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Friendships contribute to positive social outcomes such as the promotion of prosocial behaviors and social well-being and can lead to an overall healthy quality of life. Despite the importance of friendships, little is known about how individuals without disabilities develop and maintain friendships with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Using a phenomenological research design, the current study explored the lived experiences of 17 adults without disabilities who discussed the development and maintenance of their friendship with an individual with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and subsequently collaborative, open coding was used to identify codes and themes across participants. Three main themes emerged related to 1) factors that facilitated friendship development; 2) factors that contributed to friendship maintenance; and 3) impacts of the friendship for both individuals with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities. Implications of the results are discussed as well as future directions for research.

Adults with Williams syndrome (WS) display hypersocial behaviors and experience social skills deficits. To improve social outcomes, we evaluated the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of an 8-week distance-delivered social skills program for adults with WS. Sessions were offered twice a week for 90 min. Twenty-four adults with WS were assigned to an intervention or waitlist control group. Outcomes were assessed through interviews and surveys with adults with WS, parents, and facilitators. The intervention was rated as acceptable and feasible by all. Parents rated adults with WS as displaying significant improvements in social skills; yet ratings by adults with WS did not change. Adults also displayed increased social skills knowledge following participation. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

Although adolescents with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are reported to experience high rates of bullying victimization, rates vary based on adolescent versus parent-report. The current study conducted interviews to explore whether adolescents with IDD perceive and describe school-based bullying victimization experiences differently from their parents and to identify potential factors for such differences. Adolescents with IDD reported more direct forms of bullying victimization, whereas parents were aware of both direct and indirect forms of bullying. Adolescents with IDD struggled to describe their bullying victimization experiences, often providing an inconsistent narrative with few details. Parents indicated that adolescents with IDD do not always report or recognize experiences of bullying victimization. Implications for future research and special education practice are discussed.

Job coaches are not typically trained to implement systematic instructional strategies to teach vocational skills to students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). This study replicated and expanded the evaluation of a job coach behavioral skills training program designed by Brock et al. (2016) to teach participants to implement task analysis, simultaneous prompting, and system of least prompts to teach vocational tasks to students with IDD. We used a multiple probe design with probe conditions across strategies, replicated across three participants, to assess acquisition and generalization. Participants demonstrated mastery of the three instructional strategies in simulated assessments with actors and generalized use of the strategies to teach novel vocational tasks to student interns with IDD. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.

Adults with Williams syndrome (WS) display hypersocial behaviors and experience social skills deficits. To improve social outcomes, we evaluated the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of an 8-week distance-delivered social skills program for adults with WS. Sessions were offered twice a week for 90 min. Twenty-four adults with WS were assigned to an intervention or waitlist control group. Outcomes were assessed through interviews and surveys with adults with WS, parents, and facilitators. The intervention was rated as acceptable and feasible by all. Parents rated adults with WS as displaying significant improvements in social skills; yet ratings by adults with WS did not change. Adults also displayed increased social skills knowledge following participation. Implications for practice and future research are discussed., Author(s): Marisa H. Fisher [sup.1] [sup.2] , Rebecca R. Kammes [sup.1] [sup.2] [sup.3] , Rhonda S. Black [sup.4] , Kristin Houck [sup.1] [sup.2] , Katie Cwiakala [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) [...]

This study aimed to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the stress levels and life satisfaction of individuals with disabilities and what role social support plays in mitigating these impacts. Data from individuals with disabilities (n = 600) were extracted from a larger international cross-sectional survey study. Regression analyses were conducted to examine how personal and environmental factors contributed to stress levels and life satisfaction changes during the pandemic. Mediation analyses were used to test whether social support mediated the association between stress level and life satisfaction. The negative impact of the pandemic, having a psychiatric disability, being a female, and being younger significantly predicted stress levels. Moreover, the negative impact of the pandemic and stress levels significantly predicted life satisfaction. The relationship between stress levels and life satisfaction was mediated by social support from significant others and friends. There is an urgent need to provide training and education for healthcare professionals, families, and caregivers on the basic aspects of mental health care, developing time-limited and culturally-sensitive mental health interventions, and strategies for expanding the social support system for the population. Broad dissemination of effective therapeutic strategies is crucial in mitigating the negative psychosocial impact of the pandemic.

