My Life: A Photovoice Exploration of Aspirations of People With Intellectual Disabilities.

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the everyday ways that individuals with mild and moderate intellectual disabilities exercise choice and control.

Method: Photovoice with 17 adults with mild to moderate intellectual disability who were receiving individual funding was conducted. Focus groups were held to review the photos.

Impact on persons with disabilities and their families when they are contributors to society through volunteerism and employment.

Background: Despite various government initiatives, people with disabilities all over the world face some degree of hindrance when they try to contribute to society.

Aim: This project sought to give voice to and understand the perceptions and experiences of persons with disabilities in Singapore when contributing to society through volunteerism and employment and to explore solutions to help access and retain employment and volunteering.

Method And Procedure: This small qualitative study recruited three convenience samples of people with disabilities aged 18-49 years old who met criteria for daily activity over the previous 12 months.

Does a Measure of Support Needs Predict Funding Need Better Than a Measure of Adaptive and Maladaptive Behavior?

Internationally, various approaches are used for the allocation of individualized funding. When using a databased approach, a key question is the predictive validity of adaptive behavior versus support needs assessment. This article reports on a subset of data from a larger project that allowed for a comparison of support needs and adaptive behavior assessments when predicting person-centered funding allocation.

Day occupation is associated with psychopathology for adolescents and young adults with Down syndrome.

Background: Young adults with Down syndrome experience increased rates of emotional and behavioural problems compared with the general population. Most adolescents with Down syndrome living in Western Australia participate in sheltered employment as their main day occupation. Relationship between day occupation and changes in behaviour has not been examined.

I-CAN: the classification and prediction of support needs.

Background: Since 1992, the diagnosis and classification of intellectual disability has been dependent upon three constructs: intelligence, adaptive behaviour and support needs (Luckasson et al. 1992. Mental Retardation: Definition, Classification and Systems of Support.

Intelligence is as intelligence does: can additional support needs replace disability?

Abstract In many developed cultures there is an assumption that IQ is intelligence. However, emerging theories of multiple intelligences, of emotional intelligence, as well as the application of IQ testing to other cultural groups, and to people with disability, raises many questions as to what IQ actually measures. Despite recent research that shows IQ testing produces a floor effect when applied to people with lower IQ, as well as research that shows the Flynn effect also applies to people with lower IQ, in practice IQ scores below a certain cut-off are still being used to determine and classify a person's intellectual disability.

Transforming staff practice through active support.

Background: Active support is being introduced in many residential and respite homes in an effort to improve engagement in meaningful activity of people with intellectual disability.

Method: A train-the-trainer approach was used in a large government organisation that supports people with intellectual disability in Australia. Five apprentice trainers were trained to provide active support training to 65 staff associated with 6 group homes.

Intellectual disability and mental illness in the NSW criminal justice system.

There has been increasing international, national and local recognition of the need for more appropriate responses and services for individuals who come in contact with the criminal justice system and who have an intellectual disability and mental health issues. This article provides an overview of prevalence data that indicates a significant over representation of people with intellectual disabilities in correctional facilities and reviews the problems facing this population. Findings from two specific evaluation studies undertaken by the Centre for Developmental Disability Studies are presented, along with recommendations for future provision based on these results.