrenia and borderline intellectual disability could be successfully integrated into general psychoeducational groups. The conclusion is that borderline intellectual disability should not be an exclusion criterion for participation in such groups.

Women without intellectual disabilities are more likely to develop mental health problems as a result of physiological functioning and psychosocial risk factors. However, little is known about the mental health of women with intellectual disabilities. The aim of this study was to explore a small group of women’s perceptions of the risk and protective factors pertaining to their mental health conditions. Twelve semi-structured interviews were conducted in 2007 in Northern Ireland. Thematic content analysis identified three risk factors and four protective/resilient factors. None of the women identified physiological functioning as a risk factor. Results suggest that women with intellectual disabilities experience psychosocial risk factors similar to those reported by women without intellectual disability. Additional risk factors place them at higher risk of developing mental health problems. However, more research is required.