Predictors of mental well-being among family caregivers of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities during COVID-19.

Background: Internationally, stresses related to the COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected the mental health of family caregivers of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs).

Aims: This cross-sectional study investigated demographic, situational and psychological variables associated with mental wellbeing among family caregivers of adults with IDDs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Method: Baseline data from 202 family caregivers participating in virtual courses to support caregiver mental well-being were collected from October 2020 to June 2022 via online survey.

The impact of a virtual wellness course for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the third year of COVID-19.

The current study examines how a virtual wellness intervention may improve health outcomes in adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Thirty-six adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities participated in the wellness intervention. Outcome measures related to satisfaction, mental health, wellbeing, health behaviours and overall health were completed at three time points (pre, post and follow-up).

Bridging the gap: national virtual education programme for professionals caring for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities at the time of COVID-19.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted the mental health of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). During this period of uncertainty and need for up-to-date information, various virtual training programmes demonstrated the role of tele-mentoring programmes.

Aim: The aim of this paper is to describe the educational evaluation of the National Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes - Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (ECHO-AIDD), a programme for service providers working with adults with IDD during COVID-19.

Utility of a virtual small group cognitive behaviour program for autistic children during the pandemic: evidence from a community-based implementation study.

Background: Autistic children often experience socioemotional difficulties relating to emotion regulation and mental health problems. Supports for autistic children involve the use of adapted interventions that target emotion regulation and social skills, alongside mental health symptoms. The Secret Agent Society Small Group (SAS: SG), an adapted cognitive behavioural program, has demonstrated efficacy through lab-delivered randomized control trials.

The Power of Partnerships to Identify and Address Mental Health Concerns Experienced by Adults With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.

There are significant research gaps with regard to understanding and addressing the mental health concerns of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families. In this article, we reflect on research we have carried out about mental health and IDD prior to and during the pandemic in Ontario, Canada. We aim to address how partnering with people with IDD, family caregivers, service providers, and policy makers can help accelerate needed progress in this area.

Parent, child, and family outcomes following Acceptance And Commitment Therapy for parents of autistic children: A randomized controlled trial.

Parents of autistic children commonly experience difficulties with their own mental health. This study looked at the effects of a brief group-based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy program, developed for parents of autistic children, youth, and adults. ACT focuses on increasing psychological flexibility, which is the ability to be mindful and accepting of difficult thoughts and experiences, shown to be important for mental wellness.

'More together than apart': The evaluation of a virtual course to improve mental health and well-being of adults with intellectual disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: To address the growing concerns over poor mental health experienced by adults with intellectual disabilities due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a national virtual mental health course was delivered and evaluated.

Methods: This mixed methods study utilized both qualitative and quantitative assessments. Participants were 27 adults with intellectual disabilities who participated in the 6-week course.

Psychiatric disorders in adults with cerebral palsy.

Background: Cerebral palsy (CP) is one of the most common neurological conditions in childhood. Individuals with CP often experience various secondary conditions, including intellectual disability (ID), medical conditions, and psychiatric issues. A large number of youth with CP have psychiatric disorders; however, few studies have examined the prevalence of psychiatric issues in adults with CP at the population-level.

Considering efficacy and effectiveness trials of cognitive behavioral therapy among youth with autism: A systematic review.

Cognitive behavioral therapy is a common treatment for emotional problems in people with autism. Most studies of cognitive behavioral therapy and autism have focused on , meaning whether a treatment produces results under "ideal" conditions, like a lab or research setting. trials, by contrast, investigate whether a treatment produces results under "real-world" conditions, like a community setting (e.

Dating and romantic relationships of adolescents with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Introduction: Adolescents with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD) are at high risk for sexual exploitation, yet there is a paucity of research on their romantic relationships. The objectives of this study were to examine the romantic understanding and experiences of youth with IDD.

Methods: Thirty-one adolescents (16-19 years; 21 males and 10 females) with IDD (12 participants with additional diagnosis of ASD) were recruited from a community health clinic.

