Name: ___________________________________________________________________________

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HSC03: LIFE AS

A CHALLE

NGE

HSC03: Life as a Challenge

This unit explores a range of challenges faced by people due to physical disability, learning disability, mental health issues and social circumstances. You should focus on the four categories and eight conditions identified.The assessment for this unit is a written examination

What you need to learn:

3.3.1 Awareness of a range of challenges – four categories which provide eight disabilities/situations

• Physical challenge (cystic fibrosis and osteoarthritis)• Mental health challenge (Alzheimer’s and bipolar disorder)• Social challenge (young carers and person in later adulthood)• learning challenge (autism and Down’s syndrome)

You should know the eight disabilities/situations listed and be able to compare and contrast them as detailed in sections 3.3.2 to 3.3.5.

3.3.2 Reasons/Causes

You should be able to explain briefly the reason behind the challenge and the nature of the challenge:

• Hereditary conditions genetic/chromosomal, e.g. CF, Down’s• Genetic predisposition, e.g. bipolar, arthritis, autism• Combination of genetic and environmental e.g. arthritis, bipolar• Age-related, e.g. Alzheimer’s, arthritis, older person• Environmental circumstances, e.g. family circumstances – young carers• Social, e.g. isolation: social exclusion, young carers, attitudes to older people.

3.3.3 Potential impact of the challenge

Impact on development:

• Physical by impairment of function and/or limited mobility• Intellectual by affecting learning opportunities• Emotional by affecting self-worth and self-confidence• Social by affecting interactions and relationships with others• Financial by affecting work and income.

You should also understand that the impact of disabilities/situations can be on families and carers as well as on the individuals themselves.

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SPECIFICATION

3.3.4 Barriers

You should be aware of the barriers which individuals with different challenges face and the impact on their families, as a result of their impairments, of their circumstances and of conditions external to them:

• Education, e.g. poor provision/access• Employment, e.g. lack of opportunities due to discrimination, lack of flexibility• Societal barriers, e.g. resulting from ignorance, prejudice and discrimination; social exclusion, low expectations of ability, societal expectations• Economic barriers for individuals and their family, e.g. potential loss of earnings, requirement for specialist support which is not provided by the state, access/lack of access to benefits• Environmental barriers, e.g. physical access to and within buildings; access to public and private transport; poor accessibility of services.

3.3.5 Risks and support/safeguarding Risks

You should understand the risks which may exist for each challenge:• bullying• Abuse• Stress• self-harm• Isolation/social exclusion.

Support/safeguarding

You should be aware of the support/safeguarding and care actions from practitioners which exist for each of the eight disabilities/situations:

• Protection of the rights of the individuals, e.g.Legislation:Equality ActMental Health ActMental Capacity ActCare Standards ActChildren Act

• Policies/Codes of practice/risk assessments, e.g., child protection policy school bullying policy• Service provision, state and voluntary, e.g., residential care, day care, special schools, mainstream provision for children with special needs; practitioners – professionals and other types of carer. You should be aware of LQFs and Caring Skills.

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Progress sheet

Date Piece of work (e.g. essay, homework, test in class) – include a brief description of what the work was about

Mark or grade

Colour code*

Topic checklist

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Life Challenge Reasons/ causes

Impact on development (PIES)

Financial impact

Barriers Risks Legislation Practitioners & LQF’s

1. Cystic Fibrosis

2. Osteoarthritis

3. Bipolar

4. Alzheimer’s

5. Young carers

6. Later adulthood

7. Autism

8. Down’s syndrome

Assessment

The candidates will be assessed on their knowledge, understanding and skills relating to life as a challenge through a written examination of one and a half hours.There will be four compulsory structured questions which will include short-answer and free-response items. These will require you to demonstrate and apply your knowledge, understanding and skills in different contexts appropriate to life as a challenge.

*To gain high marks in your written examination you should ensure that:

• Your answers show good detail, depth, relevance and accuracy• You apply knowledge, understanding and skills to the scenario material presented in the questions successfully• Suggestions and opinions are supported by the data and the material covered in all areas of the unit• Conclusions are consistent with the data and level of detail

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PHYSICAL CHALLENGES

Cystic Fibrosis

Signs & symptoms

Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disorder which is acquired at conception. The disorder is entirely caused by one set of genes. People with cystic fibrosis produce abnormally thick, sticky mucus in the linings of internal organs such as the lungs and intestines.

Label the diagram below with the most common signs of CF.

Cause

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Cystic fibrosis can’t be caught or developed. If you are not born with cystic fibrosis you will never have it, but you could be a cystic fibrosis gene carrier. However some people with cystic fibrosis are not diagnosed until later in life.

One in 25 people carry the faulty cystic fibrosis gene. For someone to be born with cystic fibrosis, both parents must carry the faulty gene. If both parents have the gene, there is a 25% chance the child will have cystic fibrosis. If both parents carry the gene there is also a 50% chance of the child being a gene carrier and a 25% chance they will not have the faulty cystic fibrosis gene.

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A boy called Alex

Eton music scholar and cystic fibrosis suffer Alex Stobbs shot to international prominence in 2008 following the transmission of award-winning documentary A Boy Called Alex. He has since become a choral scholar at King's College, Cambridge.

This film features highlights from a remarkable performance of Bach's St Matthew Passion conducted by Alex at London's Cadogan Hall in 2009.

Alex himself acts as the films commentator and guide, offering his uniquely personal perspective on Bach's epic work and the phenomenal musical challenges in conducting it.

The music is performed by the distinguished Southbank Sinfonia Orchestra and the renowned Rodolfus Choir, featuring soloists Michael Chance, Sarah Fox and Thomas Guthrie.

Watch the documentary and below make any notes on cystic fibrosis and how it can affect the lives of its sufferers.

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Notes:

Treatments

There are three main treatment paths for sufferers of cystic fibrosis:

1. Medication2. Exercise3. Oxygen

You also need to consider which practitioners are involved in these treatments.

Cystic fibrosis particularly affects the lungs and digestive system, which is why these areas are likely to require medication.

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Impact on development

Given your knowledge on CF and its affects you now need to outline below the effects CF would have on a person’s development. Think about PIES (physical, intellectual, emotional & social development). Use the case study to help you.

“Sarah is sixteen years old and has cystic fibrosis; she is currently approaching her GCSE’s and wants to go to University after sixth form. She has daily physiotherapy to assist her in breaking up the mucus which she has collected on her lungs. She also has to attend regular hospital appointments so they can keep track of her progress. Because of her condition even small amounts of physical activity can be very tiring. Last year she had a very serious lung infection caused by her CF which led to her being hospitalized for just over three months.”

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Social

The financial impact

Thinking about the case study on the previous page answer the following questions about the financial impact of cystic fibrosis.

What extra costs (e.g. petrol, equipment, and changes to living spaces) might be incurred by a person with CF or their family?

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What effect might having CF have on gaining qualifications (such as a levels) and how in turn might this affect someone’s earning power?

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Sufferers of CF can live until the age of 40 or even longer in some cases. This means by this stage in their life they may be in some form of employment. What effect might having CF have on an adult who is trying to work full time? How will this affect them financially?

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Is there anywhere CF sufferers can find financial help/ support?

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Barriers

What is a barrier?

When thinking about people who suffer from CF we will examine several factors that could act as barriers in different parts of their lives.

