The presence of a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in the family can have a negative impact on parental Quality of Life (QoL), but evidence on how treatments for children with ASD can affect parental QoL is currently limited. In this qualitative study, we develop a semi-structured interview in order to investigate the impact of ASD on the…

Social validity in the field of applied behaviour analysis is the measurement of the social significance of goals, the social appropriateness of procedures, and the social importance of the effects of a treatment. There is a paucity of rigorous research on social validity measurement as it relates to feeding treatment. To our knowledge, this is…

Purpose: Modifying gut bacteria in children with autism may influence behaviour, with potential to improve family functioning. We conducted a randomised controlled trial to assess the effect of prebiotics on behaviour, gastrointestinal symptoms and downstream effects on parental quality of life. Method: Children with autism (4-10yrs) were…

Background: Families of parents with intellectual disabilities still face discrimination, stigma and inadequate support, placing them in vulnerable positions. Social assistive robotics offers promising support. This study investigates the possible impact of social assistive robotics on family quality of life (FQoL). Method: An inclusive, iterative…

Aim: This study was carried out in order to examine whether there is a difference between the quality of life and motor skills of children with intellectual disability who participate in physical education activities and those who do not participate. Method: This study was conducted with a total of 34 children with 16 children in the control group…

This systematic review investigated the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy for the parents of children with autism spectrum disorder. PsychInfo, CINAHL, PubMed, Science Direct, and Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection were searched using the terms "acceptance and commitment", "autism" and…

Purpose: Self-help and support activities are often recommended for people who stutter, and there is growing interest in understanding whether and how such experiences might be beneficial for children who stutter. The purpose of this study was to explore the potential impact of participation in Camp SAY, an overnight support-based summer camp…

Objective: This systematic review aims to investigate the impact of adventure education (AE) on children's physical, psychological, and social development (children's age range: 0-18 years old). Methods: The review was reported based on Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (PRISMA 2015). Articles were retrieved from…

Background: Previous evaluations of community PBS teams have not investigated whether behaviour change is both statistically reliable and clinically significant. Few previous studies have reported quality of life (QoL) and social validity outcomes. Method: The present authors collected data on 85 people referred to a specialist PBS team. The…

Parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) risk higher levels of stress and a lower quality of life compared to parents of typically developing children. Few parent training programs focus on parenting outcomes, and few authors evaluate the implementation fidelity of their program. A systematic review was conducted to target studies…

Peer volunteers have been found to be effective in delivering psychosocial interventions when they come from the same culture and share similar experiences as participants. We examined the clinical utility (feasibility and preliminary effectiveness) of a community-based, manualized, peer-delivered group counselling program to address the need for…

Adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often experience challenges with social skill interactions that may affect their quality of life. Given that parents are often the most frequent and constant presence in their child's life, parents serve a vital role in their child's social and behavioral development. For this reason, children may…

Researchers are investigating new technologies to mitigate or prevent symptoms of Down syndrome (DS), including chromosome silencing and pharmacotherapy. We surveyed parents of individuals with DS to assess their opinions on two hypothetical scenarios describing prenatal chromosome silencing and pediatric pharmacological intervention to improve…

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a multifaceted disorder that is pervasive across sensory, behavioural, emotional, social and motor dysfunction. Research suggests up to 50% of children diagnosed with ASD demonstrate motor difficulties. An inability to perform complex motor movements often leads to preference for simple and sedentary activities.…

Children with autism are frequently offered behavioral intervention services to treat the myriad of symptoms associated with this diagnosis. These services are often paid for by third parties such as governments or insurance companies. As it is in the best interest of those funding the services to keep the costs low, policy-makers often cite the…