Course Title: Dual Disability

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Dual Disability

Credit Points: 12

Course Code	Campus	Career	School	Learning Mode	Teaching Period(s)
HWSS1088	Bundoora Campus	Postgraduate	150H Health Sciences	Face-to-Face	Sem 2 2009

Course Coordinator: Trevor Skerry

Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 9925 6658

Course Coordinator Email:trevor.skerry@rmit.edu.au

Course Coordinator Location: 201.3.07

Course Coordinator Availability: please email for an appointment

Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

Students must have completed a 3 year undergraduate degree in Disability or a related field of study

Course Description

This is an Honours and Postgraduate level course.

This subject will provide in depth information about the psychiatric disorders which affect not only the general population but also people with an intellectual disability. This will include schizophrenia, depressive disorders and obsessive compulsive disorders. The classification system of the DSM 4 will be examined as well as the issues surrounding diagnostic difficulties in people with an intellectual disability.

^Approaches to the treatment of a range of psychiatric disorders in the general population will be presented and treatment issues related to dual disability will be examined.

Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

• Demonstrate an understanding of the range of psychiatric disorders which may be experienced by a person with an intellectual disability.
• Demonstrate an understanding of approaches to the intervention and management of psychiatric disorders in general and in relation to people with an intellectual disability
• Identify the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in adults with an intellectual disability
• Demonstrate an understanding of the classification system of psychiatric disorders
• Discuss the issues pertaining to the treatment and service responsibilities for people with an intellectual disability who have been diagnosed as having psychiatric disorder
• Discuss the use, effects and side effects of the psychotropic medication used in the treatment/management of people with an intellectual disability who have a psychiatric disorder

Overview of Learning Activities

Students will learn the material in this subject by;

Independent Reading: As part of the learning process and after being provided with frameworks through lectures, students will acquire a deeper and broader understanding of the subject material through independent reading. Students will synthesise material from a variety of sources and engage in a critical analysis of this material in class discussions.

Lectures: Students will acquire a framework for relevant knowledge and underlying theoretical and conceptual bases of the subject through attending lectures.

Case study material: Students will develop problem solving skills through the analysis of case studies which will require the application of theoretical and conceptual knowledge to hypothetical situations.

Overview of Learning Resources

The students will be able to access course information and learning materials through the learning hub (also known as Online @ RMIT) and will be provided with reading lists or other sources of information. Students will also use the library resources and University computer facilities.

Overview of Assessment

Examination, class presentation, analysis of case studies, review of the relevant literature.