Introduction: This study examined factors that predict stress level and life satisfaction among adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic and the role of social support. Method: From a larger study about the experiences during the pandemic of 2028 individuals with and without disabilities, 181 adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities (or proxy) responded. Results: Most respondents with intellectual or developmental disabilities (92.8%) reported negative impacts from the pandemic, with 55.2% of the 96 employed pre-pandemic reporting impacted employment, including job loss. The negative impact of the pandemic was a significant predictor of stress level; social support was related to reduced stress. Stress level and the negative impact of the pandemic were inversely related to life satisfaction; social support was positively related to life satisfaction. Social support partially mediated the association between stress level and life satisfaction. Discussion: Comprehensive services and social support systems are needed to combat the impact of the pandemic.

While mathematics education is key to the post-school outcomes of students with disabilities, it has received less attention in research and practice compared with other aspects of educating this population. Skill maintenance is particularly crucial in mathematics because students build upon prior knowledge across grade levels. They also need to be able to apply mathematical skills in everyday life. Hence, this study utilized a multiple probe across-participants single-case experimental design to evaluate the effectiveness of the virtual--representational--abstract (VRA) with overlearning instructional sequence in teaching multiplication and supporting its maintenance among three students with disabilities. For each student, a functional relation existed between the VRA with overlearning instructional sequence and accuracy of solving multiplication problems. Students also maintained the skill up to 8 weeks after the intervention.

Many researchers and practitioners cite concerns with maintenance and generalization as a serious issue for individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), although few studies explicitly target performance of behaviors outside training environments. After an initial intervention failed to produce robust generalization outcomes, the present investigation examined the combinative effects of a peer-mediated intervention with video-based group instruction on the generalization of social skills by four high school students with ASD and co-occurring intellectual disability. A multiple probe across behaviors design was used to examine the effects of the packaged intervention on generalization of social skills to three natural settings within the high school. All participants demonstrated an increase in performance of social skills across all generalization environments following peer-mediated intervention for social skills that had been acquired--but minimally generalized--in a previous video-based group instruction study. Results suggest peer mediated intervention enhanced the generalization outcomes of an already effective intervention teaching social interaction to adolescents with ASD.

Peer mentoring programs provide an opportunity for individuals with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) to learn, socialize, and work together in supportive and inclusive environments. In this study, we used a phenomenological research design to explore the impact of a college campus-based peer mentoring program on the experiences and perceptions of participating college peer mentors (n = 13) toward high school students with IDD who were enrolled in a school-to-work transition program housed on campus. Using thematic analysis across four different data sources, we identified three main themes that peer mentors discussed based on their experiences in the program: (a) mentors' personal development: constructing meaning of self, (b) mentee growth: perceived work and social impact, and (c) campus community benefits: normalizing disability. Peer mentors reported their own attitudes toward individuals with IDD were changed based on participating in the peer mentoring program and they observed improvements in their mentees' personal and work-related social relationships. We discuss how these outcomes have impacted the peer mentors' attitudes, career choices, and lives in general. We also provide implications for future research and practice regarding development and implementation of peer mentoring programs in the community.

