Resilience in Families of Autistic Children and Children With Intellectual Disability During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Resilience in families of autistic children and children with intellectual disability is associated with factors such as family functioning, social support, and financial strain. Little is known about family resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic when many resources were limited. This study examined the association of family resilience with child characteristics, family resources, and socioecological factors during the pandemic.

Remotely Delivered Video Interaction Guidance for Families of Children With an Intellectual Disability Referred to Specialist Mental Health Services: Protocol for a Feasibility Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Children with an intellectual disability (ID) are 3-4 times more likely to present with behaviors that challenge and mental health problems than typically developing children. Parenting and the quality of parent-child relationships are risk factors for these families. The COVID-19 pandemic further exacerbated difficulties, leading to an increase in child mental health problems and behaviors that challenge, a deterioration in parental mental health, and further strain on family relationships.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of the relationship between sensory processing differences and internalising/externalising problems in autism.

There is evidence to suggest that sensory processing differences (SPDs) to external stimuli are a plausible underlying mechanism for mental health problems among autistic people. In the current systematic review, we examined the associations between, on the one hand, eleven types of SPDs and, on the other hand, internalising and externalising problems. The literature search was conducted on five databases (MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Web of Science, EMBASE, and CINAHL) between 1990 and August 2024.

Quality-of-life measurement in randomised controlled trials of mental health interventions for autistic adults: A systematic review.

Autistic people are more likely to have health problems than the general population. They, and people who care about them, have said mental health research is very important, and some autistic adults have said quality of life is the most helpful area to research when focusing on mental health. Autistic people should also be more deeply involved in making decisions in research.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effectiveness of interventions targeting the parent-child relationship in families of children with an intellectual disability.

Background: The review aimed to investigate the effectiveness of parent-child relationship interventions for families of children with intellectual disability up to 12 years old.

Methods: Quasi-experimental or randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of interventions targeting the parent-child relationship where ≥50% of children had an intellectual disability were included. Meta-analyses of parent-child relationship outcomes and child outcomes used standardised mean difference as the effect size.

Approaches to improving mental healthcare for autistic people: systematic review.

Background: Autistic people have a high likelihood of developing mental health difficulties but a low chance of receiving effective mental healthcare. Therefore, there is a need to identify and examine strategies to improve mental healthcare for autistic people.

Aims: To identify strategies that have been implemented to improve access, experiences of care and mental health outcomes for autistic adults, and to examine evidence on their acceptability, feasibility and effectiveness.

Watch Me Play!: protocol for a feasibility study of a remotely delivered intervention to promote mental health resilience for children (ages 0-8) across UK early years and children's services.

Background: Half of mental health problems are established by the age of 14 years and 75% by 24 years. Early intervention and prevention of mental ill health are therefore vitally important. However, increased demand over recent years has meant that access to child mental health services is often restricted to those in severest need.

Measuring quality of life of adults with intellectual disabilities: Psychometric evaluation of the personal outcomes scale in the United Kingdom.

Background: The Personal Outcomes Scale (POS) is a scale developed to measure quality of life of adults (18+) with intellectual disability. Previous studies have reported good fit for Spanish and Portuguese language versions of POS.

Aims: This study aimed to evaluate the factor structure of the English language version of POS when used to measure the quality of life of adults (18+) with intellectual disability in the UK.

The mental health and well-being of adolescents with/without intellectual disability in the UK.

Aims: To estimate the self-reported and parent-reported mental well-being of adolescents (aged 14 and 17) with/without intellectual disability in a sample of young people representative of the UK population.

Methods: Secondary analysis of data collected in Waves 6 and 7 of the UK's . The analytic sample consisted of 10,838 adolescent respondents at age 14 (361 with intellectual disability and 10,477 without) and 9,408 adolescent respondents at age 17 (292 with intellectual disability and 9,116 without).

Association of cognitive and adaptive skills with internalizing and externalizing problems in autistic children and adolescents.

The presence of an intellectual disability (ID) alongside autism is considered to increase the risk for mental health and behavior problems in children and adolescents. Existing evidence is restricted by looking at ID as a categorical classification. The study aimed to examine the association of cognitive and adaptive behavior skills with internalizing and externalizing problems in a large sample of autistic children and adolescents, across a wide range of cognitive skills.

Psychological distress and convergence of own and proxy health-related quality of life in carers of adults with an intellectual disability.

Background: In adults with an intellectual disability, health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is often measured by proxy report. This cross-sectional study investigated whether the mental health of proxy raters impacts the way they rate HRQoL.

Methods: In this study, 110 carers of adults with an intellectual disability completed measures of psychological distress (Kessler-6) and HRQoL (EQ-5D-3L) about their own HRQoL and that of the care recipient.

