Case Study
John has learning disabilities and has always had a very disturbed sleep pattern. He sleeps in
short bursts at night for one or 2 hours with waking periods in between. He also takes several naps during the day. Although the sleep pattern puts an enormous strain on his carers, the main concern at the moment is that John puts every item he picks up into his mouth, and will then chew and swallow it. He regularly “gets through' toys and
other items made of paper, rubber and softer materials. He also has a good go at wooden items and you can see chunks missing from tables, doors and window sills.
John does a lot of damage to his clothing and to other items such as curtains and bedclothes. Carers and John’s family are very concerned that he will make himself seriously ill doing this.Whilst the problem is longstanding, it does show some variation as it is worse when John is left alone, and it never happens at
mealtimes. Whilst John will chew on anything, when faced with a choice he can discriminate those materials which
disintegrate most easily and when outdoors he tends to go for leaves, grass and other organic materials.John rarely chews when he is by the radiator in winter or during music sessions. It has also been noticed that when he is getting ready to sleep he rocks gently, chewing on a
toy or a piece of cloth.
- How can you help John?
It is rare that there is just one way to respond to a scenario or situation, so do not consider that the responses you have to the above scenario will be judged as right or wrong. Share your scenario with a work colleague or friend and ask them to tell you whether they think you have responded appropriately. Ask them to challenge your response if necessary. You do not need to submit this task for assessment unless asked to do so by your assessor.