ACT Processes in Group Intervention for Mothers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Few studies have examined interventions or therapeutic processes that may help parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) manage their stress. This study examines the impact of a brief Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) group intervention, led by parents, among a cohort of 33 mothers of children with ASD. Changes in ACT process measures (psychological flexibility, cognitive fusion, values) were evaluated at pre, post, and 3 months following the intervention.

Medical Conditions and Demographic, Service and Clinical Factors Associated with Atypical Antipsychotic Medication Use Among Children with An Autism Spectrum Disorder.

This study aimed to describe rates of antipsychotic medication use and the association between their use and demographics, clinical variables, and the use of behavioral/education services among children with ASD. For children with ASD ages 2-11 (n = 4749) and those 12-17 (n = 401), 5.4 and 17.

Tracking health care service use and the experiences of adults with autism spectrum disorder without intellectual disability: A longitudinal study of service rates, barriers and satisfaction.

Background: Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) encounter many difficulties finding and accessing health care services. Despite this, few studies have considered the health service use patterns of adults with ASD without intellectual disability (ID).

Objectives: The current study examines a diverse range of medical and mental health services and supports, as well as adults' personal experiences accessing and using these services, barriers to service use, and reported unmet service needs.

Psychotropic medication use among adolescents and young adults with an autism spectrum disorder: parent views about medication use and healthcare services.

Objective: Psychotropic medications are frequently used to treat mental health and behavioral issues in adolescents and adults with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Although parents of individuals with ASD frequently take on medication management for their child, there is limited literature on parent perspectives of their child's medication use or their views about the healthcare services they receive, particularly in adulthood. The current study examined and compared parents of adolescents and of young adults with ASD regarding their child's psychotropic medication use and their views about healthcare services.

Child, parent, and service predictors of psychotropic polypharmacy among adolescents and young adults with an autism spectrum disorder.

Objective: This study examined the child, parent, and service factors associated with polypharmacy in adolescents and young adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD).

Methods: As part of an online survey examining health service utilization patterns among individuals with ASD, parents provided demographic and clinical information pertaining to their child. This included information on current medication use, as well as information on clinical services received, clinical history, and parent well-being.

Mental health services for individuals with high functioning autism spectrum disorder.

Adolescents and adults with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who do not have an intellectual impairment or disability (ID), described here as individuals with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (HFASD), represent a complex and underserved psychiatric population. While there is an emerging literature on the mental health needs of children with ASD with normal intelligence, we know less about these issues in adults. Of the few studies of adolescents and adults with HFASD completed to date, findings suggest that they face a multitude of cooccurring psychiatric (e.

Lessons learned from our elders: how to study polypharmacy in populations with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Polypharmacy is the concurrent use of multiple medications, including both psychotropic and non-psychotropic drugs. Although it may sometimes be clinically indicated, polypharmacy can have a number of negative consequences, including medication nonadherence, adverse drug reactions, and undesirable drug-drug interactions. The objective of this paper was to gain a better understanding of how to study polypharmacy among people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).

Listener vs. speaker-oriented aspects of speech: studying the disfluencies of individuals with autism spectrum disorders.

This study investigates the role of disfluencies such as "um" or "uh" in conversation to discern whether these features of speech serve listener- or speaker-oriented functions by looking at their occurrence (or lack of occurrence) in the speech of participants with autism. Since the characteristic egocentricity of individuals with autism means they should engage in minimal listener-oriented behavior, they are a useful group to differentiate these functions. Transcription, analysis and categorization of 26 spontaneous language samples were derived from age-matched native English-speaking controls and high-functioning individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs).

Repeated speech errors: evidence for learning.

Three experiments elicited phonological speech errors using the SLIP procedure to investigate whether there is a tendency for speech errors on specific words to reoccur, and whether this effect can be attributed to implicit learning of an incorrect mapping from lemma to phonology for that word. In Experiment 1, when speakers made a phonological speech error in the study phase of the experiment (e.g.

Animacy and word order in individuals with autism spectrum disorders.

Individuals with autism or autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are known to have difficulties discriminating animacy and are less likely to attend to animate stimuli, which may underlie the social deficits of autism. For individuals without ASD, animacy also affects word order choices: speakers choose syntactic structures (active vs. passive) that place animate entities as the grammatical subject, as a result of their conceptual salience.