Background: Parents' tacit knowledge plays an important role in the care of persons with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities (PIMD). As little is known about its nature and use, we aimed to explore this parental tacit knowledge. Method: We conducted semi-structured interviews with parents (n = 11) about their tacit knowledge of their…

Advances in medical care have seen children and young people with rare and life shortening conditions, living longer. This is the case for those living with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, whose life expectancy has doubled over the last few decades from around 20 to 40 years. Improving care has tended to focus on the physical aspects of the…

The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) is a popular augmentative and alternative communication intervention for individuals with developmental disabilities that includes six, sequential phases of instruction. We systematically reviewed published and unpublished single-case PECS studies for details about the percentage of participants…

Self-advocacy is an essential skill for effective and successful integration into the wider social environment and is important for psychological and physiological well-being. The Performative Drama Model Ars Vitae was trialled to improve students' assertiveness and performance in real life. A 12-year-old boy with learning disabilities and…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of two AAC technologies on indices of happiness for school-age children with multiple disabilities during interactions with their school speech-language pathologists. The study applied a post host secondary analysis of a previously completed single-subject alternating treatment design study…

We conducted a systematic review of telerehabilitation (TR) interventions on children and young adults with multiple disabilities (MDs). This review aimed to: (a) examine the effectiveness of telerehabilitation (TR) on adaptive skills that have been targeted for intervention; (b) describe the type of devices used in the intervention procedures;…

Music is motivational, accessible and engaging for individuals with learning disabilities. Several systematic reviews have addressed the effects of music activity on people with learning disabilities; however, none has specifically reviewed the use of musical activity with people with profound and multiple learning disabilities. This review aimed…

Background: Multiple disabilities represent separate entities that cannot be reduced to the sum of disabilities or the main disability. This study compared the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of children and adolescents with multiple disabilities and those with one developmental disability. We further assessed how comorbidities and…

Background: The life expectancy of people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities (PIMD) is increasing and parents express concerns about being possibly outlived by their child with PIMD. However, little is known about the nature of these concerns. Method: We interviewed 27 parents of persons with PIMD and analysed the data…

Families with a child with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities (PIMD) have to manage the child's pervasive support needs. To ensure that families are able to manage these needs, they should be properly supported. However, knowledge about the specific support needs of these families is sparse and fragmented, nor is it known if and which…

Kaiser's Room, a New York-based theater arts education organization; St. Francis de Sales School for the Deaf in Brooklyn, N.Y.; and the New York Deaf Theatre are piloting a theater arts program for deaf students with multiple disabilities. The goal: to develop a school-community partnership that provides culturally responsive, linguistically…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe childhood dysarthria by means of auditory-perceptual analyses covering all speech subsystems. We aimed to identify the most seriously affected auditory-perceptual dimensions in the observed dysarthria profiles and to detect specific markers of childhood dysarthria against the backdrop of typical…

Purpose: Family Peer Advocates (FPA) are used in healthcare broadly to facilitate engagement and address disparities in care. We previously reported on the benefit of FPAs in the care of autistic children on caregiver stress. Caregivers of autistic children report significant levels of caregiver stress, in particular when associated with…

The present study used a multiple probe across behaviors design, with an embedded alternating treatments design to compare the effects of two modified communication systems, the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) and a speech generating device, on requesting for a child with multiple disabilities, including autism and visual impairments.…

Background: Constipation is common in children with intellectual disabilities and/or autism, but poorly researched. This study looks to understand parental knowledge, attitudes and management practices towards constipation in children with intellectual disabilities and/or autism. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey developed with patient…