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The Autism Spectrum Disorders in the European Union (ASDEU) survey investigated local services' use experiences of autistic adults, carers and professionals with interventions for autistic adults. The majority of the 697 participants experienced recommended considerations prior to deciding on intervention and during the intervention plan and implementation. Psychosocial interventions were the most commonly experienced interventions, while pharmacological interventions NOT recommended for core autistic symptoms were reported by fairly large proportions of participants. Family interventions were experienced slightly more commonly by carers than adults or professionals. Less than the 26% of autistic adult responders who had experienced challenging behaviors reported receiving an intervention to change them. These results provide insights for improving gaps in service provision of interventions among autistic adults.

Research providing an evidence-base for autistic adult services is sparse. The Autism Spectrum Disorders in the European Union (ASDEU) network implemented an on-line survey to determine gaps in autistic adult diagnostic evaluation and post-diagnostic support services. More than 55% in all groups experienced most of the recommended features for diagnostic evaluation for autistic adults. In contrast, < 2% of adults or carers, and < 21% of professionals experienced each of the recommended features for post-diagnostic support. In contrast to 61% of professionals, only about 30% of autistic adults and carers had knowledge of good local services models for autism diagnosis in adulthood. There are major differences between good practice guidelines for diagnostic and post-diagnostic care for autistic adults, and what is actually experienced by services users and professionals.

Current research demands that we rethink the roles of people with intellectual disabilities (IDs) in the research that affects them. The paradigm of inclusive research responds to this need. Although the specialized literature is progressively adopting a more inclusive research approach, the study of roles and relationships within inclusive research and reflections on the process of doing participatory research has received little attention. From a qualitative approach and a participatory action research framework this study aims to: (1) report the experience of involving adults with IDs in inclusive research, and their improvements in terms of developed competencies; (2) identify their perceived roles as researchers, and (3) describe their perceived barriers and facilitators during the research process. This study describes the experiences of 11 adults with IDs who participated in a project aimed at evaluating the cognitive accessibility of public spaces and services in a Chilean city for 14 months. Different roles emerged, ranging from apprentices to experts by experience, and were adopted to different extent by co‐researchers as the process evolved. Co‐researchers developed conceptual, procedural, and attitudinal skills. They also identified contextual and personal barriers as well as facilitators consisting of natural, professional, and community supports, as well as assisted technology while performing their role as co‐researchers. Inclusive research is a challenging, evolving process and it requires ongoing support and feedback to monitor the process and the outcomes to guarantee that all the participants perform different roles involved while meeting the goals of the research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyberbullying is a worldwide phenomenon and most of our knowledge comes from studies with adolescent and younger populations. Adult populations have received scarce attention. The present study is a systematic review of empirical academic papers on cyberbullying in the adult population. An online databases search (CINHAL, PsycInfo, ERIC, Medline, Pubmed, and Web of Science) identified 3986 references that, in successive steps, were reduced to 90 studies published between 2004 and 2016 that met the inclusion criteria. Each study was analyzed regarding topic, methods, ages, and other general characteristics. In addition, the measures used to assess cyberbullying, the impact of cyberbullying, and the different roles of those involved in the studies with adult population were explored. Results showed that there is a need for studies conducted in locations other than university settings and that the variety of measures, as well as the different criteria utilized to identify the cyberbullied, cyberbullies, and bystanders makes it difficult to compare findings. There is a need for longitudinal studies and for evidence-based practices to deal with these violent and aggressive behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recent studies show that youth with disabilities are at risk of experiencing cyberbullying. Nevertheless, the nature of this phenomenon among adults with intellectual disabilities has not been investigated. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to analyze the frequency and characteristics of cyberbullying and its correlates in individuals with intellectual disabilities attending training centers for adults with intellectual disabilities.Methods and Procedures: A convenience sample of 269 participants (54.3% men and 35.7% women), aged 18-40 years was recruited from Chile (14.1%), Mexico (32%), and Spain (53.9%).Results: The findings showed that 15.2% have been cyberbullied 9.7% are currently being cyberbullied. Being different was the main reason (97.7%) for being cyberbullied. The behaviors happen in educational settings (46.67%), leisure/free time activities (31.11%), and associations for people with disabilities (15.56%). Verbal aggressions (74.53%) were the most common cyberbullying behaviors. Those who were cyberbullied reported more inadequate use of mobile phone and Internet, as well as more unhealthy behaviors and depressive mood.Conclusions and Implications: These findings support the need for further studies on adults with intellectual disabilities, as well as the need for implementing primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]