Abstract:
In the past two decades numerous programs have emerged to treat individuals with
developmental disabilities who have sexual offending behaviours. There has, however
been very few studies that systematically examine the effectiveness of long term
treatment with this population. The present research examines the therapeutic outcomes
of a multi-modal behaviour approach with six individuals with intellectual disabilities
previously charged with sexual assault. The participants also exhibited severe
behavioural challenges that included verbal aggression, physical aggression, destruction
and self-injury. These six participants (5 males, 1 female) were admitted to a Long Term
Residential Treatment Program (LTRTP), due to the severity of their behaviours and due
to their lack of treatment success in other programs. Individualized treatment plans
focused on the reduction of maladaptive behaviours and the enhancing of skills such as
positive coping strategies, socio-sexual knowledge, life skills, recreation and leisure
skills. The treatment program also included psychiatric, psychological, medical,
behavioural and educational interventions. The participants remained in the Long Term
Residential Treatment Program (LTRTP) program from 181 to 932 days (average of 1.5
years). Pre and post treatment evaluations were conducted using the following tools:
frequency of target behaviours, Psychopathology Inventory for Mentally Retarded Adults
(PIMRA), Emotional Problems Scale (EPS), Socio-Sexual Knowledge and Attitudes
Assessment Tool (SSKAAT-R) and Quality of Life Questionnaire (QOL-Q). Recidivism
rates and the need for re-hospitalization were also noted for each participant. By offering
high levels of individualized interventions, all six participants showed a 37 % rate of
reduction in maladaptive behaviours with zero to low rates of inappropriate sexualbehaviour, there were no psychiatric hospitalizations, and there was no recidivism for 5
of 6 participants. In addition, medication was reduced. Mental health scores on the
PIMRA were reduced across all participants by 25 % and scores on the Quality of Life
Questionnaire increased for all participants by an average of 72 %. These findings add to
and build upon the existing literature on long term treatment benefits for individuals with
a intellectual disability who sexually offend. By utilizing an individualized and multimodal
treatment approach to reduce severe behavioural challenges, not only can the
maladaptive behaviours be reduced, but adaptive behaviours can be increased, mental
health concerns can be managed, and overall quality of life can be improved.