The barriers we will look at are:

• Education, e.g. poor provision/access

• Employment, e.g. lack of opportunities due to discrimination, lack of flexibility

• Societal barriers, e.g. resulting from ignorance, prejudice and discrimination; social exclusion, low expectations of ability, societal expectations

• Economic barriers for individuals and their family, e.g. potential loss of earnings, requirement for specialist support which is not provided by the state, access/lack of access to benefits

• Environmental barriers, e.g. physical access to and within buildings; access to public and private transport; poor accessibility of services

On the next page read each of the case studies about CF sufferers and explain which barrier you think it is referring to and the effect of this barrier on the sufferer and their family (where applicable).

You must then come up with two of your own examples for any two of the barriers.

Use the information on pp.196-198 to help you.

CF barriers case studies

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1. John and Eve have been caring for their child Ellie who has CF. It has been an incredibly difficult time for the whole family and not least because of all the time off work needed and trips back and forth to specialist hospitals who have been helping Ellie and monitoring her progress.

2. Cara has just got a new job working 9-5 in an office but neglected to mention her CF in her interview. She didn’t want it to affect her chance of getting the job. However now she needs regular time off for physiotherapy and hospital appointments and her boss is starting to get annoyed and has been refusing to let her go early in order to get to her appointments on time.

3. Josh is in the final year of his A levels and is beginning to revise for his summer exams. He is finding it particularly difficult because he is also resitting a module he failed due to an extensive period of time off because of his CF. He has found it especially difficult because the teacher wasn’t willing to set catch up work and the school nurse wasn’t equipped to do his physiotherapy.

4.Carl recently applied to become part of his local theatre group, all was well until someone found out he had CF and then they started to question how he would be able to commit to rehearsals and shows if he had hospital appointments all the time. He decided he didn’t really want to be in a social group with people who treated him like that so he quit.

5. Sophie has been travelling from Leicester to London for treatment for her CF since she was little. This is because her local hospital doesn’t have hardly any provision for dealing with CF sufferers so she has to go to the Royal Brompton hospital in Chelsea London. This makes travel expenses very high and it also takes up a lot of her and her family’s time.

Now give two of your own examples…

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Bullying

Abuse

StressSelf-harm

Isolation/ social exclusion

What are the risks for suffers of CF?

We will now look at the potential risks that sufferers of CF might face.

We will group these into the following categories:

• Bullying

• Abuse

• Stress

• Self-harm

• Isolation/social exclusion

Below give an explanation of what we mean by each of these risks.

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Legislation

You need to understand the legislation that is in place to protect all of the individuals that will be facing life challenges. On this page you will find details of each piece of legislation. As you go through each life challenge it will be up to you to decide which one of the pieces of legislation relates to that individual case.

Equality Act

The Equality Act 2010 legally protects people from discrimination in the workplace and in wider society.

It replaced previous anti-discrimination laws with a single Act, making the law easier to understand and strengthening protection in some situations. It sets out the different ways in which it’s unlawful to treat someone.

It is against the law to discriminate against anyone because of:

age being or becoming a transsexual person being married or in a civil partnership being pregnant or having a child disability race including colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin

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religion, belief or lack of religion/belief sex sexual orientation

These are called ‘protected characteristics’.

You’re protected from discrimination in these situations:

at work in education as a consumer when using public services when buying or renting property as a member or guest of a private club or association

You are legally protected from discrimination by the Equality Act 2010.

You’re also protected from discrimination if:

you’re associated with someone who has a protected characteristic, eg a family member or friend

you’ve complained about discrimination or supported someone else’s claim

Action against discrimination

You can do something voluntarily to help people with a protected characteristic. This is called ‘positive action’.

Taking positive action is legal if people with a protected characteristic:

Are at a disadvantage

Have particular needs

Are under-represented in an activity or type of work

Mental Health Act

The Mental Health Act was first introduced in 1983 (further amended in 2007) and sets out how you can be treated if you have a mental disorder, and what your rights are.

The Mental Health Act says what legal powers doctors and Approved Mental Health Professionals (AMHPs) have to detain you in a hospital against your will. The doctors

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involved will either already know you (such as your GP) or be approved under Section 12 of the Mental Health Act.

The role of the doctors is to make recommendations for an application to be assessed. The role of the Approved Mental Health Professional is to ensure that an application to be assessed is necessary and that no ‘less restrictive’ form of intervention can be used. The doctors and Approved Mental Health Professional will consider making an application for keeping you in hospital against your will, if it is felt that you may cause injury to yourself or others and if it is felt that you may not necessarily be aware enough to access the proper medical care required. It lays down what doctors and Approved Mental Health Professionals can and can’t do and what rights you and your relatives have.

Mental disorder is defined as ‘any disorder or disability of mind’. This definition includes conditions such as schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, personality disorders, eating disorders, dementia, brain injury and mental disorders due to drug use.

Note: a person with a learning disability is not considered to be suffering from mental disorder for most purposes under the Act; or to require treatment in hospital, unless that disability is associated with abnormally aggressive or seriously irresponsible conduct.

Mental Capacity Act

The Mental Capacity Act provides a framework to empower and protect people who may lack capacity to make some decisions for them.

The Mental Capacity Act makes clear who can take decisions in which situations, and how they should go about this. Anyone who works with or cares for an adult who lacks capacity must comply with the MCA when making decisions or acting for that person.

This applies whether decisions are life changing events or more every day matters and is relevant to adults of any age, regardless of when they lost capacity.

The underlying philosophy of the MCA is to ensure that those who lack capacity are empowered to make as many decisions for themselves as possible and that any decision made, or action taken, on their behalf is made in their best interests.

The five key principles in the Act are:

1. Every adult has the right to make his or her own decisions and must be assumed to have capacity to make them unless it is proved otherwise.

2. A person must be given all practicable help before anyone treats them as not being able to make their own decisions.

3. Just because an individual makes what might be seen as an unwise decision, they should not be treated as lacking capacity to make that decision.

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4. Anything done or any decision made on behalf of a person who lacks capacity must be done in their best interests.

5. Anything done for or on behalf of a person who lacks capacity should be the least restrictive of their basic rights and freedoms.

Mental Capacity Act Code of Practice

The Code of Practice supports the MCA and provides guidance to all those who care for and/or make decisions on behalf of adults who lack capacity. The Code includes case studies and clearly explains in more detail the key features of the MCA.

Care Standards Act

This document sets out National Minimum Standards for Care Homes for Older People, which form the basis on which the new National Care Standards Commission will determine whether such care homes meet the needs, and secure the welfare and social inclusion, of the people who live there.

The national minimum standards set out in this document are core standards which apply to all care homes providing accommodation and nursing or personal care for older people. The standards apply to homes for which registration as care homes is required.

While broad in scope, these standards acknowledge the unique and complex needs of individuals, and the additional specific knowledge, skills and facilities needed in order for a care home to deliver an individually tailored and comprehensive service. Certain of the standards do not apply to pre-existing homes including local authority homes, “Royal Charter” homes and other homes not previously required to register.

The standards do not apply to independent hospitals, hospices, clinics or establishments registered to take patients detained under the Mental Health Act 1983.

Children Act

The Children Act 2004 identifies and places a responsibility on child practitioners to work together to help a child meet the following five priority outcomes:

1. be healthy;2. stay safe;3. enjoy and achieve;4. make a positive contribution;5. Achieve economic wellbeing.

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To achieve this aim, emphasis is placed on identifying and addressing a child’s needs at an early stage, before they become problematic and intractable. This will require some change to the way that child practitioners have worked up to now.

Emphasis will be on adopting a holistic approach to identifying a child’s needs at an early stage and of working with the family and other agencies to identify ways of meeting these needs.

