Children with Down syndrome require services from different sectors over time to optimize health and development, however, there is little information on longitudinal, cross-sector service use. Parents of children with Down syndrome attending a Canadian children's hospital participated in semistructured interviews covering life-time multiple sector service use. Five key service patterns were identified: (1) primary care physicians playing a circumscribed role; (2) a marked shift in public habilitative service receipt from development agencies in the preschool years to exclusive school delivery after school entry; (3) families obtaining private services to address gaps from public sector services; (4) a prominent role for parents to identify additional services; and (5) service variability as a function of timing and severity of medical comorbidity.
Researchers used a merged dataset to examine if more resources were expended on those with greater support needs and if support needs impacted personal outcomes when controlling for relevant personal and contextual factors. Results indicated that the amount of support a person receives had a direct relationship to their needs. However, we also found that people with the greatest needs had weaker personal outcomes suggesting that distribution of resources based on need may not result in equivalent outcomes. The authors suggest strategies at an individual and systems level to address the outcomes gap for people with the greatest support needs.
Telepractice has become increasingly utilized in disability services, particularly with recent and ongoing measures to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). In this study, 361 speech-language pathologists (SLPs) responded to a national, web-based survey about their views on utilizing telepractice with children aged 3 to 21 who used aided augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), such as picture symbols or speech-generating devices. The views of SLPs varied, and SLPs who received training on AAC telepractice within the last 12 months had more positive views about telepractice than those who did not. Several factors were associated with when and how SLPs thought telepractice was beneficial to serve children who use aided AAC, including SLPs' foundational perspectives about telepractice, service delivery options, considerations related to the child and family, and broader resources and constraints.
Direct support professionals (DSPs) may be at increased risk of contracting COVID-19 due to the proximal nature of their work. In response to the pandemic a three-wave study was launched to understand experiences of DSPs. An on-line national survey found that 70% of DSPs were vaccinated. Vaccinated DSPs were older and had higher education levels. Among the unvaccinated, 56% reported concerns about COVID-19 vaccination safety. Unvaccinated DSPs were more likely to report that the people they supported were also unvaccinated. Encouraging DSPs to get vaccinated to protect the people they support is essential. Paid time off, arranging for vaccinations, and setting an expectation for vaccination may encourage vaccination uptake among DSPs.
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