Findings on Intellectual Disability Reported by Investigators at University of Melbourne (Geographical Networks In the Divergence of Australian Positive Behavior Support Policy): Developmental Diseases and Conditions – Intellectual Disability

2021 NOV 24 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Mental Health News Daily -- Investigators publish new report on Developmental Diseases and Conditions - Intellectual Disability. According to news reporting originating in Parkville, Australia, by NewsRx journalists, research stated, “Positive behavior support (PBS) is an example of a disability policy that has gained international acceptance through its promotion as a means of improving personal outcomes, reducing restrictive practices, and upholding human rights. We take the situation of devolution of responsibility for restrictive practices in the Australian National Disability Insurance Scheme to examine how policies for PBS have diverged.”

Financial support for this research came from Australian Government Research Training Scholarship (RTS).

The news reporters obtained a quote from the research from the University of Melbourne, “We use references in PBS policies to study the influence of geography and interpersonal relationships in policymaking. Using a variety of network science methods, we explore what has led to the development of divergent PBS policy. The results show that only a small number of co-cited references were used, the majority of which are not PBS-specific, are not from Australia, and are not freely available online. Geographical patterns of reference use are evident, and brokers can be identified. This geographical divergence may have negative outcomes for people with disability, particularly those with ID who are at greater risk of not having their needs met.”

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: “The methodology can be applied internationally in a variety of policy contexts to demonstrate local influences on policy development and identify opportunities to strategically effect changes.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: Geographical Networks In the Divergence of Australian Positive Behavior Support Policy. Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, 2021. Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities can be contacted at: Wiley, 111 River St, Hoboken 07030-5774, NJ, USA. (Wiley-Blackwell - http://www.wiley.com/; Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities - http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1741-1130)

Our news correspondents report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Brent A. Hayward, University of Melbourne, Melbourne Graduate School of Education, Parkville, Vic 3010, Australia. Additional authors for this research include Lisa McKay-Brown and Shiralee Poed.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1111/jppi.12398. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

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