Background: The aim of this review is to identify and analyse the research findings in the field of young people with intellectual disabilities and social media.Method: Twelve peer-reviewed papers published in well-established and recognized journals between 2001 and 2017 were identified from electronic database searches (Web of Science, Scopus and Google Scholar), the Internet (Facebook) and correspondence with experts.Results: Six topics were identified through thematic analysis of the texts: opportunities, risk and vulnerability, sexuality, identity, barriers and support.Conclusion: The latest research on young people with intellectual disabilities is characterized by issues of risk, vulnerability and support. The concept of positive risk-taking is suggested for the development of methodological approaches in practice and research. Furthermore, vulnerability, online and offline activities and identity formation should be examined more closely, and there is a call for new research methods in this area, for example observations and netnography.

The article problematizes the way late modern society has contributed to discursive tensions in the welfare state services for people with intellectual disabilities in Sweden. We illustrate how disability practices, such as educational systems and work-life arrangements for people with intellectual disabilities, are characterized by an institutional ambiguity following the institutional logic of the welfare state. By relating to a broader societal perspective, it is argued that the choices of lifestyle among young people with intellectual disabilities are closely linked to the notion of late modern society and its demands for flexibility and constant re-creation of identities. This paradox highlights a challenge for special programme schools as well as disability care organizations, since the dual identity of belonging to both the client category and to an identity constructed through belonging to the civil society characterizes the young generation of persons with intellectual disabilities. 

This article examines how administrators in social services (n = 70) and habilitation staff in healthcare (n = 40) in Sweden experience difficulties in their work with people with intellectual disabilities. The research aim was to investigate the most typical aspects of difficult working situations and to apply a comparative analysis of differences and similarities, where the respondents' organizational affiliations are taken into account. The results are primarily based on a content analysis. Contextual standardized questions were included in this study. The results revealed that experiences of difficulties were categorized in four typological themes: difficult situations associated with (1) structure, (2) professional role, (3) relationships, and (4) collaboration. The respondents' experiences of difficult situations in social services and healthcare organizations did not correspond to the respondents' work dissatisfaction or unclear goals. On the contrary, handling this plurality within a specific organizational context was a fundamental aspect of professionalism. The different characteristics of the organizations in this study reflected two different institutional logics. While the administrators mainly operated within an administrative logic based on a regulatory framework, the habilitation staff operated within a therapeutic logic based on a cognitive framework. Consequently, the two groups had their own specific norms and rule systems, which influenced when, and to what extent, everyday situations were experienced and defined as difficult. The organizational context seems to influence experiences of difficult situations in the work with people with ID and this calls for a discussion of how it impacts the quality of services within intellectual disability services.

Artikeln diskuterar och problematiserar de erfarenheter som unga vuxna personer med intellektuella funktionshinder ger uttryck för i relation till en organisatorisk och samhällelig kontext. En utgångspunkt i artikeln är spänningsförhållandet mellan funktionshinderpolitikens institutionella logik och de idéer, identiteter och föreställningar om framtiden som kommer till uttryck hos unga vuxna personer med intellektuella funktionshinder. Vi relaterar till ett bredare samhällsperspektiv och argumenterar för att nya livsstilsanspråk är nära förknippade med föreställningen om det senmoderna samhället och dess ökade krav på flexibilitet och ständigt återskapande av identiteter.

1. Framväxten av en politik kring funktionshinder --

2. Välfärdsarbetets organisatoriska villkor --

3. Teoretiska perspektiv på utvecklingsstörning --

4. Skola och utbildning --

5. Arbetsliv och sysselsättning --

6. Familjeliv och föräldraskap --

7. Boende och fritid --

8. Internet och sociala medier --

9. Utvecklingsstörning och hälsa --

10. Bemötandets etik i arbete med personer med utvecklingsstörning --

11. Framtida utmaningar 

Background The research aim of this study was to analyse aspects of job satisfaction in daily work with people with intellectual disability (ID) in schools, social services and health care. Method With a comparative approach we collected data via a digital questionnaire with in total 333 respondents. The empirical material was analysed through a thematic content analysis. Results The result showed that perceptions of job satisfaction could be differentiated into five typological categories: (1) the target group; (2) social rewards; (3) social relations; (4) professional core mission; and (5) results and outcomes. The findings also showed apparent differences in responses, both in terms of frequency and content, which seem to be associated with the respondents' organisational affiliations. Conclusion This study suggests that differences in experiences seem to be associated with work assignments, professional identities and organisational affiliation

