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Item does not contain fulltext Aim: There is a need for interventions to improve the sense of competence in youth with Mild to Borderline Intellectual Disabilities (MBID). We will briefly demonstrate the online intervention Change Your Mindset (CYM) that teaches youth an incremental theory in which abilities are conceptualized as improvable. To test whether youth have a fixed or growth mindset we developed the Change Beliefs Questionnaire (CBQ). Change beliefs are the primary outcome of the CYM intervention. Method: We will examine the CBQ in a group of 60 adolescents (12-18 years) with MBID, all attending a special school for students with learning disabilities. We will test the reliability and construct validity by using Cronbach’s alpha and factor analysis. Furthermore, we will examine convergent validity by correlation analysis including data concerning youth’s empowerment, coping strategies and persistence. Data is currently being collected. Results: We hypothesise that the CBQ has satisfactory reliability and we expect that youth with a growth mindset feel more empowered, use more positive coping strategies and show greater persistence compared to youth with a fixed mindset. Conclusion: This study will demonstrate whether the CBQ is a reliable and valid instrument to measure change beliefs in a group of adolescents with MBID. 1 p.

Contains fulltext : 158386.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Closed access) Aim: A therapeutic climate is important so that clients can optimally develop themselves. In a treatment facility for adults with mild intellectual disability and severe challenging behavior we assessed clients’ experiences of therapeutic climate in relation to their internalizing and externalizing behavior. Method: A sample of N = 57 clients was recruited for the study. The majority (79%) were male with a mean age of 34.5 years and mean IQ score of 63. Clients filled out the Therapeutic Climate Questionnaire. Staff reported on clients’ behavior using the Adult Behavior Checklist. Results: Clients reported moderate levels of therapeutic climate concerning the elements support, growth, repression and atmosphere. Therapeutic climate varies between group homes ranging from low to high levels. In addition, 87% of the clients had a borderline or clinical score regarding internalizing and externalizing problems. Using correlational analysis we found that higher levels of repression and lower levels of atmosphere were related to higher levels of internalizing and externalizing problems. Conclusion: Therapeutic climate and internalizing and externalizing problems are related in a sample of adults with mild intellectual disability and severe challenging. Based on the results the facility is working on improving the therapeutic climate. 1 p.

Contains fulltext : 158382.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Closed access) Aim: There is a need for service providers to gain insight into the implementation of a Strength-Based Approach (SBA) in clinical practice. Key elements of SBA are the focus on clients’ wishes, strengths, capacities and on positive behavioral interventions in client support plans and in staff’s SBA attitudes and knowledge. Method: We developed and tested the Quickscan Strength-Based Approach (Q-SBA), a survey instrument that measures the implementation of SBA in group homes. The Q-SBA examines client support plans, and staff’s SBA attitudes and knowledge were assessed in interviews and questionnaires. Results: Analyses showed that the Q-SBA is a reliable and valid instrument to measure SBA in group homes. Overall, SBA implementation scores in client support plans, and staff’s SBA attitudes and knowledge in interviews and questionnaires are positively related to each other. Furthermore, staff members score higher on SBA attitudes and knowledge compared to integrating SBA elements into client support plans. Conclusion: The Q-SBA is a useful tool to measure the level of the SBA provided in group homes and to provide feedback for clinical practice to help improve the implementation of SBA, for instance using coaching on the job. 1 p.