The FAIT is a simple assessment tool that helps staff working with people with intellectual disabilities who have experienced trauma, to determine the level of emotional development of the distressed individual, thereby allowing for an intervention to be provided at the right level within an emotionally nurturing environment. Based on a 40 minute observation of the individual, and accompanying gradings, the FAIT tool enables identification of the stage of emotional development at which the person's development has become arrested. Once this is established, it becomes possible to work out what kind of interventions will be appropriate to address their emotional needs. The expectation is that individuals who follow this manual will be able to effectively allocate a stage to the person they are assessing and be able to design an appropriate intervention, following up with a reassessment as the intervention progresses. Work with the specific trauma will usually happen in individual or group therapy. The manual includes a set of 25 score forms.
Pat Frankish is a clinical psychologist with many years of experience in the field of disability and psychotherapy. Her early life was spent living in the grounds of a long-stay hospital where her parents worked. Even as a child she knew that things could be better for the people she knew. After later working in the hospital and meeting a clinical psychologist, she secured a university place and then went on to train as a clinical psychologist. During her training she also followed a course of study in psychodynamic psychotherapy. Her career has followed a path of bringing these two areas together. Pat continues to develop and provide services and training for staff who support people with complex needs, the group who have trauma in their background and arrested or delayed emotional development as a response.
Introduction Section 1: Psychological Birth - The Work of Margaret Mahler and the Development of the FAIT Tool Overview of Mahler's stages of development The role of the primary carers in this process When things go wrong How this relates to people with learning disabilities Behavioural observation Designing interventions Interventions based on the findings Section 2: The FAIT - An Assessment Tool for Those Supporting People With Intellectual Disabilities Who can use the tool? Summary of the stages Using the tool Scoring the data Taking part in the development of the tool Templates: Observation sheets and examples Appendix: Measuring the Emotional Development of Intellectually Disabled Adults