Practitioners will be expected to agree between them who is the best person to lead the support being given to an individual child at any one point in time. This "lead professional" may change as the child’s needs change and develop.

The government has asked all parties working with children to use a common format to assess the needs of individual children who are at risk or vulnerable in some way. It has asked that all professionals use the same form to record their concerns and knowledge about a child to avoid duplication and the loss of vital information about a child that may help make an effective assessment of their needs.

This is particularly important in terms of avoiding the outcome in the case of Victoria Climbié, who tragically died partly because the information sharing between agencies was not effective. This common approach is known as the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) process.

A child is anyone who has not yet reached their 18th

birthday. ‘Children’ therefore means ‘children and young people’ throughout. The fact that a child has become sixteen years of age is living independently or is in Further Education, or is a member of the armed forces, or is in hospital, or in prison or a young offenders institution does not change their status or their entitlement to services or protection under the Children Act 1989.

Child protection policies

These are something that anywhere responsible for the care of children must have in place. There have been a number of national developments that have influenced how services safeguard and promote the welfare of children. These include:

the Children Act 2004, the new Working Together to Safeguard Children 2006 initiative, Every Child Matters, the Common Assessment Framework, Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment in Education.

The Children Act 2004 requires every council to establish a Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) to replace the Area Child Protection Committees and have key statutory

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responsibilities for agreeing how the relevant organisations will co-operate to safeguard and promote the welfare of children in that locality and for ensuring the effectiveness of this work.

Safeguarding Children Boards

These services will each have their own Safeguarding Children Boards that are working together to ensure that children and families get a consistent service across both areas.

These procedures replace all previous procedures and include guidance on issues relating to:

racial or religious harassment; migrant children; child deaths; sexually active children; child protection conferences; Bullying.

Cystic fibrosis & legislation

Which of the acts that have been discussed above would be relevant to safeguarding individuals with cystic fibrosis?

Explain how they could be used in practice to safeguard these individuals:

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Child protection policy

How could a school use a child protection policy to protect and individual with cystic fibrosis?

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How could a school use an anti-bullying policy to protect an individual with cystic fibrosis?

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Practitioners & Life quality factors

What health and social care practitioners might a cystic fibrosis sufferer come into contact with regularly?

Choose one of these practitioners. Choose which of the caring skills from the list they would need to employ when caring for someone with cystic fibrosis. Explain how they would use this caring skill to care for someone with cystic fibrosis.

Social perception reducing negative feelings modelling

Communication Physical contact Gaining compliance

Disengagement Encouragement Distraction

Creating trust Eye contact & facial expression showing approval

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Working alongside Setting challenges Observation

Osteoarthritis

This is a disease of the joints that commonly affects older people. Almost everybody over the age of 75 years shows some sign of the disease. The cartilage covering the bone surfaces at a joint becomes inflamed and degenerates becoming rough and flaky. Small protrusions of bone grow from the bone surface. Weight bearing joints especially the knees, hips, back and neck are most likely to be affected but the joints of the hands are often affected.

Look at the pictures below and describe how each one relates to a sign of the disease:

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Several factors contribute to the development of osteoarthritis. Some people appear to have a genetic predisposition to develop the disease. In women a deficiency of the hormone oestrogen following the menopause seems to increase the risk- three times as many women as men are affected.

Joint damage is another factor, resulting from the excessive strain caused by obesity but also by injuries earlier in life such as footballers who have had knee operations.

Complete your own research on osteoarthritis using the helpful websites found at the back of this booklet. Complete notes on the next page.

Research on osteoarthritis

How many people suffer with osteoarthritis?

Signs and symptoms:

Treatments:

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Living with osteoarthritis:

How osteoarthritis impacts on development

Below is a table with all of the different types of development. Read the case study and explain how that person’s development will be affected in all of the different areas.

Ron is 65 and has been suffering with osteoarthritis for a few years now. He lives with his wife and is considering retiring because he is struggling to do his manual job. This will be hard on him and his wife though as she doesn’t have a job herself. He has been finding simple tasks much more difficult than before even things like opening tins when making dinner. He finds it okay getting around but has had to slightly adjust his walk because the main source of pain is his knee joints. He used to be very active and finds it difficult now it is harder to get around plus the fact that he has never had a car so relies on walking and buses if he wants to get out and see people.

Impact on development How an osteoarthritis sufferer will be affected

Physical by impairment of function and/or limited mobility.

Intellectual by affecting learning opportunities.

Emotional by affecting self-worth and self-confidence.

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Social by affecting interactions and relationships with others.

Financial by affecting work and income.

How might having this disease also affect Ron’s wife?

Osteoarthritis and barriers

You have all been asked to work on a medical board that is starting a new project which investigates the effects of having osteoarthritis. In pairs you are going to each investigate a specific barrier and what challenges a person with osteoarthritis might face in relation to that barrier. You will then present these ideas back to the other board members and include a ‘fact sheet’ with everything you have found. Make sure you use the useful websites page in the back of the booklet. Pages 196-198 in the A2 textbook may also help you to understand the different barriers. You can make notes on this page when the other group present their ideas.

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Osteoarthritis & legislation

Which of the acts that have been discussed above would be relevant to safeguarding individuals with Osteoarthritis?

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• E m p l o y m e n t , e . g . l a c k o f o p p o r t u n i ti e s d u e t o d i s c r i m i n a ti o n , l a c k o f fl e x i b i l i t y

• S o c i e t a l b a r r i e r s , e . g . r e s u l ti n g f r o m i g n o r a n c e , p r e j u d i c e a n d d i s c r i m i n a ti o n ; s o c i a l e x c l u s i o n , l o w e x p e c t a ti o n s o f a b i l i t y , s o c i e t a l e x p e c t a ti o n s

• E c o n o m i c b a r r i e r s f o r i n d i v i d u a l s a n d t h e i r f a m i l y , e . g . p o t e n ti a l l o s s o f e a r n i n g s , r e q u i r e m e n t f o r s p e c i a l i s t s u p p o r t w h i c h i s n o t p r o v i d e d b y t h e s t a t e , a c c e s s / l a c k o f a c c e s s t o b e n e fi t s

• E n v i r o n m e n t a l b a r r i e r s , e . g . p h y s i c a l a c c e s s t o a n d w i t h i n b u i l d i n g s ; a c c e s s t o p u b l i c a n d p r i v a t e t r a n s p o r t ; p o o r a c c e s s i b i l i t y o f s e r v i c e s

Explain how they could be used in practice to safeguard these individuals:

Care practitioners & patients with Osteoarthritis

What care practitioners are people with osteoarthritis likely to come into contact with?

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Choose one of these practitioners. Explain how each of the following caring skills could be used to care for these clients:

Reducing negative feelings

Communication

Encouragement

Distraction

Creating trust Eye contact & facial expression

Setting challenges

Observation

Bipolar disorder

If you have bipolar disorder you will experience extreme swings in mood – from periods of overactive, excited behaviour – known as ‘mania’ or ‘manic episodes’ – to deep depression. Between these severe highs and lows, you may have stable times.

Some people also see or hear things that others around them don't (known as having visual or auditory hallucinations) or have uncommon, unshared, beliefs (known as delusions).

There are many different symptoms and emotions related to both manic episodes and depressive episodes. Give some examples below; the first one has been done for you.

