Learning Disabilities

Learning Disability Occupational Therapists Stella Smith and Hayley Wilson are now offering sensory yoga training workshops for carers and parents as an intervention for individuals with learning disabilities who have sensory integration difficulties or who have experienced trauma. The occupational therapists are trained Sensory Integration Practitioners who have utilised their own continued professional development training in Sensory Enhanced Yoga for Trauma Healing and Emotional Regulation, Special Yoga for Learning Disabilities, and Special Yoga for Adults with Autism to deliver these interactive workshops. The aim of the training for parents and carers is as follows:

• To understand the different sensory systems and how yoga can support them
• To gain confidence at a foundation level with adapted yoga poses, breathing practices, and mindfulness exercises which can be used to support body awareness, gross motor skill development, emotional regulation, and mental wellbeing for the adults they support.

They are hoping to be able to offer a rolling programme for parents and carers to be able to continue to build on their skills following their initial attendance to the workshops. Feedback so far has been extremely positive.

Paul Moloney, David Dobel-Ober and Sarah Millichap have been using the internet to sustain a 'Psychology in the Real World' group for men with learning disabilities. An account of their work is published on The British Psychological Society website.

Reflections on running a community-based group for men with learning disabilities online, during the pandemic published in the British Journal of Learning Disabilities.

Today was great meeting you couldn't have sent a better person. X met with (Service User) and staff and we went through everything. X has arranged to come out in May again which is great - Many thanks.

Psychology sessions described as “fantastic”, “very professional”, “ approachable”. The family carer found the sessions extremely useful and has embedded the advice given in his daily life. The family are very grateful for the service offered which they believe have helped their son and prevented him from “getting in trouble“

Care provider expressing gratitude for the training and ongoing support. You and the team have been incredibly knowledgeable and dealt with the needs of the service user and we as a team have benefitted greatly from this collaborative working. Please pass on our gratitude to your team, and we would hope that we continue to work with you and the team now and in the future.

You are amazing. Thank you.

She is challenging to support on many levels and as a family we appreciate what the team do for her.

The latest LD MHN has provided great support & advice to me so I can support my daughter.

Thanks expressed for X hard work and support around a service user. “The level of detailed information you and your team have provided, alongside your proactive and prompt responses have undoubtedly aided the process and allowed us to offer a holistic approach to the person. Whilst we still have a way to go with this case, I don’t think we would be at this stage without you, so thank you again”.

I am writing to thank you for your membership of the Committee for NICE guidance on Social Work with Adults Experiencing Complex Needs. Your commitment, enthusiasm and hard work have been valuable to the development of this guidance. The guideline has now been published on the NICE website. We would be grateful for your continued support in implementing the guideline and look forward to working with you again in the future.

Congratulations to Diane Goodwin (Clinical Team Lead of the South Staffordshire Community Learning Disability Team) who attended her graduation ceremony this week to collect her Level 5 Apprenticeship in Operational and Departmental Management award.

The Intensive Support Team Stafford has won the Julie Reed Award for the best Learning Disabilities nursing placement for the last academic year. The Intensive Support Team were nominated by students from Wolverhampton University.

The event was hosted by the University of Wolverhampton on Thursday 22 June 2023.

Three of our staff (Louise Bellamy, Kate Palmer, and Laura Bramley) were presented with certificates to say 'Thank you'.

The first was to the Learning Disability Team Shropshire for the support being given to their student nurses.

The second was for Kate and Louise for single nominations following the student nurses submitting positive testimonies to the University about their personal support to them.