Who are we?
Affect-us is an academic collaboration center that focuses on developing methods and resources that improve social relationships and attachment in people with a visual and/or intellectual disability. The academic collaboration center links science and practice. This means that we translate questions from practice into a research project and then implement the results of the research project in practice. In this way, we contribute to the well-being of people with a visual and/or intellectual disability.
Connection with practice
A network has been built around Affect-us, which is designed to create an optimal connection between the questions and needs of target groups and professionals and the knowledge and support from scientists and knowledge institutions. Of the research questions that are worked on within Affect-us, 80% originate from this network. The knowledge and knowledge products that are developed within Affect-us first find their way within this network and thus ensure a good connection with practice.
Affect-us organizes a network meeting twice a year. During these meetings, questions and needs are collected from clients and their families and from professionals. In this way the development of knowledge products continues to connect well with the needs in practice.
Research lines
Our research framework falls within four research lines:
1. Prevention, that focuses at the developing of a secure attachment relationship (good bond) between the child and the parents/caregivers. For example, a book with information and tips on how to play with your child, adapted to his/her visual and/or intellectual disability.
2. Identifying and interpreting behavior and physical characteristics that influence social and attachment relationships. Research in this area ensures that the underlying meaning of problem behavior is seen and recognized. For example, an observation list to support parents, relatives and supervisors in identifying stress and that teaches them to respond adequately to this.
3. Promoting and improving social relationships of people with a visual and/or intellectual disability with their parents/caregivers, supervisors and personal network. Research in this area focuses on developing interventions (course, therapy) and (digital) tools that address a problem in the social relationship. For example, a serious game that teaches people with a mild intellectual disability to better deal with their stress.
4. Restoring disturbed relationships. Research in this area focuses on developing forms of therapy that ensure that a disturbed relationship between someone with a visual and/or intellectual disability and his/her parents, relatives or supervisors can be improved.
Sharing knowledge
Affect-us wants to integrate its research knowledge into the educational curricula of the various educational organizations within the Netherlands. Postdoc employees, PhDs and scientist-practitioners/clinical lecturers with a connection to practice are involved in providing this education. In this way, we can distribute our knowledge and better adapt it to the current questions and developments within education. This then finds its way into practice: increasing the knowledge of professionals who (will) work with our target group.
Partnership
Affect-us is a partnership consisting of the following partners:
