ABSTRACT
Models used with people without intellectual disabilities have mostly been adapted for use with this client group from work with non-disabled people. Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), in particular, has been used quite widely with people with less severe intellectual disabilities and especially with forensic populations for anger management and sexual offending. Taylor (2002) and Lindsay (1994, 1996, 2006) have been prolific in publishing data on the effectiveness of these approaches (see below). A lot of this work has been group-work. The recognition of early attachment problems is recognised but not always worked with directly. The intervention is at a cognitive level, while giving support for the need to encourage trust and trusting relationships. As there is no reported measure of emotional developmental stage, it is not possible to make a direct comparison but the expectation would be that the interventions that are effective are with people who are at least at the late rapprochement stage of development. The ability to learn, which is necessary for cognitive work, only comes with an internal state of knowing the self and being able to build on what is known.
