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Unit 12 Health and Social Care Distinction
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A completed coursework unit at Distinction level.
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IntroductionAs a part of Unit 12 : Supporting Individuals with Additional Needs, I am required to
explore the various possible causes for additional needs, as well as a variety of
methods to overcome the challenges faced by those individuals with additional
needs. Furthermore, I will be exploring the current working practice in Health and
Social Care with respect to provisions in place for those with additional needs. It will
also be important for me to consider in this report, the varying debates over the
causes of conditions that cause additional needs such as the nature versus nature
debate, which considers the impact of genetic materials and environmental factors.
This Unit will help to provide specialist knowledge that can help to ensure service-
users with additional needs can be assisted in reaching their full potential by Health
and Social Care professionals. I will be developing my knowledge of varying
conditions that cause additional needs alongside how to manage them and promote
the wellbeing of service-users to ensure that they feel empowered and are able to
manage their needs or reduce the impact of their additional needs on their health,
wellbeing and lifestyle.
Learning Aim A requires me to examine diagnostic criteria and procedures for those
with additional needs, alongside comparing the additional needs of young people
and adults to help give an overview of reasons why additional needs may occur. For
Learning Aim B, I will be exploring how service-users with additional needs may
overcome challenges such as discrimination or social misjustice which may impact
their daily living experience. Learning Aim C requires investigation into current
practices with respect to provision for those with additional needs such as the
benefits of adaptations and support that may be provided to help reduce the
problems caused by a service-users additional needs.
Learning Aim A | Examine reasons why individuals may experience additional needs
A.P1 | Explain diagnostic procedures to determine additional needs for one
child and one adult with different additional needs.
The term additional needs is used to describe and indicate that a service-user
requires “extra support or services so that they can participate fully” (Australian
Department of Health, 2010) in activities and daily life. Having an additional need
results in a service-user typically having a harder time involving themselves in social
activities or completing daily tasks such as personal care due to having more
complex and specific needs than service-users without any further additional needs.
Service-users with additional needs typically require support to complete daily tasks
such as cooking, or writing, as they will have greater difficulty completing tasks due
to their needs.
A learning disability was previously known as a mental handicap or intellectual
disability, however after more research and service-users showing their discomfort
with the diagnosis of a mental handicap, the name of the diagnosis was changed to
a learning disability. A learning disability is “the presence of a significantly reduced
ability to understand new or complex information, to learn new skills (impaired
intelligence), with a reduced ability to cope independently (impaired social
functioning), which started before adulthood, with a lasting effect on development”
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,(NHS, 2018). A service-user who is considered to have a learning disability will
typically have a poorer cognitive function and therefore have less ability to
understand, learn, and complete various activities that service-users without a
learning disability would not struggle with. Furthermore, learning disabilities will
either be classified as mild, moderate, severe or profound depending on the impact it
has on an individual's life as well as the support required by health and social care
professionals.
A mild learning disability is defined as when an individual may be able to
communicate their needs, but may struggle to process or explain new information.
Therefore, they may require more time to fully understand complex ideas or may
need information to be repeated multiple times for them to be able to fully
understand it. A service-user with a mild learning disability may “usually able to hold
a conversation, and communicate most of their needs and wishes” (NHSGGC,
2019), they are often independent and will have basic skills to function in society,
however, due to the more minimal impact on their life, mild learning disabilities are
likely to go undiagnosed in individuals. Typically Dyslexia can be classed as a mild
learning disability as it has limited impact on an individual and allows them to remain
largely independent, however there can be severe cases of Dyslexia as all
individuals may experience the condition in different ways.
Service-users with a moderate learning disability are likely to have additional needs
compared to those without as they may have a larger struggle with language as well
as understanding new concepts. Individuals may “need some support with caring for
themselves, but many will be able to carry out day to day tasks with support”
(NHSGGC, 2019) and therefore will be able to maintain some of their independence
in their daily life. They may have slightly limited verbal communication and therefore
may need support from health and social care to find an effective way to
communicate their needs. For example, Autism may be a moderate learning
disability for certain individuals, however, as it is a spectrum, service-users will
experience different symptoms and severities of Autism despite having the same
diagnosis.
Individuals with a severe learning disability will have a variety of additional needs
and subsequently will require more support from health and social care services to
maintain their health and wellbeing. They will need a “high level of support”
(NHSGGC, 2019) to maintain their daily life, however, may be able to maintain
independence with regards to their personal care. Service-users with severe learning
disabilities may often struggle with areas other than their intellectual development as
they may have additional medical or mobility needs which must be considered by
health and social care professionals when working together. Severe learning
disabilities may include Down’s Syndrome as it can have both physical and mental
symptoms which would lead to an individual experiencing additional needs and
requiring a higher level of support due to their likely limited, or impaired, abilities.
Individuals often experience conditions differently and may often have different
additional needs that arise from their condition. For example, conditions such as
Autism are often seen as being on a spectrum and can therefore have various
impacts on each individual as some individuals may have difficulty getting a bus,
however others may have no problem, despite having the same condition and the
same severity of disability. Due to many individuals experiencing disabilities in
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,different ways, they will therefore require personalised care to ensure that all of their
needs are met and they are able to continue engaging in activities and remain as
independent as possible. Furthermore, one type of learning disability is not typically
generalised and therefore classed by its severity due to each individual experiencing
the disability in different ways and therefore having a varying level of severity due to
their personal experience.