Pathways to social well-being of children with intellectual disability: testing the Family Investment Model.

Background: Social well-being, including prosocial and peer relationship skills, independence and co-operation, is a particularly important developmental outcome in intellectual disability (ID). The present study investigated pathways to social well-being through the early years' family environment, particularly the role of parental investments in mediating the path from family poverty to child social well-being.

Methods: In line with the Family Investment Model (FIM), we tested whether parental investments between 3 and 5 years of age mediate the impact of family poverty at 9 months of age on children's social well-being at 7 years.

School Attendance Problems Among Children with Neurodevelopmental Conditions One year Following the Start of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Purpose: The present study investigated school absence among 1,076 5-15 year-old children with neurodevelopmental conditions (intellectual disability and/or autism) approximately one year following the start of COVID-19 in the UK.

Methods: Parents completed an online survey indicating whether their child was absent from school during May 2021 and the reason for each absence. Multi-variable regression models investigated child, family and school variables associated with absenteeism and types of absenteeism.

Predictors of Access to Early Support in Families of Children with Suspected or Diagnosed Developmental Disabilities in the United Kingdom.

This study examined predictors of access to early support amongst families of 0-6-year-old children with suspected or diagnosed developmental disabilities in the United Kingdom. Using survey data from 673 families, multiple regression models were fitted for three outcomes: intervention access, access to early support sources, and unmet need for early support sources. Developmental disability diagnosis and caregiver educational level were associated with intervention access and early support access.

The association between home learning during COVID-19 lockdowns and subsequent school attendance among children with neurodevelopmental conditions.

Background: Children with neurodevelopmental conditions have high levels of school absence. During the COVID-19 pandemic, schools closed for many students. The relationship between home learning during school closures and subsequent school attendance requires attention to better understand the impact of pandemic education policy decisions on this population.

Types and correlates of school absenteeism among students with intellectual disability.

Background: It appears that students with intellectual disability (ID) are more frequently absent from school compared with students without ID. The objective of the current study was to estimate the frequency of absence among students with ID and the reasons for absence. Potential reasons included the attendance problems referred to as school refusal, where absence is related to emotional distress; truancy, where absence is concealed from parents; school exclusion, where absence is instigated by the school; and school withdrawal, where absence is initiated by parents.

Spending leisure time together: Parent child relationship in families of children with an intellectual disability.

Background: Relationship quality between a parent and a child typically differs between families with a child with intellectual disability (ID) and families with other children. Parent-child relationship quality matters in ID as it has been linked with child outcomes. However, there are few research studies examining factors that are related to parent-child relationship quality in ID.

Elective home education of children with neurodevelopmental conditions before and after the COVID-19 pandemic started.

COVID-19 brought disruptions to children's education and mental health, and accelerated school de-registration rates. We investigated Elective Home Education (EHE) in families of children with a neurodevelopmental condition. A total of 158 parents of 5-15 year-old children with neurodevelopmental conditions (80% autistic) provided information on reasons for de-registration, their experience of EHE, and children's mental health.

Relationships and Sex Education Outcomes for Students With Intellectual Disability: Protocol for the Development of a Core Outcome Set.

Background: People with intellectual disability are twice as likely to experience sexual abuse, unintended pregnancies, and sexually transmitted diseases as people in the general population. Despite this, very little is known about how to deliver relationships and sex education effectively to this vulnerable population, how to measure the impact of its delivery in schools, and what stakeholders perceive as important outcomes of this education.

Objective: To address these urgent issues, this study aims to develop a stakeholder consensus-based core outcome set of relationships and sex education for use in research and educational settings with students with intellectual disability.

The impact of the COVID pandemic on working age adults with disability: Meta-analysis of evidence from four national surveys.

Concern has been expressed about the extent to which people with disabilities may be particularly vulnerable to negative impacts of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. However, to date little published research has attempted to characterise or quantify the risks faced by people with/without disabilities in relation to COVID-19. We sought to compare the impact of the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated government responses among working age adults with and without disabilities in the UK on; COVID-19 outcomes, health and wellbeing, employment and financial security, health behaviours, and conflict and trust.

A systematic review of relationships and sex education outcomes for students with intellectual disability reported in the international literature.

Background: Little is known about how to evaluate relationships and sex education (RSE) delivered to students with intellectual disability and what stakeholders perceive are important outcomes. The present study aimed to systematically review existing studies on outcomes of RSE, as the first step in the development of a core outcome set (COS) for students with intellectual disability.

Method: A systematic literature process included two stages: (1) searching for studies reporting on RSE outcomes for students with intellectual disability and (2) studies reporting on measurement properties (e.