In this dissertation, a qualitative research project has been conducted focusing on two theatres for persons with intellectual disabilities. The aim of the dissertation was to analyze the ideological tension between artistic practises and the institutional setting in which they are arranged. The aim of the thesis was answered through the following questions: What happens when a new and innovative logic is introduced on a well established organisational field? How do Rebellerna and Ållateatern translate and manage the institutional setting under which they are working? How do Rebellerna and Ållateatern relate to the surrounding environment? The analysis is based on a qualitative research project conducted over a period of two years on Ållateatern and six mounts on Rebellerna. Theoretically, the analysis has been inspired by disability theory and neo-institutional theory. In the dissertation I argue that Rebellerna and Ållateatern, in their formal structure, reflect two different logics, which have influenced their relationship with the institutional environment as well as with the actors working at the theatres. These logics have been interpreted as a consequence of the need for human service organizations to obtain legitimacy from the institutional environment. However, on an individual level the tension between an artistic logic and a therapeutic logic has had a social meaning for the actors working at Rebellerna and Ållateatern. It has generated a selfunderstanding which besides the role of a client to the welfare state also includes the role of an actor. These experiences have generated a stronger belief in their own capabilities and a sense of pride. It has also challenged established social meanings on intellectual disabilities. However, one conclusion in the thesis is that both Ållateatern and Rebellerna have had an impact in influence the organisational field of daily activities. Another conclusion is that the tension between therapy and art on an individual level represents an important building block to generate a formation of identity and sub-cultural belonging.

The researcher is of the opinion that parents find it difficult to handle an adolescent with an intellectual disability and to cope effectively with the challenges that emerge. The adolescent with an intellectual disability can be described as a complex development phase and presents specific challenges that demands more than that of an adolescent without an intellectual disability. The purpose of the research study was to address the needs of parents of adolescents with intellectual disabilities. A qualitative research approach was used to achieve an in-depth and integrated view of the social world of the participants (Fouché & Delport, 2011b:64). During the research study, 22 participants were identified through an accidental sample and contributed to the research study. Data was collected during five focus group interviews with the help of a semi-structured interview framework. During the research study, all ethical aspects were applied. The data obtained during the research study was thematically analyzed. During the study the following themes were identified: * Theme 1 Lack of knowledge and understanding of intellectual disability. * Theme 2 Social- and behavioural implications of an intellectual disability. * Theme 3 The influence of the adolescent‟s intellectual disability on parents and/or teachers. * Theme 4 Resources. The research study has shown that access to relevant information of intellectual disability for parents and teachers are limited and that intellectual disability can be regarded as a very complex psychological disorder. Parents and teachers of such children experience positive and negative emotions in terms of the adolescent‟s disorder. Lack of parental involvement and financial resources inhibit the guidance of the adolescent with an intellectual disability. Parents and teachers recognize that they need additional resources that will guide them in terms of the child‟s intellectual disability. During the research study six resources were identified namely: training, skills, community support, professional services, educational opportunities, and future - and job opportunities. / MSW (Child Protection), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

The aim of this study was to acquire a greater understanding and knowledge about how care staff at houses with special services for people with intellectual disabilities think and work (handle situations) regarding sexuality. To achieve our goal we carried out nine semi structured interviews using an interview guide. These interviews took place in two different communities in southern Sweden. The theoretical perspectives that were used to analyze the result were Sense of Coherence, Scope of action and Normalization. The result showed that the staff considered sexuality a part of their work and a natural subject to talk about. However they found some subjects harder to discuss, for example sexual abuse. The only time the subject was discussed was when the residents approached the staff themselves. The staff believed that treating the residents with respect and preserving their integrity was very important. Another consideration was that the residents should be able to decide as many things as possible in their life. The staff also wanted to explain sexuality as a meaningful part of life. There were differences in how much support the staff received from their employer. An essential support for the staff was their colleagues. Guidance meetings and other professionals, for example nurses were also supportive. There were differences in how much education the staff received regarding sexuality. They concluded that their actions were based on their own perspective. They did not feel the need to further educate themselves regarding sexuality but thought that it would be interesting and useful.

Deficiencies in mathematics skill constrain students’ educational achievement and subsequently, their employment outcomes. This study included 265 school-identified students with mild intellectual disabilities. The research questions investigated the extent to which phonological awareness, color naming speed, and vocabulary knowledge, was related to mathematics skill after controlling for grade level via regression analyses. Further, the mediating effects of expressive vocabulary on the relationship between receptive vocabulary and mathematics skill as well as the indirect effect of receptive vocabulary knowledge on mathematics skill through expressive vocabulary were examined. The findings indicated that after controlling for grade level, phonological awareness, naming speed, and vocabulary knowledge were significantly related to mathematics skill. The mediating effects of expressive vocabulary as well as the indirect effects of receptive vocabulary knowledge on mathematics skill were also significant.

