Parents Whose Children with Learning Disabilities and Challenging Behaviour Attend 52-week Residential Schools: Their Perceptions of Services Received and Expectations of the Future

Abstract

Peter McGill is Senior Lecturer in Learning Disability at the Tizard Centre. A clinical psychologist by training, he has previously held posts in the NHS, Social Services and the Voluntary sector. Alan Tennyson is a Programme Supervisor with the RehabCare Group. He carried out this research during postgraduate study at the Tizard Centre. Vivien Cooper is the parent of a young man with severe learning disabilities and challenging behaviour and the founder of the Challenging Behaviour Foundation, an organisation established to provide information and support to families and others. She is also a postgraduate student at the Tizard Centre. AbstractThis paper reports the findings of a survey of parents whose children attended 52-week residential schools. 73 parents completed a postal questionnaire which asked questions about three main areas: support and services received prior to their child's entry into residential education; perceptions of the quality of care and education provided by residential schools; and concerns for their child's future care and welfare. Telephone interviews were conducted with 14 parents, to obtain additional information on the topics addressed by the questionnaire. Parents were critical of services and supports received prior to their child's entry into residential education and reported high rates of exclusion from local services. Residential schools were generally perceived as providing a good quality of service, though considerable concern was expressed about their geographical distance from the family home and this had a significant impact on the frequency of visits. Parents expressed high levels of concern about the future care and support needs of their children. Further research is required to understand the relationship between the availability and quality of local services and the need for 52-week residential schools. The impact of distant residential education on parent-child relationships and on future demand for residential care is considered.Keywords: learning disabled children, residential schools, parental views, challenging behaviour.Word count 7289 (excluding abstract and references)

Critical features of short break and community support services to families and disabled young people whose behaviour is severely challenging

“…In extreme cases the child may have to move to high-cost residential placements (McGill et al, 2006). A more cost-effective approach is the provision of family support services.…”

The Education of Australian School Students With the Most Severe Intellectual Disabilities: Where Have We Been and Where Could We Go? A Discussion Primer

“…This would lead to the segregation of students with MSID into residential schools (McGill, Tennyson, & Cooper, 2006;Roberts & Ridley, 2009). This (albeit unlikely pathway in the Australian context) would lead to all students with MSID being placed in residential schools wherein a '24/7 IEP' would be implemented across 'controlled' school, home and community settings.…”

“…This (albeit unlikely pathway in the Australian context) would lead to all students with MSID being placed in residential schools wherein a '24/7 IEP' would be implemented across 'controlled' school, home and community settings. Clearly there would be widely opposing philosophical, ethical, pedagogical and pragmatic views on '24/7 IEPs' for students with MSID in Australia notwithstanding that residential schools are quite common in many other countries and an emerging trend in Great Britain is to support these placements 'in the best interests' of the students and their families (McGill et al, 2006). In this pathway, the main variables are placement and pedagogy, although curriculum and assessment might remain essentially the same.…”

Caring for a child with a learning disability born into the family unit: women's recollections over time

“…However, concerns have been raised around professionals being unable to make sense of the situation and therefore unable to offer the most appropriate support as they may misunderstand the complexity of the mothering role (Edelson 2000). One study, investigating the perceptions of parents of children attending residential schools, revealed considerable dissatisfaction with the support and services available prior to the residential option being sought (McGill, Tennyson, and Cooper 2006). These authors also reported high rates of exclusion from local services and elevated levels of concern about the future, indicating the fundamental uncertainty instigated by the child's additional behaviour problems.…”