Definitions
Discrimination: Treating people unfairly on the basis of a characteristic they share with others. Relevant legislation includes:
Equal Pay Act (1970)
Sex Discrimination Act (1975)
Race Relations Act (1976)
Disability Discrimination Act (1995)
The Equality Act (2010) identified ‘protected characteristics’ of:
Age, disability, gender re-assignment; marriage and civil partnership; pregnancy and maternity; race; religion or belief; sex; sexual orientation. 
In relation to those with protected characteristics, social workers should work towards increasing equality of opportunity and fostering good relations with these people groups. 

Anti-Discrimination: A social work stance that seeks to address individual service users experiences of instances of unfair treatment on the basis of age, class, disability, ethnicity, gender, race and sexuality (Harris & White, 2018).

Anti- Oppression: A framework that encompasses a range of struggles for social justice in response to the social divisions in society and the oppressions that stem from them (Harris & White, 2018).

 Tom Edwards, Aged 53 years
Widower – May find that he is discriminated against for being a single parent

Shows concern about how he will cope if he were to have two sick children (referring to disabled daughter and the potential long-term effects of son Alexander’s head injury). This may indicate that Tom is aware that discrimination is a real issue for those with disabilities and their families. 

Tom is one of the richest men in Sussex. He holds positions of power in the workplace as a successful entrepreneur and also at the rugby club where he is the main sponsor. He holds positions of power and could use them to his advantage. For example, he has used his position within the rugby club to try to get James Davis barred from attending games, so that James cannot see Alex. 

Daughter Thomasina asks the hospital social worker, in the absence of her father, that she does not wish to live at home anymore and wants to move in with grandparents. This indicates that she may be experiencing oppression and being discriminated against by her father Tom, possibly due to her disability. Tom refers to having sick children in a negative way, earlier in the case study.

Alex is experiencing a sense of powerlessness at the hospital. He doesn’t know what he will do if he can’t play rugby.

 

Age Range: Birth to 1 Year

Erogenous Zone: Mouth: The infants  primary source of interaction occurs through the mouth.  The infant will learn to suck and swallow which is important as the mouth is vital for eating.
Because the infant is entirely dependent upon caretakers (who are responsible for feeding the child), the child also develops a sense of trust and comfort through this oral stimulation.
The primary conflict at this stage is the weaning process--the child must become less dependent upon caretakers.

Stage 2: The Anal Stage

Age Range: 1 to 3 years

Erogenous Zone: Bowel and Bladder Control: During the anal stage, Freud believed that the primary focus of the libido was on controlling bladder and bowel movements. The major conflict at this stage is toilet training. The child has to learn to control their bodily needs. Developing this control leads to a sense of accomplishment and independence.
However, not all parents provide the support and encouragement that children need during this stage. Some parents punish, ridicule, or shame a child for accidents.
According to Freud, inappropriate parental responses can result in negative outcomes.

Stage 3: The Phallic Stage

Age Range: 3 to 6 Years

Erogenous Zone: Genitals:
Freud suggested that during the phallic stage, the primary focus of the libido is on the genitals. At this age, children also begin to discover the differences between males and females.​ Freud also believed that boys begin to view their fathers as a rival for the mother’s affections.

Stage 4: The Latent Period

Age Range: 6 to Puberty

Erogenous Zone: Sexual Feelings Are Inactive: During this stage, the superego continues to develop while the id's energies are suppressed. Children develop social skills, values and relationships with peers and adults outside of the family.
The development of the ego and superego contribute to this period of calm. The stage begins around the time that children enter into school and become more concerned with peer relationships, hobbies, and other interests.

Age Range: Puberty to Death

Erogenous Zone: Maturing Sexual Interests: The onset of puberty causes the libido to become active once again. During the final stage of psychosexual development, the individual develops a strong sexual interest in the opposite sex. This stage begins during puberty but last throughout the rest of a person's life.
Where in earlier stages the focus was solely on individual needs, interest in the welfare of others grows during this stage. The goal of this stage is to establish a balance between the various life areas.

