Research in Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities
Research on people who have intellectual and developmental disabilities focuses on four key areas; psychological therapies, assessment, offending behaviour and restrictive physical interventions
Key areas of interest
Psychological therapies
There is an ongoing programme of evaluation of psychological therapies. One programme focuses on outcomes and satisfaction with psychodynamic psychotherapy. The second is in collaboration with Professors Bill Lindsay, Richard Hastings, John Taylor and Chris Hatton which is evaluating manualised cognitive behavioural therapy.
Assessment
We have conducted a series of projects examining the psychometric properties of psychological assessment tools used with people who have intellectual disabilities. Currently we are developing a new measure for evaluating outcomes of psychological therapies.
Offending Behaviour
In collaboration with our colleagues in specialist forensic services we have carried out a series of studies examining the role of cognitive factors in offending behaviour such as theory of mind and empathy. Our most recent study has examined differences in anger and aggression in offender and general populations of men who have intellectual disabilities.
Restrictive physical interventions
The use of restrictive physical interventions is highly controversial and has been a subject of considerable concern in several investigations. We have contributed to the understanding of these practices through several studies. Currently we are focusing on the views of people who have intellectual disabilities about the types of restraint used in services.
Staff undertaking research in this area:
| Name | Summary of Thematic Area | Key Collaborators |
|---|---|---|
| Professor Nigel Beail | Learning Disabilities | Dr Tom Jackson, Dr Stephen Kellett, Dr Alick Bush, Dr Zara Clarke, Dr David Newman, Prof Bill Lindsay |
| Dr Stephen Kellett | Effectiveness of routinely delivered therapy in LD populations | Prof Nigel Beail |
Current DClin Psy Trainee Projects 2011-12
- An exploratory study into whether the TROG-2 can be used by care staff to accurately estimate clients with learning disabilities receptive communication competence (Victoria Howells, supervised by Prof Nigel Beail)
- The effectiveness of cognitive-behavioural therapy for people with mild intellectual disabilities (ID) with hoarding disorder; a long-term follow-up study (Laura Turner, supervised by Dr Stephen Kellett)