Intellectual Learning Disabilities Research Articles

StoryAid: Nursing Students' Relational Learning for Adolescents With Intellectual Learning Disabilities.

Nursing students express fears and anxieties about caring for people with intellectual learning disabilities (ILDs). Educational storytelling interventions may help overcome these concerns and improve nursing care. StoryAid was used and developed in the Heritage-2Health (H2H) Virtual Art and Drama Project. Eight online sessions followed a story about differences and connections. Two trained facilitators and three academic educators supported nursing students (n = 15), adolescents with ILDs (n = 7), their parents (n = 7), and a specialist teacher to deconstruct, reconnect, and rediscover understandings using rights-based ethnographic evaluation and thematic analysis. Themes included relating to the story and characters, participating in the storytelling process, relating to other participants in the storytelling, and relating learning to clinical contexts and professionalism. The partnership of StoryAid and H2H created safe spaces for nursing students to engage, challenge assumptions, and develop relational skills. [J Nurs Educ. 2023;62(1):51-57.].

Co-design and delivery of a relational learning programme for nursing students and young people with severe and complex learning disabilities

BackgroundNational Health Service (NHS) staff in the UK are required to undergo training about learning disabilities at the appropriate level for their role. However, this requirement does not apply to nurses in training and student nurses report fear and anxiety about caring for people with intellectual learning disabilities (ILDs). Young people with intellectual disabilities report feeling scared of nurses and parents feel staff do not listen to them or involve them in care. Objectives(i) For a university and special school for young people with server and complex ILDs to work in partnership to co-design a programme for nursing students, young people, their teachers, and parents. (ii) To deliver the programme online as part of the university's existing nursing courses. DesignThe partnership between the university and the special school focused on co-design of an interactive programme, parent involvement, safeguarding, and the design of accessible learning resources to support young people with severe and complex ILDs' engagement. The programme was informed by relational inquiry, service user and transformative pedagogies, and parents and teacher's knowledge and views about the young people. Delivery of the programme was designed to fit into existing nursing courses and enable students on placement and young people at home or in hospital to participate. A rights-based ethnographic evaluation was designed to support participant feedback and programme development. SettingThe Heritage2Health Virtual Arts and Drama Programme was piloted with nursing students at one UK university and young people with severe and complex ILDs from one special school, their parents and teachers. Participants15 nursing students (BSc Year 2 = 10, Year 3 = 3, MSc = 2) and 7 young people with severe and complex learning disabilities (age 11-14 yrs). Other participants were parents/guardians of young people (7), arts/drama facilitators (2), academic lecturers (2), special needs teachers (2), registered nurse (1). MethodsAn 8-week dynamic programme of arts and drama. Sessions included 30-min start-up/presencing, 45-min storytelling/drama with young people and parents, 30-min reflection/close. Sessions were facilitated by 2 arts and drama specialists. The story of ‘Ubuntu the Lion with the Long, Long, Mane’ (by TNP) was used to explore difference and ways of being. The evaluation methods were participant observation, semi-structured interviews (2–6 weeks post) and thematic analysis. ResultsParticipation in the programme was a challenging, creative, and reflective experience that was transformative for all. Nurses and young people's fears and anxieties about each other were revealed and addressed by participating in arts and drama activities together. Nursing students learnt how to adopt a relational orientation to young people and their parents and teachers. ConclusionsA co-designed programme for nursing students and young people with severe and complex ILDs can benefit student knowledge and skills and reduce fears and anxieties between nurses and young people with ILDs. With adequate planning and resources, the programme could be adopted by multidisciplinary partnerships between other universities and special schools.

Parent perspectives on perceived dental pain and dental caries in Saudi schoolchildren with intellectual disability.

