Structured observation and informant report assessments in intellectual disability: Reflections of qualified and student speech-language pathologists.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the perspectives of qualified and student speech-language pathologists (SLPs) on the clinical utility of informant report and observation tools following a 1-day workshop using a decision tree.

Method: Each participant group (qualified [ = 4] or student SLP [ = 8]) attended a 1-day workshop where they engaged with informant report and structured observation tools using video case studies. Each workshop concluded in a focus group conducted by an independent researcher.

Looking back, looking forward: Methodological challenges and future directions in research on persons with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities.

Background: Within the context of the Special Interest Research Group (SIRG) on Persons with Profound Intellectual and Multiple Disabilities (PIMD), researchers often discuss the methodological problems and challenges they are confronted with. The aim of the current article was to give an overview of these challenges.

Methods: The challenges are centred on six topics.

Practitioners' Self-Assessment of Family-Centered Practice in Telepractice Versus In-Person Early Intervention.

For infants and young children who are identified as deaf or hard of hearing (DHH), best practice principles indicate the provision of family-centered early intervention (FCEI). However, factors such as geographical inaccessibility and workforce shortages can limit families' access to FCEI in their local area. One strategy for overcoming these barriers is telepractice-a method of connecting families and practitioners using synchronous, two-way audiovisual technologies.

Comparison of Caregiver Engagement in Telepractice and In-person Family-Centered Early Intervention.

Telepractice-specifically, the use of high-speed internet and interactive videoconferencing technology to deliver real-time audio and video communications between the family and the practitioner-is gaining acceptance as an alternative means of providing family-centered early intervention to families of children who are deaf and hard of hearing. This study examined whether caregivers' reported perceptions of self-efficacy and involvement differed when early intervention was delivered in-person and through telepractice. The Scale of Parental Involvement and Self-Efficacy (SPISE) was used to evaluate perceptions of two groups of caregivers: one that received early intervention in-person (n = 100) and a group who received services through telepractice (n = 41).

Features of employment-related technology for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities: A thematic analysis.

Background: The aim of this study was to identify, extract, summarize and list the features of applied cognitive technology used to support employment-related outcomes for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Method: Thematic analysis was employed on a published research base of 41 studies obtained through a larger scoping review of the literature on the same topic.

Results: The thematic analysis identified 109 technology features categorized into 14 main categories of features, which were grouped into three over-arching categories, Output, Input and General Features.

A critical synthesis of barriers and facilitators to the use of AAC by children with autism spectrum disorder and their communication partners.

The aim of this review was to critically synthesize barriers and facilitators to the use of AAC systems by children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their communication partners. Qualitative data related to barriers and facilitators were synthesized from 42 studies located using a systematic search. A diverse range of studies was examined in order to identify the span of barriers and facilitators reported in the literature.

Technology use to support employment-related outcomes for people with intellectual and developmental disability: an updated meta-analysis.

Objectives: The aim of this study is to update and extend an original meta-analysis which included papers published up to and including 2003 and investigated the impact of technology use on employment-related outcomes for people with intellectual and developmental disability.

Methods: Following on from the original meta-analysis, this study is a meta-analysis of pertinent single-subject experimental design studies conducted from 2004 to 2016 and employs the same metric methods as the original contribution.

Results: The results are generally consistent with those of the original meta-analysis, namely, applied cognitive technology effectively supports employment-related outcomes for people with intellectual and developmental disability.

Telepractice delivery of family-centred early intervention for children who are deaf or hard of hearing: A scoping review.

Introduction: The use of telepractice, a method of delivering services through telecommunications technologies that provides two-way, synchronous audio and video signals in real-time, is becoming increasingly commonplace in early childhood education and intervention for children who are deaf or hard of hearing. Although the use of telepractice has been validated in the health sector as a viable and effective alternative to in-person service provision, evidence to support its use in the delivery of family-centred early intervention is still emerging. The purpose of this scoping review was to describe the current use of telepractice in the delivery of family-centred early childhood intervention for children who are deaf or hard of hearing, and their families.

Triangulated Proxy Reporting: a technique for improving how communication partners come to know people with severe cognitive impairment.

Purpose: This paper explains and demonstrates the pilot application of Triangulated Proxy Reporting (TPR); a practical technique for enhancing communication around people who have severe cognitive impairment (SCI).

Methods And Results: An introduction explains SCI and how this impacts on communication; and consequently on quality of care and quality of life. This is followed by an explanation of TPR and its origins in triangulation research techniques.

