Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities最新文献

Latino families with emerging adults diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) face unique challenges during the transition to adulthood, influenced by cultural values, acculturation, and systemic barriers. Acculturation and acculturative stress are particularly relevant in this population, as they navigate cultural adaptation while maintaining traditional values like familismo (family) and respeto (respect). These dynamics are further complicated by disparities in access to resources and culturally responsive interventions. This study explores the interplay of cultural values, acculturation, and acculturative stress among Latino emerging adults with ASD and their Spanish-speaking parents participating in a culturally adapted and translated intervention. Using a cross-sectional design, we examined data from 26 emerging adults (18-25 years old) and 38 of their parents, assessing cultural values, acculturation levels, acculturative stress, and outcomes. Findings revealed significant acculturative stress in both emerging adults and parents, particularly related to intercultural relations, language, and discrimination. Strong traditional cultural values, such as familismo and respeto, were prevalent and influenced family dynamics and adaptive functioning during the transition to adulthood. A divergence in acculturation levels was noted, with emerging adults displaying higher acculturation, especially in language and social relations. The findings have implications for understanding emerging adulthood and the development of culturally tailored interventions for Latino emerging adults and their parents.

Compared to the general population, Latino families of youth with autism face unique barriers in accessing adult disability services. Barriers include limited access to resources in Spanish and discrimination. By characterizing specific barriers to advocacy abilities, including knowledge about adult disability services, advocacy skills and comfort, and empowerment, targeted interventions can be developed to improve service access among Latino families. In this study, we examined the responses of 45 Latino caregivers (primarily mothers) before completing a 12-week advocacy program. Results demonstrated significant positive correlations between comfort in advocating for services and their sense of empowerment. Greater proficiency with the English language positively correlated with advocacy skills and comfort. Compared to empowerment within systems (e.g., service delivery systems, the community/political system), participants demonstrated significant strengths in family empowerment. Findings from this study shed light on the importance of designing culturally responsive resources for Latino families.

Autistic Youth and their parents often struggle to access adult disability services. It is important to garner feedback from autistic youth and their parents to inform interventions to facilitate access to adult services. In this study, 128 parents of transition-aged autistic youth and 78 autistic youth completed individual interviews to inform adaptations to an advocacy program designed to improve access to adult services. Parents reported wanting a navigator (versus a group) program to help them learn to navigate adult services. However, parents reported concerns about the quality of navigators. Autistic youth reported wanting to learn about diverse issues in adulthood including types of adult services; most youth wanted to learn about services via videos. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Choice-making for individuals with disabilities is an important topic in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). Choice is a fundamental human right, and opportunities to make decisions about an individual's own life honors and respects dignity and autonomy. This study explores the beliefs and practices of behavior analysts in relation to choice-making for individuals with disabilities. A total of 81 practicing behavior analysts participated in an online survey that assessed their training experience, beliefs about choice, and reported practices regarding choice in ABA service delivery. The survey responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test to compare beliefs and practices. Results showed that while most behavior analysts strongly agreed that choice should be incorporated into ABA services, discrepancies were observed between beliefs and actual practice regarding various factors that influence opportunities to make choices. Multiple barriers to providing choice-making opportunities were identified. The findings underscore the need for increased training and coursework on the subject of choice as well as changes in practice.

This study explored overlaps in diagnosis and characteristics of children (9–16 years old) with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attachment Disorder (AD) as they related to Executive Function (EF) to determine whether differences in EF would differentiate between the two conditions. A sample of 79 pupils with comorbid learning disabilities was examined in terms of their clinical diagnoses and psychometric traits, as well as on four EF tasks (WCST, Hungry Donkey, Stroop, and Tower of London). 25% of the sample met clinical diagnostic criteria for both ASD and AD, and a similar overlap was noted when using psychometric assessments. Little difference between the EF performances of individuals with ASD and AD was noted. There was slightly better AD performance on cold EF tasks requiring attentional shifting, and slightly better performance for ASD on hot tasks requiring inhibition. However, these differences would be of limited use in differentiating between the conditions for a learning-disabled population.

