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Background: Experiences of people with intellectual disability are often reported by proxy, excluding the person's own perception. To assist people with intellectual disabilities ability to communicate their own experiences, the current study explored the feasibility, reliability and validity of experience sampling methods (ESMs) for people with intellectual disability. Method: After a training session, 19 participants carried a mobile device for 7 consecutive days, answering a survey when prompted 7 times daily. Participants were interviewed at the end of data collection. Results: Excluding incomplete entries, the response rate was 33.8%, varying by living arrangement and employment. Split-half reliability and correlations among logically linked internal experiences demonstrated strong reliability and validity. Illustration of the context of responses supported face validity. Technological and content difficulties were discussed in interviews. Conclusions: Experience sampling methods is feasible for some people with intellectual disability, providing valid and reliable information. Future research is needed to further improve feasibility.

Mentoring programmes are viable to support youth with ID during the transition to adulthood; however, refinement is required in the rollout out of a pilot intervention.

BackgroundMental health service providers across Australia, including Western Australia (WA), have begun to offer individualised funds, shared management, person-centred and self-directed (SPS) services. No research exists on the impact of SPS services on the lived experiences of these particular consumers. This study explored the impact of a SPS service offered for the first time in WA to consumers with mental illness.MethodsData on sixteen consumers’ lived experiences were analysed using an abbreviated grounded theory approach. These data had been developed by the consumers, Guides (staff) and an independent evaluator, and most of it had been collected in the past prior to the commencement of the study.ResultsThree over-arching categories, and related subcategories, emerged indicating that 1) access to individualised funds enabled practical and psychological benefits to consumers; 2) consistent contact in shared management and person-centred relationships enhanced the provision of timely and meaningful staff support to consumers; and 3) high quality shared management and person-centred relationships with staff and the opportunity to self-direct enabled consumers’ change and growth.ConclusionsSPS services enhanced consumers’ lived experiences and enabled staff to provide and consumers to experience timely access to recovery resources, consistent contact, responsive and high quality support, and self-direction of services. In this, consumers changed, grew and achieved desired recovery experiences. The overall impact of the SPS service seemed to be founded on the goodness of fit between person characteristics of staff and consumers, which enabled rich support that provided for corrective emotional experiences. This enabled consumers to build meaningful and hopeful lives where they started to live with, and beyond, their mental illness.

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The Australian National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is attempting to address long-term inequalities experienced by people with disability. Planning is central to the NDIS. People with intellectual disability will be the largest group of NDIS participants, and their perspectives are underrepresented in the literature. It is important to understand how they experience and perceive NDIS planning. Ten adults with intellectual disability participated in semi-structured interviews to explore their experiences of NDIS planning. Data were analysed using Braun and Clarke's (2006, Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3, 77) six stages of thematic analysis. Six themes were identified: planning preparation not fit for purpose, creating goals, goals not met, planning not meeting real needs, lack of choice and control and importance of relationship with planner. In principle, the NDIS presents a real opportunity to increase the choice and control, social and economic participation, and independence of people with disability; however, this does not always translate into practice for people with intellectual disability.