Social justice movements have sought public awareness and positive change for marginalized communities, including the intersection of Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) and disabled students. Despite significant strides made to decrease the inequities experienced by marginalized communities, gaps still exist. Increasingly, the fields of special education and related services (e.g., social services providers who support disabled students in schools) have been encouraging and requiring their practitioners to be taught culturally relevant content, such as cultural competency. Despite the push to incorporate cultural competency training, no systematic approach to providing this training has been identified. The current systematic literature review was conducted to identify common practices for training cultural competency within social service professions. A search across five databases yielded 53 studies that met inclusion criteria. The results demonstrate that cultural competency content and knowledge is taught and measured using a variety of methods and assessments; cultural competency was most often taught within academic programs and assessed using the Multicultural Counseling Inventory. This review contains a variety of methods that have been shown to teach cultural competency and thus can be used by educational programs and organizations across the social service professions to aid in creating trainings for their practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individuals with Williams Syndrome (WS) are hypersocial, overfriendly, and experience social skills deficits that may adversely impact their social outcomes. This study examined the relation between social skills, friendship quality, and feelings of loneliness for adults with WS as reported by 114 parent-adult with WS dyads. Results indicate that although most friends do not live close-by, adults with WS have good quality friendships and do not report high feelings of loneliness. Positive friendship qualities were found to partially mediate the relationship between social skills impairments and social feelings of loneliness. Findings indicate that although adults with WS experience social skills deficits and struggle to maintain friendships in their immediate community, they still report positive friendship qualities and low feelings of loneliness.

Although it is well-known that individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are socially vulnerable, the field lacks valid assessments to identify risk factors for victimization. Parents/caregivers of 428 individuals with IDD (ages 12-53) completed the social vulnerability questionnaire (SVQ), a measure developed to assess specific aspects of social vulnerability among individuals with various forms of IDD. This study examined the psychometric structure of the SVQ (exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis), and the utility of the factors of the SVQ as predictors of diagnostic category (through discriminate function analysis). Results provide psychometric support for use of the SVQ and its factors for further research and as part of a clinical assessment battery to assess social vulnerability and to develop interventions.

Abstract Social inclusion of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) is related to positive mental health and social outcomes; yet, individuals with IDD experience societal barriers that limit opportunities for community participation. Providing opportunities for interactions between individuals with and without IDD through peer mentoring may diminish barriers and improve community inclusion. Guided by the self-determination theory, the current report describes the development of a peer mentoring programme to promote the natural process of building intrinsic motivation and personal growth through opportunities for individuals without disabilities to socialize with individuals with IDD on a large university campus and throughout the surrounding community. The theoretical framework that informed the development of the peer mentoring programme is described, as well as the participants, the setting in which the programme is situated, the structure of the programme, the initial impacts and improvement of the programme over time, including approaches to sustainability, and implications for future research and practice.

Background: Compared to the general population, individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) more often experience bullying and its negative social and emotional impacts. Prior studies explored bullying of individuals with IDD primarily through investigations of the perspectives of others and the negative impacts of bullying. The current study examined how individuals with IDD describe their responses to experiences of bullying, with a focus on whether responses included component skills of self-determination. Method: Eighteen adults with IDD (50% female) aged 18-63 years were interviewed about their experiences with bullying. Interviews were analysed to determine responses to bullying and the degree to which their responses demonstrated self-determination. Results: Data analysis revealed two primary themes, outside support and self-determination, with additional subthemes. Conclusions: Findings provide a more nuanced description of the ways in which individuals with IDD respond to bullying, including the demonstration of self-determination skills. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Behavior analysts visually analyze graphs to interpret data in order to make data-based decisions. Though front-line employees implement behavioral interventions on a daily basis, they are not often trained to interpret these data. A clinical decision-making model may aid front-line employees in learning how to interpret graphs. A multiple-baseline-across-participants design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of a clinical decision-making model on the percentage of correct responses when interpreting line graphs. All of the participants increased their percentage of correct responses after the introduction of the clinical decision-making model. Two of the eight participants required additional feedback. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Children with disabilities experience elevated rates of maltreatment, but little is known about the interaction of children with autism spectrum disorder with child protection systems. A population-based dataset of 24,306 children born in 2008 in Tennessee, which included 387 children with autism spectrum disorder identified through the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring network, was linked with state child protection records. Rates of maltreatment referrals, screening for further action, and substantiated maltreatment were examined for children with versus without autism spectrum disorder. Significantly more children with autism spectrum disorder (17.3%) than without (7.4%) were referred to the Child Abuse Hotline. Children with autism spectrum disorder were less likely than children without autism spectrum disorder to have referrals screened in for further action (62% vs 91.6%, respectively), but substantiated maltreatment rates were similar across groups (3.9% vs 3.4%, respectively). Girls versus boys with autism spectrum disorder were more likely to have substantiated maltreatment (13.6% vs 1.9%, respectively). The high percentage of children with autism spectrum disorder referred for allegations of maltreatment, the differential pattern of screening referrals in for further action, and the high levels of substantiated maltreatment of girls with autism spectrum disorder highlights the need for enhanced training and knowledge of the complex issues faced by children with autism spectrum disorder, their families, and state welfare agencies.

