Background: Although older adults with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities face high risks of maltreatment, there are few interventions available to reduce these risks. This study describes the development of a research-based intervention that aims to reduce the risks of maltreatment for this population. Method: The development involved…

Background: Despite the considerable number of young adults with developmental disabilities experiencing sexual desire and exhibiting sexual behaviours as part of their natural biological growth and development, there is a lack of research on effective intervention. This study aimed to explore the views and experiences of professionals on the…

Background: Research suggests physicians may harbour paternalistic attitudes towards people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and lack the knowledge and skills to work with them. This study examined the impact of a brief intellectual and developmental disability curriculum intervention on these outcomes. Methods: First-year medical…

Background: Responses to digital cognitive training interventions vary greatly among children with intellectual and developmental disorders (IDD). Investigating possible predictors of improvements following training is vital in ascertaining which individuals benefit from these interventions. Methods: Seventy-three children (4-11 years) with IDD…

Background: Research has demonstrated that having an understanding of families' everyday routines is important when planning interventions, yet the nature of the information revealed by families about their daily lives has been scarcely documented. The aim of this study was to examine the concerns and priorities of families with a child with a…

Background: This study examined whether a sensory adapted dental environment (SADE) diminished anxiety and agitation in adults with intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) when compared to a routine dental environment (RDE). Method: Agitated behaviours (frequency and duration) were video-taped and anxiety-related physiological measures…

Background: HIV among individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) is rarely studied. This scoping review examined the HIV prevalence, health service use, prevention and risk behaviours among individuals with IDD. Method: Journal articles, book chapters and theses written in English and published from 1991 to 2017 in four…

Background: This paper reports results from a study examining disability-related services at the family level. Method: We used descriptive statistics to examine (a) the types of disability-related family services families used, (b) how well family services met their needs, (c) the types of family services needed but not received, and (d) families'…

Background: Children with a developmental disability often engage in challenging behaviour, which may require that parents implement behavioural assessments and interventions. The purpose of our pilot study was to examine the effects of an interactive web training (IWT) to teach behavioural function identification and intervention selection to…

Background: The impact of music therapy on the communicative behaviours of young people with profound intellectual and developmental disability has not yet been established. Method: Four adolescents participated in individual music therapy (MT) and toy play sessions with the same therapist in a 6-month period. Sessions were video-recorded and…

This paper includes a nontechnical description of methods for calculating effect sizes in intellectual and developmental disability studies. Different hypothetical studies are used to illustrate how null hypothesis significance testing (NHST) and effect size findings can result in quite different outcomes and therefore conflicting results. Whereas…

Background: Observational measures of parent and child behaviours have a long history in child psychiatric and psychological intervention research, including the field of autism and developmental disability. We describe the development of the Standardised Observational Analogue Procedure (SOAP) for the assessment of parent-child behaviour before…

Background: The Snoezelen[R] is a multisensory intervention approach that has been implemented with various populations. Due to an almost complete absence of rigorous research in this field, the confirmation of this approach as an effective therapeutic intervention is warranted. Method: To evaluate the therapeutic influence of the…

Background: Judgements about students' competence influence the goals of their individualised education programs (IEPs), the location of service delivery, and their placement in general education (GE) as opposed to special education (SE) classes. The purpose of this study was to describe how presumed competence to learn the GE curriculum was…

Background: This study provides an overview of empirical research on the effectiveness of quality-enhancing interventions for people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities (PIMD). Method: Through computerised searches of the PsycINFO and ERIC databases, and using several search criteria specifically relating to the target group and…