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Background: In England, court‐based mental health liaison and diversion (L&D) services work across courts and police stations to support those with severe mental illness and other vulnerabilities. However, the evidence around how such services support those with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDs) is limited. Aims: This study aimed to evaluate, through the lens of court and clinical staff, the introduction of a L&D service for defendants with NDs, designed to complement the existing L&D service. Methods: A realist evaluation was undertaken involving multiple agencies based within an inner‐city Magistrates' Court in London, England. We developed a logic model based on the initial programme theory focusing on component parts of the new enhanced service, specifically training, screening, signposting and interventions. We conducted semi‐structured interviews with the court staff, judiciary and clinicians from the L&D service. Results: The L&D service for defendants with NDs was successful in identifying and supporting the needs of those defendants. Benefits of this service included knowledge sharing, awareness raising and promoting good practice such as making reasonable adjustments. However, there were challenges for the court practitioners and clinicians in finding and accessing local specialist community services. Conclusion: A L&D service developed for defendants with NDs is feasible and beneficial to staff and clinicians who worked in the court setting leading to good practice being in place for the defendants. Going forward, a local care pathway would need to be agreed between commissioners and stakeholders including the judiciary to ensure timely and equitable access to local services by both defendants and practitioners working across diversion services for individuals with NDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Research into neurodevelopmental disorders in adult offenders has tended to be disorder specific, so hindering service planning for a group of offenders with similar vulnerabilities.Aim: To examine vulnerabilities for mental illness and self-harming behaviours among male prisoners screening positive for a range of neurodevelopmental difficulties-including but not confined to disorders of intellectual ability, attention deficit hyperactivity, and in the autistic spectrum.Method: In a cross-sectional study, prisoners who screened positive for neurodevelopmental difficulties were compared to prisoners who screened negative for the same on indicators of suicide-related and self-harm behaviours, mental illness, and substance misuse using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI).Results: Of 87 prisoners who screened positive for neurodevelopmental difficulties, 69 had full MINI mental health data. In comparison with 69 neurotypical men in the same prison, the neurodevelopmental difficulties group was significantly more likely to have thought about self-harm and suicide in the last month and to have significantly higher rates of concurrent mental disorders including psychosis, anxiety, depression, personality disorder, and substance dependency disorders.Conclusions: This is one of the first studies to examine the mental health of adults with neurodevelopmental difficulties in a prison setting. This group, unlike those who meet diagnostic threshold, is not routinely considered by mental health or correctional services. The study found prisoners with neurodevelopmental difficulties showed greater vulnerability to mental disorder and thoughts of suicide and suicide-related behaviours than other prisoners. Accordingly, we recommend routine early screening across the criminal justice system for any neurodevelopmental difficulties to inform decision-making on the most appropriate disposal and support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) frequently co-occurs with intellectual disability (ID) and often remains undiagnosed until adulthood. The Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) is a widely used measure to screen for ASD. To improve the utility of the SCQ for adults with ID, the aim of this study was to develop an ID-specific and adult appropriate algorithm for the SCQ using a core set of valid items. These items were identified in one sample ( N = 226) and further cross-validated in a second, independent sample ( N = 225) from Germany, England and the U.S. The newly developed algorithm has 24 items compared with the 40 items in the original instrument. The reduced item core set yielded similar diagnostic validity as the original algorithm with good sensitivity values (0.81-0.89) and low specificity values (0.62-0.72). Overall, these results suggest that the removed items may not carry diagnostically relevant information in adults with ID; thus, excluding these items may result in a more efficient and age-appropriate screening measure for this population. However, due to the low specificity values, a comprehensive assessment is essential for a final diagnostic assignment. Autism Res 2017, 10: 1481-1490. © 2017 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article engages with the question of how theorisation of the social construction of childhood can be applied across cultural contexts, taking China and Britain as examples. The paper draws on collaborative dialogue between scholars from the People's Republic of China and Britain, and literatures from both Anglophone and Mandarin sources. It takes forward emergent work on theorising childhood from diverse global perspectives by focusing on the institutionalisation of childhood in these countries, with particular reference to language, conceptualisation and legal frameworks relating to chronological age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Dementia is a common clinical presentation among older adults with Down syndrome. The presentation of dementia in Down syndrome differs compared with typical Alzheimer's disease. The performance of manualised dementia criteria in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-10 and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV-Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) is uncertain in this population.We aimed to determine the concurrent validity and reliability of clinicians' diagnoses of dementia against ICD-10 and DSM-IV-TR diagnoses. Validity of clinical diagnoses were also explored by establishing the stability of diagnoses over time. Methods We used clinical data from