Deep Assessment: A Novel Framework for Improving the Care of People with Very Advanced Alzheimer's Disease.

Best practice in understanding and caring for people with advanced Alzheimer's disease presents extraordinary challenges. Their severe and deteriorating cognitive impairments are such that carers find progressive difficulty in authentically ascertaining and responding to interests, preferences, and needs. Deep assessment, a novel multifaceted framework drawn from research into the experiences of others with severe cognitive impairments, has potential to empower carers and other support professionals to develop an enhanced understanding of people with advanced Alzheimer's disease and so deliver better calibrated care in attempts to maximize quality of life.

Tailoring communication supports for students with multiple and severe disability using a mentor-model approach: four case studies from classrooms in special schools.

Objective: This paper describes four case studies of communication support for students with multiple and severe disability (MSD) in special school classrooms that used a mentor-model approach to the professional development of educational staff.

Methods: A range of observational and report instruments was used to measure student changes in communicative involvement and the views of teaching staff that engaged with them.

Results: Four case studies of the contextual features, student needs and specific support strategies utilized in this study in four special school classrooms highlight the challenges that are faced by teaching staff in improving and maintaining student communication outcomes, and the reasons for these challenges.

Speech-Language Pathologists' Perceptions of Implementing Communication Intervention with Students with Multiple and Severe Disabilities.

The aim of the present study was to explore speech-language pathologists' (SLPs) perceptions and experiences of factors influencing the implementation of communication interventions for students with multiple and severe disabilities. Eight SLPs in New South Wales, Australia, participated in individual interviews and a focus group. Interview transcripts were scrutinized using thematic analysis.

Towards improved ways of knowing children with profound multiple disabilities: introducing startle reflex modulation.

Objective: To propose startle reflex modulation (SRM) as an objective measure of emotions of children with profound multiple disabilities (PMD). Knowledge about emotion states of children with PMD is crucial to their individualised care and support. Proxy reporting, observational and physiological measures of emotion are reported in the literature.

Complex contextual influences on the communicative interactions of students with multiple and severe disabilities.

The aim of this study was to explore teachers' perceptions and experiences of supports and obstacles to engaging students with multiple and severe disabilities (MSD) in communicative interactions at school. Eleven teachers of students with MSD participated in two in-depth interviews. Interview transcripts were analysed for narrative structure and content themes.

Where are teachers' voices? A research agenda to enhance the communicative interactions of students with multiple and severe disabilities at school.

Purpose: Despite the importance of communication for educational participation, researchers have observed low frequencies of communication between teachers and students with multiple and severe disabilities (MSD). Little is known about reasons for these low frequencies. This article explores the literature to develop a new research agenda for approaching this issue.

Using MINSPEAK: a case study of a preschool child with complex communication needs.

Young children with complex communication needs require the best possible start to their educational lives, and for some, this will involve the use of communication technology supports and collaborative teams. This case study describes the outcomes of a pilot investigation that utilised MINSPEAK as a means of enhancing emergent language and literacy skills in a young girl with a range of participatory challenges. Results indicated that when family members and educational teams work together, it is possible to achieve important progress in early language skills using relevant software, systematic teaching and an accessible speech generating device (SGD).

Issues in the use of visual supports to promote communication in individuals with autism spectrum disorder.

Purpose: Visual supports are widely used and generally regarded as an effective resource for intervention with individuals who function on the autism spectrum. More cross-contextual research into their efficacy is required.

Method And Outcomes: In this article, we selectively review the research literature around visual supports based on an original conceptual model that highlights their contribution in the interpersonal social and communicative milieu of classrooms, homes and other daily living contexts.

The impact of partner training on the communicative involvement of students with multiple and severe disability in special schools.

Background: The outcomes of a pilot program of staff development in communication support in the context of observed changes in student behaviour states and interactive abilities are reported. Participant reports about the impact of the program on their professional practices are included.

Method: Six teachers and six teacher aides in special (segregated) schools were provided with a short, intensive training program designed to improve their communicative interactions with students with multiple and severe disability (MSD) in their classes.

Educational approaches for maximizing arousal in children with multiple and severe disability: new directions for research and practice in early childhood contexts.

This paper provides a review of several critical issues and directions for research and practice, centred on children with multiple and severe disability, with special attention to the recent study of individual behaviour states as a measure of arousal and involvement. It notes several areas for future research and discusses educational interventions designed to improve the engagement of children, focusing on the central role of early intervention and human ecologies in supporting the achievement of positive educational outcomes for this population.