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Almost two decades later since the promulgation of the White Paper 6 on inclusive education policy in South Africa, the nation has yet to attain what the policy provided as practical inclusion guidelines within the education fraternity. Parental involvement is one of the guidelines that continue to be highlighted as an area of development in the field of inclusive education literature. The involvement of parents in the education of their children often yields positive educational outcomes in general. Therefore, the same can be expected from parental involvement in the education of children with severe intellectual disabilities (SID). There is a dearth of information on how much parents know about what is expected from them if a functional home-school partnership is to be attained. The study aimed to investigate how much parents whose children are diagnosed with SID know about home-school partnerships. The data presented here are results of individual face-to-face interviews with eight (8) South African parents of foundation phase learners diagnosed with severe intellectual disabilities. A minimum of two parents from each of the four identified full-service schools and special needs schools were chosen. Parents who were chosen for the study were those who had experience taking care of and supporting learners with SID. These parents were specifically chosen since their experiences are pertinent to the research. An interpretive paradigm and a biographical design within a qualitative research approach were used in the study. The purposive sampling method consisted of eight (8) participants which are parents of learners diagnosed with severe intellectual disabilities and placed in Full-Service Schools and Special Needs Schools. Biographical and qualitative questionnaires were used in the data collection and data were analysed thematically. Findings suggest that parents have limited knowledge of home-school partnerships. Additionally, findings also indicate that parents need to be educated about home-school partnerships and the importance of forming such partnerships in supporting children with severe intellectual disabilities so that they can also understand the role they need to play in these partnerships. The findings of the study further indicate that parents have a limited understanding of what home-school partnerships are. Thus, they have minimal knowledge of the role they need to play in supporting their children with SID. Furthermore, findings suggest that schools need to be open to involving parents in strategies for forming successful partnerships. The study has unveiled the gaps between what parents know and ought to know to actively participate in home-school partnerships, for the learning enhancement of children with SID. Additionally, the recommendations suggest what can be done to address the existing gaps and fast-track the move toward attaining inclusive education guidelines.

Building on cultural dimensions of underperforming group homes this study analyses culture in better performing services. In depth qualitative case studies were conducted in 3 better group homes using participant observation and interviews. The culture in these homes, reflected in patterns of staff practice and talk, as well as artefacts differed from that found in underperforming services. Formal power holders were undisputed leaders, their values aligned with those of other staff and the organization, responsibility for practice quality was shared enabling teamwork, staff perceived their purpose as \"making the life each person wants it to be,\" working practices were person centered, and new ideas and outsiders were embraced. The culture was characterized as coherent, respectful, \"enabling\" for residents, and \"motivating\" for staff. Though it is unclear whether good group homes have a similar culture to better ones the insights from this study provide knowledge to guide service development and evaluation.

For people with severe or profound intellectual disability (ID), support staff are important interaction partners. The quality of their interactions, a multidimensional construct, is well documented, but the staff perspective remains underexposed. This study aims to capture the behaviors, thoughts, and emotions of staff when interacting with their clients, and their views on what constitutes quality. Thirty-four support staff completed a 5-day diary about a daily interaction with a specific client. A thematic analysis was carried out. The diary entries depicted behaviors and thoughts with different foci, and emotions with positive and negative valences. The pursuit of Harmonization and the experience of Return emerged as overarching dimensions central to staff's views on quality interaction. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed.

No research has been conducted on PTSD manifestation in children with severe or moderate intellectual disability (SID; IQ 20 – 49) and no PTSD measurement instrument was available. This pilot explores the psychometric properties of a new diagnostic instrument to investigate trauma and to classify PTSD in children with SID. The Diagnostic Interview Trauma and Stressors-Severe Intellectual Disabilities (DITS-SID), Aberrant Behavior Checklist and Child and Adolescent Trauma Screener 3-6 were administered to parents and residential caregivers of fifteen children with SID. The inter-rater reliability of the DITS-SID is good to excellent. There are indications of a good convergent validity. PTSD prevalence seems high at 27%-33%. Self-injurious behavior was one of the most commonly reported PTSD symptoms. There is evidence that the PTSD manifestation of children with SID does not differ from that of children without SID. PTSD is probably underdiagnosed in this target group. In understanding challenging behavior, it is important to consider an underlying PTSD in order to provide appropriate treatment. The DITS-SID is potentially suitable for diagnosing PTSD. Follow-up research in a larger sample is needed.

