Finding the Right Assessment Measures for Young People with Intellectual Disabilities Who Display Harmful Sexual Behaviour

Background: Previous studies and national reports have all noted that a significant proportion of the young people who display harmful sexual behaviours have intellectual disabilities. However, research on the topic has been scarce. This study presents a systematic review of the literature relating to clinical instruments specifically developed or adapted for adolescents with intellectual disabilities who display harmful sexual behaviours. Method: An electronic search of databases was completed for published articles in English from the earliest possible date to the end of 2013. Results: No published articles met the full search criteria. This confirmed the lack of published clinical measures, apart from two risk assessment instruments. Conclusions: Given the lack of measures, it is recommended that the focus of future research needs to be on developing or adapting instruments that will offer researchers’ and clinicians’ empirical as well as clinical data on this all-too-often-overlooked population of vulnerable youth

I felt that I deserved it - experiences and implications of disability hate crime

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to summarise key findings and recommendations from the “Living in Fear” research project focusing on the experiences of people with learning disabilities and autism related to disability hate crime and the experience of the police in dealing with such incidents. Design/methodology/approach – Methods included: first, a postal survey with 255 people with learning disabilities or autism (or their carers for people with more severe disabilities), of whom 24 also took part in semi-structured interviews; and second, an electronic survey of the knowledge and experience of 459 police officers or support staff. Findings – Just under half of participants had experienced some form of victimisation. The Police reported problems with the definition of disability hate crime and challenges to responding effectively. Social implications – A case study from the research highlights some of the key findings and is linked to implications for people with learning disabilities and autism, carers, police and other agencies. Originality/value – Previous research has highlighted that victimisation is an issue for this group of people, but has never explored the prevalence and nature of such experiences in a representative sample. Neither has previous research brought together the perspectives of so many different agencies to offer recommendations that go across many sectors. The paper will be of interest to people with disabilities and their carers, professionals in health, social care and the Criminal Justice system

The People with Asperger syndrome and anxiety disorders (PAsSA) trial: a pilot multicentre, single-blind randomised trial of group cognitive-behavioural therapy.

BACKGROUND: There is a growing interest in using cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) with people who have Asperger syndrome and comorbid mental health problems. AIMS: To examine whether modified group CBT for clinically significant anxiety in an Asperger syndrome population is feasible and likely to be efficacious. METHOD: Using a randomised assessor-blind trial, 52 individuals with Asperger syndrome were randomised into a treatment arm or a waiting-list control arm. After 24 weeks, those in the waiting-list control arm received treatment, while those initially randomised to treatment were followed up for 24 weeks. RESULTS: The conversion rate for this trial was high (1.6:1), while attrition was 13%. After 24 weeks, there was no significant difference between those randomised to the treatment arm compared with those randomised to the waiting-list control arm on the primary outcome measure, the Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety. CONCLUSIONS: Trials of psychological therapies with this population are feasible. Larger definitive trials are now needed. DECLARATION OF INTEREST: None. COPYRIGHT AND USAGE: © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 2016. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) licence.This research was supported by a grant from the National Institute for Health Research, Research for Patient Benefit funding stream (Grant reference: PB-PG-1208-18024), trial registration: ISRCTN 30265294 (DOI: 10.1186/ISRCTN30265294), UKCRN 8370. P.E.L. is supported by a National Institute for Health Research Postdoctoral Fellowship (Grant Reference: NIHR-PDF-2011-04-040). This article presents independent research funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR

Asperger syndrome and anxiety disorders (PAsSA) treatment trial: a study protocol of a pilot, multicentre, single-blind, randomised crossover trial of group cognitive behavioural therapy

Introduction: A number of studies have established that children, adolescents and adults with Asperger syndrome (AS) and high functioning autism (HFA) have significant problems with anxiety. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is an effective treatment for anxiety in a variety of clinical populations. There is a growing interest in exploring the effectiveness of CBT for people with AS who have mental health problems, but currently there are no known clinical trials involving adults with AS or HFA. Studies with children who have AS have reported some success. The current study aims to examine whether modified group CBT for clinically significant anxiety in an AS population is likely to be efficacious. Methods and analysis: This study is a randomised, single-blind crossover trial. At least 36 individuals will be recruited and randomised into a treatment arm or a waiting-list control arm. During treatment, individuals will receive 3 sessions of individual CBT, followed by 21 sessions of group CBT. Primary outcome measures focus on anxiety. Secondary outcome measures focus on everyday social and psychiatric functioning, additional measures of anxiety and fear, depression, health-related quality of life and treatment cost. Assessments will be administered at pregroup and postgroup and at follow-up by researchers who are blinded to group allocation. The trial aims to find out whether or not psychological treatments for anxiety can be adapted and used to successfully treat the anxiety experienced by people with AS. Furthermore, we aim to determine whether this intervention represents good value for money. Ethics and dissemination: The trial received a favourable ethical opinion from a National Health Service (NHS) Research Ethics Committee. All participants provided written informed consent. Findings will be shared with all trial participants, and the general public, as well as the scientific community