Transcript Document
Children with Learning
Disabilities; Emotional
Well Being and Mental
Health
Barbara McIntosh
BOND: Children with learning disabilities
• Children with learning disabilities are the most common group to receive an
SEN statement.
• 1 in 5 children with learning disabilities have a mental health problem – 6
times the incidence compared to children without a learning disability
(Emerson and Hatton).
• This group are less likely to have access to support and specialist services.
• Children with learning disabilities were prioritised in Staffordshire (one of the
BOND sites) which resulted in the production of a pack of resources on
learning disability and mental health issues
Mental health and learning disabilities: The facts
Children with learning disabilities are:
• 33 times more likely to have autism.
• 8 times more likely to have ADHD.
• 6 times more likely to have conduct disorders.
• 4 times more likely to have emotional disorders.
• 1.7 times more likely to have depression.
(The Mental Health of Children and Adolescents with Learning Disabilities in Britain; Emerson and Hatton 2007)
Why do children with learning disabilities have a high
incidence of mental health problems?
• An intellectual disability reduces a child’s capacity for finding creative
and adaptive solutions to life’s challenges, which can make them
vulnerable to developing mental health problems.
• A link has been shown to exist between lower cognitive ability and
vulnerability to mental health problems.
• Children with learning disabilities are at risk of poverty and social
disadvantage, and poor social conditions are linked to an increased risk
of mental health issues.
• The prevalence rate of mental health problems (particularly anxiety and
depression) for children on the autistic spectrum is 68%. This may be
caused by genetic predisposition.
(National Autistic Society – You Need to Know Report)
School: Challenges faced by children with learning
disabilities, their families and teachers
• Those with mild learning disabilities have high levels of school exclusion.
• Consequences of exclusion include disruption to the child, school and family,
and the cost of permanent exclusion to the public purse is approximately
£65,000.
• Over half of children with learning disabilities and autism have been bullied.
• 74% of children with an SEN statement find lunch and break times frightening.
• 60% of teachers feel they need more training to teach children with learning
disabilities (School Report 2013 and Ambitious About Autism).
Sources of help: Where do parents turn to for support
with their child’s mental health problems?
As a first source of help, parents turn to a range of professionals for support.
The following percentages show the most popular sources:
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Teachers - 42 %
Special Education Personnel – 19%
CAMHS – 17%
G.P. / primary care – 16%
Paediatricians – 15%
(The Mental Health of Children and Adolescents with Learning Disabilities in Britain 2007)
BOND resources
BOND, with the help of Staffordshire primary and secondary school staff, is
producing an information pack which includes a range of tools to support
staff development across the statutory and voluntary sectors.
The pack includes a general introduction to mental health, in addition to:
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Mental Health First Aid resource for those with learning disabilities.
Outline for a whole school approach to auditing.
NASS online resource / training programme for staff.
The Friends for Life Resilience programme, adapted for children with
learning disabilities.
• Resilience Framework and Boing Boing.
• Person Centred Planning Pack.
• Information from the Child Bereavement Trust, Relate.
What is FRIENDS for Life?
FRIENDS for Life is an evidence based programme that teaches children
and young people techniques to cope with anxiety and promotes resilience
and well-being.
It uses a cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) framework incorporating
attachment, mindfulness and health behaviours in school-based groups.
How FRIENDS for Life works
It enables children to learn to:
‒ Identify “anxiety increasing” thoughts and to replace them with more helpful
thoughts.
‒ Identify anxiety and other difficult feelings and learn to manage them.
‒ Overcome problems rather than avoid them.
FRIENDS for Life Mnemonic
The programme builds skills using the FRIENDS mnemonic:
F. Feelings
R. Remember to relax
I. I can do it. I can try my best.
E. Explore solutions and coping step plans.
N. Now reward yourself. You’ve done your best.
D. Do practise.
S. Smile, stay calm, talk to your support networks.
FRIENDS for Life – Programme Plan
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Introduction to feelings
Introduction to body cues and relaxation
Helpful (green) & unhelpful (red) thoughts
Changing unhelpful thoughts into helpful thoughts
Introduction to coping steps plan
Learning from role models and building support teams
Using a problem solving plan
Using FRIENDS skills to help ourselves and others
Review and party
What happens next
- We are in the process of preparing information to update our project
page on the website, and are writing guidance for others on how to
adapt the programme for children with learning disabilities.
http://www.learningdisabilities.org.uk/our-work/health-wellbeing/friends-for-life/
- We are seeking funds for a proper feasibility study and are finalising
a funding application to the National Institute of Health Research
(NIHR) for the following pilot study.