ADRAN GYMREIG

News from Wales WELSH DIVISION

Home training for pre-school handicapped children - THE PORTAGE PROJECT

The Portage Project provides a way of helping parents of pre-school handicapped children to play a major part in their child’s early education. “A home teacher” visits each parent and child for Qne and a half hours each week. Parent and “teacher” together set training goals using a developmental check list and a set of matching cards containing suggestions for teaching each skill. The parent then spends a few minutes each day teaching the skill to the child and recording the results. Progress is reviewed at the next weekly visit and new or revised goals set.

The scheme recognises parents as the major resource in the education of pre-school children and provides them with practical help and support from birth onwards. No child is excluded because of the severity of his handicap and results indicate that the socio-economic and educational or intellectual level of the parents, are not limiting factors.

Staff of the Portage Project will be presenting a one-day conference - which will give a general explanation and will be open to a multidisciplinary audience - followed by a three-day workshop - for staff already involved in work with parents and handicapped children at home - in Cardiff during the week beginning 10th May, 1976. The event will be organised jointly by the Welsh Division of the Institute of Mental Subnormality and the Mental Handicap in Wales Applied Research Unit. I t is likely to be of interest to those working within health, social services or education authorities. Further details will be circulated by IMS as soon as they are available.

CONFERENCE REPORT BEHAVIOUR MODIFICATION

A one day conference was held on 31st October, 1975 at Ely Hospital, Cardiff. Following the International Workshops on Behaviour Modification in Wales at Bangor in 1973, and at Cardiff in 1974, it was felt that many people who had received an introduction to the subject wanted an opportunity to discuss ongoing programmes of training at a practical level.

Mr. C. E. Gathercole, Principal Psychologist, Bryn- y-Neuadd Hospital, Llanfairfechan, introduced the present stage of development and described the wide range of applications in individual training, ward management, classroom management, child rearing, designing living environments for old people, and infant day care centres, as well as for mentally handicapped people, delinquents, and others. He demonstrated the need for effective training pro- cedures, stating that the criteria for which were that they should:-

1. Be quick. 2. Produce change which is maintained when

training is completed.

3. Be economical. 4.

5. Research has now developed many effective

practical procedures for helping people. Mr. Gathercole described the key features of behaviour modification as being: careful and systematic observation, recording and measurement of behaviour, a detailed functional analysis to find out what is affecting the behaviour, detailed task analysis and careful definition of the targets for training. He discussed the role of the psychologist as being a filter through which research findings could be passed on to others working directly with clients and stated that the psychologist is therefore only involved in individual work for the purpose of developing or testing new procedures, or for demonstrating training procedures in the teaching of staff and parents.

Mr. D. Crawford, Senior Nursing Officer at Lea Hospital, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, then spoke about the Joint Board of Clinical Nursing Studies’ full time course for registered nurses in behaviour modification with the mentally handicapped. He stated that it was the first and, as yet, the only nationally recognised course of any kind in behaviour modification and lasted 6 months. He outlined the

Produce fewest side effects or unwanted problems. Be socially and ethically acceptable.

aims of the course, the main academic components and the practical placements, which included attach- ment to an observation and language training unit, a behavioural assessment unit, an adult token economy ward, a children’s token economy and a community service providing parent training with home visits, as well as a 6 week placement back in the seconding hospital.

The running of the course had placed a considerable strain, in terms of time, on the professional staff involved and the conclusion had been reached that there was a need for a full time nursing co-ordinator for the course attached to the Nurse Education Division, up to 2 clinical psychologists solely concerned with the course, depending on its length, and a full time secre- tary. It was also felt that the course aims, as defined by the Joint Board of Clinical Nursing Studies, were very high and would require a longer training period. Students and seconding hospitals may have had unrealistic expectations of the skills acquired by the end of the course.

Mr. Roger Blunden, the Director of the recently formed Unit for Research into Services for the Mentally Handicapped in Wales, spoke about some of the difficulties in getting training going and keeping it going. He described a management approach to analysing performance problems and setting goals for trainers. Administrators concerned with behaviour modification should ensure that the following questions are asked and answered: What are the conditions for successfully carrying out the proposed programme of training? Who is to carry it out? What are they

going to do? How will you know when the training has been done? What are the consequences to the trainers of carrying out the programme?

He stated that people often complain of several difficulties. A frequent complaint is that they cannot get started and a number of reasons for this may be given. For instance, the administrator should ask: how much time is needed for the training? who must co-operate and support it? what materials are needed etc.? Another complaint is that the programme does not last. Analysis is required to pinpoint what is needed to maintain the programme. Training may also come to a halt when the client makes no progress, when complaints are made about the ethical accept- ability of the training and when the newly acquired behaviour is not maintained outside the training situation. Suggestions were made as to how each of these problems could be overcome.

I t became apparent that the administrative back-up for training is as vital to success as the quality of staff training.

In the afternoon the participants visited the children’s unit and an adult token economy ward at Ely Hospital. Then they met in discussion groups to share experiences and problems. The major conclusion from the discussion was that there is a very large number of professionals trying to introduce behaviour modification techniques with the mentally handi- capped, who are seeking practical training for themselves, but many of whom are having to struggle along, often with little or no guidance.

Divisional Programme (Wales) 1976 Conferences The Dyfed Experiment

Dyfed. South Pembrokeshire Hospital, Pembroke Dock,

Wednesday, 10th March, 1976. Numbers limited to 33 ticket holders. Tickets will

Fees: Members I.M.S. E2.25. Non-members €2.75. be issued in strict order on receipt of applications.

Industrial Therapy Newtown Training Centre, Pool Road, Newtown,

Tuesday, 4th May, 1976. Numbers limited to 40 ticket holders. Tickets will

Fees: Members I.M.S, E2.25. Non-members g2.75.

Powys.

be issued in strict order on receipt of applications.

Teaching, training and treatment - the clinical responsibilities

Glamorgan. Ely Hospital, Cowbridge Road, Cardiff , South

Wednesday, 22nd September, 1976. Fees: Members I.M.S. €2.25. Non-members €2.75.

The sheltered community

Glamorgan. Hensol Castle Hospital, Pont-y-Clun, Mid-

Friday, 26th November, 1976. Fees: Members I.M.S. €2.25. Non-members g2.75.

Courses Home training for pre-school handicapped children - the Portage Project

See opposite.

Rehabilitation of the disabled Residential course at Gregynog, Tregynon, New-

town, Powys. Organised jointly with the University College of North Wales.

Monday, 21st - Wednesday, 23rd June, 1976.

Further information from the Secretary, Institute of Mental Subnormality, Wolverhampton Road, Kidder- minster, Worcestershire, DYlO 3PP.

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