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During the diagnostic evaluation period for autism or intellectual disability (ID), families of young children are at risk for poor adjustment. The present study aimed to document family quality of life (FQOL), along with associated risk and protective factors, during this critical step of families' services trajectory. FQOL was measured in a large sample of families of children recently diagnosed with a neurodevelopmental disorder and examined in relation to the type of services received, children's clinical profile, and family variables. FQOL was related to types of services, children's challenging behavior, parenting stress, and several aspects of family composition and status. These findings highlight a need for mental health support for parents, coaching interventions for challenging behaviors, and family-centered supports.

Interactions between staff and individuals with intellectual disability have been shown to influence the development or maintenance of challenging behaviours among the latter. Given the implications of these observations, the present study sought to describe special education teachers' responses to challenging behaviours displayed by their pupils. Eight teachers and 12 children with intellectual disability who manifested challenging behaviours were observed over the course of six months. Teachers completed questionnaires regarding their emotional reactions to, and understanding of, challenging behaviours. They also reported their behavioural and emotional responses to challenging behaviours described in vignettes. The combination of observation and questionnaires provided a more comprehensive understanding of teachers' attitudes toward challenging behaviours. Results indicated a discrepancy between reported and observed behaviours. Teachers preferred verbal interventions or not responding to challenging behaviours. The analysis of interactions between teachers and their pupils highlighted relationships between emotions, attributions, and several behaviours.

Background: The frequency and intensity of physical activity are directly related to health in the general population. However, to our knowledge, no study has looked at that relationship in people with intellectual disability. Method: The aim of this study was to determine whether there were differences in the health of 407 people with intellectual disability according to the frequency and intensity of physical activity. The method involved cross-sectional study of secondary data. Findings: Results showed that the ability to express pain, number of orthopaedic and physiotherapy consultations, body mass index and percentage of psychosis/schizophrenia diagnoses differed with the frequency and intensity of physical activity. Conclusion: Other studies are needed to learn more about physical activity factors that could improve the health of people with intellectual disability.

Early identification of neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDDs) is critical to a good prognosis. Several factors such as overlapping diagnoses can complicate this process and thus delay access to services. This study sought to identify meaningful clinical profiles, beyond diagnostic labels, in 194 children with NDDs referred to an assessment clinic. Cluster analyses were applied to eight selected behavioral and cognitive variables. Results suggested a cluster structure in which three homogenous groups differed significantly from one another: children who presented either (1) heterogeneous diagnoses and ambiguous profiles, (2) a clinical profile closely aligned to a classic presentation of ASD, and (3) emotional and behavioral challenges. These distinct profiles may have implications for assessment and clinical practices., Author(s): Mélina Rivard [sup.1] , Zakaria Mestari [sup.1] , Diane Morin [sup.1] , Patrick Coulombe [sup.2] , Catherine Mello [sup.3] , Marjorie Morin [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.38678.32, 0000 0001 [...]

Background: A large body of evidence suggest that parents of young children with autism spectrum disorder or intellectual disability experience low levels of satisfaction with the diagnostic evaluation process. This study sought to document parents' satisfaction with the services of a pilot clinic implemented in Québec, Canada. Method: Two-hundred fifty-nine (259) parents were recruited following their child's diagnosis. A mixed methods approach was used to investigate parents' satisfaction globally and with specific aspects of the assessment process. Results: Parents expressed overall high satisfaction with the assessment process. Parental satisfaction with specific aspects of the assessment process was negatively related to paternal stress, fathers' unemployment and household income and positively related to maternal stress. Conclusions: This pilot clinic could meet parents' needs at this crucial moment in their care and services trajectory. The factors associated with satisfaction in the present study may inform future improvements to its services.

Background: For adults with intellectual disabilities living in a residential care facility, support staff, who are an integral part of their daily lives, can play an important role in supporting their sexuality. Even though multiple programmes exist, barriers remain when it comes to their application. This study aimed to identify factors affecting residential staff's perception of their role in supporting the sexuality of adults with intellectual disabilities living in a residential care facility as well as facilitators and barriers to that support. Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 support staff. Results: A thematic analysis revealed four factors, namely support staff's role, facilitators and barriers, sexuality of residents with intellectual disabilities and policies and regulations. Conclusion: Results illustrate the importance of expanding support staff's knowledge, clarifying procedures for implementing the support staff's role and establishing a clear practise framework.