People with severe intellectual disabilities have a remarkably high risk of spending most of their lifetime without the possibility of engaging their surroundings. This study aimed to verify if it is possible to teach operant and choice behaviours for autonomus managment of leisure activity throught switches to people with severe intellectual disabilities. A two-switches training program was implemented following three subsequent steps: (1) switch pressure learning; (2) choice behavior learning (Level 1: choices between preferred and non-preferred stimuli; Level 2: choices between preferred and neutral stimuli); (3) subjective satisfaction. A single subject (N=1) multiple probe design, using intermittent probe sessions across behaviors, demonstrated experimental control. Results confirm the effectiveness of training in promoting both repertoires of switch pressure and choice behavior. The response rate and accuracy were statistically significant (r range: .83–.99). The study shed light on the possibility of autonomous activity management through switches for persons with severe intellectual disabilities.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to look at whether a move to a supported living model of care from traditional residential group homes could improve the quality of life for those with a severe intellectual disability and other challenging needs. Design/methodology/approach – Six men with severe intellectual disabilities moved from two residential homes into new-build individual flats. Their quality of life was measured using a battery of assessments looking at; environment, relationships, community participation, interactions, mood interest and pleasure, activities, physical health and challenging behaviour. These measures were taken before the move, immediately after and six months after the move. The views of staff and family carers were also assessed at each stage. Findings – The move had a positive effect on the tenants in that it caused an improvement in their mood and a decrease in their challenging behaviours. Further improvements could be made in the tenant’s quality of life by introducing more activities. The initial concerns of family members about the move decreased over time. However staff found the changes to their working practices stressful. Research limitations/implications – The study was a small scale one because of the small number of tenants. The tenants were unable to express their own views because of their limited communication abilities so a combination of direct observation and indirect measures were used. Practical implications – In the light of the Winterbourne view report by Stephen Bubb this study looks at the impact on quality of life of a move to supported living for a group of people with complex and challenging needs who might otherwise be placed in an out of borough placement similar to Winterbourne view. Social implications – The study also looks at the impact of such a move on the family members of the individuals and on the staff who had to change their working practices to adapt to both a new working environment and model of care. Originality/value – This study also looks at the impact of a model of supported living for people with severe intellectual disabilities and complex needs rather than those with mild intellectual disabilities. This is particularly important in the post Winterbourne view climate when the authors need to look carefully at positive alternative models of care for these individuals.

This study reports the results of a multi-site, parallel block randomized clinical trial to expand the previous findings regarding the implementation of Project SEARCH plus ASD Supports (PS + ASD) on employment outcomes upon graduation from high school. Participants were 156 individuals with significant impact from ASD between the ages of 18–21. There was a significant difference between treatment and control groups with 73.4% of the treatment group acquiring competitive employment at or above minimum wage by 1-year after graduation compared to 17% of the control group for whom data was provided. At 1-year, employed treatment group participants worked an average of 21.2 h per week (SD = 9) for a mean hourly wage of $9.61 per hour (SD = $1.55).Clinical Trial Registration: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT03560453.

A systematic literature review was undertaken to ascertain the prevalence of self-harm and suicidal behaviour in children and young people under 18 years old with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), with or without an intellectual disability. There was variation in the reported prevalence rates but results suggested that rates of both self-harm and suicidal behaviour may be elevated in ASD compared to the general population. This is in keeping with literature relating to autistic adults but in contrast to conclusions of a previous systematic review. This review highlights the need for further research to explore the experience of self-harm and suicidal behaviour in autistic children and young people.

BackgroundAnxiety related to uncertainty is common in autism. Coping with Uncertainty in Everyday Situations (CUES©) is a parent-mediated group intervention aiming to increase autistic children’s tolerance to uncertain situations. A pilot study was conducted to test its feasibility and acceptability.MethodsParents of 50 autistic children were randomised to receive CUES© or enhanced services as usual.ResultsAll children met the clinical threshold for at least one anxiety disorder. Of the 26 participants randomised to CUES©, 72% attended 4–8 sessions. Parents and therapists reported they found CUES© useful and acceptable.ConclusionsFamilies were willing to be recruited and randomised, the format/content was feasible to deliver, and the outcome measures were acceptable. CUES© should be evaluated in a clinical and cost effectiveness randomised controlled trial.

Limited research has examined puberty in autistic girls, yet alone those who are minimally verbal and with additional intellectual disabilities. In this study, ten parents and ten educators were interviewed about their views and experiences of supporting these girls through puberty. Results demonstrated that many parents had concerns prior to the onset of puberty in these girls. Yet, for most girls, experiences of puberty were felt to be positive, with the girls coping well with changes that they were experiencing (e.g. menstruation, breast development and developing body hair). Thematic analysis of interview data highlighted three main themes: a range of individual experiences and needs; the importance of promoting dignity and respect; and identifying ways to support these girls through puberty.