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MENTAL HEALTH

CHALLENGES

Manic episodes (mania) Depressive episodes (depression)•feeling euphoric – excessively ‘high' •restlessness •extreme irritability

•a sense of hopelessness •feeling emotionally empty •feeling guilty

Impact of a manic episode Impact of a depressive episode

“When I am hyper, I’m the life of the party, everyone is my friend and there isn’t anyone I won’t talk to about anything…”

“When I’m depressed, it’s the absolute worst pain I can experience. I feel like I become a balloon and am just floating outside myself, I cry like a part of me has died.”Hypomania

You may experience a milder form of mania known as hypomania – this is less severe and lasts for shorter periods. During these periods you can become very productive and creative and so may see these experiences as positive and valuable. However, if you don’t get treatment for hypomania, it may develop into more serious mania, and it could be followed by an episode of depression. (See mania and hypomania, for more information.)

Length and frequency of episodes

You may have very few bipolar disorder episodes, with years of stability in between them; or you may experience many more. Episodes can vary in both length and frequency from weeks to months, with varying lengths of time in between.

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Mania usually starts suddenly and lasts between two weeks and four to five months. Depression often lasts longer, on average around six months. It can last longer, but usually less than a year.

Although you may cope very well in between episodes, you may still experience low-level symptoms in these relatively ‘stable’ periods, which can impact on your daily life.

Causes

Very little is known about the causes of bipolar disorder, although it does run in families, suggesting a genetic link. However, you may find that you have no family history of it.

The disorder is diagnosed in a roughly equal number of men and women. It usually starts when you are in your 20s or 30s, although it can also start when you are a teenager.

The fact that symptoms can be controlled by medication, especially lithium and anticonvulsants, suggests that there may be problems with the function of the nerves in the brain, and this is supported by some research. Disturbances in the endocrine system (controlling hormones) may also be involved.

Most research suggests that a stressful environment, social factors, or physical illness may trigger the condition. Although stress (in a variety of forms) is unlikely to cause bipolar disorder, it seems to be a significant trigger. Sleep disturbance can be an important contributor.

Using the information booklet explain how the following factors can contribute to the development of bipolar disorder:

Stressful life events

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Childhood distress

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Life problems

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Treatments for bipolar disorder

Using the information booklet you have been given on bipolar disorder make a fact file on both drugs and electroconvulsive therapy and how they provide treatment for sufferers of bipolar disorder. You need to only include the relevant information as it is a fact file, you have been given some prompts to help you to understand what to include.

32What types of drugs are used?

DRUGS ECT

Bipolar disorder & development

We are now going to look at how the development of someone suffering with bipolar disorder might be affected. Read each scenario and complete the paragraphs explaining how their development in that particular area might be affected.

Physical

“When I’m having a manic episode it feels like I’ve got endless amounts of energy, I could jog for miles and not even feel it and then at nights I never feel the need to sleep. Even though I have endless amounts of energy I do get extremely annoyed with the smallest

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What types of drugs are used?

things and when I finally ‘come down’ I have absolutely no energy at all” Sarah, 22 sufferer of bipolar disorder.

Sarah’s physical health & development will be affected because…

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Intellectual

Sam is 17 and is currently studying his A/S levels at school. When he goes through a manic episode he has endless energy and feels so confident in all of his subjects however he struggles to manage his work as he is constantly going from one thing to the next. Sam’s attendance is very erratic when he is like this but also because of when he is in a depressive state as lots of the time he struggles to even get out of bed I the morning.

Sam’s intellectual development will be affected because…

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Emotional

States of mania and depression are major symptoms of bipolar disorder. How do you think a person’s emotional development with be affected because of going through these extreme emotions? You may want to look back at the symptoms for each of these states.

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• E d u c a ti o n , e . g . p o o r p r o v i s i o n / a c c e s s

• E m p l o y m e n t , e . g . l a c k o f o p p o r t u n i ti e s d u e t o d i s c r i m i n a ti o n , l a c k o f fl e x i b i l i t y

• S o c i e t a l b a r r i e r s , e . g . r e s u l ti n g f r o m i g n o r a n c e , p r e j u d i c e a n d d i s c r i m i n a ti o n ; s o c i a l e x c l u s i o n , l o w e x p e c t a ti o n s o f a b i l i t y , s o c i e t a l e x p e c t a ti o n s

• E c o n o m i c b a r r i e r s f o r i n d i v i d u a l s a n d t h e i r f a m i l y , e . g . p o t e n ti a l l o s s o f e a r n i n g s , r e q u i r e m e n t f o r s p e c i a l i s t s u p p o r t w h i c h i s n o t p r o v i d e d b y t h e s t a t e , a c c e s s / l a c k o f a c c e s s t o b e n e fi t s

• E n v i r o n m e n t a l b a r r i e r s , e . g . p h y s i c a l a c c e s s t o a n d w i t h i n b u i l d i n g s ; a c c e s s t o p u b l i c a n d p r i v a t e t r a n s p o r t ; p o o r a c c e s s i b i l i t y o f s e r v i c e s

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Social

Imagine you are a close friend of someone who has bipolar disorder. When thinking about that person’s social development consider the following questions; why might it be difficult to sustain a close relationship with that person? Why might it be difficult to be around that person when they are in a manic state? Why might it be difficult to be around that person when they are in a depressive state?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Financial

Kieran has had hundreds of different jobs since her turned 16 but has never managed to keep them longer than a few months. When he is going through a manic state he often gets a new job because of his limitless energy and enthusiasm but as soon as he goes into a depressive state he stops going into work and turns to drugs to help him cope. He is at risk of being kicked out of his home for not paying rent for the third time.

Why has Kieran been affected financially?

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Barriers & bipolar disorder

You are going to listen to a podcast which is by a young person who suffers from bipolar disorder and the effect this has had on their lives. While listening to the podcast fill out any information that you think is relevant to the five

barriers. After it has finished complete any areas where you have not got any information.

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Risks

Using all of your knowledge about bipolar disorder and barriers create a short story based on a fictional character who has bipolar disorder. Your character must come up against some prejudice and discrimination because of their condition and you must write about the impact of this and how they overcome this discrimination or prejudice. This can be in any setting (school, work, home). The purpose of the short story is to give it to sufferers of bipolar and others who may know someone that does so that they can identify if they are facing any discrimination and so that they can understand how to get help. The story shouldn’t be more than 200 words.

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Bipolar disorder & legislation

Which of the acts that have been discussed above would be relevant to safeguarding individuals with bipolar disorder?

Explain how they could be used in practice to safeguard these individuals:

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___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Child protection policy

How could a school use a child protection policy to protect and individual with bipolar disorder?

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

How could a school use an anti-bullying policy to protect an individual with bipolar disorder?

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___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Practitioners & Life quality factors

What health and social care practitioners might a bipolar disorder sufferer come into contact with regularly?

Choose one of these practitioners. Choose which of the caring skills from the list they would need to employ when caring for someone with bipolar disorder. Explain how they would use this caring skill to care for someone with bipolar disorder.

Social perception reducing negative feelings modelling

Communication Physical contact Gaining compliance

Disengagement Encouragement Distraction

Creating trust Eye contact & facial expression showing approval

Working alongside Setting challenges Observation

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Alzheimer’s

Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia, affecting around 496,000 people in the UK. The term 'dementia' describes a set of symptoms which can include loss of memory, mood changes, and problems with communication and reasoning. These symptoms occur when the brain is damaged by certain diseases and conditions, including Alzheimer's disease. This factsheet outlines the symptoms and risk factors for Alzheimer's disease, and describes what treatments are currently available.