Background: Stress and burnout is often reported within the ‘human service’ professions. A systematic review aimed to ascertain the prevalence of stress and burnout within clinical psychologists, and the coping strategies utilised by members of this profession. Specifically, the role of clinical psychologists that work with people with intellectual disabilities and behaviour that challenges may, arguably, be particularly challenging, given the risks inherent in behaviour that challenges. Previous work has found that paid and family carers for this population experience substantial levels of stress. However, little is known about the experiences of clinical psychologists who may play a pivotal role in the multi-disciplinary team supporting individuals and their carers. Methods: The systematic review explores the prevalence of stress, burnout and coping in clinical psychologists. An electronic review and hand search of the literature was completed. The quality of all eligible articles was assessed, and themes within the findings were discussed using a narrative synthesis approach. The subsequent empirical article explores the perspectives of 14 female clinical psychologists. Thematic analysis was utilised to derive themes from their interview transcripts. Results: Eight studies met inclusion criteria for the review; findings suggest that a large proportion of clinical psychologists experience symptoms of stress and burnout. Nevertheless, most psychologists also experience high levels of personal achievement in their role. Within the empirical study, two overarching themes were apparent across participants. These included difficult and positive experiences. Participants reported barriers to influencing change and feelings of stress, worry, anxiety, self-doubt and frustration within the role. However, supervision and support from colleagues appeared to moderate difficult emotions. All conveyed a sense of reward within their role. Conclusions: Comparable to other ‘human service’ professionals, clinical psychologists experience symptoms of stress and burnout. With regard to clinical psychologists working with people with intellectual disabilities and behaviour that challenges, it appears that supervision and support from colleagues is key in managing difficult emotions. Based on the findings, provisions that are believed to improve clinical psychologists’ experiences are considered.

The present studies evaluated the effect of training structures on the development of equivalence classes in college students and individuals with intellectual disabilities. Experiment 1 evaluated the effects of two types of training structures, One-To-Many (OTM) (AB, AC, AD), and Many-To-One (MTO) (BA, CA, DA), on the establishment of equivalence classes in college students. A between group comparison was used in Experiment 1. Forty-two participants were randomly assigned to two different groups. Twenty-one were assigned to the OTM group and twenty-one to the MTO group. Participants in both groups were taught 3 four-member stimulus classes. Participants in both groups were exposed to conditional discrimination training, mixed training, symmetry and equivalence test. Response accuracy and response latency were measured in both groups. The results showed that the MTO training structure was slightly more effective in establishing equivalence classes in college students. In the Experiment 2, six young adults with intellectual disabilities were taught mathematical relations using the MTO training structure which was the most effective training structure in Experiment 1. All participants were taught three 3-member stimulus equivalence classes using the MTO training structure. The experimental sequence consisted of a generalization probe and pretest followed by conditional discrimination training, symmetry test, equivalence test, and posttest. Upon the completion of the training and testing phases a generalization probe was evaluated. Five participants demonstrated equivalence relations. The results show that the MTO training was superior to the OTM in the Experiment 1. Response latencies were faster in the MTO group during the training phases and slower in the testing conditions. Experiment 2 showed that only five participants demonstrated equivalence relations and transferred untaught relations to new setting. Results and implications are discussed in light of the research on equivalence and training structures in both adults and individual with intellectual disabilities.

