Enrolments for 2020 have closed.
Understanding Complex and Challenging Needs
Postgraduate | LTU-DIS508 | 2020
Course information for 2020 intake
View information for 2021 course intakeBuild empathy for people with cognitive disabilities as you carve out an understanding of the aspects of life they may struggle with. Understand the challenging behaviours that they may show in the face of exclusion and how you can create change.
- Study method
- 100% online
- Assessments
- 100% online
- Entry requirements
- Part of a degree
- Duration
- 13 weeks
FEE-HELP available
Understanding Complex and Challenging Needs
About this subject
Note: This subject is a part of La Trobe University's Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma in Disability Practice, which will become available for application in Semester 2. Students who complete this subject in Semester 1 will be able to apply for credit towards these programs.
Upon successful completion of this subject, students should be able to:
- Critique the way in which 'complex and challenging needs' are understood within the context of disability practice.
- Appraise the evidence-base for the application of Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) to the needs of individuals with cognitive disability.
- Appraise the significance of different types of attachment in childhood, and how these are established, in order to understand the way adults approach relationships with others.
- Critically evaluate the three different types of organised adult attachment and disorganized attachment to understand their relevance for care relationships between people with intellectual disabilities who are challenging, and parents and staff.
- Critically appraise the concept of Psychologically-Informed Environments (PIE) and Trauma-Informed Care.
- Critically appraise and defend judgements about the contexts in which either positive behaviour support, attachment or the creation of Psychologically-Informed Environments (PIE) are likely to be effective, separately or in combination
- Attachment Theory
- Positive Behaviour Support
- Psychologically Informed Environments
The complex support needs of people with cognitive disabilities arise from interplay between multiple factors such as social disadvantage, poor physical and/or mental health, and impaired cognition and communication. Challenging behaviours are exhibited by many people with cognitive disability as a result of their complex support needs. Such behaviours often entail their exclusion from services or the imposition of restrictive practices. In this subject, students will explore behavioural and non-behavioural perspectives on understanding challenging behaviours, and both individual and systemic interventions to create change. Three principal research-based interventions are explored: Positive Behaviour Support, Attachment, and the creation of Psychologically-Informed Environments. Students will be encouraged to master each of these distinct approaches before trying to think about synthesis of these making judgements about which is most appropriate for a person in a particular context.
Support Plan Critique - Students to critique a plan and suggest recommendations to improve it.
Annotated Bibliography - Assessment will provide students with solid grounding in attachment through the review of published key works.
Comparative Essay - Essay requires students to compare behavioural approaches and explain environmental rather than individual interventions for challenging behaviour.
word online form posts - Students participate in moderated online fora throughout the semester (each worth 5%). These 'debates' draw upon case scenarios provided.- Support Plan Critique (2,000- word equivalent (40%)
- Annotated Bibliography (500-word equivalent) (10%)
- Comparative essay (1,500-word equivalent) (35%)
- 3 X 200 word online forum posts (600 word equivalent (15%)
For textbook details check your university's handbook, website or learning management system (LMS).
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Entry requirements
To enrol in this subject, you must be admitted into a degree.
Others
In order to enrol in this subject, students are required to apply to OUA's Postgraduate Single Subjects program (OUA-PSU-GCE).
https://www.open.edu.au/degrees/postgraduate-single-subjects-oua-oua-psu-gce?year=2019
Note: Students wishing to apply for either the Graduate Certificate or Graduate Diploma in Disability Practice based on the completion of postgraduate single subjects should familiarise themselves with La Trobe's advanced standing policy. A maximum of two (2) or four (4) subjects may be credited to the Graduate Certificate or Graduate Diploma programs, respectively.
https://www.latrobe.edu.au/students/getting-started/new-students/advanced-standing
Additional requirements
- Other requirements -
Class requirements:
1 x 10 hours unscheduled online class per week from week 31 to week 43
3 x 1 hour scheduled online class during semester, from week 31 to week 43
Study load
- 0.125 EFTSL
- This is in the range of 10 to 12 hours of study each week.
Equivalent full time study load (EFTSL) is one way to calculate your study load. One (1.0) EFTSL is equivalent to a full-time study load for one year.
Find out more information on Commonwealth Loans to understand what this means to your eligibility for financial support.