Alzheimer's disease, first described by the German neurologist Alois Alzheimer, is a physical disease affecting the brain. During the course of the disease, protein 'plaques' and 'tangles' develop in the structure of the brain, leading to the death of brain cells. People with Alzheimer's also have a shortage of some important chemicals in their brain. These chemicals are involved with the transmission of messages within the brain.

Alzheimer's is a progressive disease, which means that gradually, over time, more parts of the brain are damaged. As this happens, the symptoms become more severe.

Symptoms:

People in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease may experience lapses of memory and have problems finding the right words. As the disease progresses, they may:

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•become confused and frequently forget the names of people, places, appointments and recent events

•experience mood swings, feel sad or angry, or scared and frustrated by their increasing memory loss

•become more withdrawn, due either to a loss of confidence or to communication problems

•have difficulty carrying out everyday activities - they may get muddled checking their change at the shops or become unsure how to work the TV remote.

As the disease progresses, people with Alzheimer's will need more support from those who care for them. Eventually, they will need help with all their daily activities.

While there are some common symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, it is important to remember that everyone is unique. No two people are likely to experience Alzheimer's disease in the same way

Alzheimer’s research

Using the list of suggested websites complete some research on Alzheimer’s. Separate your research into the following categories:

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Signs/ symptomsCauses

“Pass time” living with Dementia

Watch the video and note down how her development is affected by Alzheimer’s.

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Treatments

• S o c i e t a l b a r r i e r s , e . g . r e s u l ti n g f r o m i g n o r a n c e , p r e j u d i c e a n d d i s c r i m i n a ti o n ; s o c i a l e x c l u s i o n , l o w e x p e c t a ti o n s o f a b i l i t y , s o c i e t a l e x p e c t a ti o n s

• E c o n o m i c b a r r i e r s f o r i n d i v i d u a l s a n d t h e i r f a m i l y , e . g . p o t e n ti a l l o s s o f e a r n i n g s , r e q u i r e m e n t f o r s p e c i a l i s t s u p p o r t w h i c h i s n o t p r o v i d e d b y t h e s t a t e , a c c e s s / l a c k o f a c c e s s t o b e n e fi t s

• E n v i r o n m e n t a l b a r r i e r s , e . g . p h y s i c a l a c c e s s t o a n d w i t h i n b u i l d i n g s ; a c c e s s t o p u b l i c a n d p r i v a t e t r a n s p o r t ; p o o r a c c e s s i b i l i t y o f s e r v i c e s

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Impact of Alzheimer’s on development

Mrs Roberts has Alzheimer’s disease and lives with her daughter Janet and her granddaughter, Stephanie. Mrs Roberts’ condition has started to worsen and Janet is beginning to struggle with the care of her mother. She is also worried about the impact on Stephanie.

Discuss the likely impact of Alzheimer’s disease on Mrs Roberts, Janet, and Stephanie.

Development Mrs Roberts Janet Stephanie

Physical Mrs Roberts’ may not be able to do some of the skills she used to and she may become disorientated at times which could lead to falls.

Intellectual Janet may be neglecting her job and not completing tasks she should do because she is stressed and her mind is on her mum.

Emotional

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Social Janet may neglect her friends and not have time to see them because she is spending time sorting out her mums care.

Financial Stephanie may have to miss out on things like school trips because her mum is paying for her nans care and cannot afford it.

Alzheimer’s & potential barriers

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Barbara has been living with Alzheimer’s for 2 years and now needs to be put into a care home. There is a specialist care home nearby however there isn’t room so she needs to be

transferred to a general care home for the elderly. Barbara has recently been struggling with remembering things she used to do such as playing the piano.

What barriers might Barbara face?

Potential risks for sufferers of Alzheimer’s

Complete the sentences thinking about whom sufferers might be at risk from and why they might be more at risk in comparison to somebody who is not facing a mental health challenge.

A sufferer of Alzheimer’s may face bullying or abuse from…

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

A sufferer of Alzheimer’s may feel stressed because…

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

A sufferer of Alzheimer’s may be excluded from society because…

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

A sufferer of Alzheimer’s may feel isolated because…

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What legislation do you think would protect sufferers of Alzheimer’s?

Alzheimer’s & legislation

Which of the acts that have been discussed above would be relevant to safeguarding individuals with Alzheimer’s?

Explain how they could be used in practice to safeguard these individuals:

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_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Caring for Alzheimer’s sufferers

Imagine you are the manager of a care home who has a high level of elderly people with Alzheimer’s. Below you need to write a ‘how to guide’ for your staff on how to use the caring skills effectively when caring for these clients with Alzheimer’s.

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Caring for patients with Alzheimer’s

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Young Carers

A young carer is someone aged 18 or under who helps look after a relative who has a condition, such as a disability, illness, mental health condition, or a drug or alcohol problem.

The majority of young carers look after one of their parents or care for a brother or sister. They do jobs in and around the home, such as cooking, cleaning, or helping someone to get dressed and move around.

Young carers may need to help a relative deal with their feelings by talking to them, listening and trying to understand their problems.

The difference between young carers and other young people who help in the home is that young carers are often responsible for someone else in their family in a way that most other young people aren't.

Some children give a lot of physical help to a brother or sister who is disabled or ill. If you do, you are a sibling carer (sibling is a word for brother or sister). Along with physical help for your sibling, you may also be giving emotional support to both your sibling and your parents.

A young carer might also care for a grandparent or someone else from their extended family.

Some of the reasons people may be young carers are:

Mental health (depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder)

Drugs and alcohol addiction

Illnesses (cancer, MS, cerebral palsy, HIV/ aids)

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SOCIAL CHALLENGE

Disabilities (learning disabilities, people who have trouble walking, blindness & limited sight, deafness)

Conditions (epilepsy, dementia, arthritis)

Clearly being a young carer will have very detrimental effects on a young person’s development in various different ways.

We will now watch a series of videos about young carers. For each video clip make notes on the individual’s story and how their development has been affected (physically, intellectually, emotionally & socially)

Stories of young

carers

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Hannah’s story: Kelly’s story:

Physical

Intellectual

Emotional

Social

Young carers & their development

To complete this task you will need to use the website www.youngcarers.net. On this website there are various stories and accounts written by young carers. Each one discusses their experiences and how it affects them. Using these stories make notes below on how a young carer’s development would be affected.

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Hannah’s story: Kelly’s story:

Young carers & financial support

If a young carer is caring for a parent or older relative they live with then this probably means that person is unable to work, at least full time depending on the severity of their condition. Again depending on their condition or illness that person may be receiving disability benefits but lots young carers may feel pressure to go out to work to earn money.

What effect might this have on other areas of their life?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

There are several initiatives in place to help young carers and ensure that they are not under any financial strain. These are:

Carer’s allowance

Carer’s Allowance is paid at a standard rate of £59.75 a week. You are entitled to Carer’s Allowance if you’re over 16, spend more than 35 hours a week caring for someone and aren’t either in full-time education or earning more than £100 a week.

Carer premium

Carer premium is an extra payment of up to £33.30 per week that can sometimes be added in to the calculation of other benefits you might get on top of your Carer's Allowance, such

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as Income Support, Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, Housing Benefit, or Universal Credit.

If you already get any of these benefits, you should let the relevant people know that you’ve been awarded Carer’s Allowance so they can add the carer premium to your payment. You’ll find their contact details on any letters they’ve sent you. If you have only just heard about carer premium and already get Carer’s Allowance, benefit payments can sometimes be backdated. These benefits are means-tested, so whether or not you qualify will depend on

your income and savings.

