Journal of Intellectual Disabilities最新文献

Background: Autism spectrum disorder poses challenges in social communication and behavior, while Intellectual disabilities are characterized by deficits in cognitive, social, and adaptive skills, frequently accompanied by stereotypies and challenging behaviors. Despite the progress made in autism spectrum disorder research, there is often a lack of research focusing on individuals with co-occurring autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability. Robot-assisted autism therapies are effective in addressing these needs. However, there is a lack of consensus on the optimal number of therapy sessions required for effective outcomes, particularly in children with comorbid autism and intellectual disability.

Objectives: This study aims to investigate the optimal number of therapy sessions required for effective outcomes in robot-assisted autism therapy, specifically focusing on children with comorbid autism and intellectual disability. Gaze analysis metrics, including the average number of eye contact and average inter-eye contact delay, are utilized to assess therapy effectiveness.

Methods: This study integrates gaze analysis focusing on the average number of eye contact and average inter-eye contact delay as performance metrics. A pilot investigation was conducted to explore the critical temporal window for optimal trial count in robot-assisted autism therapy for children with autism. A mathematical model was introduced and validated for eight children with autism spectrum disorder, encompassing 56 experiments conducted over 7 weeks (one trial per week). Robots presented 8 cues in 3 categories (visual, speech, motion) with 16 cues per trial.

Results and conclusions: The results, validated using single-sample Wilcoxon signed-rank tests, revealed that the unsaturated state, with a median score of 3.44, exhibited significantly lower average inter-eye contact delay (p-value = 0.014, r = 0.86) and significantly higher average number of eye contact (p-value = 0.014, r = 0.87) compared to the hypothesized medians. These findings suggest that the unsaturated state occurring in the critical temporal window has significantly higher average number of eye contact and lower average inter-eye contact delay compared to the saturated state. This study underscores the importance of tailored and targeted interventions for children with autism spectrum disorder, facilitating the development of cost-effective, time-efficient, evidence-based treatments.

The aim of this research is to analyse the elements necessary for the construction of inclusive universities in the European context from the perspective of university professors. Three focus groups are conducted in different countries: Spain, Italy and Portugal. The discourses have been analysed following Grounded Theory. The codes obtained were subjected to a centrality analysis in which rank, intermediation and proximity were analysed. The results show inclusion, teaching, experience and well-being as central elements of the discourses. Two large semantic blocks are obtained, one referring to educational factors and the other to social and emotional factors. Educational factors refer to how methodologies, assessment and support elements should be configured. In relation to social and emotional factors, issues related to inclusion, inclusive experiences, support and accompaniment and the role of families are presented. It concludes with the need to address both factors with a commitment from the entire university community.

Although Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) has been used in schools, its success has prompted recommendations for its adoption in group home and day habilitation settings. This scoping review examines the literature on implementing MTSS in group home and day habilitation settings for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Of the 15 studies reviewed, most focused on Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) rather than a comprehensive MTSS framework, raising questions about the alignment of interventions with the three-tiered structure of MTSS. Additionally, PBIS in these settings appears restricted to an individualized approach to minimizing behavior instead of the comprehensive framework used in schools. Benefits of implementing PBIS include a reduction in challenging behavior, decreased use of restrictive interventions, and staff-related advantages such as improved organization and reduced turnover. Challenges are noted in time and resource constraints. Suggestions for implementing MTSS in residential and day habilitation settings are provided.

This pilot study evaluated a money management skills program for students within the scope of occupational therapy practice. Three undergraduate students with intellectual disabilities attended sessions twice weekly for six weeks, learning financial concepts and applying knowledge through technology-based activities. The students were nonrandomly selected through a program that works to support college students with intellectual disabilities. Perceptions of money management skills pre- and post-intervention were assessed using a novel developed quantitative questionnaire. The Kohlman Evaluation of Living Skills (KELS) Assessment (money management section) was used to score and assess the participants' money management skills using descriptive indicators. The results demonstrated improvements in KELS Assessment and Likert-question scores from pre- to post-program implementation. Further research should be conducted to draw significant statistical conclusions on the effectiveness of a technology-based money management program for college students with intellectual disabilities.

Involuntary care in intellectual disability care may be reduced by deployment of multidisciplinary consultation. The Multi-Disciplinary Expertise Team (MDET) method proved effective in a previous trial on increasing involuntary care reduction. The current study aimed to examine how four organizations adapted MDET during implementation, and tested whether these versions were also effective. Semi-structured interviews with MDET-coordinators were analyzed using the Framework Reporting Adaptions and Modifications-Expanded. A quasi-experimental interrupted time-series design tested change in weekly counts of involuntary care recordings from before to during MDET implementation, in care homes that implemented MDET (n = 24) compared to care homes providing care-as-usual (CAU). Adaptations to MDET varied. These included implementing MDET without an independent MDET-team and loosening recordings of involuntary care. No differential changes in recordings were found between the implementation- and CAU-groups. Scaling-out MDET to other organizations led to adaptations that may have undermined its effects on reducing involuntary care.

