Background: As a group, autistic children with high support needs (with adaptive functioning in the range of an intellectual disability) are at risk of significant literacy difficulties. We investigated the parent-reported home literacy environment of this group of children. Method: Sixty-two parents of autistic children (4.5 to 18.25 years)…

Background: People with disabilities face persistent employment difficulties, mainly because of a lack of recognition of their competencies, especially people with intellectual disabilities. As employment counsellors need to identify the competencies of beneficiaries, a public competencies identification service has been developed and funded by…

Background: Cognitive reserve (CR) has not been studied in people with Intellectual Developmental Disability, a population with a high incidence of dementia. Commonly adopted CR proxies should be adapted to reflect more specifically the experiences of people with Intellectual Developmental Disability. Method: This scoping review intended to…

Background: We evaluated cognitive accessibility of the VIA Inventory of Strengths Youth short form with adults with intellectual disability for use in strengths-based practice. Methods: We conducted cognitive testing with adults with intellectual disability (n = 33; M age = 36.2; range: 20.4-64.2). Data were coded for the extent to which (1)…

Background: People with intellectual disabilities remain disadvantaged in many aspects of everyday life. Capability approach is an underused approach in social care research and has at its core the importance of having capabilities or opportunities to do what we value. We use this approach to explore how people with intellectual disabilities can…

Background: The evidence on the effect of age on the receptive and expressive language skills of individuals with Down syndrome is inconclusive. Recent research highlights the relevance of having tools to detect age-related changes in language skills. Method: Data were collected on 45 adults with Down syndrome. All were assessed with the Peabody…

Background: Individuals with intellectual disabilities are amongst the groups most vulnerable to sexual crimes. However, their limited cognitive abilities can make it challenging to obtain detailed statements from victims during investigative interviews. This study examined whether practising answering open-ended questions early in the interview…

Background: Although autism is commonly described in terms of deficits, many autistic individuals have been found to demonstrate exceptional skills. The shift to a strengths-based approach in the field of autism necessitates increased understanding of these skills. Aims: This study examined (1) rates of exceptional skills in autistic school-age…

Background: Autistic people without intellectual disabilities have increased perceptual capacity: they can process more information at any given time compared to non-autistic people. We examined whether increased perceptual capacity is evident across the autistic spectrum (i.e. for autistic people with intellectual disabilities) and whether it is…

Background: Individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) typically exhibit cognitive deficits. While single bouts of physical activity (PA) have shown cognitive benefits in typically developing individuals, the effects on those with ID are unclear. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of single bouts of PA on cognition in…

Background: Life expectancy is on rise and the intriguing question is: When does cognitive decline occur among adults with intellectual disability, compared to adults with typical development? This cross-sectional study examined cognitive performance of crystallised/fluid intelligence, working and long-term memory of adults with intellectual…

Background: Despite presenting higher risk of dementia, mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is not well defined in Down syndrome population. Objective: We aimed to describe cognitive and neuropsychological patterns associated with MCI in Down syndrome individuals. Method: Two groups of adults with Down syndrome (control and prodromal) were studied…

Background: Qualitative research using published court records to examine contextual factors that contribute to child protection decisions in cases involving parents with intellectual disabilities is limited, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: The present study conducted qualitative content analysis on 10 published Ontario court…

Background: Studies in Down syndrome (DS) and Williams syndrome (WS) have suggested that mathematical abilities are impaired. However, it is unclear which domain-general or domain-specific abilities impact on mathematical development in these developmental disorders. Method: The current study examined the foundations of mathematical development…

Background: Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is the most common inherited cause of intellectual disability. The aim of our longitudinal study was to describe ageing-related cognitive changes in men with FXS. Method: A neuropsychologist determined the raw scores (RSs) of 19 men with FXS twice with the Leiter International Performance Scale at an average…