Background: There is a paucity of research into interventions that help people with intellectual disabilities learn to read. This feasibility study examines whether an online reading programme, Headsprout, with additional support strategies and supervision (the intervention), can be delivered by support workers/family carers and the feasibility of…

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenology design was to describe the experiences of caregivers to adults with I/DD in the State of Texas. The theory guiding this study was the social constructivism framework which focused on how language and culture frame how individuals communicate, experience, and understand reality. In this study, the…

Background: Staff working in municipal care homes with adults with intellectual disabilities impact their diet significantly. Aim: To explore how external factors influence staff's motivation and performance of nutritional work with these residents. Method: Semi-structured qualitative interviews with 11 staff using systematic text condensation for…

Background: Views on social care related quality of life (SCRQol) are typically gathered directly from individuals or from proxy informants. Easy-read options are available, although such methods may not be accessible to those with greater communication challenges. Methods: Fifteen people with intellectual disabilities were interviewed about their…

Non-disabled siblings of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) usually experience trajectories to gradually intensify their involvement in caregiving. However, non-disabled siblings in Asian countries have been woefully overlooked in research despite the fact that Asian countries hold over half of the world's…

Background: Life expectancy for people with Down syndrome is increasing, but older adults with Down syndrome are at greater risk of developing certain pathologies associated with ageing. When ageing parents can no longer look after their child with Down syndrome, their other children are often expected to shoulder this responsibility. Method: We…

This paper explores contemporary Irish social policy for family caregivers with specific focus on the dynamic between the individual, the family and the state in terms of the social contract for care provision for people with intellectual disability. Drawing from Bacchi's analytical framework (Bacchi, 2009), the Irish National Carers' Strategy is…

Sisters and brothers play an important role in the lives of their siblings with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), starting in childhood and commonly increasing in adulthood. The current study compared typically-developing adult sisters' and brothers' level of involvement in the care of their siblings with IDD. Beyond this, the…

Background: Study of frailty in adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) is relatively new. To build the body of literature, an international consensus statement on how to support adults with IDD as they become frail was developed based on fictional cases. This study examined the face validity and applicability of the…

This study focuses on the subjective experience of the living conditions of adults with intellectual disabilities as related to the Uppsala Quality of Life model (UQoL2). Eleven semi-structured interviews were conducted to study issues raised by people with intellectual disabilities. Study participants had their own home, either in an ordinary…

Twenty years ago, the "Colorado Paper" developed a theoretical concept of the Play Cycle and described a hierarchy of four levels of intervention which playworkers might use to support the Play Cycle: play maintenance; simple intervention, medial intervention and complex intervention. This study of 157 playworkers from around the world…

Individuals with Down's syndrome rely on caregivers to support lifestyle behaviour change. It is therefore important to understand how caregivers put health recommendations into practice. Through conducting semi-structured interviews, the present study sought to understand the facilitators and barriers that caregivers faced when implementing…

Background: At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, some parents in the Netherlands decided to bring their offspring with intellectual disabilities, who normally live in residential care, home. The present study explored why the mothers decided to bring their offspring home. Method: Interviews were carried out with seven mothers of adults with…

Background: Mealtime support has a direct bearing on the diet-related health of men and women with intellectual disabilities as well as opportunities for expressing dietary preferences. Method: Semi-structured interviews with a sample of direct support staff providing mealtime support to adults with intellectual disabilities. Results: When…

Background: People with intellectual and developmental disabilities face challenges in developing and maintaining intimate relationships, frequently requiring support from staff. Method: Focus groups were conducted with 26 social care staff members to explore the support they provided to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to…