Purpose: The concept of Quality of Life (QoL) for people with neurodevelopmental disorders primarily focuses on deinstitutionalisation and community inclusion. This population, however, often presents with comorbid diagnoses and is sectioned to treatment facilities under the Mental Health Act. The aim of this paper is to review the existing…

Stereotypies are frequently reported in people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) but remain one of the less explained phenomena. We aimed to describe, through a systematic review and a meta-analysis, the prevalence of motor stereotypies in ASD and study the factors that influence this prevalence. Our literature search included MEDLINE, Scopus,…

Educational transitions are associated with significant changes. If students cannot overcome these challenges, their well-being and motivation may be impaired. Students with clinically relevant emotional or behavioural disorders (EBDs) are at risk for negative transitional experiences. We conducted a systematic review summarising transitional…

An emotional/behavioral disorder is a mental health disability characterized by intensive internalized behaviors (e.g., anxiety, depression) and/or externalized behaviors (e.g., physical aggression, verbal aggression). Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits in social communication and repetitive behaviors (i.e., stereo…

A twice-exceptional student who is gifted but also has an additional exceptionality challenges teachers and educators to deliver the best teaching strategies. This paper reviews the current learning strategies, interventions and practices that specifically focused on twice-exceptional students. Research articles were obtained on online database of…

A systematic review of autism spectrum disorder and substance use and abuse was conducted based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis protocol guidelines (an internationally recognized standardized methodological framework for conducting systematic review). The objectives of the review were to update and extend…

To systematically review experimental evidence regarding animal-assisted therapies (AAT) for children or adolescents with or at risk for mental health conditions, we reviewed all experimental AAT studies published between 2000-2015, and compared studies by animal type, intervention, and outcomes. Studies were included if used therapeutically for…

Peer management intervention is a subtype of peer-mediated intervention that involves training individuals to implement standardized intervention protocols to modify the behavior of their peers. This meta-analysis of single-case research synthesized the results of 29 studies examining the effectiveness of school-based peer management…

Research continues to try and pinpoint the etiological role of particular genes and brain structure in autistic spectrum disorder (ASD), but despite a host of biological, genetic and neuropsychological research, the symptom profile of pervasive developmental disorders (PDDs) are not yet linked to etiological theory. Debate continues around whether…

Writing is an important foundational skill, critical for success in school. Unfortunately, many students, including students with disabilities, have difficulties with written language production. These students lack knowledge of writing processes and employ deficient strategies for organization, planning, goal implementation, and self-regulation.…

Results from two studies indicate the nonselective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SRI) clomipramine is more efficacious than the relatively selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor desipramine and placebo in children with autism. A study of the selective SRI fluvoxamine found it to be significantly better than placebo for reducing repetitive…