Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR
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J Intellect Disabil Res · Mar 2010
Chronic pain in people with an intellectual disability: under-recognised and under-treated?
To examine the nature, prevalence and impact of chronic pain in adults with an intellectual disability (ID) based on carer report. ⋯ Given their increased risk for chronic pain, we concluded that pain in the ID population may be under-recognised and under-treated, especially in those with impaired capacity to communicate about their pain.
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J Intellect Disabil Res · Mar 2010
Understanding early communication signals in autism: a study of the perception of infants' cry.
Previous studies have highlighted that episodes of crying of children with autistic disorder (AD) were perceived as inexplicable from their parents who could not identify causative factors. These results supported the view of AD as related to a problem of expressing and sharing emotions. Moreover, no evidence has been presented on which characteristics of a cry episode influence the adult perception. Aim of our research is to investigate how acoustical features of crying episodes modulate their perception of infants with ASD compared with infants with typical development (TD) and infants with developmental delay (DD). ⋯ Our findings offer support for the hypothesis that acoustic characteristics of episodes of crying of children with autism, especially higher fundamental frequencies, may account for mental states of uneasiness in the listener.
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J Intellect Disabil Res · Feb 2010
Living 'a life like ours': support workers' accounts of substitute decision-making in residential care homes for adults with intellectual disabilities.
In England and Wales, the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) provides a new legal framework to regulate substitute decision-making relating to the welfare of adults who lack the capacity to make one or more autonomous decisions about their care and support. Any substitute decision made on behalf of an adult lacking capacity must be in his/her 'best interests'. However, the value of adopting established principles and procedures for substitute decision-making in practice is uncertain, and little is known about the legal or ethical dynamics of social care support, including the day-to-day residential support provided to adults with intellectual disabilities (ID). ⋯ In so doing, support workers describe how they draw on their own values and life experiences to shape the substitute decisions that they make on behalf of residents. Conclusions Support workers' accounts reveal clear discrepancies between the legal regulation of substitute decision-making and the ways that these support workers make sense of their work. Such discrepancies have implications both for the implementation of the MCA, and for the role of support workers' values in the conceptualisation and delivery of 'good' care.
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J Intellect Disabil Res · Jan 2010
Randomized Controlled TrialMelatonin decreases daytime challenging behaviour in persons with intellectual disability and chronic insomnia.
Persons with intellectual disability (ID) and sleep problems exhibit more daytime challenging behaviours than persons with ID without sleep problems. Several anecdotal reports suggest that melatonin is not only effective in the treatment of insomnia, but also decreases daytime challenging behaviour. However, the effect of melatonin treatment on daytime challenging behaviour in persons with ID has not been investigated in a randomised controlled trial. ⋯ Melatonin treatment in persons with ID and chronic insomnia decreases daytime challenging behaviour, probably by improving sleep maintenance or by improving circadian melatonin rhythmicity.
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J Intellect Disabil Res · Dec 2009
Parenting stress in mothers of adults with an intellectual disability: parental cognitions in relation to child characteristics and family support.
There is a body of evidence that indicates that the cognitions of parents of children with intellectual disabilities (ID) play an important role in influencing parental stress. However, there is a paucity of evidence about the experience of parents of adult children with ID. This study sought to apply a model of parenting stress to mothers of adults with ID. Of particular interest were the parental cognitions of parenting self-esteem and parental locus of control. ⋯ These results indicate the importance of cognitive variables in the stress of mothers of adults with ID. Potential avenues of future research might focus on the experience of fathers and the impact of positive perceptions as a cognitive factor.