The Interaction Is the Work: Rehabilitating Risk in a Forensic Patient with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Learning Disability

  • Sushie Dobbinson
Chapter
First Online:
Part of the The Language of Mental Health book series (TLMH)

Abstract

In this chapter, interactions between four clinicians and a man who has autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and a learning disability, and who is detained on a Forensic Learning Disability ward in a secure psychiatric hospital, are analysed. The context of engaging patients who have not themselves initiated the rehabilitative process is explored, since this has a bearing on the nature of the interactions. Dobbinson demonstrates how the four clinicians each approach talk with Malcolm, the service user, according to their own styles of working, although all orientate to a variety of common interactional issues. Reflections from two clinicians illustrate the variety of perspectives which inform different clinicians’ practice. Nevertheless, Dobbinson ultimately stresses the importance of good communication and consistency of approaches within clinical teams when working with ASD patients.

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Recommended Reading

  1. Muskett, T., Perkins, M., Clegg, J., & Body, R. (2010). Inflexibility as an interactional phenomenon: Using conversation analysis to re-examine a symptom of autism. Clinical Linguistics and Phonetics, 24(1), 1–16.CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
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Copyright information

© The Author(s) 2017

Authors and Affiliations

  • Sushie Dobbinson
    • 1
  1. 1.Humber Mental Health NHS Foundation TrustHullUK

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