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Article
Publication date: 7 November 2016

Lorraine Higham, Imran Piracha and Juli Crocombe

People with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are known to have difficulties in their social communication and interaction. The internet is a twenty-first century phenomenon that…

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Abstract

Purpose

People with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are known to have difficulties in their social communication and interaction. The internet is a twenty-first century phenomenon that provides such individuals with a world in which they can exist without the awkwardness of face-to-face contact. The purpose of this paper is to start to illustrate the high risks that can occur when the internet is used as the main forum for interaction in individuals who are socially impaired.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper provides a brief summary of literature in relation to ASD and risk of offending behaviour followed by a case study of a young man with a diagnosis of Asperger syndrome who was convicted of conspiracy to murder.

Findings

This paper concludes that possible deficits in central coherence, theory of mind and social skills, combined with extensive periods of time spent alone on the internet forums and a late diagnosis of ASD, may place individuals at risk of committing a serious offence.

Originality/value

This paper highlights the difficulties that people with Autism may have in separating fantasy from reality and the high level of risk that can occur as a result.

Details

Advances in Mental Health and Intellectual Disabilities, vol. 10 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2044-1282

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 January 2020

Holly Edwards and Lorraine Higham

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the formulation and psychological treatment of a complex case whereby a combination of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and obsessive…

645

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the formulation and psychological treatment of a complex case whereby a combination of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) has resulted in violent and aggressive behaviour.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper provides a brief summary of literature in relation to ASD, OCD and risk-offending behaviour followed by a case study of a man (referred to as “John”) with a diagnosis of ASD and OCD who has an extensive history of institutional violence and aggressive behaviour.

Findings

This paper highlights the complexity of a case that may support research suggesting that impaired theory of mind, poor emotional regulation and problems with moral reasoning increase the risk of an individual with ASD engaging in violence, in addition to a comorbidity of ASD and OCD resulting in a more severe and treatment-resistant form of OCD.

Originality/value

This paper highlights the challenges faced when working with a patient with Asperger’s syndrome and OCD with entrenched beliefs that lead to the use of violence as a compulsion to temporarily overcome unpleasant thoughts related to low self-esteem.

Details

Journal of Intellectual Disabilities and Offending Behaviour, vol. 11 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2050-8824

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 March 2021

Lorraine Higham, Alessandra Girardi and Holly Victoria Edwards

Autism-specific characteristics have been associated with internet criminal activities. Internet and non-internet offenders differ on a series of demographic, psychological and…

Abstract

Purpose

Autism-specific characteristics have been associated with internet criminal activities. Internet and non-internet offenders differ on a series of demographic, psychological and offending variables. However, the clinical and criminal presentation of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in forensic secure care settings has been underexplored. This paper aims to explore the profiles of internet offenders with ASD admitted to a secure psychiatric unit.

Design/methodology/approach

This study provides the results of a service evaluation of individuals with ASD. The demographic, clinical and criminal characteristics of a small sample of internet offenders with ASD admitted to secure care are described and discussed.

Findings

Internet offenders present in secure care with high rates of comorbid disorders, histories of violence and traumatic experiences, mood disorders and difficulties with relationships. Of the 24 internet offenders discussed, 18 of them committed an offence of a sexual nature involving children.

Originality/value

This paper highlights the potential risks for individuals with ASD in using the internet and the possible difficulties associated with detecting this because of rapid advancements in technology.

Details

Journal of Intellectual Disabilities and Offending Behaviour, vol. 12 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2050-8824

Keywords

Content available
Article
Publication date: 21 May 2024

Alessandra Girardi, Lorraine Higham, Sarrah Fatima, Elanor Webb, Pieter Snyman, Paul Wallang and Kieran C. Breen

Social avoidance disorders can be disruptive to the individual as they begin to over-manage their lives, at times avoiding social and work commitments. A potential therapeutic…

Abstract

Purpose

Social avoidance disorders can be disruptive to the individual as they begin to over-manage their lives, at times avoiding social and work commitments. A potential therapeutic approach is exposure therapy and a virtual reality (VR) treatment approach, gameChange VR, has been developed. This provides an opportunity to test their fears in virtual environments. This study aims to investigate the feasibility of using this VR approach to treat people with social avoidance problems within a secure mental health setting.

Design/methodology/approach

Nine participants completed the gameChange VR sessions. Participants received 30-minute VR sessions for up to six weeks using selected scenarios at five levels of difficulty. Patients’ comments and behaviours were noted and clinical staff also provided feedback on their observations of patients’ use and experience with VR.

