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Background: There have been limited theoretical developments with respect to sexual offending by people with intellectual disabilities [Lindsay (2005) Mental Retardation, Vol. 43, pp. 428-441], especially when compared with the development of theories for mainstream sexual offenders. This paper aims at examining a range of theories in their application to sexual offenders with an intellectual disability. Method and Results: Three levels of theory are discussed. These include multifactor theories, discussed in the light of a recent model proposed by Lindsay for sexual offenders with intellectual disabilities, as well as single-factor theories associated with socio-affective functioning and an offence process theory, the self-regulation model of relapse prevention. Finally, a recent theoretical development called the "integrated theory of sexual offending" (ITSO) is discussed and applied to sexual offenders with intellectual disabilities. This theory combines theories from all three levels in an effort to provide a comprehensive explanation of the aetiology and maintenance of sexual offending. Conclusion: Theories at all three levels, as well as the ITSO, appear to have relevance to sexual offenders with intellectual disabilities. Some tentative suggestions are made for future research to assist in the application of theory to this client group. It is argued that a more complete understanding of theory in relation to this client group will lead to the development of more effective intervention programmes.

Background: This paper investigates the efficacy of a treatment program for sexual offenders with special needs in comparison to treatment outcomes for mainstream sexual offenders. Follow-up data is also presented for the group of offenders with special needs. Method: Participants from the two groups were matched on four variables (risk category, sex of victim, type of offence and age). All participants completed an assessment battery pre- and post-treatment and the scores on these tests were analysed for each group. Change on these measures was also compared between the two groups. Follow-up data for the special needs cohort were collected from an offender database. Results: Overall, both groups made few significant changes on the tests post-treatment, however individual results demonstrated that some offenders in both groups had achieved reliable change. In comparing treatment results between the two groups, the sexual offenders with special needs differed only on progress relating to "avoidant" relationship styles. The results also indicated that social desirability bias played a significant role in self-report assessment for both groups. Follow-up data for the group with special needs identified that none of the offenders had committed further sexual offences, after an average release time of 16 months. Conclusions: There are a number of limitations to this study, particularly as a result of the experimental design and the small number of participants, and these should be considered as a major limitation on the conclusions drawn from the results. However, it is suggested that the program had some positive effects for some offenders, with little difference in progress detected between the two groups. Possible explanations for the varied outcomes are discussed. (Contains 6 tables.)

The need for specialized treatment programmes to address the specific requirements of different populations has been well recognized. One important area of treatment development has been for offenders who are unsuitable for existing mainstream treatment programmes. This paper describes the process of adapting an existing sexual offender treatment programme for use with sexual offenders who have special needs in an Australian correctional setting. The population comprised individuals with a variety of special needs including borderline or mild intellectual functioning, severe literacy problems, significant communication difficulties, and other important deficits and special needs. It should be noted that some of these special needs individuals would not meet the diagnostic criteria for intellectual disability and this programme is aimed at the broader group inclusive of a number of special needs. Therapeutic adaptations have been guided by current research and practice, and specific examples are described and discussed. The authors believe that these adaptations may also have some utility for mainstream sexual offender treatment programmes. Research into the efficacy of these treatment adaptations with this population is currently underway.

The self-regulation model of the relapse process (Ward & Hudson, 2000) has been developed and empirically validated on general sexual offender populations (Bickley & Beech, 2002), but not on specific sexual offender populations. This paper aims to investigate whether special needs offenders, as compared to mainstream sexual offenders, can be categorized into the offense pathways described in the model. In addition, this paper aims to evaluate the application of the self-regulation model in highlighting the treatment needs of the special needs group. Special needs sexual offenders are defined as a treatment population that includes individuals with lower functioning, limited social and communication skills, and literacy deficits. Participants were classified into the self-regulation model using a method developed by Bickley and Beech (2002). Demographic and offense information were collected and comparisons made between the special needs and mainstream groups. The results showed that the sexual offenders with special needs could be reliably classified into the offense pathways of the self-regulation model. The largest group of special needs offenders was in the approach-automatic group, followed by the approach-explicit group. The results indicated no significant differences in representation in the offense pathways between the special needs and mainstream sexual offenders. The results also indicate that the special needs group would benefit from a responsive approach to treatment, which incorporates appropriate treatment targets identified by the self-regulation model.

The adaptation of relapse prevention theory to sexual offending (W. D. Pithers, J. K. Marques, C. C. Gibat, & G. A. Marlatt, 1983) has represented an important movement in cognitive-behavioural treatment for sexual offenders. However, this model of relapse prevention has been criticised for its limited view and oversimplification of the relapse prevention process (R. K. Hanson, 2000; T. Ward & S. M. Hudson, 1996). As a result, T. Ward and S. M. Hudson (2000a) have developed a multiple pathway model of the relapse prevention process based on self-regulation theory. Although this model continues to be empirically validated on sexual offenders (J. A. Bickley & A. R. Beech, 2002; T. Ward, S. M. Hudson, & J. C. McCormick, 1999), there has been no empirical research regarding the application of this theory to intellectually disabled sexual offenders. This paper discusses whether the characteristics of offenders in each of the relapse offence pathways, as described by T. Ward and S. M. Hudson (2000a), may be similar to the characteristics of intellectually disabled sexual offenders. From a review of the literature, it appears that the intellectually disabled sexual offender may be most likely to offend via the approach-automatic pathway or the avoidant-passive pathway. The potential treatment implications of the self-regulation model for intellectually disabled sexual offenders is discussed, as well as the need for empirical evaluation with regards to the application of this model to the intellectually disabled sexual offender population.