memory assessments of 85 people with Down syndrome, of whom 64 (75.3%) had a diagnosis of dementia. The cases of dementia were presented to expert raters who rated the case as dementia or no dementia using ICD-10 and DSM-IV-TR criteria and their own clinical judgement. Results We found that clinician's judgement corresponded best with clinically diagnosed cases of dementia, identifying 84.4% cases of clinically diagnosed dementia at the time of diagnosis. ICD-10 criteria identified 70.3% cases, and DSM-IV-TR criteria identified 56.3% cases at the time of clinically diagnosed dementia. Over time, the proportion of cases meeting ICD-10 or DSM-IV-TR diagnoses increased, suggesting that experienced clinicians used their clinical knowledge of dementia presentation in Down syndrome to diagnose the disorder at an earlier stage than would have been possible had they relied on the classic description contained in the diagnostic systems. Conclusions Clinical diagnosis of dementia in Down syndrome is valid and reliable and can be used as the standard against which new criteria such as the DSM-5 are measured. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The central concern of this paper is that there has been a move within British sociology to subsume (or sometimes, even replace) the concept of 'family' within ideas about personal life, intimacy and kinship. It calls attention to what will be lost sight of by this conceptual move: an understanding of the collective whole beyond the aggregation of individuals; the creation of lacunae that will be (partially) filled by other disciplines; and engagement with policy developments and professional practices that focus on 'family' as a core, institutionalized, idea. While repudiating the necessity (and indeed, pointing out the dangers) of providing any definitive answer to definitions of 'family', the paper calls for critical reflection on the implications of these conceptual moves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is little information on the mental health needs of adults with intellectual disability (ID) and autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Such evidence is much needed for the development of more effective mental health services for this group. The aim of this study is to compare adults with ID and ASD receiving specialist mental health services with participants without ASD. Data were collected from the anonymized case records of a clinic-based population in South East London. Health and social functioning were measured using the Health of the Nation Outcome Scale for people with Learning Disability (HoNOS-LD). A review of case records identified 371 service users in receipt of specialist mental health care who were eligible for the study. There were 117 people (32% of the sample) with a clinical diagnosis of ID and ASD. Participants with ASD were younger, more likely to be male, less likely to live independently and had more severe ID than those without ASD. Furthermore, those with ID and ASD were less likely to be diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder but had significantly higher scores on the HoNOS-LD (indicating lower health and social functioning) than those without ASD. A significant proportion of adults with ID who are in receipt of specialist mental health services also have a clinical diagnosis of ASD. This group has different mental health needs compared with those without ASD. The authors note the need for a more personalized approach to service delivery with a focus on improving social functioning and behavioral impairments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim. The aim of this paper is to report findings from a study investigating nurses’ experiences of strike in one public general hospital in the Republic of Ireland. Background. October 1999 heralded the first nationwide nurses strike in the Republic of Ireland. The strike reflected an international shift towards industrial action in a profession which had previously viewed such action as the antithesis of professional behaviour. Methods. A focused ethnographic approach studied a group of striking Registered Nurses, not as a culture per se, but as a collection of individuals sharing a common human experience. A purposive sampling approach identified eight information-rich cases from a modified quota structure. Semi-structured interviews were carried out immediately prior to, during and at the end of the 1999 strike. The participants also maintained journals which were explored during the interviews. Data were analysed using a constant comparative approach, seeking to achieve category saturation. Findings. Four strike versions were identified. The anticipatory version is constructed as an inevitable protest, the orientation version as history-making solidarity and the performing version as a job of work. The withdrawal version is constructed as a conspiracy from which nurses are excluded. These versions portray ongoing tension that is experienced between conflicting self-identities of Registered Nurses as nurses and as strikers. The analysis revealed strategies adopted to resolve tensions between these identities within the dimensions of carer, patient advocate, multidisciplinary team member and professional. Conclusions. Debate on such potentially contentious issues by individual nurses, hospital managers and union leaders may facilitate awareness and preparation in advance of any future industrial action. Strategies that may be helpful in the event of a strike include a prestrike orientation programme for the entire organization, a support system for staff during the strike and informal de-briefing among all staff in the context of a social gathering when the strike is over. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the corporate decision to reopen a closed copper mine. Differences between the project valuation approaches; Development of plausible forecast for copper prices; Effects of operating leverage and the behavior of copper prices.

Provides information on books on child psychology. Adoption: Theory, Policy and Practice,' by J. Triseliotis, J. Shireman and M. Hundleby; 'Racism and Child Protection: The Black Experience of Child Sexual Abuse,' by V. Jackson; 'Hearing the Internal Trauma: Working with Children and Adolescents Who Have Been Sexually Abused,' by S. Wieland.

The article reviews the book "Caring for the Physical and Mental Health of People with Learning Disabilities," edited by David Perry, Louise Hammond, and Geoff Marston.