The present study is a systematic review of intervention programs designed to improve the socioemotional skills of children and adolescents with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS). The search was conducted in the Web of Science and Pubmed databases following the PRISMA guidelines. A total of six studies made up the final sample and were organized based…

Background: Children with Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) display impaired pretend play abilities, reflective of broader social-cognitive challenges. Pretend play interventions for children with PWS demonstrate preliminary efficacy for improving cognitive and affective processes in play. It is unknown which specific intervention strategies, such as…

This study examined if listening to music will improve the accuracy of blood pressure (BP) readings in children with Williams syndrome (WS). Fifty-two participants (7-12 years) were randomly assigned to a music or non-music group. BPs were obtained at two time points. There was a significant decrease in both systolic and diastolic BP from Time 1…

Sleep problems are prevalent among autistic children and children with Rare Genetic Neurodevelopmental Disorders (RGND). Behavioral interventions are commonly used to treat sleep problems, with most involving extinction. While effective, the occurrence of a response burst (i.e., temporary worsening of the behavior) can result in a temporary…

Due to loss of spoken language and resulting complex communication needs, people with Rett syndrome are obvious candidates for communication intervention. To advance evidence-based practice and guide future research efforts, we identified and summarized 16 communication intervention studies published since a previous 2009 review on this topic.…

Rett syndrome is a severe neurodevelopmental disorder that results in both motor and language skill regression with a wide range of severity in symptom presentation. Communication intervention may be particularly challenging for this population due to the decline in speech, motor skills, and motor planning difficulties that characterize the…

Phelan-McDermid syndrome (PMS), also called 22q13.3 deletion syndrome, is a rare genetic disorder affecting at least 2,000 people worldwide (Phelan-McDermid Syndrome Foundation, 2019, How rare is Phelan-McDermid?). PMS has many distinguishing characteristics and many medical specialties have been recommended to treat the clinical features. While…

We examined potential phenotypic differences in eye gaze avoidance exhibited by boys with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and boys with fragile X syndrome (FXS). In Study 1, the Eye Contact Avoidance Scale (ECAS) was administered to caregivers of boys aged 7-18 years with FXS (n = 148), ASD (n = 168), and mixed developmental disabilities (MDD; n =…

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a lifelong chronic medical condition diagnosed through screening at birth. Complications of SCD can significantly burden affected children as they learn to manage their health needs. This study sought to investigate the perceived obstacles that may hinder children with SCD from receiving the necessary support and…

Aims: To assess the effectiveness of iPad use on the attention span of a child with Smith Magenis Syndrome (n = 1), compared to attention span while working on the same tasks manually. Methods: An AB design with a baseline and an intervention phase was used. Three manual tasks were chosen for the baseline, which matched the participant's…

Objective: Evidence suggests the increased prevalence of diabetes among South Asian (SA) adolescents is due to their genetic risk profile. The South Asian Adolescent Diabetes Awareness Program (SAADAP) is a pilot intervention for SA youth in Canada with a family history of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We sought to investigate changes in (1)…

Although attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is among the most heritable psychiatric childhood disorders, social and gene-environment interactions seemingly play an important role in the etiology of ADHD. Consistent with this, this study finds that School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) reduced the…

Spinal Muscular Atrophy is a genetic, degenerative disorder, in which individuals become unable to engage in typical motor activities, including speech. The outcome for the most common type of SMA (Type 1), has previously been death before the age of 2, but new medical improvements are showing promising results for life longevity. Research has…

Telehealth is increasingly being employed to extend the reach of behavior analytic interventions to families of children with developmental disorders who exhibit problem behaviors. In this preliminary study, we examined whether function-based behavior analytic interventions could be delivered via telehealth over 12 weeks to decrease problem…

Background: Research into Rett syndrome has included various medical interventions. Non-medical interventions are relatively under-researched. Recent technological communication intervention advances have contributed to the evidence base in Rett syndrome. Method: The Embase, PsycINFO and MEDLINE were systematically searched for peer-reviewed…