Institutional talk and practices: A journey into small group-homes for intellectually disabled children

This article sheds light on a group of children who are hardly visible within the body of research: intellectually disabled children living away from home in full-time institutional settings. The purpose of the study was to contribute to the extended knowledge of these children's everyday life and to inform researchers, authorities and service providers. Participant observations have been the main method of generating data, supported by interviews with professionals and parents. An interpretive analytical approach was employed. The results presented in this article show how institutional talk and practices can evolve within institutional systems, and how these factors affect the everyday lives of children.Points of interest Taking care of a severely disabled child could put excessive stress on a family, and the family may need caring support. Small group homes are designed to care for such children, and they are a home for the child and a workplace for the professional staff. The staff provides care on behalf of the parents. Little is known about how these children experience life within such group homes. This study aimed to learn more about this area by observing everyday life in three group homes. The study found that the staff's talk and practices shifted continuously between close relationships with the children and more work-related tasks, such as discussing practical issues without involving the child. The study recommended professional staff in such homes to reflect on how such practices are experienced by the children, and how to improve their practices.