There are also various tax credits and benefits that young carers are entitled to.

Barrier’s & Young carers

Thinking about young carer’s what two barriers do you think would be the most relevant?

1. _____________________________________________________________________2. _____________________________________________________________________

In the box below list the potential problems young carers could face in relation to both of those barriers.

Ben is 14 years old, an only child and lives just with his mother. Ben’s mother has a

Range of medical problems which mean that she is unable to do many daily tasks, such

As washing, dressing and feeding her. As a result of this, Ben is a young carer.

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Bullying:When at school a young carer might be

bullied of teased about not being able to do things that the other children can

such as go to after school clubs.

Discuss one barrier faced by Ben. (4 marks)

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

*Please note if Ben was older you may also consider employment barriers.

Potential risks faced by young carers

Young carers could potentially face any of the following risks:

• Bullying

• Stress

• Self-harm

• Isolation/social exclusion

Using the websites listed at the back of the booklet and your knowledge of young carers explain each one of these risks and where a young carer might face this risk. Use examples if possible. The first one has been done for you.

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Help & provision for young carers

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You have been asked by the ‘young minds’ charity to create a leaflet which tells young

carers where they can go for help and support. Your leaflet must be aimed at 16-18 year old

carers. Your leaflet must be informative but you can use case studies to get your point across.

Your leaflet must include the following:

1. Details of different charities/ helplines2. Details of any legislation or laws that

protect young carers3. Details of support groups that help young

carers4. Other services they can use to help them

(e.g. CAMHS)

You have got one lesson to complete this work. Please use the useful website list to

Practitioners & young carers

The likelihood is that young carers will be in regular contact with social workers.

Using your knowledge of young carers and their experience, explain how a social worker could use the caring skills to look after and help the young carers.

Social perception reducing negative feelings modelling

Communication Physical contact Gaining compliance

Disengagement Encouragement Distraction

Creating trust Eye contact & facial expression showing approval

Working alongside Setting challenges Observation

Caring skills How the social worker would use this skill

How this would benefit the young carer

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You have been asked by the ‘young minds’ charity to create a leaflet which tells young

carers where they can go for help and support. Your leaflet must be aimed at 16-18 year old

carers. Your leaflet must be informative but you can use case studies to get your point across.

Your leaflet must include the following:

1. Details of different charities/ helplines2. Details of any legislation or laws that

protect young carers3. Details of support groups that help young

carers4. Other services they can use to help them

(e.g. CAMHS)

You have got one lesson to complete this work. Please use the useful website list to

Views of older

people in society

Later adulthood

What ages do we consider to be later adulthood?

Why do you think this is?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Below mind map some stereotypical views of older people in society.

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Development in later adulthood

Physical

What physical ailments are more common in later adulthood?

As we know in later adulthood people are likely to have more limited physical mobility, what do you think this might mean for their physical development?

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Intellectual

What positive intellectual development might occur in later adulthood?

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In what ways might old age have a negative impact on development?

Emotional

Edna is 72 and has been struggling with retirement, although the stress of her previous job has now gone not working has made her feel abit useless. Also her family seem to think she can’t do anything for herself and keep trying to help her with everything all of the time. She has been finding it particularly difficult because she used to be very independent but is very worried about losing her physical mobility and having to rely heavily on others.

How has Edna’s emotional development been affected negatively by being in later adulthood?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Are there any positives to her emotional development?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

How do you think society’s attitudes might affect emotional development in later adulthood?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Social

List all of the positive and negative effects on a person’s social development in later adulthood:

Positives: Negatives:

Finances in later adulthood

What is a pension?

What two types of pensions are there?

1. 2.

What is the difference between the two?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

How much money per week is a state pension?

Do you think this is a lot of money?

What other costs might be incurred in later adulthood?

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Based on all this information can you foresee any problems with finances and money in later adulthood?

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Barriers in later adulthood

The three barriers we will look at in later adulthood are:

• Societal barriers, e.g. resulting from ignorance, prejudice and discrimination; social exclusion, low expectations of ability, societal expectations

• Economic barriers for individuals and their family, e.g. potential loss of earnings, requirement for specialist support which is not provided by the state, access/lack of access to benefits

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• S o c i e t a l b a r r ie r s , e . g . r e s u l ti n g f r o m i g n o r a n c e , p r e j u d ic e a n d d i s c r i m i n a ti o n ; s o c i a l e x c l u s i o n , l o w e x p e c t a ti o n s o f a b i l i t y , s o c i e t a l e x p e c t a ti o n s

• E c o n o m i c b a r r i e r s f o r i n d i v i d u a l s a n d t h e i r f a m i ly , e . g . p o t e n ti a l l o s s o f e a r n i n g s , r e q u i r e m e n t f o r s p e c i a l i s t s u p p o r t w h i c h i s n o t p r o v i d e d b y t h e s t a t e , a c c e s s / l a c k o f a c c e s s t o b e n e fi t s

• E n v i r o n m e n t a l b a r r i e r s , e . g . p h y s i c a l a c c e s s t o a n d w i t h i n b u i l d i n g s ; a c c e s s t o p u b l i c a n d p r i v a t e t r a n s p o r t ; p o o r a c c e s s ib i l i t y o f s e r v i c e s

• Environmental barriers, e.g. physical access to and within buildings; access to public and private transport; poor accessibility of services

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Risks for people in later adulthood

Watch the video on abuse in the care system and make notes on what you see below.

Why do you think older people are more vulnerable to this kind of treatment?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What could be done to try and prevent this in the future?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Safeguarding people in later adulthood

Do some research on the care standards act and how it protects elderly people from the risks we have discussed? Write the findings of your research below:

The care standards act

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Care practitioners and the elderly

Sarah has been working in a care hoe for the elderly for a few years now and has built up some great relationships with the residents. She is always checking on them and making sure they are happy and always make sure she offers them choices when it comes to what they want to eat, how they want to dress and what activities they want to do. However recently Sarah has noticed that one of the newer members of staff isn’t very nice to the residents. He has jokes at their expense and sometimes shouts at them when they don’t do what he asks.

Read the case study and answer the questions.

What caring skills are already being used by Sarah?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What caring skills could be used by the male member of staff to improve his practice?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What three caring skills do you think are the most important when caring for the elderly?

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Autism

Watch the video and make notes in the box below.

Autism is a lifelong developmental disability that affects how a person communicates with, and relates to, other people. It also affects how they make sense of the world around them.

It is a spectrum condition, which means that, while all people with autism share certain difficulties, their condition will affect them in different ways. Some people with autism are able to live relatively independent lives but others may have accompanying learning disabilities and need a lifetime of specialist support. People with autism may also experience over- or under-sensitivity to sounds, touch, tastes, smells, light or colours.

Asperger syndrome is a form of autism. People with Asperger syndrome are often of average or above average intelligence. They have fewer problems with speech but may still have difficulties with understanding and processing language.

What causes autism?

Autism is a lifelong developmental disability that affects how a person communicates with, and relates to, other people. It also affects how they make sense of the world around them.

It is a spectrum condition, which means that, while all people with autism share certain difficulties, their condition will affect them in different ways. Some people with autism are able to live relatively independent lives but others may have accompanying learning disabilities and need a lifetime of specialist support. People with autism may also experience over- or under-sensitivity to sounds, touch, tastes, smells, light or colours.

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LEARNING CHALLENGE

Asperger syndrome is a form of autism. People with Asperger syndrome are often of average or above average intelligence. They have fewer problems with speech but may still have difficulties

with understanding and processing language.