This study aims to provide more in-depth knowledge about professionals' views regarding Internet use among youths with intellectual disability (ID). How do the professionals describe the abilities of the youths with ID when using the Internet for social, romantic, and sexual reasons? What kinds of experiences do the professionals have of these youths' Internet usage, and how do they talk about their ways of dealing with this? In what ways do the professionals describe their own competence regarding Internet usage among youths with ID aged 16-21 years, and do they express the need for any specific tools? Qualitative research interviews were conducted with 17 professionals, 4 males and 13 females, between the ages of 29 and 58. The professionals described challenges with the youths' various emotional and intellectual abilities, as well as their technical knowledge in relation to Internet use. The results highlight three themes: A two-fold usage, Between being controlling and permissive, and A lack of strategies. The article discusses the development of a 'Participation-script', where a continuous dialogue with the youths with ID exists parallel to a restrictive Net-script. We argue that everyday school situations concern joint decision-making between professionals and pupils with ID. Such an approach to participation is based on relationships, that is, oriented towards the self-understanding and individual agency of youths with ID, as well as to the self-understanding of the professionals involved in the lives of youths with ID.

This study aim to examine parents' and professionals' views on the usage of Internet for love and sexual purposes among young people with intellectual disabilities (18-€“20 years) in Sweden. Five semi-structured focus group interviews were conducted with professionals (n = 8) working on special programmes in upper secondary schools and with parents (n = 5). The interviews were analysed with thematic analysis and the theory of sexual scripts were guiding the process. The results show that the Internet is seen as a social arena with complex challenges; for love and sexuality, for sexual conduct, and for sexual risk and opportunities. Young people with intellectual disabilities are looked upon as more vulnerable than other youth. However, the result also show that parents view the risk of their adolescent of being lonely as greater than the risk of being abused or mislead. A Net-script consisting of rules is geared towards the young people with intellectual disability. Nevertheless, a change to a more flexible and nuanced Net-script is shown while the group of young persons with intellectual disabilities are seen as more heterogeneous than earlier. In-depth knowledge about parents’ and professionals’ perspectives on the Internet and sexuality is important since the young people live in a dependency situation towards their surroundings. In addition, the surroundings’ attitudes and behaviour are essential for the young peoples’ access of support and opportunities to develop their own capacity and to experience love and sexuality. © 2015, Springer Science+Business Media New York.

I kapitlet beskrivs civilsamhället som kontext och vilken roll denna kontext har speciellt för ungdomar som har erfarenhet av särskolebakgrund.

This anthology describes and discusses what characterizes social pedagogical action in theory and practice. Initially a brief introduction to some common ways of theoretically approaching the concept of action will be provided, but with particular focus on the importance of the act in social pedagogy. After that, seven chapters will follow written by colleagues (in some cases accompanied by representatives of social pedagogue practitioners) at the Department of Social Work and Social Pedagogy at the University West in Trollhättan, Sweden. The authors, presented in more detail in connection with each chapter, have long experience of teaching at the Social Pedagogical Program and researching questions with relevance of social pedagogy. The seven chapters give the reader different perspectives on "social pedagogical action" with a stamp in the respective authors' field of interest. In this way there is an exhibition of several social pedagogical arenas that can fertilize each other in different ways. The various chapters also represent, to some extent, social education such as research, education and practice. In the introduction of anthology, an overview is given of the contents of the seven chapters' contributions. Finally, the editors of the anthology reflect on the conditions, challenges and opportunities that are required for organizing social pedagogical action.

