Caregiver-mediated therapy for an adult with visual and intellectual impairment suffering from separation anxiety.
For adults with ID and visual loss, caregiver coaching plus phone support beats tech alone for calming separation anxiety.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team worked with one adult who had both intellectual disability and visual impairment.
The adult sent many anxious text messages when left alone.
Researchers added caregiver coaching to a phone-based program called TTSA.
They compared days with tech alone to days with tech plus coaching.
What they found
Challenging acts and upset texts dropped sharply when the caregiver joined the plan.
Technology by itself helped a little, but coaching made the big change.
How this fits with other research
Fabbretti et al. (1997) showed staff training cuts aggression in a group home for adults with ID.
The new study moves that idea into the family home and adds phones.
Shingleton‐Smith et al. (2024) later used telehealth to coach parents of toddlers at risk for autism.
Both papers show the same theme: when you train the caregiver, gains last.
Williams et al. (2023) warns that caregiver slips can return when problem behavior comes back.
The 2015 paper heads off that risk by keeping the caregiver in the loop from day one.
Why it matters
If you serve adults with dual diagnosis, loop the caregiver in early.
A few short coaching sessions can turn a mild tech aid into a strong treatment.
Try adding live caregiver practice to any app or device you already use for anxiety.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Separation anxiety among intellectually disabled (ID) persons with comorbid visual impairment could be rooted in a weak sense of person permanence. Technology-assisted Therapy for Separation Anxiety (TTSA) was used to address this problem. AIMS: The primary aim was to determine whether technology alone or including caregivers was the best option, and whether TTSA decreased separation anxiety and challenging behaviour. Also, how the caregivers and the client experienced TTSA. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: A pre-experimental, quantitative approach (AB1C1B2C2D) was used for this single-subject study. The frequency of the client's text messages was recorded daily. The variables were monitored with standardised instruments and caregivers rated the intensity and frequency of the client's anxious and challenging behaviour. The social validity was evaluated by means of questionnaires. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: There was a significant decrease in the anxious and angry messages sent, and in anxious and challenging behaviour, in the phase in which the caregivers were included, compared with the phase in which technology alone was used. The client and the caregivers were positive about TTSA. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATION: Technology and the caregivers reactions reduces the anxiety and challenging behaviour. It might also aid the acquisition of the concept of person permanence.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2015 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2015.08.005