What are the treatments for Autism?

Read the information and answer the questions below.

Autism (including Asperger syndrome) is a lifelong disability and the concept of a cure is controversial for some people on the autism spectrum and their families. However, there are many approaches and forms of support which can help people with autism to manage their condition and fulfil their potential.

It can be difficult to make decisions about which approach is right for each person. Many different interventions have been developed and yet there is a great deal we still do not know about the effectiveness of each one, as very few have been independently or scientifically evaluated.

Too often, bold claims are made about therapies and interventions for people with autism without any supporting evidence. This is irresponsible and inappropriate. It is therefore vital that parents of children with autism and individuals on the autism spectrum can access reliable information and advice both after diagnosis and on an ongoing basis.

Autism is complex and what helps one person may not help others, so it is vital that each individual is supported as an individual and any interventions are adapted to their specific needs.

There are a range of communication-based, behavioural and educational approaches used to support people with autism to fulfil their potential. These include approaches such as PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System), TEACCH (Treatment of Autistic and Communication Handicapped Children), ABA (Applied Behavioural Analysis), sensory integration and speech and language therapy. The National Autistic Society (NAS) believes that such interventions need to be adapted to the needs of the individual and monitored for impact.

Biomedical interventions include restrictive diets, supplements, hormone interventions and drugs. Some people advocate the use of biomedical interventions to treat autism, whilst others believe they are useful in treating co-existing conditions. The NAS believes there is little scientific evidence demonstrating the efficacy of biomedical interventions in supporting people to directly ‘manage’ their autism, rather than to treat other conditions. As with many drug treatments, some biomedical interventions have associated side-effects and risks. People with autism may be more susceptible to those side-effects.

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Questions

Physical

Intellectual

Emotional

Social

Financial

Autism and development

You are a social worker and have been asked to take part in a special project which is going to investigate the effects of Autism on development. You will mainly be focussing on people who are still in education (11-18) but can also think about the impact on adults. You are required to make notes on each area of development using the prompts o help you. After you will be required in your groups to give a presentation to the class on your findings which should be no longer than five minutes.

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Autism and barriers

Read the article below on inclusion in education for people suffering from Autism. Use this and your knowledge of Autism and barriers in general to discuss how someone with Autism might be affected by each barrier.

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Autism is a lifelong developmental disability that affects the way a person communicates with and relates to others and the world around them.

Autism is a spectrum disorder. The autism spectrum includes children with severe learning disabilities who have little or no verbal communication, through to those with an average or

high IQ, including those with Asperger syndrome. This wide spectrum of needs requires a wide spectrum of educational provision, including mainstream schools, special schools,

specialist units attached to mainstream schools and residential provision.

Inclusion is about the quality of a child's experience; how a child develops his or her skills, participates in the life of the school and learns and plays with children from a range of

backgrounds. Many children with autism can be supported to play a full role in mainstream schools; however, some children will be able to have a more inclusive experience in a

specialist setting.

The principle of inclusion should not be confused with the terms 'integration' or 'mainstreaming' which describe a situation where the child is placed in mainstream

education and expected to adapt to the curriculum and classroom environment. For inclusion to take place, educational provision must be adapted according to the pupil's individual

needs. The child's needs should be the starting point for identifying what type of school they should attend and the support they need in that setting.

Whatever the setting, educational provision for children with autism needs to be appropriately resourced. All mainstream schools should expect to teach children on the

autism spectrum, and have the understanding, resources, training and specialist support to meet their needs. Where training and resource needs are not met, the principle of inclusion

is undermined.

• E d u c a ti o n , e . g . p o o r p r o v i s i o n / a c c e s s

• E m p l o y m e n t , e . g . l a c k o f o p p o r t u n i ti e s d u e t o d i s c r i m i n a ti o n , l a c k o f fl e x i b i l i t y

• S o c i e t a l b a r r i e r s , e . g . r e s u l ti n g f r o m i g n o r a n c e , p r e j u d i c e a n d d i s c r i m i n a ti o n ; s o c i a l e x c l u s i o n , l o w e x p e c t a ti o n s o f a b i l i t y , s o c i e t a l e x p e c t a ti o n s

• E c o n o m i c b a r r i e r s f o r i n d i v i d u a l s a n d t h e i r f a m i l y , e . g . p o t e n ti a l l o s s o f e a r n i n g s , r e q u i r e m e n t f o r s p e c i a l i s t s u p p o r t w h i c h i s n o t p r o v i d e d b y t h e s t a t e , a c c e s s / l a c k o f a c c e s s t o b e n e fi t s

• E n v i r o n m e n t a l b a r r i e r s , e . g . p h y s i c a l a c c e s s t o a n d w i t h i n b u i l d i n g s ; a c c e s s t o p u b l i c a n d p r i v a t e t r a n s p o r t ; p o o r a c c e s s i b i l i t y o f s e r v i c e s

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Risks and autism

Ben is fourteen and was diagnosed with autism when he was ten. He always struggled to be around people and he never seemed to see things in the same ways that others did. Not many people in the school know about his condition apart from the teachers and it can sometimes be difficult when some teachers don’t really understand the condition and just think he’s not capable. Although his class mates don’t know that he has autism they have singled him out as different because he behaves differently to them.

Write a report on how Ben might be at risk from:

• Bullying

• Abuse

• Stress

• Self-harm

• Isolation/social exclusion

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Autism & legislation

Which of the acts that have been discussed above would be relevant to safeguarding individuals with autism?

Explain how they could be used in practice to safeguard these individuals:

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Child protection policy

How could a school use a child protection policy to protect and individual with autism?

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How could a school use an anti-bullying policy to protect an individual with autism?

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Practitioners & Life quality factors

What health and social care practitioners might a cystic fibrosis sufferer come into contact with regularly?

Choose one of these practitioners. Choose which of the caring skills from the list they would need to employ when caring for someone with cystic fibrosis. Explain how they would use this caring skill to care for someone with cystic fibrosis.

Social perception reducing negative feelings modelling

Communication Physical contact Gaining compliance

Disengagement Encouragement Distraction

Creating trust Eye contact & facial expression showing approval

Working alongside Setting challenges Observation

Down’s syndrome

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Down syndrome is a naturally occurring chromosomal arrangement that has always been a part of the human condition, being universally present across racial, gender or socioeconomic lines, and affecting approximately 1 in 800 live births, although there is considerable variation worldwide. Down syndrome usually causes varying degrees of intellectual and physical disability and associated medical issues.

What do you think are the myths and facts about Down’s syndrome? Put them into the correct column.

People with Down syndrome all look the same.

People with Down syndrome do not live very long.

We are all individuals and people with Down syndrome are no different to anyone else in their character traits and varying moods.

People with Down syndrome can look forward to a long life given the right medical attention.

Only older mothers have babies with Down syndrome.

People with Down syndrome cannot achieve normal life goals.

With the right support, they can. Most people with Down syndrome learn to walk and talk, and many are now attending mainstream schools, passing exams and living full, semi-independent adult lives.

There are certain physical characteristics that can occur. People with Down syndrome can have all of them or none. A person with Down syndrome will always look more like his or her close family than someone else with the condition.

People with Down syndrome are always happy and affectionate.

Older mothers have a higher individual chance of having a baby with Down syndrome; more are born to younger mothers, reflecting the higher birth rate in this age group.

True False

Symptoms & treatments of Down’s syndrome

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Annual health checks

Both children and adults with Down's syndrome will often need regular reviews with regard to specific associated conditions (see below). People with Down's syndrome should also have an annual review to include an assessment of feeding, bowel and bladder function, any behavioural disturbance, vision and hearing, and any other health concern.