In this article we review current research – some of our own and others – on the transition between school and work for young people with intellectual disabilities in Sweden. Two main paths of transition are identified. The first is an introduction to the special needs system of work and occupation within the Swedish welfare state, a continuation of the special needs programme that pupils with intellectual disabilities attend in Sweden. The second path of transition includes more complex self-expectations and belongings both in the special need system and more ordinary life and work. Both paths are discussed in relation to current research and welfare policy. Here, we draw on recent theoretical development in relation to concepts like multidimensional identifications and mixed identities in the fields of international migration and ethnic relations.

Providing care and support to people with intellectual disabilities (ID) is in several aspects a complex and challenging assignment. It could be argued that this complexity has fundamentally to do with different organizational conditions. Analysing the specfiic characteristics of experienced difficulties could generate a new understanding of the organizational prerequisites of working within intellectual disability services. This presentation examines how LSS administrators (n=70) and habilitation staff (n=40) in Sweden experience difficulties working with people with ID. Drawing upon both quantitative and qualitative data generated from a larger web survey a content analysis was used. In order to complement the qualitative analyses we also used descriptive numerical analyses. The results reveals that staff experiences of difficulties in work with people with ID could be differentiated in four typological themes; (1) Structure, (2) Profession, (3) Relations and (4) Collaboration. As shown in our presentation, experience of difficult situations in human service organizations does not necessarily correspond with work dissatisfaction or unclear goals. On the contrary, we argue that it is a fundamental aspect of professionalism to handle this plurality within a specific organizational context. The different characteristics of the organizations in our study reflect two different institutional logics. While the LSS administrators mainly operates within an administrative logic based on a regulative framework, the habilitation staff are operating within a therapeutic logic based on a cognitive framework. Consequently they have their own specific norms and rule systems, which influence when and to which extent everyday situations are experience and defined as difficult.

Although research on young peoples identity formation processes on the Internet is a growing field, there are few studies that illustrate conditions for pupils with intellectual disabilities (ID). Recent Scandinavian studies have indicated that there is a new generation of young people with ID who has developed alternative ways of relating to issues of participation and identity. It's about how they choose to present themselves and how they navigate the various social media. By presenting themselves through descriptions of their own interests and personal characteristics instead of exposing the disability so-called alternative identities can be developed, where disability is not necessarily put in focus. Young people with ID often have different degrees of communicative constraints, which on the one hand implicates that the value of new social arenas can be of great importance. On the other hand, the use of the Internet could also be problematic in different contexts. An on-going Swedish research project aims to investigate these processes based on the perspectives of young people with ID, school staff and parents. In a pilot study based on focus group interviews we found that professionals (teachers, n=8) expressed a concern that young people will get hurt and end up in undesirable situations (such as being cheated or abused), while parents (n=5) mainly consider the Internet as a possible future venue for the development of new and on-going social relations. This paper presentation will report preliminary findings from interviews conducted with young people in upper secondary special programme for pupils with ID (n=30). The experiences of the informants will be discussed in relation to results from the pilot study and relative to a conceptual framework of social identity,participation and emancipation.

Although research on young people's identification processes on the Internet is a growing field, few studies illustrate conditions for young people with intellectual disabilities (ID). Previous studies have shown that young people with ID are worried about being marginalized, and that many in fact are lonelier than other young people. Internet and social networking sites might be of vital importance as a space for exploring alternative and less stigmatized identities. This article reports findings from individual interviews with 27 young people with ID in Sweden. The transcribed interviews were analyzed using a thematic content analysis. A prominent finding concerned the informants being well aware of both risks and opportunities using Internet and Social Networking Sites. Consequently, the more they interacted with non-disabled peers, the more they experienced negative consequences of Internet use. These circumstances rather lead to downsizing than upsizing Internet use, and less participation on Social Networking Sites. The experiences of the informants are discussed in a conceptual framework of social identity, participation, and emancipation. We recommend that social work practitioners reflect upon the ways that support can be arranged in order to empower young people with ID to participate on the Internet.