The purpose of this study was to develop an instrument to assess probation officers knowledge levels of offenders with intellectual disabilities by utilizing a synthesis of subject matter analysis technique and a comprehensive review of literature. This study was conducted in two phases. The first phase was devoted to establishing the knowledge domain and development of the needs assessment instrument. For this phase the available population consisted of four subject matter experts in southern Illinois and one subject matter expert (SME) from London, England. In order to develop an instrument to assess knowledge that probation officers have about offenders with ID, an establishment of knowledge domains through face-to-face interviews with subject matter experts were completed in this phase. In addition to the content analysis from SME interviews, a comprehensive review of literature on intellectual disabilities was conducted. Outcomes from both methods were compared and similar findings were combined and used to construct items for the first draft of the instrument. A pilot test for the newly developed needs assessment instrument was conducted in the second phase. In order to obtain this validation a pilot field test and re-test, a sample of 25 Jackson County, Illinois, First Circuit Probation, Western Region, juvenile and adult probation officers was used to administer assessment (developed in phase I). Approximately two weeks after first administration, the assessment was re-administered on the same sample population of probation officers. The data source was Probation Officer Knowledge of Intellectual Disabilities Assessment instrument test-retest scores. Responses were scored by giving correct answers one point, and incorrect answers zero. This yielded a total score for knowledge of intellectual disabilities. Scores from the first test administration was compared to scores from the second administration by reviewing overall score correlations. Once each item was computed separately, then all item-total correlations were computed. Cronbach's alpha estimate of reliability was also computed for both the first and second administrations (Trochim & Donnelly, 2007). Additional analysis performed in this study included (a) cut offs for high or low scores based on means, (b) item difficulty, (c) inter-item correlations and, (d) descriptive frequencies on items that assessed probation officers' opinions on organizational structure and attitudes about supervising offenders intellectual disabilities. The ultimate goal of this study was to establish knowledge domains and develop an instrument to assess probation officers' knowledge of offenders with intellectual disabilities. The results of the study can be used to add information to the body of literature to eventually build up enough support to determine a need for criminal justice agency administrators to incorporate effective training material on offenders with intellectual disabilities within curriculum development for new staff orientation, in-service or academy training of probation officers.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / The purpose of this study was to examine the motives for participation in and withdrawal from sport of Special Olympics (SO) athletes using the frameworks of motivation in sport for athletes without disabilities. Two theoretical frameworks were applied--achievement motivation and self-determination theory (SDT). In addition, previous studies on the application of SDT to understanding motivation in people with intellectual disabilities (ID) were examined. This study included a nationally representative sample of 1,307 families, 579 SO athletes, and 300 SO coaches from 17 randomly selected states in the United States. Athletes and families were interviewed by telephone by trained interviewers from The Gallup Organization. Coaches were also interviewed by telephone, by the author and trained graduate students. Interviews followed scripted protocols that included questions about demographics, SO participation, and motivation for sport participation and withdrawal. The findings of this study suggest that there is similarity in motivation for sport participation between athletes with and without ID, as compared to the literature. The findings suggest, contrary to the literature on motivation for people with ID, that athletes with ID can be intrinsically motivated. However, there was a dichotomy of reasons for sport withdrawal. SO athletes generally left sport due to one of two reasons, personal interest in sport or other activities or some factor outside of the athlete's control, namely access to a local SO program. It is critical to note the relevance of the latter reason for sport withdrawal as it underscores a striking difference between athletes without disabilities and athletes with ID. In all, the theoretical frameworks of motivation have demonstrated relevance on the motivation for sport participation and withdrawal for athletes with ID. However, withdrawal due to external factors suggests a limitation in the application of the theoretical frameworks to adequately describe sport withdrawal for athletes with ID. Overall the results of this study emphasize that sport can also be a powerful experience for people with ID and promote an empowering message--that athletes are athletes, regardless of disability. / 2031-01-02

abstract: Family plays an important yet understudied role in the development of psychopathology during childhood, particularly for children at developmental risk. Indeed, much of the research on families has actually concentrated more on risk processes in individual family members or within-family subsystems. In general, important and complex associations have been found among family-related constructs such as marital conflict, parent-child relationships, parental depression, and parenting stress, which have in turn been found to contribute to the emergence of children's behavioral problems. Research has begun to emerge that certain family system constructs, such as cohesion, organization, and control may influence children's development, but this research has been limited by a focus on parent-reports of family functioning, rather than utilizing observational methods. With notable exceptions, there is almost no observational research examining families of children at developmental risk. This study examined the longitudinal relations among family risk and family system constructs, as well as how family systems constructs mediated the relations between family risk and child outcome. Further, the study examined how developmental risk moderated these relations. The sample followed 242 families of children with and without developmental risk across the transition-to-school period. Family risk factors were assessed at 5 years, using parental reports of symptomatology, parenting stress, and marital adjustment, and observational assessments of the parent-child relationship. Family system constructs (cohesion, warmth, conflict, organization, control) were measured at age 6 using structured observations of the entire family playing a board game. Child behavior problems and social competence were assessed at age 7. Results indicated that families of children with developmental delays did not differ from families of typically developing children on the majority of family system attributes. Cohesion and organization mediated the relations between specific family risk factors and social competence for all families. For families of typically developing children only, higher levels of control were associated with more behavior problems and less social competence. These findings underscore the importance of family-level assessment in understanding the development of psychopathology. Important family effects on children's social competence were found, although the pathways among family risk and family systems attributes are complex. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Psychology 2012

This research used interviews and Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) methodology to explore the experiences of care staff who attended systemic consultations within an Intellectual Disability (ID) service. A systematic literature review revealed limited research in the area of systemic approaches used with people with IDs and their networks. Research questions encompassed 'How do care staff experience systemic consultations that they have attended in ID services'?, 'What do care staff find helpful in systemic consultations'?, and, 'What do care staff find unhelpful in systemic consultations'?. Seven participants were interviewed, and interview data was transcribed and analysed using IPA. Five superordinate themes emerged; 'Not knowing what to expect; it was something different', 'Our relationships improved', 'An outside person shone a new light enabling us to think and work differently', 'Making sense of what we have achieved', and 'They made us feel validated'. The research findings highlighted important clinical implications. These included a need for the context to be 'warmed' and relational reflexivity (Bunham, 2005) to be applied in order to help care staff prepare for systemic consultations and feel supported. Future research directions are also discussed in order to develop the evidence-base for systemic approaches within ID services.