ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Children with developmental disabilities who exhibit challenging behaviour are potentially subject to the use of coercive interventions. The aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence of the use of coercive measures by authorities, according to parents' reports. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A postal survey was distributed, as a total population study, to 946 Finnish parents of children with developmental disabilities, between the ages of 5 and 15, and who were entitled to the highest disability allowance. RESULTS: Of the respondents, 54 (22%) answered 'yes' when asked whether their child had been subjected to coercive procedures by authorities. The parents had seldom approved the use of coercive means and often believed that such means had negative effects on their child. CONCLUSIONS: To protect the children's rights, the use of coercive measures should be regulated more strictly, and positive intervention strategies should be taught to teachers and nurses.
Subject(s)
Coercion , Developmental Disabilities/psychology , Parents/psychology , Perception , Persons with Mental Disabilities , Problem Behavior/psychology , Adolescent , Child , Child Day Care Centers , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Male , Parent-Child Relations , Restraint, Physical , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
We studied the authorship of messages produced through facilitated communication (FC) for all users of FC in two comprehensive schools in a small city in Finland. The participants were 11 children with intellectual disabilities, including autism, all having used FC from 1-3 years. The test conditions involved open and blind information-passing tasks in which the participants were directed to write down the contents of written or pictorial stimuli. The results failed to validate FC as a method of communication for any participant or facilitator. An analysis of the messages produced under the FC condition revealed a large degree of facilitator influence on the content of the messages produced. Additionally, FC impaired the performance of the two participants who had previously demonstrated some independent writing skills.
Subject(s)
Autistic Disorder/rehabilitation , Communication Aids for Disabled , Intellectual Disability/rehabilitation , Adolescent , Authorship , Child , Communication , Female , Humans , Male , Reproducibility of ResultsABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to explore the extent and type of transitional employment (TE) work undertaken in clubhouses in Finland and to better understand the influence of transitional employment on the rehabilitation goals of clubhouse members. Secondarily, the survey examined how TE possibly led to independent work or participation in adult education. METHODS: A survey was conducted with members of all Finnish Fountain House clubhouses who had participated in a transitional employment program from the beginning of the year 2002. A second survey was also conducted with clubhouse directors. RESULTS: Study results provide evidence that TE-participation leads to an active lifestyle and increases social inclusion, but it does not lead to permanent employment. CONCLUSIONS: Both members and leaders reported that transitional employment periods helped to evaluate an individual's working ability, but did not lead to steady employment in the open labor market.
