Page 33 - Social networks of people with mild intellectual disabilities: characteristics and interventions

Structural and Functional Characteristics
as opposed to habit; ‘‘connection’’ is the need to belong, to find support and to make connections on the basis of shared interests, values and background. Connection should be assessed, as relationships should be promoted based on mutual interests and in committed environments (Lunsky, 2006).
People with mild ID living independently in the community are vulnerable with respect to their social networks. Previous research on the 2 social networks of adults with mild ID living in the community (van Asselt-
Goverts, Embregts, Hendriks & Frielink, 2014) shows that (a) limitations in their
adaptive behaviour (e.g. lack of social skills or difficulties with acceptance of
disability) may hinder the development and maintenance of a social network;
(b) professionals play a critical role in strengthening and expanding the social
networks, but they often have too little time for this; (c) people with a mild
disability often fall between the cracks when it comes to activities for the
disabled versus nondisabled due to the mildness of their disabilities – this
holds for both leisure time activities and the support provided (Embregts &
Grimbel du Bois, 2005).
In sum and given the present policy, more and more young adults with ID are living in the community, but this physical inclusion does not lead automatically to social inclusion: research shows that social inclusion is limited (e.g. Dusseljee et al., 2011; Lippold & Burns, 2009; Verdonschot et al., 2009). One of the main characteristics of successful social inclusion is being part of a social network of friends, family and people in the community (Abbott & McConkey, 2006; McConkey & Collins, 2010). However, previous research shows that adults with mild ID living independently in the community are vulnerable with respect to their social networks (van Asselt-Goverts et al., 2014). Therefore this research focuses on the social networks of people with mild ID. The functional characteristics of the social networks have been examined less often than the structural characteristics (Lunsky, 2006). And to date, the research on the structural characteristics has been on mainly the size and composition of the networks. Little attention has been paid to other structural characteristics such as the variety, accessibility, length and origin of the relationships or the frequency and initiation of the contacts while this information is critical for tailoring interventions to the strengths and weaknesses of the individual’s social network. The aim of the present study was therefore to conduct a comprehensive examination of both the structural and functional characteristics of the social networks of people with ID from the
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