Climent Giné

Repensar la atención temprana: propuestas para un desarrollo futuro

Resumen La atención temprana es una realidad suficientemente consolidada en España después de treinta años de trabajo con familias y niños con trastornos del desarrollo o riesgo de padecerlos. Este artículo supone una reflexión en torno a las prácticas profesionales que tienen lugar en los centros de atención temprana de nuestro país y los principios teóricos que les dan cobertura, con la finalidad de realizar algunas propuestas de futuro. En este sentido, se subraya y se reivindica la necesidad de adoptar un enfoque centrado en la familia, en la misma línea que ya se inició hace unos años con la publicación del Libro Blanco de la Atención Temprana. La adopción progresiva de este enfoque por parte de los profesionales contribuiría a mejorar algunos de los puntos débiles que todavía hoy presenta la atención temprana en nuestro país.

Questions about Behavioral Function (QABF): adaptation and validation of the Spanish version

People with intellectual disabilities (ID) often engage in problem behaviors, such as verbal or physical aggression, property destruction, or self-injury. These behaviors become a challenge for the families and for professionals. Functional behavioral assessment (FBA) is a method used to identify variables that influence or maintain challenging behaviors (CB) and aid in the development of intervention plans. Two major concerns of FBA are that it is time-consuming and requires specialized professionals to interpret data from the natural or experimental environment. Therefore, indirect FBA methods can be used as an alternative. An instrument with excellent psychometric properties that aims to identify the function of behavior is the Questions About Behavioral Function (QABF). This study presents the adaptation of the QABF in Spain. Data from 300 participants with ID and 328 behavioral problems were obtained. An exploratory factor analysis was conducted to identify the components of the QABF, and the test-retest reliability was assessed to evaluate the stability of the QABF over time.

Early Intervention in Spain: Some Directions for Future Development

This article presents an overview of the state of early intervention in Spain after 30 years of work with families and children with developmental disorders or at risk of suffering from such disorders. The organisation and conceptual base of early intervention in Spain have gradually evolved over the past few decades. This field is still in the midst of a transformation process, moving toward an intervention model that is more family-focused and more integrated into the communitys services network. However, administrative, financial, and professional training difficulties still remain. This emerging intervention model is described in detail in this article and, as much as possible, illustrated within the framework of the Developmental Systems Model put forward by Guralnick. Results of a pilot study at 4 early intervention centres in Catalonia (Spain) are discussed, including the current state of early intervention and needed improvements. Further discussion of progress in the field of early intervention in Spain and future directions follows.

Antecedent events as predictive variables for behavioral function

Challenging behavior is one of the largest barriers to ensuring that people with intellectual disabilities (ID) are able to participate in the community. These difficulties have become one of the main causes of social exclusion. The research into and treatment of challenging behavior has usually involved the identification of its function and the manipulation of the events or environmental conditions that influence its occurrence (antecedent variables). The present research explores the relationship between antecedents and behavioral function and the extent to which antecedent variables may act as predictors of behavioral function. This relationship is explored using two standardized instruments: Questions About Behavioral Function and Contextual Assessment Inventory. Data from the validation of these instruments for the Spanish population involved 300 participants with ID and 328 challenging behaviors. The results suggest that social/cultural variables are most related to challenging behavior, whereas biological variables seem to only be related to physically maintained behavior.

Estudio piloto para la elaboración de un Cuestionario para la evaluacion de hábitos y necesidades de apoyo para la actividad física en personas con discapacidad intelectual

Resumen es: Las personas con discapacidad intelectual presentan necesidades de apoyo extraordinarias para realizar practicas de actividad fisica que tengan un impact...

Quality of Life of the Families of People with Intellectual Disability in Spain

The object of this research is to build up a picture of what families with children with intellectual disability in Spain understand by quality of life and, on this basis, draw up a scale specially focusing on adults (over 18) that will furnish information on the support required by these families and so allow us to promote the necessary resources from the organizations and the different administrations.

Functional variables of challenging behavior in individuals with intellectual disabilities

Research suggests that different types of challenging behavior (CB) may be maintained by different contingencies of reinforcement. In this study, we examined functional variables for nine types of CB (physical aggression, verbal aggression, self-injury, tantrums, non-compliance, property destruction, disruptive behavior, stereotypes and inappropriate verbal behavior) in 300 people with intellectual disabilities. The Questions About Behavioral Function (QABF) instrument was administered to 183 direct care staff members to assess a total of 328 challenging behaviors. Results of non-parametric analyses distinguished significant differences across behavioral functions. CBs associated with each subscale of the QABF were identified. Results were consistent with previous research, stereotypic behavior was scored significantly higher across the non-social functions measured by the QABF, whereas other types of CB (such as aggressive behavior) were scored significantly higher across social functions. The results of this study extend the literature on this issue, and implications for future research and direct care professionals are discussed.

La educación del control de esfínteres: Una experiencia con deficientes mentales en el Jardín de Infancia

ResumenA inicios del curso 1977–1978, nos planteamos el diseno de un programa encaminada a lograr el control diurno de esfinteres en un grupo de deficientes mentales medios y severos, cuyas edades se aproximaban a los 3 anos, convencidos de la importancia de la adquisicion de esta habilidad en el desarrollo y proceso de socializacion de todo nino.La hipotesis que sustenta el trabajo es de que, con un entrenamiento adecuado podriamos asegurar el logro del objetivo.Los datos obtenidos en los cursos 1977–78, 1978–79 y 1979–80, confirman la hipotesis y nos animan a difundir nuestra experiencia la cual ha sido llevada a cabo en grupo, como una actividad mas, en el marco de nuestro Jardin de Infancia.