Participation in the 2019 IASSIDD World Congress provides a unique opportunity for Amerpoort to exchange knowledge and experiences at an international level. In this brochure you will find more information about the three IASSIDD-presentations of Amerpoort:
Meaningful mometns of contact
Wieneke Penninga MSc, science practitioner & child psychologist
This PhD project focuses on the quality of contact between persons with Profound Intellectual Multiple Disabilities (PI(M)D) and their professional caregivers. The project is a collaboration of Tranzo (Tilburg University) and Amerpoort and supervised by prof. dr. Petri Embregts (Tranzo).
The aim of this PhD-project is to identify indicators of high-quality interactions and meaningful service delivery that might extend beyond observable cues. Our hypothesis is that meaningful service delivery (also) takes place on a subconscious/intuitive level.
The results of this project will be shared with professional caregivers to support them in initiating meaningful moments of contact with the persons they support.
Loss and grief
Marjon Verboom MA, staff member and researcher
Effective grief support enhances the quality of life of people with intellectual disabilities. Among staff, there is a need for training in practical skills and strategies for supporting people with intellectual disabilities who have suffered loss and bereavement.
At Amerpoort, this prompted the development of the Grief Cube and the Loss and Grief Training Course in cooperation with service users, relatives of service users and staff members. The Grief Cube is a practical tool to help people with ID and their carers to communicate about loss, bereavement and grief. Based on our research, we expect the Grief Cube to offer multiple benefits to staff providing grief support. The Loss and Grief Training Course was developed to provide staff with the tools they need. Currently, a study is being conducted to measure the change in staff self-efficacy before and after this training course.
Adolescence
Harriët Schoenmakers MA, behavioral scientist
My work as a behavioral scientist at a day care centre for children with PIMD has aroused my interest in their adolescence. This is the reason why I conducted research in collaboration with my colleagues and have written a book on this subject.
Adolescence in people with PIMD for many years has been an underexposed theme. This research was prompted by the assumption that paying attention to adolescence among young people with PIMD is just as important as it is among adolescents without disabilities. Important core themes were: body and sexuality, behaviour and emotions, development, available activities, parents and family, network and society.
Because the young person with PIMD is often dependent on other people, it is our task to enable them to actually be an adolescent. It is important that we should pay more attention to this period, the changes that take place in it and their implications for the parent.