A diagnosis can be defined as “a judgment about what a particular illness or problem
is, made after examining it” (Cambridge Dictionary, 2019) and is typically based on
the results of a diagnostic assessment which aims to highlight and identify any
problems or symptoms experienced by an individual. Symptoms are any subjective
evidence of disease which are used to identify and diagnose conditions to ensure
that service-users can receive adequate treatment to promote their health and
wellbeing. During a diagnostic assessment, an individual concerns will be identified,
their medical history and current living conditions may be assessed and they will
often received either a mental or physical examination to determine the nature of a
condition. Diagnostic procedures help to determine what type of illness/disability a
service-user may be experiencing and are created to summarise all areas of health
to ensure a holistic approach is provided and all possible causes are explored. After
a service-user has experienced a diagnostic assessment, a healthcare professional
will come to a conclusion with regards to their health and will be able to identify any
of their additional support needs that must be met. Many different disabilities will
have a slightly differing diagnostic assessment procedure that is specifically tested to
highlight any problems with regards to a certain condition such as Dyslexia.
If an individual is believed to have Dyslexia, an assessment will be arranged with a
qualified specialist teacher who has an Assessment Practice Certificate that allows
them to formally identify and diagnose Dyslexia. During the assessment, an
individual's “literacy and numeracy, as well as memory and processing skills,”
(Pearson, 2019) will be assessed to identify if there is an additional need and if there
is, in which area it has the most effect. As Dyslexia can have a wide range of
symptoms depending on the individual, often further tests with be ordered to
determine the level of additional support required by an individual and how services
should best provide that support. Furthermore, specialists may often become
involved to help identify strategies that can be put in place to best support individuals
and therefore allow them to feel confident and secure with their professional support.
However, a diagnostic procedure testing for Dyslexia may not identify Dyslexia as
the cause of symptoms but may identify that a problem has child with their vision or
hearing which will enable them to get the required support and adaptations such as a
hearing aid or glasses, which would reduce their symptoms. When an individual is
diagnosed with Dyslexia, there are no levels of severity that they are diagnosed with
and instead all cases of Dyslexia are put into the same category. There are no cures
for Dyslexia but in order to help individuals manage their Dyslexia, health and social
care professionals will support them to read and write in a way that meets their
needs. Causes of Dyslexia are unknown, however it is hereditary which suggests
that there is a genetic marker for the disorder that is passed on between
generations. As with most learning disabilities, there are a range of severities which
can also be dependent on how quickly it is diagnosed. To be able to diagnose health
conditions, professionals are required to have different qualifications and credentials
for each condition as each diagnosis will require different skills which can be
obtained by taking on further studies, such as a Postgraduate Diploma in Learning
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, Disabilities to diagnose Dyslexia.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is commonly identified by parents or
teachers due to the behaviours being easier to identify over long periods of time
spent with an individual. “A Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL/6-18) is used to
confirm diagnosis” (Pearson, 2016) by a Doctor or Psychologists with either a
relevant Medicine or Psychology degree, when an individual has displayed
symptoms over a long period of time and the condition is suspected by professionals
or the individuals family. For a Psychologist, they would need a degree in clinical
psychology in order to make a diagnosis. When a child between the ages of 6 and
18 is undergoing a diagnostic assessment, a marking scheme is used to rate and
plot the child’s behaviour over a certain period of time; this information contributes to
the decision made by specialists as to whether or not an individual has ADHD.
Diabetes can be diagnosed by either a Specialist or a Doctor and must be diagnosed
by measuring the blood glucose levels of an individual. In order to diagnose
Diabetes, an individual must have a degree in Medicine and be registered with the
GMC as a practicing Doctor. Commonly, a dipstick test is done which tests the
individuals urine for glucose before any other tests are completed, however, if the
dipstick test detects glucose then multiple blood tests will be run to determine the
blood glucose levels of an individual and therefore identify if the physiological
abnormalities are caused by Diabetes. Furthermore, once Diabetes has been
diagnosed, appropriate treatment can be recommended to ensure that an individual
is able to manage their own insulin levels and therefore maintain their own health
and wellbeing. Professionals would have used an initial dipstick test to identify where
his initial symptoms of Diabetes came from, allowing him to receive management
and care to meet any needs arising from the disorder.
Furthermore, Dyspraxia can cause an individual to have poor coordination and is
usually first identified by parents or teacher as they will spend time with the child
whilst they are completing activities that they are likely to struggle with. A diagnosis
is commonly made by a multidisciplinary team who will assess them using the Motor
ABC assessment method which tests their gross and fine motor skills and is
compared with developmental milestones to see if there are any delays present due
to the poor coordination. An individual will also have their mental ability assessed, as
well as their family medical history taken to exclude any other possible causes of the
symptoms.
“In 2013, the American Psychiatric Association released the fifth edition of its
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5)” (Autism Speaks,
2019) which is commonly used alongside the 10th edition of the International
Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) to diagnose disorders. The DSM identifies
certain criteria that an individual must meet in order to receive a diagnosis of a
mental disorder such as Autism. Both the ICD and DSM have lengthy criteria that an
individual must meet in order to be diagnosed with a certain condition which is often
why man individuals may go undiagnosed for many years, as they may meet the
majority of but not all diagnostic criteria. Diagnostic manuals such as the DSM are
frequently updated as new symptoms and conditions are identified as well as
professionals also sometimes wishing to simplify the criteria due to their previous
complexity. For example, the diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome was removed from
the DSM due to many professionals not believing that there was a distinct difference
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