This article reports experiences from a Swedish study, discussing teachers’ and parents’ views on how young people with intellectual disabilities use the Internet and social media. Five semi-structured focus group interviews were conducted with teachers (n = 8) in special programmes in upper secondary schools for pupils with intellectual disabilities and parents (n = 5) of pupils in the same form of schooling, and they were analysed with thematic analysis. Teachers more strongly emphasize a pupil’s use of the Internet for interactive purposes. Parents had expectations that the Internet could be a tool for gaining more awareness of one’s own disability and a way to meet other peer group pupils. Teachers’ and parents’ perspectives on the Internet and social media usage are important since it is imperative to show how support can be provided for young people with intellectual disabilities.

Although research on young people's identification processes on the Internet is a growing field, there are few studies that illustrate conditions for young people with intellectual disabilities (ID). Previous studies have shown that young people with ID are worried about being marginalized, and that many in fact are lonelier than other young people. Internet and social networking sites might be of vital importance as a space for exploring alternative and less stigmatized identities. Scandinavian research has shown that a new generation of young people with ID is emerging who have developed somewhat new ways of relating to issues of participation and identity. Mainly these strategies concern the possibilities of expressing alternative self-presentations, which are not necessarily connected to a specific functional impairment or a certain welfare institutional belonging (e.g., special need student or care user). One such strategy can concern attempts to, in an online setting, present a preferred identity (e.g. that of a hockey fan or a musician), which may differ from their disabled identity, which would be apparent in an offline setting. A Swedish research project—Particip@tion on Internet? Pupils with intellectual disabilities and identification processes on Internet—aims to describe and analyse how young people (age 16-20) with a mild ID interacts and participate on the Internet. More precisely, drawing upon the perspectives of young people with ID, parents and school staff, we want to study self-presentations, social relations and participation within different kinds of Internet communities. Therefore, the goal of the project is to generate knowledge concerning these complex processes, which could be useful for the nearest surrounding of adults in order to support and help young people with ID with their Internet use.

The project comprises qualitative interviews with young people with ID (n=27), parents of young people with ID (n=22) and professionals in special schools (n=17). The transcribed interviews were analyzed, using a thematic content analysis. A prominent finding in the study concerned the young informants being well aware of both risks and opportunities using Internet and Social Networking Sites. Consequently, the more they interacted with non-disabled peers, the more they experienced negative consequences of Internet use. One conclusion was that these circumstances rather lead to downsizing than upsizing Internet use, and as prolongation, less participation on Social Networking Sites. Although the Internet can be a 'free-zone' where the young person can develop social bonds and construct their identity away from adult oversight, parents and professionals are highly present. Young people mostly feel confident but also in no need of support. Professionals and parents do consider the Internet an arena for positive opportunities, but also with risks. The professionals seemed to be more worried about the risks than the parents who state that the opportunities outweigh the disadvantages. For parents, the real risk is described as the risk of loneliness and social isolation. That parents consider the Internet to be an arena for relationships is an interesting change compared to previous research where both parents and professionals are worried about the risks of abuse etc. Overall, the young people with ID are described as a more heterogeneous group by both parents and professionals compared to previous research. Considering young people's need for autonomy, it is of great importance that parents and professionals balance their level of support depending on the needs of the young person. We recommend that professional practitioners reflect upon the ways that support can be arranged in order to empower young people with ID to participate on the Internet. The experiences of the informants are discussed in a conceptual framework of social identity, participation, sexuality and emancipation.

This presentation explores sources of job satisfaction among human service professionals working with people with intellectual disabilities. We also explore in what way the organizational context influence these experiences. The data is generated from a larger web survey. A questionnaire was distributed to 640 participants of which 421 answered a standardized question, which yield a response rate on 67 % and 335 respondents answered an open-ended question (52 %), which generated a total of 547 written excerpts. Drawing upon both quantitative and qualitative data a content analysis was used. In order to complement the qualitative analyses descriptive numerical analyses was used. Even though the data shows that the respondents experience heavy work load and psychological strains the vast majority report high ratings on work satisfaction. We argue that it is a fundamental aspect of professionalism to handle this plurality within a specic organizational context. The content analysis revealed that sources of job satisfaction irrespective of organization, is categorized in five different core categories; target group, social rewards, social relations, professional core mission and results/outcomes. We also present and analyze organizational differences in relations to how the response rates are distributed between the five categories.

