Age-Appropriateness: Enabler or Barrier to a Good Life for People with Profound Intellectual and Multiple Disabilities?

Autor/in	Forster, Sheridan
Titel	Age-Appropriateness: Enabler or Barrier to a Good Life for People with Profound Intellectual and Multiple Disabilities?
Quelle	In: Journal of Intellectual & Developmental Disability, 35 (2010) 2, S.129-131 (3 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1366-8250
DOI	10.3109/13668251003694606
Schlagwörter	Stellungnahme; Age; Multiple Disabilities; Quality of Life; Guidelines; Public Policy; Developmentally Appropriate Practices; Severe Mental Retardation; Severe Disabilities; Social Attitudes; Well Being; Civil Rights; Normalization (Disabilities); Adults + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Alter; Lebensalter; Multiple disability; Mehrfachbehinderung; Lebensqualität; Richtlinien; Öffentliche Ordnung; Entwicklungsbezogene Bildung; Severe disability; Schwerbehinderung; Social attidude; Soziale Einstellung; Well-being; Wellness; Wohlbefinden; Bürgerrechte; Grundrechte; Zivilrecht; Normalisierung
Abstract	The principle of age-appropriateness is widespread throughout government policy and nongovernment practice guidelines, but the exact meaning of the term is rarely defined. It is commonly assumed to mean activities and approaches commensurate with an individual's chronological age. Dress, furnishing, object selection, and the style of interactions, are all supposed to be age-appropriate, according to many policies. However, when this principle is applied to people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities (PIMD), the author argues that instead of promoting a good life (Reinders, 2002), the principle contributes to practices that compromise individuals' health, well-being, quality of life, and their human rights. The author believes that consistent with the principles of person-centredness, policies and practice guidelines affecting the lives of people with disability should be built on the needs and priorities of the target people, and in doing so the interests of individuals with PIMD should be seen as more important than creating acceptable facades of age-appropriateness. Forcing people to do meaningless activities in the name of passing for "normal" is not dignifying for the person, and can be construed as demeaning and tokenistic. Adults with PIMD should not have their life experiences limited or be "talked to just like babies," but each individual should be supported and spoken to in a way that is meaningful to him or her. (ERIC).
Anmerkungen	Informa Healthcare. Telephone House, 69-77 Paul Street, London, EC2A 4LQ, UK. Tel: 800-354-1420; e-mail: healthcare.enquiries@informa.com; Web site: http://informahealthcare.com/action/showJournals
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10