Despite the high incidence of bullying among people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), little research has been conducted with people with IDD as participants reporting their own perceptions and experiences of bullying. To address this shortcoming, we interviewed 18 adults with IDD regarding these issues. Four major themes emerged from our qualitative analysis of the transcribed interviews: (a) bullying is hurtful; (b) why people bully; (c) bullying takes many forms; and (d) bullying can happen anywhere. Though participants' definitions of bullying and explanations for why people bully aligned well with traditional understandings, several reported incidents of bullying were discrepant from the traditional definition, including incidents of abuse and rude behavior. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.

Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic is the most pressing public health challenge currently faced by populations around the globe; yet, little is known about specific experiences and impacts of the pandemic on the employment of people with disabilities. This study was conducted to gain a better understanding of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the employment of people with disabilities and their lived experiences. Methods: Data were drawn from a larger online survey study designed to describe the experiences of people with and without disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. From the larger dataset, 318 individuals reported having a disability and having been employed prior to the pandemic. A mixed-analysis using quantitative and qualitative data from those respondents was conducted to analyze and describe how COVID-19 impacted the employment of people with disabilities. Results: Out of 318 respondents with disabilities who were employed prior to the pandemic, 195 reported that their employment was impacted as a result of the pandemic. Specifically, 50.3% moved to work from home, 23.6% experienced a change in work hours and/or income, 22.6% were laid off or dismissed from employment, and 19.5% chose not to work due to personal or health reasons. Respondents described these impacts both positively and negatively. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic poses risks to the employment and economic well-being of persons with disabilities worldwide. There is a need for comprehensive, systemic, and collaborative systems of care to address the impacts on employment now and once the pandemic is over. Keywords: COVID-19; epidemic outbreak; impacts of pandemic; persons with disabilities; global experience, employment, Employment is the cornerstone for many adults' lives. Not only does a career increase resources, it also provides an individual with greater life satisfaction as a result of decreased isolation [...]

Individuals with Williams Syndrome (WS) are hypersocial, overfriendly, and experience social skills deficits that may adversely impact their social outcomes. This study examined the relation between social skills, friendship quality, and feelings of loneliness for adults with WS as reported by 114 parent-adult with WS dyads. Results indicate that although most friends do not live close-by, adults with WS have good quality friendships and do not report high feelings of loneliness. Positive friendship qualities were found to partially mediate the relationship between social skills impairments and social feelings of loneliness. Findings indicate that although adults with WS experience social skills deficits and struggle to maintain friendships in their immediate community, they still report positive friendship qualities and low feelings of loneliness., Author(s): Marisa H. Fisher [sup.1] , Cynde Katherine Josol [sup.1] , Carolyn M. Shivers [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.17088.36, 0000 0001 2150 1785, Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology, and Special [...]

Although it is well-known that individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are socially vulnerable, the field lacks valid assessments to identify risk factors for victimization. Parents/caregivers of 428 individuals with IDD (ages 12-53) completed the social vulnerability questionnaire (SVQ), a measure developed to assess specific aspects of social vulnerability among individuals with various forms of IDD. This study examined the psychometric structure of the SVQ (exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis), and the utility of the factors of the SVQ as predictors of diagnostic category (through discriminate function analysis). Results provide psychometric support for use of the SVQ and its factors for further research and as part of a clinical assessment battery to assess social vulnerability and to develop interventions., Author(s): Marisa H. Fisher [sup.1] , Carolyn M. Shivers [sup.2] , Cynde K. Josol [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.17088.36, 0000 0001 2150 1785, Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology, and Special [...]