We explored assent procedures to promote assent and treatment effectiveness for an autistic adult. The objective, at the request of the participant, was to evaluate an innovative approach to (a) identify aversive auditory stimuli and (b) teach Steven, a 19-year-old male, appropriate responses in the presence of these stimuli without directly exposing him to the stimuli. The results suggest that the procedures effectively identified auditory stimuli for assessment and taught the participant to avoid the aversive stimuli appropriately (that is, in ways that were not dangerous). Through the implementation of this novel approach, assent and treatment effectiveness were enhanced for the autistic individual.

This study investigated the prevalence, and the developmental, behavior and emotional outcomes of 675 preschoolers with ASD with or without a history of regression, who participated in the Study to Explore Early Development (SEED). The SEED project is a cross-sectional case-control study that collected data between 2007 and 2011. Children's history of regression, adaptive skills, and behavior problems were assessed using the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R), the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales-Second Edition (Vineland-2), and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), respectively; and children's developmental levels were assessed using the Mullen Scales of Learning (MSEL). Findings from this study indicated that 26% of children experienced social and language regression, and of those with regression, 76% had regained lost skills upon completion of the study. Compared to children without a history of regression, children with social regression demonstrated increased internalizing problems and decreased fine motor skills, and children with language regression demonstrated poorer language skills. Also, children with language and social regression displayed poorer adaptive communication skills than children without regression. Children who experienced regression in one area of development demonstrated better outcomes than those who experience regression in multiple areas. To conclude, children with regression are at risk for poorer outcomes during their preschool years.

In alignment with the rallying cry of the self-advocacy movement, it is critical to center the perspectives of people with disabilities about their lived experiences. Yet, little is known about how youth with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD) engage in self-advocacy and civic engagement in special education. We conducted focus groups with 15 transition-aged youth with IDD across four states about self-advocacy and civic engagement. Youth with IDD reported engaging in self-advocacy at school, but outside of their individualized education program meetings. Parent advocacy and positive partnerships with educators promoted youth self-advocacy. Youth reported minimal involvement in civic engagement, but they had suggestions for systemic changes to special education. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Multi-sensory rooms were originally intended as a leisure option for people with severe disabilities living in institutions. Their use has extended far beyond this and proponents, particularly equipment suppliers, continue to claim a range of benefits beyond provision of a leisure experience. We review the literature on the effects of MSEs on people with developmental disabilities other than autism spectrum disorders. The research examined was predominately of very poor quality, limiting conclusions that can be drawn. MSEs were used in a variety of ways with the wide range of outcomes measured addressing reduction of challenging behaviours and promoting more desirable behaviours. The majority of reported results were mixed or negative, with better quality studies more likely to report no effects. Overall, based on the available evidence, the use of MSEs cannot be recommended as an intervention option for individuals with developmental disabilities, but they may have a limited role as a leisure option.

There is little understanding of physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior as preventive health behaviors in autistic adults. Technology has been used as an educational and social intervention tool for autistic individuals, yet it is also associated with low PA and high sedentary time (ST) in the neurotypical population. This study aimed to examine the prevalence of self-reported PA and ST and their relationships with various technology uses in autistic adults. We employed a Qualtrics online survey that consisted of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form, Sedentary Behavior Questionnaire, and National Alliance for Mental Illness’s digital technology use survey. 229 responses (74.6% under 35 years of age; 64.1% males) satisfied the response validity criteria and were included in the analyses. The majority of participants (78%) met the recommended PA amount of ≥ 600 metabolic equivalent of task (MET)-minutes/week (median, 1,812 total MET-minutes/week), but they were also overly sedentary on both weekdays (median, 8 h/day) and weekends (median, 7 h/day). Stepwise multiple regression analyses revealed that variance of ST in weekday (45%) and weekend (43%) was largely explained by quality of life (β = -0.31; β = -0.33) and technology use time (β = 0.31; β = 0.26) (all p < .01). While technology can be an effective tool to support social and academic abilities in autistic adults, the use of technology devices needs to be monitored with care as it may put these individuals at risk for sedentary lifestyles and associated chronic diseases.