Background: The hospital or health passport is widely acknowledged as a central element in making reasonable adjustments for patients with intellectual disabilities. Historically, the health passport has been used exclusively for patients with intellectual disabilities; however, it has wider applications for any patient requiring additional…

Background: There is a need for more qualitative research focusing on the lived experiences of people with an intellectual disability and a better understanding of how these experiences align with other voices in their lives, such as family and support staff. Methods: In this qualitative study, we asked people with an intellectual disability (N =…

Background: Adopting a vegetarian diet is becoming increasingly popular within the UK, for reasons such as perceived health benefits and concerns over animal welfare. The study explores attitudes towards vegetarianism/veganism among adults with learning disabilities. Materials and Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight…

Background: It has been suggested that COVID-19 and the associated restrictions are likely to have a negative impact on the provision of positive behavioural support (PBS) to people with an intellectual disability. Methods: Fifty-eight staff, who had recently completed an accredited positive behavioural support (PBS) programme, responded to an…

Background: Music is weaved within our cultures; it is ever-present within daily-life and can considerably influence our mood, well-being and relationships. This study explores parental perceptions of the role of music in the home-lives of children and young people with profound and multiple learning disabilities in the UK. It considers parental…

1.1 Background: Compassion is one of the six core principles that the NHS means to promote within health care. Research concerning compassion within learning disability services is scarce; therefore, the current study aimed to explore the experiences of compassion of professionals within learning disability services. 1.2 Materials and Methods:…

Background: This is the second of two papers describing a case study of two young men with complex learning disabilities. They presented with severe trauma-related mental distress following alleged sexual, emotional and physical abuse. This paper concerns the psychological intervention and support provided for them and their families over a period…

Two young men disclosed emotional, sexual and physical abuse while attending college and living with Shared Lives carers in the UK. This paper provides a narrative account of the period when the two men were exposed to the abuse, the disclosures, the investigation and the legal and safeguarding investigation outcomes. A second paper describes the…

Background: Historically, the emotional lives and mental health needs of adults with learning disabilities received scant attention, especially when the policy of institutionalisation was at its zenith in the UK. Materials and Methods: This case study employed biographical narrative interviews based on a psychosocial approach. The main sources of…

Background: Studies have reported increased prevalence of physical and mental health conditions in people with intellectual disabilities (ID) compared to people without intellectual disabilities. However, there are no studies looking into specific health conditions at a national level and comparing with areas that are socio-economically…

Background: The UK Government's Transforming Care Agenda for people with learning disabilities has struggled to meet its goals of reducing inpatient beds and building community-based support. This article reports on the experiences of support staff who attended dramatherapy groups developed to assist transitions from an inpatient hospital and to…

Background: Domestic violence abuse (DVA) has been identified by the UK Government as a priority to address. Whilst there is a growing body of research into perpetrators of DVA from the mainstream population, there is scant research into perpetrators of DVA who have an intellectual disability. This lack of an evidence base suggests there may be a…

Background: Transition to adulthood is an important time for young people and may be a particularly challenging time for people with intellectual disabilities. However, there has been little research in the UK regarding the experiences of parents who have son or daughter with an intellectual disability transitioning to adulthood. Method: The study…

Background: Few studies have measured physical activity (PA) levels of adults with intellectual disabilities using both objective and subjective methods, but none included individuals with profound intellectual disabilities. To inform effective measurement of PA across the disability spectrum, this study explored: the feasibility of measuring PA…

Background: There is relatively little published data that report the experiences and views of family carers of people with intellectual disabilities who display challenging behaviour who are prescribed psychotropic medication. Materials and methods: An online structured questionnaire was created by the Challenging Behaviour Foundation, a UK…