Abstract
Abstract
Young persons with intellectual disabilities and challenging behaviour in
transition usually have complex needs, which may not be served well
within existing resources. In this article, we present a survey of all the
young people, between 16 and 18 years of age with intellectual disabilities
and challenging behaviour identified in one inner London borough. They
were in transition to adult services at the time of the study (between 2006
and 2008). The objective was to examine their socio-demographic and
clinical characteristics, pattern of service use and associated costs of care.
An assessment toolkit was devised to measure the mental and physical
health, challenging behaviour and service use of the sample. Instruments
within the toolkit included the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire,
challenging behaviour scale, Client Service Receipt Inventory (CSRI) and
socio-demographic data form. Twenty-seven individuals in transition to
adult services had challenging behaviour, 23 of whom had mental health
diagnoses and 18 of whom had physical diagnoses. Severity of
challenging behaviour did not correlate with cost of care. Informal care
accounted for the highest proportion of the total cost of care (66%) with
education being the second largest contributor at 22%. Evidence on transition
outcomes for young people with complex needs and intellectual disabilities
and associated costs is lacking. This article illustrates some of the
relevant issues in this area. Further research is required to investigate
these aspects and guide commissioning of appropriate services.
Young persons with intellectual disabilities and challenging behaviour in
transition usually have complex needs, which may not be served well
within existing resources. In this article, we present a survey of all the
young people, between 16 and 18 years of age with intellectual disabilities
and challenging behaviour identified in one inner London borough. They
were in transition to adult services at the time of the study (between 2006
and 2008). The objective was to examine their socio-demographic and
clinical characteristics, pattern of service use and associated costs of care.
An assessment toolkit was devised to measure the mental and physical
health, challenging behaviour and service use of the sample. Instruments
within the toolkit included the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire,
challenging behaviour scale, Client Service Receipt Inventory (CSRI) and
socio-demographic data form. Twenty-seven individuals in transition to
adult services had challenging behaviour, 23 of whom had mental health
diagnoses and 18 of whom had physical diagnoses. Severity of
challenging behaviour did not correlate with cost of care. Informal care
accounted for the highest proportion of the total cost of care (66%) with
education being the second largest contributor at 22%. Evidence on transition
outcomes for young people with complex needs and intellectual disabilities
and associated costs is lacking. This article illustrates some of the
relevant issues in this area. Further research is required to investigate
these aspects and guide commissioning of appropriate services.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 283-292 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Health and Social Care in the Community |
| Volume | 21 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2013 |
Keywords
- Intellectual Disability
- Costs and Cost Analysis
