The social validity of autism behavioral intervention has been questioned. Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions (NDBIs) attempt to address some concerns, but it is unclear whether autistic people consider NDBIs socially valid. Social validity of an NDBI, Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT), was investigated through autistic adults…

Background: In recent years, third-wave therapies have risen to prominence. Research into adapting and evaluating third-wave therapies for adults with intellectual disabilities has identified that third-wave therapies are accessible, acceptable, and effective (improving a range of symptoms and skills). Method: This meta-ethnography followed Noblit…

Objective: A pilot study to preliminarily examine the effects of Prism EFP NeuroFeedback (NF) in adult ADHD. Method: Prism EFP NF is a form of NF specifically designed to target emotional dysregulation (ED) through down regulation of amygdala activity. Prism EFP NF has been shown to improve other disorders with significant ED. Nine participants…

Purpose: Cognitive behaviour therapy based on the Clark and Wells (1995) model is a first-line treatment for neurotypical people seeking support for social anxiety. While autistic people frequently report high social anxiety, it is unclear how appropriate the model is for this population. Methods: Over 300 autistic and non-autistic adults…

Behavioral skills training (BST) is a performance- and competency-based training package composed of instructions, modeling, rehearsal, and feedback. Previous reviews have demonstrated that BST is an effective training package to teach interventionists to implement behavior analytic interventions (Kirkpatrick et al. in "Journal of Behavioral…

Many in the autistic community have expressed concerns regarding the use of behavioral interventions with autistic children, suggesting that these interventions may not be socially valid. Though behavioral interventions have evolved to be more naturalistic and child-centered, little structured research has been done to explicitly seek autistic…

Challenging behavior in adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) can lead to decreased quality of life and social and community inclusion. Compared to research with children there is relatively limited research on effective behavior support interventions for adults with disabilities. The Prevent-Teach-Reinforce (PTR) program…

Individuals with deaf-blindness and co-occurring diagnoses, such as intellectual and developmental disabilities, may experience difficulty with independence, specifically with communication. One behavior-analytic procedure that may be useful for increasing independence and teaching communication to this population is the behavior-chain…

Differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) is a commonly used reinforcement-based system for reducing problem behavior. DRO systems are particularly useful in that they are effective for the treatment of maladaptive behavior and can be individualized based on the needs of the learner. One possible way to enhance the effectiveness of DRO…

The purpose of this study was to increase the duration of treadmill walking to reach moderate exercise intensity level for a 26-year-old male diagnosed with moderate autism spectrum disorder (ASD) accompanying an intellectual disability. We used a structured system including token reward system of visual representation of progress. A changing…

Purpose: This quality improvement (QI) project evaluated the effectiveness of an educational intervention to enhance adult ADHD patients' understanding and acceptance of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) as an augmentative treatment. The goal was to encourage participants to pursue an MBCT referral from their provider. This initiative was…

Background: Almost no research has been published reporting on evaluations of the effectiveness of psychological interventions for people with severe to profound intellectual disabilities and depression. This paper describes the development and initial feasibility testing of an adapted Behavioural Activation therapy (BeatIt2) for this population.…

Background: Adults with mild-moderate intellectual disabilities have difficulties in accessing traditional evidence-based health promotion initiatives despite experiencing health disparities; yet there are few studies with this group and their carers exploring how their needs can be met. Method: This study adapted a behaviour change theory-based…

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic we implemented a partially online music intervention to examine the feasibility, experiences and short-term outcomes on the challenging behaviour and well-being of adults with intellectual disabilities. Method: This mixed-methods study included 10 participants with mild or moderate intellectual disabilities…

The effect of psychological treatment on social functioning, quality of life and autism traits in autistic people with suicidal behaviour remains largely unknown. At six Dutch mental health centres, 123 adult outpatients with "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders" (5th edition) diagnosed autism spectrum condition and…