In the United States, families of young children with developmental disabilities may encounter many challenges and obstacles when advocating for their child's developmental services and supports. Research has highlighted that the transition from early intervention services to school-based services is especially confusing and difficult for many…

Background: Many children with intellectual developmental disorders are insufficiently physically active and do not reach recommendations for physical activity. Pediatric healthcare providers play a key role in addressing these children's needs, including promoting interventions for physical activity. Aim: To explore pediatric healthcare…

Social deficits often impede the ability of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) to obtain and maintain employment (Barnard et al., Barnard et al., Inclusion and autism: Is it working? 1000 examples of inclusion in education and adult life from the National Autistic Society's members, National Autistic Society, 2000;…

Early intervention (EI) provision is critical for families who have children with developmental disabilities (DD), but existing evidence suggests accessing EI is not always straightforward. The purpose of this study was to provide a comprehensive description of access to various EI supports (e.g., professionals, services, interventions) for…

Children with neurodevelopmental disorders often have social-emotional and behavioural difficulties. The present study explored these difficulties in children (n = 50, aged 6-10 years) with autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and developmental language disorder. Parents, teachers and therapists evaluated children's…

Background & aims: Although the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) has been demonstrated to be an effective intervention to teach people diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder a functional communication system, the research indicates variability in PECS outcomes across people and studies. Therefore, the purpose of the current study…

Background & aims: Youth with developmental language disorder (DLD) are at risk of experiencing challenges during their job search. It is thus crucial to promote efficient job search behaviors in terms of effort, intensity, and self-regulation. Based on self-determination theory (SDT), we verified the role of autonomous and controlled…

Research teams must collaborate with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to identify effective and inclusive responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and other public health emergencies. Collaborating remotely requires telecommunication and other technologies. We designed and evaluated a digital "Toolkit for Remote Inclusive…

Background: Non-standardized assessment tools are preferred when assessing communication of individuals with developmental disabilities. Currently, there are limited tools available for assessing this population. Informant report tools such as the Pragmatics Profile (PP) of Everyday Communication Skills are beneficial in gathering a representative…

Within the US there are over 300 postsecondary education (PSE) programs for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). College students enrolled in PSE programs for students with IDD often require support in using assistive technology (AT) to complete living, learning, and working tasks. To date, there is no systematic review…

Over 50 years of research suggests that toilet training based on behavioral principles is effective for most individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). However, many adults with IDD are never effectively toilet trained. Lack of independent toileting is associated with detrimental physical, mental, and social experiences.…

Purpose: This study compares the home language environments of children with (a suspicion of) developmental language disorder (DLD) with that of children with typical development (TD). It does so by adopting new technology that automatically provides metrics about children's language environment (Language ENvironment Analysis [LENA]). In addition,…

This dissertation qualitatively studied the social interactions students with IDD had in Inclusive Postsecondary Education (IPSE) programs. Through a DSE lens, I analyzed the experiences of 15 current and former IPSE students to determine the phenomena of social interaction while at IPSE. Methods included focus groups, participant observations,…

It is important for educators to collect accurate information on the academic performance of students with the most significant cognitive disabilities who may be assessed with an Alternate Assessment Aligned with Alternate Academic Achievement Standards (AA-AAAS) to inform decisions about resources, programs, instruction, and individualized…

Patients and families experiencing developmental disabilities (DDs) may lack trust in physicians due to negative experiences in healthcare. DDs include conditions impairing physical, learning, language, or behavior areas, beginning during the developmental period and impacting daily functioning ('Developmental Disabilities'). Medical students…