This research concerned the social experience of two groups of adults with intellectual disability (mental handicap), those with verbal skills who could describe their experience and those with profound disabilities whose needs were interpreted by carers. Conceptual issues have been discussed to provide a framework for understanding their relationships and also for understanding intellectual disability itself. Social constructionism, has influenced the investigations. Previous research shows that disabled people experience relatively little social contact regardless of their level of ability. Interactions and relationships were investigated so that practitioners aiming to improve intellectually disabled adults' social experience may have relevant information. It has been assumed that more interaction is better as it allows people to reflect upon themselves with regard to others, to construct themselves through their interactions. These investigations fall into two main sections, the first a discussion of attitudes toward self and others held by people who had, or did not have, a peer-group friend. Results suggested that further examination of the role of the self-concept in friendship formation would be fruitful and that people without a peer-group friend were similar to lonely non-disabled adults. The second section examines profound disability and contains a linked series of studies of adults' interactions with key workers. Results suggested that two interaction strategies used by staff were associated with increased positive responding from clients; that the developmental age of clients did not distinguish between them in their social responses to staff; that there was little evidence of turn-taking or the importance of staff making responses which follow the client's lead. Results were discussed in terms of their contribution to an alternative model for understanding profound disability. The project as a whole was discussed in terms of the interaction between method and conceptualisation and concludes with a number of recommendations for practitioners.

It has been reported that there is an over-representation of people with learning disabilities in prison populations. Various explanations have been offered for this including theories that people with disabilities are susceptible to criminal behaviour, and that they receive different treatment within the justice system. There is no evidence of over-representation of people with learning disabilities in the UK penal system although evidence does suggest that there are a significant number of prisoners with borderline learning disabilities who are psychologically vulnerable. This research set out to examine current levels of contact that psychiatrists have with various criminal justice agencies, as well as exploring the attitudes and beliefs of other criminal justice workers in order to assess current arrangements of treatment and care for offenders who have a learning disability. 791 consultant psychiatrists registered in four sections of the Royal College of Psychiatry were surveyed to detect current levels of contact with five criminal justice agencies, and also to assess their levels of involvement with the diversion of mentally disordered offenders into health care provision. Responses indicated that forensic and general psychiatrists had the highest levels of contact with criminal justice agencies, although there was also limited contact with child and learning disability psychiatrists. Forensic psychiatrists were also shown to be the group who were most likely to be involved with diversion schemes, and there was some evidence to suggest that respondents were unhappy with current arrangements for diversion because of bed and staff shortages. An attitude survey concerning offenders with learning disabilities was distributed to 100 criminal justice professionals (judges, magistrates, police and appropriate adults). 28 of these respondents also participated in semi-structured interviews which provided qualitative data to supplement the findings of the attitude survey. These studies provided evidence that criminal justice professionals were not eager to assign special rights to people because of their learning disability status, but instead were confident that the present legal system could accommodate the needs of offenders with learning disabilities in the present system. However, significant concern was raised by all respondents that specific training in needed to address learning disability issues before this can be fully achieved. There was little evidence found to support `susceptibility' theories of learning disability offending, although there was some evidence which gave support to the `different treatment' hypothesis.

Previous historical studies of the care of the insane in nineteenth century England have been based in the history of medicine. In this thesis, such care is placed in the context of the English poor law. The theory of the 1834 poor law was essentially silent on the treatment of the insane. That did not mean that developments in poor law had no effect only that the effects must be established by examination of administrative practices. To that end, this thesis focuses on the networks of administration of the poor law of lunacy, from 1834 to 1870. County asylums, a creation of the old (pre-1834) poor law, grew in numbers and scale only under the new poor law. While remaining under the authority of local Justices of the Peace, mid-century legislation provided an increasing role for local poor law staff in the admissions process. At the same time, workhouse care of the insane increased. Medical specialists in lunacy were generally excluded from local admissions decisions. The role of central commissioners was limited to inspecting and reporting; actual decision-making remained at the local level. The webs of influence between these administrators are traced, and the criteria they used to make decisions identified. The Leicestershire and Rutland Lunatic asylum provides a local study of these relations. Particular attention is given to admission documents and casebooks for those admitted to the asylum between 1861 and 1865. The examination of the asylum documents, the analysis of the broader relationships of the administrators, and a reading of the legislation itself, all point up tensions between ideologies of the old and new poor law in the administration of pauper lunacy.

No description available.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1997. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [32]-38).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2004. / Title from first page of PDF file. Document formatted into pages; contains xii, 129 p.; also includes graphics (some col.) Includes bibliographical references (p. 86-96). Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center

Thesis--Helsinki. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 173-180).

Issued also as thesis, Columbia University. / Bibliography: p. 162-166.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1974. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 329-348).

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1982. / Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 86-90).