Life Skills Group: increasing foundation knowledge and motivation in offenders with a learning disability

Abstract

Purpose – Offenders with a learning disability present with greater clinical need than those without a learning disability. However, for this client group, access to and engagement with psychological and criminogenic interventions are often limited. The purpose of this paper is to discuss a potentially useful approach to this issue. Design/methodology/approach – A single case study design was used to evaluate an introductory group programme, delivered over 12 weekly sessions, in a forensic learning disability service. Semi-structured interviews were used alongside psychometric measures, which were completed prior to, and following completion of, the group, in order to assess the individual's experience of the group, their emotional understanding and difficulties, and readiness to change. Findings – Readiness to change and emotional understanding improved following completion of the programme. Self-reported emotional difficulties showed improvement, although not all staff reports corroborated this. Notably, the service user reported a positive experience, with increased confidence and motivation to attend further groups. Research limitations/implications – Generalisation from the results of single case studies is limited. Although results suggest that motivation to engage further has increased, more research is required to assess whether this impacts on actual ability to engage. Practical implications – Offering an introductory programme prior to further, more criminogenically focused intervention may be more effective than offering these interventions as the first stage of treatment. Originality/value – An introductory group programme may be potentially helpful in providing the foundation knowledge, confidence and motivation necessary to attend further intervention focusing on criminogenic need for offenders with a learning disability.

Adults with intellectual disabilities and/or autism who deliberately set fires: A systematic review

“…Evaluations of 5 non-specialist group interventions delivered to adults with intellectual disabilities and/or autism who set fires included a structured cognitive behavioural anger management training package developed by Williams and Barlow (1998), an adapted dialectical behaviour therapy program developed by Ingamells and Morrissey (2014), a cognitive behavioural life skills group treatment programme (Patterson & Thomas, 2014), and social skills training (Rice & Chaplin, 1979).…”

Examining the utility of the Stages of Change model for working with offenders with learning disabilities

“…First, promising results were found for a three session group motivational interviewing intervention for offenders with LD and alcohol-related problems (Mendel and Hipkins, 2002). Moreover, Patterson and Thomas (2014) used a case study design to demonstrate that a life skills group incorporating a motivational component for offenders with LD resulted in increased readiness to change, and motivation to engage in the group. Though promising, this study did not examine if the increase in readiness to change resulted in an actual change in behaviour.…”

Theorising the role of community practitioners supporting young men with mild to borderline intellectual functioning in re-entry

“…Practitioner attitudes to persons with cognitive impairment have been found to affect the level of engagement between practitioner and client. Practitioner perceptions that lead to a reluctance to work with persons with disability and MBIF have been found to be that working with this group is difficult and time-consuming when seeking to present and convey information in a way that can be understood by the client (Patterson and Thomas, 2014); that they are perceived to be difficult to include in group-work because of their reduced level of regulation or their lack of confidence in their ability in social situations, and because of their negative previous experiences in school group work; and low levels of motivation and ability to comply with treatment, therapy and other requirements (O'Mahony and Hearne, 2008, Edwards et al, 2007, Mason and Murphy, 2002, Hayes et al, 1995.…”

“…It is well documented in the literature that treatment and skills development programs in prison have not met the learning needs of those with cognitive impairments (Hayes, 2004). Studies in the UK also found that, in prisons, the presence of a cognitive impairment is often used as exclusion criteria for participation in treatment programs (Patterson andThomas, 2014, Goodman et al, 2011).…”

“…The personalisation of supports model relates strongly to the discussion about building human and social capital as part of rehabilitation and reintegration programs that are based on a strengths-based approach. Advocates for the strengths-based approach propose the need for the individual with a disability to be able to draw on his or her own internal resources (human capital) and, that building those internal resources occurs overtime, and also requires the contribution of other people (social capital) (Patterson andThomas, 2014, Goodman et al, 2011). The concept of social capital is based on the recognition that some community members who experience social exclusion will need to rely on access to social capital to participate effectively in community (Murray, 2007).…”