Background: Individuals with intellectual disability experience high rates of bullying, but it is not known how people with specific syndromes, such as Williams syndrome (WS), experience and respond to bullying. Given their behavioral profile, including hypersociability and heightened anxiety, and their risk for experiencing other forms of victimization, it is important to examine whether individuals with WS experience bullying and to determine how they respond. Method: Fifteen individuals with (WS) between the ages of 12 and 37 participated in semi-structured interviews about their understanding of bullying, their experiences of bullying, and how they responded. Interviews were transcribed and coded for themes related to bullying understanding, experiences, and responses. Results: Participants were able to describe bullying, often referring to bullies as mean people who want to hurt others. Individuals with WS then reported that they experienced several forms of bullying, including relational, verbal, and physical bullying. In response to bullying, the primary theme that emerged was related to self-advocacy; the participants also provided suggestions about being proud of who you are, and feeling secure within yourself about your strengths and weaknesses. Conclusions: Individuals with WS experience bullying but also stand up for themselves in the face of bullying. To inform intervention, future research should further examine the bullying experiences of individuals with WS and how they compare to individuals with other intellectual disability conditions.

The current study took a multi-informant approach to compare parent to self-report ratings of social vulnerability of adults with Williams syndrome (WS). Participants included 102 pairs of adults with WS and their parents. Parents completed the "Social Vulnerability Questionnaire" and adults with WS completed an adapted version of the questionnaire. Parents consistently reported higher levels of social vulnerability for their son/daughter than the individual with WS reported, with the exception of emotional abuse. The lower ratings of social vulnerability by adults with WS, compared to their parents, offer new information about their insight into their own vulnerability. These findings highlight the importance of teaching self-awareness as a part of a multi-informant approach to interventions designed to target social vulnerability.

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder experience high rates of peer victimization; yet, their personal experiences and perceptions of such victimization are not well understood. In this qualitative investigation, responses to questions about bullying and teasing were examined to gain insight into the perception of peer victimization as reported by adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. While the majority of participants provided examples of peer victimization, their situations differed from items typically assessed on bullying questionnaires. Participants were also able to provide explanations for why they believe they are targets and descriptions of their reactions to bullying. Findings from the interviews are used to provide suggestions for the development of more informative bullying assessments and prevention programs for students with autism spectrum disorder.

Friendships contribute to positive social outcomes such as the promotion of prosocial behaviors and social well-being and can lead to an overall healthy quality of life. Despite the importance of friendships, little is known about how individuals without disabilities develop and maintain friendships with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Using a phenomenological research design, the current study explored the lived experiences of 17 adults without disabilities who discussed the development and maintenance of their friendship with an individual with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and subsequently collaborative, open coding was used to identify codes and themes across participants. Three main themes emerged related to 1) factors that facilitated friendship development; 2) factors that contributed to friendship maintenance; and 3) impacts of the friendship for both individuals with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities. Implications of the results are discussed as well as future directions for research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study took a multi-informant approach to compare parent to self-report ratings of social vulnerability of adults with Williams syndrome (WS). Participants included 102 pairs of adults with WS and their parents. Parents completed the Social Vulnerability Questionnaire and adults with WS completed an adapted version of the questionnaire. Parents consistently reported higher levels of social vulnerability for their son/daughter than the individual with WS reported, with the exception of emotional abuse. The lower ratings of social vulnerability by adults with WS, compared to their parents, offer new information about their insight into their own vulnerability. These findings highlight the importance of teaching self-awareness as a part of a multi-informant approach to interventions designed to target social vulnerability., Author(s): Emma Lough[sup.1] , Marisa H. Fisher[sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) Department of Psychology, Durham University, Science Laboratories, South Road, DH1 3LE, DurhamUK (2) Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology and Special [...]