Freud said that a boy develops an unconscious infatuation towards his mother, and simultaneously fears his father to be a rival. This happens at an unconscious level.

This means that unconsciously Tom could fear his father and want to do anything to make him proud (rugby)

·      Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) is a genetic disorder characterised by progressive muscle degeneration and weakness.

·      Often just referred to as ‘Duchenne’.

·      Symptoms associated with Duchenne usually onset in early childhood (age 2-3). 

·      Life expectancy- due to advances in technology and medicine, individuals with Duchenne can survive into their early 30’s (however most studies & information based on men).

 

·      Early stages of Duchenne usually affect the shoulder, upper arm, hip and thigh muscles (which is why Thomasina sometimes struggles to walk unassisted).

‘Weaknesses lead to difficulty in rising from the floor, climbing stairs, maintaining balance, and raising arms’ https://www.mda.org/disease/duchenne-muscular-dystrophy 

·      In later life, Duchenne will start to affect the heart & respiratory muscles. The progressive weakness of muscles, as well as scoliosis, will eventually lead to respiratory failure. 

 

·      Duchenne is caused by alterations to dystrophin, which is a protein that helps keep muscle cells intact. 

·      Only women are carriers of DMD (so Thomasina would’ve inherited the condition from her mother). Most women are symptomless and unaware they even carry the genetic condition until they have a child (usually a son).

·      It only affects the X chromosome, which is why it’s far more common in men, as they only have 1 X chromosome. However, as women have 2 X chromosomes, it gives the body the ability to ‘inactivate’ the X chromosomes which carry the dystrophin (for Thomasina, her body hasn’t done this, but her mother’s body likely did). 

·      Women who have symptoms of Duchenne are referred to as a ‘manifesting carrier’ (applies to Thomasina).
 

·      ‘It is estimated that only 1 in 50 million girls have Duchenne’. https://www.duchenneuk.org/life-as-a-woman-with-dmd/

·      50% chance that a woman who has Duchenne mutation will pass it to either a son or daughter.

·      I read an article from 2018 about a women named Elizabeth Heller, who was 31. She believed that there were only about 10 females with Duchenne in the US. https://musculardystrophynews.com/2018/08/08/arizona-woman-with-duchenne-md-is-rarity-among-the-rare/

 

 

·      Thomasina is a ‘manifesting carrier’. Extremely rare in females, which means she’s unlikely to know any other females with the condition, which must feel very isolating.

·      A hopeful estimate for Thomasina’s life expectancy would be her mid 30’s. It will be extremely hard for her and the rest of the Edwards family to watch her health deteriorate, leading to her passing away at such a young age. 

·      Most women with Duchenne, choose not to have children as they don’t want to risk the 50% chance of passing it onto a child. Likewise, Thomasina would miss out on the chance to watch her children grow up, as her life expectancy is so short.

·      Alexander is not at risk of passing Duchenne onto any future children, as only women are carriers of Duchenne. Meaning this isn’t something he’ll have to consider (unless his partner is also a DMD carrier).

 

·       Headaches

·       Irritability

·       Feelings of dizziness

·       Restlessness

·       Nausea

·       Impulsivity and self-control problems

·       Sensitivity to light

·       Difficulty concentrating

·       Sensitivity to noise

·       Feeling depressed, tearful, anxious

·       Sleep disturbance

·       Fatigue

·       Memory problems

·       Difficulties thinking and problem-solving

·       ‘The vast majority of people who experience a mild head injury make a full recovery, usually after 3-4 months. However, there is a very small sub-group whose recovery is not so good’. Also, Alex’s concussion counted as SEVERE not just mild.

 

·       Alex needs to be extremely careful about his return to rugby and shouldn’t return until his headaches stop. New research indicates that reoccurring concussions can have severe life-changing impacts on individuals. 

    “We’re starting to learn that perhaps these seemingly minor blows to the head, when they’re accumulative, can lead to depression and behaviour change. In fact, we think that some suicides may be linked to the brain damage that results from multiple concussions.” Gregory Hawryluk, MD, neurosurgeon and concussion specialist at University of Utah Health.