The present study examined which aspects of the child's behavior and clinical profile accounted for three dimensions of parenting stress: related to parenting roles, to interactions with the child, and to the child. Measures of adaptive behavior, intellectual functioning, autism symptom severity, and challenging behavior and emotional difficulties were examined as predictors of parenting stress in 157 mothers of children recently diagnosed with autism. Children's emotional problems and aggressive behavior were most predictive of parenting distress, whereas autism symptoms along with emotional problems and aggressive behavior, respectively, were linked to stress pertaining to interactions and to the child. These findings underscore the need for comprehensive and complementary interventions that focus on children's behavior and symptoms but also on parent adjustment.

Researchers have demonstrated that video-based interventions are effective at teaching a variety of skills to individuals with intellectual disabilities. To replicate and extend this line of research, we initially planned to compare the effects of video modeling and video prompting on the acquisition of a novel work skill (i.e., data entry) in two adults with moderate intellectual disabilities using an alternating treatment design. When both interventions failed to improve performance, the instructors sequentially introduced a least-to-most instructor-delivered prompting procedure. The results indicated that the introduction of instructor prompts considerably increased correct responding in one participant during video modeling and in both participants during video prompting. Overall, the study suggests that practitioners should consider incorporating instructor-delivered prompts from the onset, or at least when no improvements in performance are observed, when using video-based interventions to teach new work skills to individuals with intellectual disabilities.

This proof-of-concept study assessed the feasibility of implementing Prevent-Teach-Reinforce-for-Young-Children (PTR-YC) program to address challenging behaviors in children with autism within the context of public, specialized early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI) services offered in community settings. Following a 2-day training and with brief weekly supervision meetings, children's EIBI educators acted as facilitators in 35 families' home environments. Small and moderate effect sizes were observed for children's behavioral outcomes and parenting stress. Recruitment and retention rates, implementation fidelity, as well as treatment acceptability from the perspective of participating parents and the organization attested to the feasibility and relevance of implementing and evaluating this program on a larger scale as part of a multi-center randomized controlled trial.

The present study examined which aspects of the child's behavior and clinical profile accounted for three dimensions of parenting stress: related to parenting roles, to interactions with the child, and to the child. Measures of adaptive behavior, intellectual functioning, autism symptom severity, and challenging behavior and emotional difficulties were examined as predictors of parenting stress in 157 mothers of children recently diagnosed with autism. Children's emotional problems and aggressive behavior were most predictive of parenting distress, whereas autism symptoms along with emotional problems and aggressive behavior, respectively, were linked to stress pertaining to interactions and to the child. These findings underscore the need for comprehensive and complementary interventions that focus on children's behavior and symptoms but also on parent adjustment., Author(s): Catherine Mello [sup.1] , Mélina Rivard [sup.2] , Diane Morin [sup.2] , Shaneha Patel [sup.2] , Marjorie Morin [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) Department of Psychology, Penn State University - [...]

Background: ETAP-1 was created to evaluate the quality of services trajectory from families' perspective. The items of ETAP-1 were developed from previous studies on integrated care, existing quality assessments, and consultations with families and experts in evaluation and in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Method: The questionnaire was completed by 200 parents of children aged 5 and under who were recently diagnosed with ASD or intellectual disability. Of these, 183 received diagnostic evaluation through a clinic specialized in ASD; the other 17 underwent diagnostic evaluation in hospital settings. Results: Factor analysis supported the a priori dimensions of quality and distinctions between experiences before and during diagnostic evaluation. The instrument had high internal consistency, convergent and discriminant validity with other measures and was sensitive to differences in service delivery models. Discussion: ETAP-1 is useful in organizing information on families' experiences throughout their services trajectories and according to a dynamic perspective.

This proof-of-concept study assessed the feasibility of implementing Prevent-Teach-Reinforce-for-Young-Children (PTR-YC) program to address challenging behaviors in children with autism within the context of public, specialized early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI) services offered in community settings. Following a 2-day training and with brief weekly supervision meetings, children's EIBI educators acted as facilitators in 35 families' home environments. Small and moderate effect sizes were observed for children's behavioral outcomes and parenting stress. Recruitment and retention rates, implementation fidelity, as well as treatment acceptability from the perspective of participating parents and the organization attested to the feasibility and relevance of implementing and evaluating this program on a larger scale as part of a multi-center randomized controlled trial., Author(s): Mélina Rivard [sup.1] , Catherine Mello [sup.2] , Zakaria Mestari [sup.1] , Amélie Terroux [sup.1] , Diane Morin [sup.1] , Jacques Forget [sup.1] , Christine Lefebvre [sup.1] , Malena [...]