In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, a deficiency exists in comprehensive assessments of transitional programs and services tailored for students with intellectual disabilities. The present research is a systematic review to discuss the barriers to planning and implementing transitional services for students with intellectual disabilities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and possible facilitators. Consequently, a thorough systematic review and exploration were conducted across ERIC - ProQuest, Education Journals - ProQuest, Google Scholar, EBSCO, Web of Science, and Scopus. The findings spotlighted various barriers from the perspective of stakeholders, categorising them as educational, familial, societal, and functional barriers. Among these, educational obstacles emerged as the most significant challenges impeding the employment prospects of students with intellectual disabilities. The results further disclosed several suggested facilitators to address these challenges, encompassing educational interventions and collaborative practices. This study furnishes decision-makers in the Kingdom, along with professionals in the realm of special education and parents, with valuable insights into the prevailing challenges illuminated by recent studies in the field, as well as the most prominent proposed solutions.

The aim of this study was to investigate the transition of employees with intellectual disabilities to inclusive work environments from sheltered workplaces. The study was conducted in a sheltered workplace in Turkey for people with intellectual disabilities. Data was collected from 71 participants in interviews. Interviews were conducted with employees (n = 28), families of employees (n = 24), company human resource managers (n = 8), sheltered workshop foremen (n = 7), and special education teachers (n = 4). The study group asked about the future of the sheltered workplace and participants' views on transition to inclusive work environments. The answers of the participants were analysed using thematic analysis. Findings showed that many participants had positive views about transition along with concerns about accidents and security problems that may occur in inclusive environments. It was observed that negative attitudes and views were related with lack of knowledge about inclusive work environment conditions.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many people with intellectual disabilities living in care facilities could not receive visitors. Health authorities suggested the use of digital social contact as an alternative for in-person visits. We examined how people with intellectual disabilities living in care facilities experienced the use of digital social contact with their informal social network throughout 2020. Residents, their relatives, volunteer visitors, direct support staff, and care facility managers (N = 283) completed an online questionnaire, of whom 35 participated in an interview. Video calling and in-person visits were among the most common forms of staying in touch. Experiences with digital social contact depended on residents' abilities and support needs, and on preconditions, such as staff availability. The first phases of the pandemic led to experiences of possibilities and benefits of using digital social contact as complementary to in-person contact for people with different levels of intellectual disability, also after the pandemic.

Intellectual functioning impacts defendants' competence to stand trial, though research on this population remains limited. This study replicated and advanced prior work, focusing on defendants' demographic, clinical, cognitive, and criminal justice variables and their association with length of hospitalization and restoration determinations. Participants were 74 male and female criminal defendants in a midwestern state who were adjudicated incompetent to stand trial, had a diagnosis related to intellectual deficits, and completed competency restoration. Most defendants (83.7%) were restored to competency. Demographic factors were unrelated to restoration outcomes; violence of alleged offense predicted shorter hospitalization. Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve analyses determined an IQ score cut-off of 63.5 for which participants were of greater likelihood to be determined restored, providing guidance on the likelihood of restoration for defendants with intellectual disability related diagnoses. Specifically, this score can be used with clinical data to inform competency determinations for defendants with cognitive deficits.

Frailty is a health concern for many adults with intellectual disability and should be measured to detect at-risk conditions, monitor disease, plan treatment, and gauge mortality. This descriptive pilot study evaluated measurement consistency (inter-rater agreement) of the Intellectual Disability-Frailty Index Short Form among multiple assessors with 20 adults (M age = 48.3 years) who had intellectual and multiple disabilities. Agreement percentages were computed for (a) non-frail, pre-frail, and frail categories derived from total index scores, and (b) each of 17 deficits listed on the form. Low average inter-rater agreement (<85%) was obtained on the index frail categories, several of the assessed deficits had acceptable inter-rater agreement (84.2-100%), while the majority of deficits were associated with moderate-to-low agreement percentages. Though research supports the Intellectual Disability-Frailty Index Short Form as a valid and practical frailty assessment instrument, our findings suggest that full-scale inter-rater agreement must be improved by adding more specificity to the form, clarifying instructions for assessors, and providing competency-based training in assessment implementation.