Overview

Self-injury is common in intellectual disability and has negative consequences for individuals and their families. In this teaching she will discuss the prominent associative learning account of self-injury. She will present data from large cross sectional and longitudinal survey studies alongside experimental studies to demonstrate the limitations of the current operant model and identify priority areas for assessment and intervention. An alternative risk-informed model of self-injury will be proposed, highlighting cognitive and affective mechanisms that underpin behaviour, extending the associative learning account to guide early intervention for individuals with intellectual disability.

Aims and Objectives

Join Caroline Richards, a Professor of Neurodevelopmental Conditions at the University of Birmingham and part of the Cerebra Network, as she presents in this webinar facilitated by the Great Ormond Street Learning Disability & Autism education team.

 Aims:

  • To understand and apply contemporary psychological models to the assessment and intervention of self-injury in children with intellectual disability

Learning Outcomes:

  • To understand and apply the operant model to self-injurious behaviour
  • To increase knowledge of clinical correlates of self-injury (pain, executive function, sleep) and how to assess these in children with intellectual disability To understand the need for early intervention in self-injury

Target Audience

All healthcare professional staff who look after children with learning disability and/or autism.