·       Alex’s physiological needs are being met. He lives an affluent lifestyle, due to the success of his father’s business. 

 

2.       Safety

·       Alex lives in a large family home, behind a locked front gate, which makes it sound as if it is safe.

·       His mum died when he was 13 yrs, in an accident at home caused by faulty electrical equipment. This is likely to have affected his view of family being safe and the home being a safe place.

·       Alex’s sister has a life-limiting, debilitating, rare medical condition. Alex may feel that he is unable to protect her from this and keep her safe.

·       He has sustained 2 x head injuries from rugby and is in hospital with severe concussion. This is affecting his health, with potentially serious consequences and has been getting headaches for some time. Social Worker is concerned that the injury is not being taken seriously by dad, who just wants Alex back on the rugby field asap. 

 

3.       Love/Belonging

·       Alex will be aware of the tension between his dad and grandfather. How is this affecting him? There continues to be arguments and raised voices at home, creating feelings of instability.

·       Alex will be aware that nurse Janet is no longer working at the house, increasing the feeling of instability in the family.

·       Alex may still be grieving the loss of his mum, and may benefit from professional help.

·       The description of Edwards family life does not sound like a loving home but one full of crisis and disputes. 

 

4.       Esteem

·       Alex will have the respect of others as he has achieved the status of being a talented rugby player. This may have increased his confidence and self-esteem. However, his current injuries are likely to have a detrimental effect in this area.

·       Alex has the privileged status of attending private school and benefits attached to this.

·       Is Alex affected by guilt, due to his sister having the serious health condition and he does not? (considering it is usually young men who develop it). 

·       Does Alex fear that he will lose his dad’s respect if he can no longer play rugby? This could affect their relationship and Alex’s sense of identity.

 

5.       Self-actualisation

·       Alex does not know what he will do if he cannot play rugby. He is trying to problem solve but may need support to navigate this.

·       Has Alex accepted facts regarding the death of his mum and his sister’s medical condition? 

 

Ashdown Group began by getting to know each other, sharing a little about backgrounds, and interests. We agreed on some group rules, which included confidentiality, rotating responsibilities, and giving space for an open forum, where group members could comfortably raise their concerns. We began as a group of 7, but to evenly balance across the three groups, 2 students joined us in week 3. This could have been a difficult period as the group dynamics changed but this was not the case, with new members immediately welcomed and contributing to the process. We created a ‘WhatsApp’ group to communicate with each other effectively. We researched about how to set up a Padlet and this became a vital part of the process, as we were able to share all our thoughts remotely, as we progressed.

During each session we discussed the topic from that day’s lecture and made notes about what we felt was relevant to our case study. As a group we ensured that everyone had the chance to speak, share views and ask questions. Members of the group highlighted areas that they would like to explore further. We then allocated tasks for each person to complete as homework. At the beginning of each session, we read each other’s information on Padlet, giving feedback and having open discussion about each area. Members of the group were quick to apologise if there were interruptions negative feeling caused. We arranged meetings online through ‘Teams’ on the week of the strike, so that we could practice the presentation, provide feedback and reassurance to each other. We also booked a room on campus the day before to rehearse. However, a few days before our presentation, three members of the group came down with Covid and other illnesses. This was a huge impact on the group as a whole as we had not anticipated this. We were able to meet with those who felt well enough on teams the day before and made a group decision last minute with Russell’s support to present our presentation via zoom. We felt that the presentation may not have flowed as well if we had some members on zoom and others not. 

Ashdown Group has been a positive experience, where we have learnt both with and from each other, as well as from independent study. It has proved to be challenging to achieve our aim when there have been absences at meetings. However, this highlighted the importance of communication, so we have shared updates on the relevant platforms, so that everyone is updated. Areas for future development would be to read and understand each other’s slides so that in the event of illness then someone would be able to take over. As individuals, we increased our ability to teamwork and utilised each other’s strengths. Furthermore, members have been encouraged to build on weaknesses also, such as IT skills and speaking in front of others, which will be beneficial for the rest of the course and also when working as a Social Worker.

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