Background: Studies have reported unmet health needs in individuals with intellectual disability (ID). This study illustrated and analysed patterns of healthcare services utilization among people with intellectual disability and compared their use to that of the general population. Method: Participants (N = 791, aged 15-82) were mainly recruited through government-financed agencies specializing in services for people with intellectual disabilities in Québec, Canada. Comparisons were possible by using health administrative data. Results: Some services were more used by people with intellectual disability than the general population (general medicine, psychiatry, PSA blood tests), and others were accessed at significantly lower frequencies (optometry, physiotherapy, Pap tests). Similar rates were found for mammography, dentistry and psychology. Inequities were more salient for individuals who had more severe levels of intellectual disability. Conclusions: Our findings support that the population with intellectual disability would benefit from policies and practices aimed at enhancing the access to healthcare services.

Background: Due to deficits in adaptive and cognitive functioning, productivity may pose challenges for individuals with intellectual disability in the workplace. Method: Using a changing-criterion embedded in a multiple baseline across participants design, we examined the effects of differential reinforcement of high rates of behaviour (DRH) on the rate of data entry (i.e., productivity) in four adults with intellectual disability. Results: Although the DRH procedure increased the rate of correct data entry in all four participants, none of the participants achieved the criterion that we set with novice undergraduate students. Conclusions: Our results indicate that DRH is an effective intervention to increase rate of correct responding in individuals with intellectual disability, but that achieving the same productivity as workers without disability may not always be possible.

Background: Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is the most common cause of inherited intellectual disability among men. This syndrome is frequently underdiagnosed in adults. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a French translation of the screening checklist "Fragiele-X screeningslijst." Method: The validation sample for the translated checklist included 22 pairs of men between the ages of 18 and 52, matched by age and degree of intellectual impairment. Results: The translated checklist achieved coefficients of 0.92 for internal consistency, 0.90 for test-retest reliability and 0.65 for inter-rater reliability. These psychometric properties are commensurate with those of the original checklist. Conclusion: Therefore, the translated checklist developed in this study can be considered a valid screening instrument for the detection of FXS in men with intellectual disabilities.

Background: Children with a developmental disability often engage in challenging behaviour, which may require that parents implement behavioural assessments and interventions. The purpose of our pilot study was to examine the effects of an interactive web training (IWT) to teach behavioural function identification and intervention selection to parents. Method: Twenty-six parents of children with a developmental disability responded to function identification and intervention selection tasks on clinical vignettes before and following IWT. We also measured social validity and the duration of training. Results: Our results show that parents were more accurate in the identification of behavioural function and selected more adequate interventions following IWT. On average, parents spent less than 2.5 h to complete IWT and rated it positively. Conclusions: The IWT appears to be a viable tool to teach parents about function-based intervention, but additional research is needed to examine whether it translates to changes in parental practices and child behaviour.

Transportation is integral to the employment accessibility and sustainability of people with disabilities. This study aims to identify barriers, facilitators, and solutions to commuting for people with disabilities, drawing from their perspectives as well as those of employers and transportation providers. Through semi-structured individual interviews, insights were gathered from sixteen individuals with disabilities, seven employers, two job integration agents, and four transporters. Qualitative analysis of the interview transcripts revealed factors influencing commuting, including personal attributes and environmental factors. This study underscores the significant impact of environmental factors, particularly the role of social networks and transport infrastructure in either supporting or hindering public transportation use for people with disabilities who commute to work. For example, employers' limited awareness of their employees' commuting challenges contrasts with their recognition of their potential role in supporting it. Training and disability awareness initiatives emerge as pivotal solutions to empower individuals within the social network, including transport personnel, fellow passengers, and employers, to facilitate public transportation use by people with disabilities for work commutes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Toxoplasma gondii is one of the most common zoonotic parasites and can cause serious illness in humans and other animals worldwide (1-3). It can infect virtually all warm-blooded animals, including [...]

