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Children with a significant cognitive and motor developmental delay (SDD) are vulnerable for the development of (future) behavioral and mental health problems. To support children within this target group, knowledge on their social-emotional development is necessary. Therefore, in this paper, an explorative assessment of the changes in the social-emotional functioning of children with SDD over a two-year period was done. Yearly semi-structured interviews with one or more primary caregiver(s) of 25 children were conducted and analyzed on 13 domains of social-emotional functioning, according to an adapted version of the Scale for Emotional Development - Revised (SED-R). This study showed a lot of variation in individual and group patterns of change across the two-year period. Charting the social-emotional development in this target group is challenging and requires further in-depth analysis of individual trajectories as well as more fine-grained and long-term data collection.

Children with a significant cognitive and motor developmental delay (SDD) are vulnerable for the development of (future) behavioral and mental health problems. This paper aims to assess the social-emotional functioning of these children, both globally and in various domains. Semi-structured interviews with one or more primary caregiver(s) of 45 children were conducted and analyzed on 13 domains of social-emotional functioning, according to the Scale for Emotional Development - Revised (SED-R). The SED-R scoring system was slightly adapted in the current study in order to elucidate more subtle differences between children. A general delayed social-emotional development was found, with children functioning within different phases across domains and certain domains generally showing higher or lower scores. To capture the emotional needs of children with SDD, a more disaggregated scoring system seems valuable so that both the global level and the level per domain can be taken in consideration in designing interventions.

Theories of learning and engagement in persons with profound intellectual and multiple disability (PIMD) are essential as a basis for empirical investigations into the effectiveness or otherwise of educational and other interventions. In this paper, a selected descriptive analysis of observational data on the social and communicative experiences of a sample of eight school students aged between 5 and 13 with profound intellectual and multiple disability is reported. The observed frequency of various socio-communicative phenomena as well as potential relationships amongst social groupings and communication indicators in two types of school settings are outlined. These results inform a concluding discussion of theoretical perspectives on the nature of inputs to, and responses indicative of learning in this population of individuals with high and complex support needs.

Objectives: The Scheme for Appraisal of Emotional Development (SAED, Došen, 1997) is intended to evaluate the emotional development of persons with intellectual disabilities (ID), especially those with co-occurring problem behaviour. In 2012, The Scheme for Appraisal of Emotional Development-revised (SED-R) was developed in Dutch, based on the SAED. This paper aims at providing a description of the SED-R, its development, and results from an inter-rater reliability study.Methods: The study was carried out in services that support persons with ID in Flanders, the northern part of Belgium. For each client, the SED-R was administered twice with the same informants by two different trained interviewers at different points in time, with a 1-week minimum and 3-week maximum between assessments 1 and 2. Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient was calculated in order to estimate the internal consistency. The degree of agreement between the scores of the assessment pairs at time 1 and time 2 (which could be regarded as test-retest reliability) was expressed in Spearman’s rho. For the extent of inter-rater agreement, the intraclass correlations coefficient (ICC) was applied.Results: The reliability results indicate that the SED-R generally shows a high internal consistency. The total and average score of the SED-R show a substantial inter-rater reliability. Ten out of 13 domains show moderate to substantial inter-rater reliability.Conclusion: The results are discussed in relation to four notions: robustness, utility, understanding, and relevance. It is necessary to generate more knowledge with regard to the validity, reliability and applicability of the SED-R, warranting further research.

AbstractMore and more attention is given to the psychological effects of challenging behaviour on others. Staff members’ emotional reactions and experiences are important variables in this context, and need to be studied using direct measurement of staff exposure to challenging behaviours. In this study, 12 staff members were confronted with video recordings of their own behaviour in situations, in which a client was showing challenging behaviour. They were interviewed about their emotions and emotional experiences. Next to positive and negative emotions, staff members often mentioned the importance of the help they received from their colleagues. Some emotions were linked to the frequency of the challenging behaviour, and often, staff members referred to thoughts, questions, and doubts that were playing in their head.

This study gives a systematic and recent overview of studies that focus on staff variables that may have an influence on the origin and maintenance of challenging behaviour of clients with an intellectual disability. Thirty three studies were identified through computerized searches of the PsycInfo and ERIC-databases on the basis of specific search terms and inclusion criteria. The results were synthesized by using a narrative thematic synthesis. Many studies discussed staff beliefs about the causes of challenging behaviour and staff stress and emotional reactions to challenging behaviour. Furthermore, the relationship between attributions and emotions and between emotional reactions and levels of optimism and willingness to offer help were investigated. Finally, the least presented topic was staff responses to challenging behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mapping social inclusion often focuses merely on a specific aspect of interpersonal relationships or community participation and is often executed from one perspective (either the person with a disability or a proxy).

This paper gives a description of the support needs of people with profound multiple disabilities (PMD), based on the five basic dimensions of the 2002 AAMR System, being intellectual abilities, adaptive behavior, participation, interaction and social roles, health and context. It is based on a study of the literature concerning the target group. The overview shows that people with PMD have the same needs as other people, with regard to participation, elationships, choices, resources and physical and socio-emotional well-being. Nevertheless, it becomes apparent that the needs of people with PMD require specific support. In order to meet these special needs, a relational perspective on support as well as specific characteristics of the support staff and of the support context are necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Quality of Life in Persons with Intellectual Disabilities Defining and assessing quality of life (QoL) is currently at the forefront of the rehabilitation field. This paper gives an overview of the conceptualisation of QoL in persons with intellectual disabilities (ID). QoL is conceived of as a multidimensional construct featuring a set of core components that has validity for the general population as well as groups of persons with intellectual disabilities. It is stressed that QoL can be improved by self-determination, personal and environmental resources, personal goals, and a sense of connectedness. Furthermore, this paper critically reviews assessment tools for measuring QoL in persons with ID. Finally, this article analyses the various reasons, at the level of the individual, services and care programs, and the community, for measuring QoL in individuals with ID.

From the very early stages of childhood, children with Down syndrome present considerable individual variation in developmental abilities. Family factors play a significant role in this variation because they might impede or facilitate individual developmental progress. This article reviews important family factors associated with early development of infants and children with Down syndrome. The quality of parent-child interactions, the family environment, parental attitudes, family stress and coping, and formal and informal support are discussed inconnection with behavioral and developmental child outcomes. Parents and professionals should know about these factors and understand how and when they affect development.

Increasing importance is attached to the involvement and participation of persons with intellectual disabilities in planning and evaluating support and services. This can be explained by the changed relationship between clients and professionals and by the shift to a person-centred approach of services that aims to provide responsive support to assist people in achieving valued 'quality of life' outcomes. Different strategies of quality evaluation from the perspective of persons with intellectual disabilities are discussed, including methodological issues concerning satisfaction research and the proxy-approach. An overview is given of studies in which persons with intellectual disabilities were questioned about the quality of their life and supports. Specific attention is paid to the association of quality of life outcomes with type of service provision and support characteristics. Finally, some future challenges are indicated to promote user involvement in quality evaluation, from the perspective of researchers, service providers and persons with intellectual disabilities themselves.