Bokens kapitel tar avstamp i en rad olika kontexter där ungdomars identitetsskapande sker och bygger på forskning utförd inom olika discipliner som belyser ungdomars lärande, utveckling och livsvillkor. I boken finns en rad exempel på ungdomars syn på skapandet av en identitet, liksom aktiverande övningar, forskarreportage och förslag på fördjupande läsning efter varje kapitel.Denna inspirations- och metodbok är användbar inom alla de utbildningsområden som behandlar frågor om ungdomar och identitet, t.ex. lärarutbildning, speciallärar- och specialpedagogprogram, socionom- och socialpedagogprogram samt kurser inom barn- och ungdomsvetenskap, psykologi och sociologi och olika metod- och examensarbeteskurser inom lärarprogrammen.

In general, the Internet is an arena where parents (as well as other adults) have limited insight and possibilities to support the young person. However, several studies indicate that parents are one of the most important facilitators in the every-day life of young persons with intellectual disabilities. Therefore, the aim of the current article is to highlight parents' perceptions and actions in relation to opportunities and barriers for these young people when using the Internet. The empirical material consists of interviews with 22 parents of intellectually challenged young people in Sweden. The transcribed interviews were analysed using a thematic analysis, which is a method of identifying, analysing and reporting patterns within data sets. The results show that parents' views are double-edged; on the one hand, they see great possibilities for their children, thanks to the Internet, but on the other hand, they are afraid that due to their disability, their children are more sensitive to different contents and interactions on the Internet. Furthermore, the results indicate that parents believe that the Internet can facilitate participation in social life, but that it precludes young people with intellectual disabilities from being part of society in general when it comes to community functions and services. This article will discuss barriers and support in relation to the individual and her or his support system, which brings into focus the parent's responsibility and support for young people, helping them to surmount barriers – instead of avoiding or ignoring them – and find ways to take action to do so.

Is the perception of risks and opportunities on the Internet changing? The voices of intellectually challenged teens’ parents.

Emma Sorbring and Martin Molin at University West

Charlotta Löfgren-Mårtensson at Malmö University

Previous studies have shown that parents view their children’s Internet use both as positive and negative. In general, parents are far more positive to teens pursuing relationships away from the Internet. However, when it comes to the parents of intellectually challenged teens, this might not be true. In a recent pilot-study, parents talk about the Internet as an opportunity for their teenage child to meet someone and start an intimate relationship. The Internet as a potentially dangerous place is acknowledged, but looked upon as a risk worth taking when it comes to social experience. Due to their children’s specific challenges, these parents see the Internet as offering them great opportunities, at the same time they are afraid their teens could be more susceptible to various kind of content and interactions. Parents both want to encourage more Internet use and simultaneously encourage more time for face-to-face interactions. They perceive the risk that their teen will end up alone, without an intimate partner as more serious than the risks of the Internet. This presentation will discuss ‘positive risk-taking’, which brings into focus the importance of managing risks – not avoiding or ignoring them – but taking the risk because the potential benefits outweigh the potential harm. The parent’s responsibility and support will also be discussed. The empirical material consists of interviews with intellectually challenged teens’ parents, from the pilot study and the main study.

Trots att forskning kring ungdomars delaktighetoch relationer på internet är ett växande område är det få studier som belyser särskoleungdomars förutsättningar. Ungdomar med intellektuella funktionsnedsättningar har ofta olika grad av språkliga och kommunikativa begränsningar som å ena sidan gör att värdet av nya sociala arenor kan vara stort, å andra sidan kan göra internetanvändande problematiskt i olika sammanhang. I den här artikeln tittar vi närmare på möjligheter och risker i relation till internet som uppmärksammas av ungdomar, föräldrar och professionella, samt reflekterar över hur ett visst mått av risktagande kan leda till positiva erfarenheter och positiv utveckling, så kallat"positivt risktagande".