To assess dental pain among male Saudi schoolchildren with intellectual learning disabilities (ILD) compared with controls and evaluate parents' perceptions of their children's dental pain and dental status. A mixed-method cross-sectional study of 92 male schoolchildren aged 12-16 years was conducted at schools in Albaha, Saudi Arabia between March and May 2018. Participants were clinically examined for dental caries. Parents' perspectives on their children's dental pain were explored using interviews and a questionnaire. Chi-square, Mann-Whitney, Kendall's tau-b, and t-test analyses were run using SPSS® version 20.0. Children with and without ILD had a high prevalence of dental caries (77% and 86%, respectively). Participants with ILD had significantly higher Dental Discomfort Questionnaire (DDQ) scores than healthy controls (0.75 ± 0.27 and 0.59 ± 0.11, respectively), and their decayed teeth (DT) scores were higher. Parents' ability to determine the complexity of dental treatment needed was significantly related to oral pain in both groups. Children with ILD had more dental caries and pain than children without disabilities. Future research may use longitudinal studies to examine dental pain and caries in younger children with ILD and assess their parental perspectives. Implementation of oral educational programmes targeting parents of those children may be recommended.

Obesity and Physical Activity Characteristics of Schoolchildren with Intellectual and Learning Disability

Previous studies indicated that schoolchildren with intellectual and learning disability have higher prevalence of obesity than those without disability. However, the role of physical activity on obesity in schoolchildren with intellectual and learning disability is still unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of obesity in children with or without intellectual and learning disability, and to distinguish the relationship with their physical activity levels. The data for the study were extracted from the Taipei School Children Physical and Mental Health Survey, a population based, cross-sectional epidemiological study of elementary schoolchildren of Taipei city. Based on the data, schoolchildren were divided into non-disability (ND) and intellectual/learning disability (ILD) groups. We found that gender- and age-adjusted body mass index (BMI) were higher in ILD than ND as analyzed by ANCOVA. Height and sedentary behavior times (watching TV and using computer) and physical activity levels were lower in ILD compared to ND group. Data adjusting for covariates in multinomial logistic regression showed that intellectual/learning disabilities were associated with obesity, exercise time below suggestion, and proportion of tendency was not to find the partner for exercise. The present study findings concluded that the high prevalence of obesity appears to be associated with physical activity level in schoolchildren with intellectual/learning disabilities. Moreover, we also found that ＂people support＂ plays an important role in exercise participation of elementary schoolchildren with intellectual/learning disability.

Moving home: the experiences of women with severe intellectual disabilities in transition from a locked ward

Accessible summary • Eleven women with intellectual learning disabilities who had lived empty lives shut away in a locked ward of an old intellectual disability hospital were moved out when the ward was closed down. • This study found that moving home was very hard for the women. This was mainly because they were not told what was going to happen, and they were not given any choice about where they would move to or who they would live with. • When they got to their new homes the people who were looking after them had not been told much about them, or about their lives, or what they liked and didn't like. • Eight of the women moved to a new home in the hospital grounds. It was better than the old ward in some ways but their lives didn't change very much. There were still lots of rules, and they still didn't have much to do, or have the chance to make new friends. • Three women moved to houses out in the community. Their lives did get better to some extent. One woman, especially, was able to live a much fuller life, making her own choices in her daily life, and making new friends. Summary Previous research into deinstitutionalization has largely ignored the perspective of people with intellectual disabilities, especially those with severe intellectual disabilities. This research aimed first to understand how women with severe intellectual disabilities experienced transition from a locked ward of an old long-stay hospital into other homes, and second, to determine the extent to which their lives changed in their new homes. Ethnographic methods were used, including participant observation, interviews and document analysis, in order to get to know the eleven participants and the nature of their daily lives. The study found that the experience of the move was largely negative for all the women: they were not involved in the process of their move, little information was transferred to their new homes and they were insufficiently supported. The study also found that for the majority of the women little changed in their lives in their new homes, although this depended on where they moved to. Those who moved to a campus home continued to lead lives restricted by rigid routines, strict rules, few daily activities, and few opportunities for relationships beyond the staff team. Those who moved to homes in the community had more opportunities to make choices, learn new skills and explore new activities. The study found that, in general, the women continued not to be acknowledged as unique individuals, who have pasts, close relationships, clear preferences, abilities and rich emotional lives. The study highlights the needs of women with severe intellectual disabilities in their move out of long-stay hospitals, and in the planning of their futures.