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This study investigates the use of health and dental care services in adults with intellectual disability in the last 12 months according to Norwegian recommendations and in relation to age and intellectual disability levels. A cross-sectional community-based survey including 214 participants (56% men). POMONA health indicators were used for data collection. Health checks and contact with general practitioners in the last year increased with age but were less frequent in those with more severe intellectual disability. Hospital admissions were age independent. Less than one-fifth of women had undergone cancer screening, with small variations according to intellectual disability severity levels. Few had an individual plan. More than one-third experienced poor dental health despite frequent controls. The use of health checks was lower than recommended, especially in individuals with more severe intellectual disability. Service access and individual plan use need to be enhanced, and dental care services should be improved. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03889002 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The treatment of vulnerable defendants by criminal justice systems or correctional systems varies within and between countries. The purpose of this paper is to examine three legal jurisdictions – New South Wales in Australia; Norway; England and Wales – to understand the extent of variation in practice within the court systems for defendants with intellectual disabilities (ID) and/or autism spectrum conditions (ASC). Two of the jurisdictions had a process for screening in place, either in police custody or at court, but this was not universally implemented across each jurisdiction. All three jurisdictions had a process for supporting vulnerable defendants through the legal system. Across the three jurisdictions, there was variation in disposal options from a mandatory care setting to hospital treatment to a custodial sentence for serious offences. This variation requires further international exploration to ensure the rights of defendants with ID or ASC are understood and safeguarded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As Norwegian society becomes increasingly multicultural and linguistically diverse and prison services continue to see larger numbers of immigrants, our knowledge about the interplay between communication and language and behavioural problems needs to be improved and addressed. The study focuses on language and communication problems associated with misconduct behaviour among immigrant and Norwegian prisoners. A cross-sectional study of immigrant and Norwegian inmates took part in six prisons in Norway, with a total of 250 inmates, where 88(35%) were immigrants and 162(65%) were Norwegian. There was a statistically significant difference between the two groups: manslaughter/murder (p=.045) and assault/robbery (p=.008) and crime against property (p=.004). Norwegian inmates presented three times more risk of misconduct behaviour than immigrant inmates. Those who had communication problems less then once a month presented higher risk of misconduct behaviour than those who had communication problems more often. Those who have communication problems quite often seem to adapt to the situation: they adjust to it and are, in a way, able to put up with the situation. Those who have communication problems more rarely, on the other hand, seem to react with more built-up internal anger and, consequently, with more severe aggression. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: Intellectual disabilities (ID) among psychiatric patients have traditionally been neglected. A lack of convenient instruments and competency in ID may have worsened the conditions and treatment availability for these patients. Aims: Validation and adaptation of a screening instrument for ID (Hayes Ability Screening Index; HASI) in a psychiatric hospital setting. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study of 50 psychiatric patients in two Norwegian psychiatric hospitals comparing results of the HASI with the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI). Results: The HASI correlated well with the standard IQ test used ( r= 0.67, P< 0.001). At a stated cut-off score of 85, the HASI had a sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 34%. Conclusions: The HASI is a valid and time-saving screening instrument for ID among psychiatric patients. The prescribed cut-off score, however, resulted in a large number of false positives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]