Associated conditions

Cardio logical disorders

The most common cardiac abnormalities are:

•Atrioventricular canal defects.

•Ventricular septal defect.

Adult patients, without known congenital heart disease, may develop mitral valve prolapse or aortic regurgitation. A second assessment in early adulthood may be appropriate.

Ear, nose and throat disorders

•90% of patients with Down's syndrome may have conductive or mixed hearing loss.

•They are more susceptible to otitis media, sinusitis and pharyngitis.

•Obstructive sleep apnoea may develop.

Ophthalmological disorders

Most commonly:

•Cataracts.

•Refractive errors.

•Strabismus.

Gastrointestinal disorders

•Dental problems - delayed and unusual patterns of eruption, missing teeth.

•Coeliac disease occurs frequently enough for screening to be recommended.

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Orthopaedic disorders

•Hyper flexibility.

•Scoliosis.

•Hip dislocation after two years.

•Patellar subluxation or dislocation.

•Foot deformities.

Neurological and psychiatric disorders

•Learning difficulties (these range from severe, to those with 'low normal' IQ).

•Behavioural problems.

•Seizures occur in 5-10%.

•In older patients an Alzheimer's-type picture develops in >60% of those over 60 years of age.

Haematological disorders

•Patients have approximately 12 x greater risk of infections (eg, pneumonia) due to impaired cellular immunity.

Prognosis

•The prognosis for people with Down's syndrome depends on the nature and severity of any associated conditions.

•Life expectancy is improving, especially because of improved diagnosis and management of those people with Down's syndrome who also have congenital heart defects.

•At least half of people with Down's syndrome now live into their 50s and 60s.

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Physical

Intellectual

Emotional

Social

Financial

Down’s syndrome & development

Using the list of symptoms above describe the factors that will affect a person’s development. You should use various examples from above to describe the physical and intellectual challenges. You should also think about the emotional, social and financial implications.

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Barriers for sufferers of Down’s syndrome

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• E d u c a ti o n , e . g . p o o r p r o v i s i o n / a c c e s s

• E m p l o y m e n t , e . g . l a c k o f o p p o r t u n i ti e s d u e t o d i s c r i m i n a ti o n , l a c k o f fl e x i b i l i t y

• S o c i e t a l b a r r i e r s , e . g . r e s u l ti n g f r o m i g n o r a n c e , p r e j u d i c e a n d d i s c r i m i n a ti o n ; s o c i a l e x c l u s i o n , l o w e x p e c t a ti o n s o f a b i l i t y , s o c i e t a l e x p e c t a ti o n s

• E c o n o m i c b a r r i e r s f o r i n d i v i d u a l s a n d t h e i r f a m i l y , e . g . p o t e n ti a l l o s s o f e a r n i n g s , r e q u i r e m e n t f o r s p e c i a l i s t s u p p o r t w h i c h i s n o t p r o v i d e d b y t h e s t a t e , a c c e s s / l a c k o f a c c e s s t o b e n e fi t s

• E n v i r o n m e n t a l b a r r i e r s , e . g . p h y s i c a l a c c e s s t o a n d w i t h i n b u i l d i n g s ; a c c e s s t o p u b l i c a n d p r i v a t e t r a n s p o r t ; p o o r a c c e s s i b i l i t y o f s e r v i c e s

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Risks

Read the following news article and explain what risks that child with Down’s syndrome has faced.

“A four-year-old boy with Down's syndrome died seven months after being taken away from his parents and put into foster care.”

Jonas Stadden was in good health when he was removed from his mum and dad by Somerset County Council's social services.

He was in the care of foster parents when he collapsed at their home on November 24 last year.

An ambulance was called but when the crew arrived, they suggested an air ambulance was needed because of the distance to the hospital. Jonas could not be saved.

So far his parents, Haydn Stadden and Sara Russell, have not been told how he died and an investigation by the coroner is ongoing.

Speaking to The Telegraph, Sara, 47, told of her anguish at her son's death. "I have nightmares. of people in white coats trying to revive him," she said.

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"We have so many questions we want answered. We have sent a list to Somerset County Council."

Sara, who lives in Taunton, Somerset, kept a diary of events, in which she details a series of concerns, including an illness before his death.

Four days before Jonas died; he was due to have a contact meeting with his father. But when he arrived at the family centre in Taunton he was unwell and the meeting was curtailed.

Haydn, 48, an unemployed carpenter, took a photograph of his son at the brief meeting, showing him suffering from conjunctivitis.

In her diary – which she has handed to the Telegraph - Sara wrote: "His face was flushed and he was very hot to touch and he had wax leaking from his ear.

"He could not see out of his right eye as it was stuck together with nasty green matter and crusty discharge... He also had a terrible green runny nose... Haydn proceeded to clean Jonas's eyes and face for him and changed his dirty nappy. Poor little boy should never have been there in the first place."

Sara wonders whether the conjunctivitis might even be linked to his death because it can trigger secondary infections, such as meningitis.

Jonas was taken from his parents in April after an interim care order was granted by a local judge. For legal reasons, the newspaper couldn't report the events surrounding that decision, but Jonas's parents insisted it was not related to their treatment of their son. Jonas was placed with one foster care family and then moved to another, more experienced in dealing with children with disabilities.

A source told the Telegraph that Jonas was in good physical health when he was taken into care.

The source said: "When he came into care he was just an ordinary little boy as he was when he was in foster care. There was nothing remarkable about his physical health in any way." The source added: "It is very sad that Jonas died while in foster care. [But] children with Down's syndrome do die [prematurely]."

A spokesman for Somerset County Council said: "We have complete confidence in the foster carers who looked after Jonas and who were specialists in looking after and caring for children with disabilities.

"The foster carers acted totally appropriately on the day he died and are deeply upset by his death.

"It is worth noting that the family asked police to make inquiries, which they did, found no evidence of concern, and closed their inquiry."

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Down’s syndrome & legislation

Which of the acts that have been discussed above would be relevant to safeguarding individuals with Down’s syndrome?

Explain how they could be used in practice to safeguard these individuals:

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Child protection policy

How could a school use a child protection policy to protect and individual with cystic fibrosis?

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Write an anti-bullying policy that a school could use to protect individuals with Down’s syndrome.

Practitioners & Life quality factors

What health and social care practitioners might a cystic fibrosis sufferer come into contact with regularly?

Choose one of these practitioners. Choose which of the caring skills from the list they would need to employ when caring for someone with cystic fibrosis. Explain how they would use this caring skill to care for someone with cystic fibrosis.

Social perception reducing negative feelings modelling

Communication Physical contact Gaining compliance

Disengagement Encouragement Distraction

Creating trust Eye contact & facial expression showing approval

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Working alongside Setting challenges Observation

Useful websites

www.cftrust.org.uk

www.arthritis.org/

www.arthritisresearchuk.org/

www.alzheimers.org.uk/Dementia

www.alzheimersresearchuk.org/

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

www.crisis.org.uk

www.papyrus-uk.org

www.mind.org.uk

www.rcpsych.ac.uk/info

www.youngcarers.net

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www.nhs.uk/CarersDirect/young

www.family-action.org.uk/

www.ageuk.org.uk/

www.wellcome.ac.uk/Ageing

www.autism.org.uk/

www.mencap.org.uk/families

www.talkaboutautism.org.uk/

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

www.downs-syndrome.org.uk/

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