Understanding Special Needs

CONTENTS

1. Introduction

2. Case Study

a. Background

b. The Centre

c. Typical Day

d. Person Centred Planning

e. Michael - Autism

3. Conclusion

4. References

1. Introduction

In this assignment I am going to describe my visit to an adult special needs centre. I plan to explain their mission statement, the resources they have and what the staff ratios are. I will also be explaining what legislation is used within the centre. Included in this assignment is a questioner that I completed with the key worker and the manager.

I will be outlining my visit to the centre including all of my personal experiences and feelings. I met with both a key worker and the manager of the centre. The manager gave me an extensive tour and introduced me to many of the service users and the other key workers.

St Michaels house is a facility which uses Person centred planning. This is a collection of tools and approaches based upon a set of shared values that can be used to plan with a person, not for them . These tools can be used to help the person think about what is important in their lives now and also to think about what would make a good future. Planning should build the person's circle of support and involve all the people who are important in that person's life.

The centre focuses mainly on John O'Briens five Accomplishments of Normalisation

Community Presence, this is the right to take part in community life and to live and spend leisure time with other members of the community. Relationships, this is the right to experience valued relationships with non-disabled people. Choice, this is The right to make choices, both large and small, in one's life. These include choices about where to live and with whom to live. Competence, this is The right to learn new skill and participate in meaningful activities with whatever assistance is required. Respect, this is The right to be valued and not treated as a second-class citizen.

Their mission statement is as follows "St Michael's House is committed to providing an environment where people with learning difficulties will be educated will work and participate in leisure activities in community settings and will enjoy experiences, opportunities and lifestyle similar to their peers".

2. Case Study

a.Background

My visit to the centre took place on the 8th February 2011. It is a registered charity and company limited. All activity and income is applied solely towards the provision of services and supports for people with an intellectual disability.

This centre was founded on the 2nd June 1955. It started out as a small day school and then the organisation began to develop new and innovative day and residential services, which were guided by best international practice and the belief that people with intellectual disabilities are full and equal members of society.

Today the centre provides services for 1,585 children and adults with an intellectual disability and their families in the Greater Dublin Area.

The centre works from the Social Model even though most of the service users would have initially being diagnosed under the medical model. The socal model basically means that it is society that disables people with impairments by the way in which it is organised and by the conventions and priorities it displays. The social view or model of disability argues that disability is a direct consequence of people's attitudes and the way things are organised, integration and inclusion The medical model tends to individualise disability issues and generally does not question how society treats its disabled citizens. Disability itself is seen to be the problem and the approach is taken that disability can be 'solved' by medical or rehabilitative action The model suggests that a cure will solve the problems and, when this is not possible; the strategy will be to provide care. This approach places the problem on the individual rather than on the way services are planned and organised.

b. The Centre

I choose this particular centre because it was close to the college and if I needed to make two separate appointments it would make it easily associable. This centre is open from 9am - 4pm Monday to Friday.

I also choose this centre because it's a centre for adults with a huge variety of special needs and that currently interests me. There is currently 12 service users. It is set in grounds with a limited outdoor area.

The unit itself comprises of a TV room, a large dinner/kitchen room, a shower room, two toilets, a therapy room, landing and a single office. There are currently five full time day care service users. It is nicely decorated, the TV room had lots of books, a nice comfortable couch and a large plasma TV on the wall. There are other visual tools on the coffee tables around the couches. The day / dinner room was really large. There was a fully functional kitchen and tables and chairs. This room was really bright and airy. The manager explained that there used to be bars on all the windows but these have since been taken down. While I was on my visit the hairdresser was there and a lady was getting a blow dry. I loved this sense of looking after themselves and it showed beisteks model of individualisation. In the therapy room there was a therapist in giving whatever treatments they needed. I thought this was brilliant, the women in the centre were delighted with their lip and eyebrow waxes. There was no bad smells or atmosphere.

All the service users were in good form and all fascinated that I was there. They were deeply intrigued by me and they thought I was a new member of staff. The youngest in the centre is 24 and the oldest is 46. There are three full time and 2 part time staff. Some of the service users in this centre have behavioural problems and can get very aggressive at times. This can be difficult at times as you may need more than one keyworker to ensure nobody gets hurt. The types of needs that are in this centre are mainly service users with Down syndrome, autism, mental and physical disability. By enlarge most of these service users have one or more of these disabilities.

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