Research - Faculty of the Psychiatry of Learning Disability

Research articles

 

Faculty of the psychiatry of learning disabilityLearning Disability Research at the University of Cambridge

 

The Learning Disabilities Research Group is part of the Section of Developmental Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge.It was formally established in 2002 with the award of a substantial grant to the University by the Health Foundation to establish a Chair in Learning Disabilities. This is held by Tony Holland.

 

The research group is interdisciplinary and includes senior academics in the disciplines of:

 

  • psychiatry (Tony Holland and Howard Ring),
  • psychology (Isabel Clare),
  • sociology (Marcus Redley).

 

As part of this academic development a post in molecular biology was funded initially at the Babraham Institute, Cambridge but has now moved to the University of Cardiff. This is held by Anthony Isles.

 

The Group undertakes four main areas of research which is summarised on this website. It has close academic links with other disciplines at both the University of Cambridge and at other academic centres. Its PhD students come from a range of disciplines including psychology, psychiatry, molecular biology, geography, sociology and social anthropology.

 

 

 

Research reading list

 

Reading list for learning disability psychiatryCAMDEX-DS Published by Cambridge University Press

 

The CAMDEX-DS has been developed by the Learning Disabilities Research Group at the University of Cambridge as part of a programme of research on Down’s syndrome and dementia. It is designed to facilitate the diagnosis of dementia in people with Down’s syndrome or in others with pre-existing intellectual disabilities for reasons other than that of Down’s syndrome. It is a modification of the Cambridge Assessment for Mental Disorders in The Elderly and comprises of four sections.

 

  • First, a structured informant interview that asks about function in those domains that are known to deteriorate with the development of dementia (memory, general mental functional, skills, personality etc) and where problems are noted specifically asks whether such dysfunction is long-standing or of more recent onset. This allows a reliable judgement to be made about the presence or not of functional decline sufficient to meet criteria for dementia.
  • Secondly, it includes the CAMCOG-DS, a neuropsychological assessment, to enable a profile of neuropsychological function to be established that can be monitored over time and can inform both diagnosis and support.
  • Thirdly, the CAMDEX-DS includes a summary of the various criteria for the diagnosis of dementia and other mental disorders and guidance on investigations.
  • Finally, it includes summary advice about strategies that might be used to support people with dementia.

 

Diagnoses made using the CAMDEX-DS have been found to be both valid and reliable (Ball, S.L., Holland, A.J., Huppert, F.A., Treppner, P., Watson, P., Hon, J. (2004) The modified CAMDEX informant interview is a valid and reliable tool for use in the diagnosis of dementia in adults with Down’s syndrome.  JIDR, 48(6):611-620). For further information please go to the website.

 

 

Back to homepage
© 2011 Royal College of Psychiatrists