Findings

Overall, patients felt that the gameChange VR helped them to build their confidence and reduce their overall anxiety as they became more comfortable with the equipment. Both patients and staff generally found the intervention easy to use and the staff reported an overall high level of engagement among the participants. The key issues raised largely related to technical and safety issues.

Originality/value

While a previous study was carried out using gameChange VR with an outpatient cohort, this was the first using an inpatient group in a secure mental health setting. It has demonstrated that the intervention is viable in this setting, although further studies are required to identify the specific patient population that would benefit optimally from the therapy.

Details

Mental Health and Digital Technologies, vol. 1 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2976-8756

Keywords

Content available
Book part
Publication date: 5 June 2018

Abstract

Details

Dewey and Education in the 21st Century
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78743-626-8

Article
Publication date: 14 October 2019

Rami Mhanna, Adam Blake and Ian Jones

This study aims to recommend initiatives that can be adopted to overcome overtourism in host destinations of mega sport events.

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Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to recommend initiatives that can be adopted to overcome overtourism in host destinations of mega sport events.

Design/methodology/approach

This study adopts a qualitative research design that involves 20 semi-structured interviews with key informant stakeholders of the London 2012 Olympic Games. An exploratory case study approach was used to investigate strategies used to leverage tourism benefits in host destinations, and the authors used thematic analysis to present strategies to overcome overtourism in host cities.

Findings

This study emphasises the need for spreading tourists beyond the host city as a main strategy. To do so, three initiatives are recommended: spreading domestic tourism outside the host city, showcasing destination beyond the host city and promoting regional collaboration.

Practical implications

This research provides tourism practitioners and destination management organisations in host destinations of mega sport events with an advanced strategic insights to capitalise on mega sport events. The authors suggest considering the events as a theme through an event planning process to overcome potential overtourism in unique host cities.

Originality/value

As overtourism has an impact on visited destinations, this study argues that overtourism can be generated by mega sport events. This paper offers an extended insight into overcoming overtourism by implementing strategic event tourism, leveraging initiatives that can be extended in use to reach geographic areas beyond host cities of mega sport events.

Details

Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, vol. 11 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1755-4217

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 August 1980

Liz Chapman, David Reid, Brian Griffin, Quentin Bibble, Graham Barnett and Wilfred Ashworth

WHEN YOU meet people for the first time and they ask what you do, do you ever hesitate about telling them you're a librarian? Do you ever qualify your self‐description with some…

Abstract

WHEN YOU meet people for the first time and they ask what you do, do you ever hesitate about telling them you're a librarian? Do you ever qualify your self‐description with some such phrase as ‘can't you tell by looking at me?’ or ‘I don't just stamp books you know’? Do you sometimes feel diffident about describing your work? I do. The reason I react in this way is that I know people outside our information world think they know very well what we do, but in fact have very little idea. We seem to have a very strong popular image which it is difficult if not impossible to shake off.

Details

New Library World, vol. 81 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0307-4803

Article
Publication date: 12 September 2023

Prerana  , Deepa Kapoor and Abhay Jain

This study aims to conduct a bibliometric analysis of sustainable tourism research published in Scopus-indexed journals covering the period from 1997 to 2021. Articles published…

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Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to conduct a bibliometric analysis of sustainable tourism research published in Scopus-indexed journals covering the period from 1997 to 2021. Articles published during these 25 years were subjected to science mapping and performance analysis to propose potential areas for future research.

Design/methodology/approach

A bibliometric analysis using performance analysis and science mapping was conducted on 1,754 research papers retrieved from the Scopus database using the keyword “sustainable tourism.” Biblioshiny and VOSviewer are commonly used bibliometric tools. Science mapping techniques use coauthorship, keyword co-occurrence and co-citation analyses.

Findings

This study revealed the sustainable tourism publications’ spatial and temporal patterns, indicating a yearly growth rate of 19.9% during a 25-year period. The study identified Stefan Gossling as the most influential author, the “Journal of Sustainable Tourism” as the leading journal and Australia as the most productive country in sustainable tourism literature. The study used co-citation analysis to identify five thematic clusters, namely, reconceptualization and criticism, the role of residents, eco-labeling and the role of stakeholders, community-based tourism and the shift toward establishing sustainability indicators and effective governance and policymaking. The coauthorship analysis identifies the most influential author in collaborative efforts, and the most common pattern of collaboration is between researchers from different institutions in the same country, such as China and the Philippines, followed by collaborations between authors from other countries. The keyword co-occurrence analysis uncovered keywords that aligned with theme clusters generated from the co-citation analysis.

Originality/value

This study comprehensively uncovers five thematic clusters that have never been extracted so far in the literature. Also, it attempts to fill the gaps related to sustainable tourism by suggesting directions for future research.

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