Photo of Helene Lidström

Helene Lidström

Associate professor

My vision is for children and young people to find going to school fun. They need to feel that they participate in school activities, during lessons as well as among friends during free time. The goal is for each child to complete their schooling.

From school into work for pupils in need of special support  

I am project coordinator of a research project that was initially a collaboration with the now-defunct Swedish Institute of Assistive Technology’s projects “Vägar till arbete” (“Routes to work”) and “Teknikstöd i skolan” (“Technology support in schools”), which ran 2012-2014. 

The basic premise of the project is that adaptations in the form of technology support such as computers, computer-based aids, mobile phones and applications have a considerable potential to compensate for reduced function in the ability to plan, structure, communicate, absorb information and acquire knowledge. Despite technological developments, many children and young people with functional disabilities still lack access to adaptations in the form of technology support in school, during leisure time and work.

New possibilities with technology support in school

About 600 young people in upper secondary school and special needs upper secondary school are participating in the project “New opportunities with technology support in school”. The overall aim is to identify and describe the need for adaptations and support for pupils with functional disabilities, both diagnosed and undiagnosed, in upper secondary education.

The study also aims to investigate whether individually designed measures in the form of technology adaptations and support increase the pupil’s chances of coping with their studies, and whether the measures have any effect on the transition to further studies or work after the pupil has completed upper secondary school.

Collaboration partners: Professor Helena Hemmingsson, Senior Lecturer Elin Ekbladh and doctoral student Moa Yngve, all at the Department of Social and Welfare Studies (ISV) at LiU.

Funding has been provided in part by Stiftelsen Sunnerdahls Handikappfond and through faculty funds from LiU.

Teaching on the Occupational Therapy programme

My teaching commitments are principally on the Occupational Therapy programme. I teach mainly within evidence-based occupational therapy, and supervise and examine first-cycle papers.

I also have some teaching/supervising commitments at Uppsala University and Karolinska Institutet (KI).

Publications

2022

2021

2020

2019

Research projects

Interaction with the rest of society

Lectures and courses

I regularly give lectures at national and international conferences and run courses on the BAS assessment instrument (Assessment of adaptations at school).

Mapping of scholarly studies

During 2015, I performed a task on behalf of the National Board of Health and Welfare together with department manager Åsa Larsson Ranada, ISV, Linköping University. This entailed a mapping of the scholarly studies on the prescribing of aids for people with a functional impairment. The mapping is presented in a report which aims to provide the profession with a knowledge bank that can facilitate for people with a functional impairment to feel involved in the prescription process and feel satisfied with the aid.

Development responsibilities

As of 2016, I will be one of three people who will be responsible for the development of the quality assurance register HabQ, a national quality register for habilitation. HabQ is a collaboration project between the Association of Sweden’s Habilitation Managers, most of the regions/county councils and the Physiotherapy Section, Department of Medicine and Health, Linköping University. The purpose of HabQ is to develop and guarantee the quality of habilitation so as to improve the results and perception of habilitation for children, youth and adults with functional impairment and their family members. Through the quality register, we can gain information about what improvements are needed.

External research projects

Appointments, thesis and academic qualifications

Appointments

One of three editors of a book about occupational therapy for children and youth which will be published by Studentlitteratur during the autumn of 2015.

Revised Manual for the instrument Bedömning av Anpassning i Skolmiljön (BAS). Hemmingsson, H., Egilsson, S., Lidström, H., & Kielhofner, G. (2014). Stockholm: The Association of Occupational Therapists in Sweden.

 

ICT for activity and participation of children and youth with physical disabilities

In the thesis ICT and participation in school and outside school activities for children and youths with physical disabilities Diss. Karolinska Institutet Stockholm,I investigated the significance of using information and communication technology (ICT) to promote activities and participation of children and youth with physical disabilities at school and outside school.


 

Academic qualifications

• Registered occupational therapist 1981, Linköping University

• MSc in CHILD 2006, Mälardalen University College

• Doctor of Medical Science 2011, Karolinska Institutet (KI)


Publications

Selected publications

Collaboration with researchers in Occupational therapy

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