A learning disability is a reduced intellectual ability that has an impact on a person’s day to
day living. It can also be associated with physical, social, sensory, psychological and
behavioural difficulties. It is important that people who experience these difficulties have the
right supports around them. In learning disability care, there are a range of therapeutic
supports that can be used to improve peoples quality of life, some of which include:
- Speech & Language Therapy
- Occupational Therapy
- Psychological Support
- Positive Behaviour Support (PBS)
While there are a range of therapies/supports available, it is important that these are
implemented on a person centred basis. The best type of support is multi-disciplinary, which
involves everyone working together to achieve the best outcomes for the person. At Bright
Futures, we value taking a person centred holistic approach to care which is why we utilise
specialist supports both internally and externally.
Communication – For people who experience communication difficulties, speech and
language therapy can be beneficial to enable people to communicate to the best of their
ability. This may include creating new ways of communicating through the use of
symbols, signing and/or communication aids. This results in giving people a voice to
express their wants or needs and helps with understanding others.
Sensory – For people who experience sensory difficulties, occupational therapy can be
beneficial to understand and meet peoples sensory needs. This results in people
accessing the right amount of sensory stimulation in order to feel regulated which can
help with engagement in day to day activities.
Psychological – For people who experience psychological difficulties, psychological
supports can be beneficial to give people a space to express their
thoughts/feelings/previous traumas. This results in people having an outlet for their
thoughts/feelings and being provided with supports/coping strategies to use.
Behaviour – For people who demonstrate behaviours of concern, a positive behaviour
support approach can be beneficial in order to understand the function of the behaviour
(i.e. what is the behaviour communicating). This results in supports being put in place to
reduce or eliminate triggers and teach people new ways to get their needs met.
In addition to the above therapeutic supports, it is also important that people have access to
the right medical professionals based on their needs. Assessment and treatment for any
physical health needs is an important factor to explore when looking at therapeutic supports
for a person. When all of the appropriate therapeutic supports are in place for a person, it
gives them the best possible opportunity to live a good quality of life.
At Bright Futures, we are passionate about ensuring that the people we support have access
to the tailored therapeutic support they need, in order to thrive within their homes and
communities. We achieve this by ensuring we have highly skilled professionals and staff teams around the people we support, who are best placed to meet their needs. We value the opportunity of working collaboratively with others in order to achieve our mission.