Although many barriers remain to the employment of people with disabilities, public transportation can play a key role for integration and retention of people with disabilities in employment. However, research is needed to better understand how public transportation influences access to work for people with disabilities. This study aims to identify public transportation-related barriers and facilitators to the employment of people living with disabilities. A scoping review approach was adopted, with a keyword search through six databases. Studies' characteristics, transportation barriers, and facilitators to employment of people with disabilities were extracted from the selected articles. The results were presented descriptively and narratively. In total, 74 studies were included. Barriers and facilitators were grouped under four themes: (1) public transportation, (2) employment, (3) personal factors, and (4) social network. This review highlights the key role of public transportation in accessing and maintaining employment for people with disabilities. It also reveals gaps in the literature and a need to investigate the issue through the lens of employers, public transportation services, and social environmental facilitators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Direct, meaningful contact with people with intellectual disability, such as through integrated sport, may be related to positive attitudes. The current study aimed to compare implicit (unconscious) and explicit (conscious) attitudes between adults involved in integrated sport events and those in a comparison group who were not and examine the association between attitudes and degree of integrated sport involvement. An online survey measuring attitudes was completed by 295 adults without intellectual disability who participated in integrated sport activities and 450 adults who did not. Individuals involved in integrated sport reported less negative behavioral and affective attitudes relative to the comparison group, with mixed results for cognitive attitudes. Groups did not differ on implicit attitudes. Greater integrated sport involvement was related to some aspects of explicit attitudes. Involvement in integrated sport may be linked to how participants view intellectual disability, which has important implications for enhancing social inclusion and informing positive attitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research suggests that attitudes of typically developing children towards intellectual disability (ID) play an important role in the social integration and acceptance of children with IDs. To date, however, few studies have investigated children's attitudes towards ID. The primary objective of this study was to examine the cognitive, affective, and behavioural components of children's attitudes towards ID. Thirty-nine (14 boys, 25 girls) fifth- and sixth-grade elementary school students participated in the study. Seven focus groups were created in five different schools. Results suggested that inaccurate beliefs and negative emotions regarding ID may contribute to social and school integration problems experienced by children with IDs. The findings of the present study could be useful for the development of education and awareness programs that promote the development of more positive attitudes towards ID.

This study documented the perceived needs of therapists, specialists, and managers who work with children with intellectual disabilities (ID) and/or autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and concurrent problem behaviours (PBs). Seventy-five respondents from specialized PB and early childhood programs within eight public rehabilitation centres were surveyed. They were asked to describe current practices and perceived needs in terms of assessment, intervention, and training with respect to the target population. Overall, the perceptions of staff were consistent with the results of previous studies examining families' perspectives. Salient themes include the need for specialized assessments for PBs in young children, collaboration between multiple service providers and families, and additional staff training in child development and interventions for PBs. These findings underscore the importance of offering diversified services adapted to the needs of children with PBs, their families, and their service providers.

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Background: Restrictive measures may have important physical and psychological consequences on all persons involved. The current study examined how these are perceived by persons with intellectual disabilities and staff. Materials and Methods: Interviews were conducted with eight persons with intellectual disabilities who experienced a restrictive measure and their care providers. They were queried on their understanding of the restrictive measure, its impact on the relationship, their emotions and alternative interventions. Results: Restrictive measures were experienced negatively by persons with intellectual disabilities and their care providers. Service users reported feeling sad and angry, whereas staff mentioned feeling anxious. Moreover, persons with intellectual disabilities appeared to understand the goal of restrictive measures (e.g. ensuring their own and others' safety) and identified alternative interventions (e.g. speaking with a staff member or taking a walk). Conclusion: This study sheds further light on how persons with intellectual disabilities and staff experience the application of restrictive measures. Debriefing sessions with service users and staff may help minimize negative consequences.

This study investigates the relations between teachers' attitudes towards persons with intellectual disability (ID), in-service training on ID, and prior contacts with persons with ID. A sample of Canadian elementary school teachers (N?=?118) completed the Attitudes Toward Intellectual Disability Questionnaire, which measures cognitive, affective and behavioural components of attitudes towards persons with ID. Correlational and multivariate regression analyses were performed. Frequent contacts with persons with ID and experience of including a child with ID increased the likelihood of reporting prior positive contacts with persons with ID. In turn, this was associated with less discomfort towards persons with ID and more willingness towards interactions. In-service training on ID was related to better knowledge of rights and capabilities of persons with ID. Experience of including a child with ID in general education classrooms increased the likelihood to report feeling competent in teaching children with ID, which predicted more willingness to include children with ID.