Prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Although there have been numerous studies examining the prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities, they have not yet been integrated and synthesized through a systematic quantitative review process. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to determine: (i) the prevalence of overweight/obesity among children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities; (ii) the sources of heterogeneity in studies reporting the prevalence of overweight/obesity in this population; and (iii) the risk of overweight/obesity in this population compared with their typically developing peers. A systematic literature search was performed and 16 studies, published between 1985 and 2015, met the inclusion criteria. The resulting pooled prevalence estimates for overweight, overweight–obesity and obesity were respectively: (i) 15%, 30%, and 13%, in children; and (ii) 18%, 33%, and 15% in adolescents. Subgroup analyses showed significant variations in the pooled prevalence estimates as a function of geographical region, recruitment setting, additional diagnoses, and norms used to define overweight or obesity. The findings also showed adolescents with intellectual disabilities to be respectively 1.54 and 1.80 times more at risk of overweight–obesity and obesity than typically developing adolescents. Unfortunately, no such comparison is available for children

A Systematic Review of the Treatment of Fears and Phobias Among Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Research indicates that fears and phobias are significantly more prevalent and emerge in response to a greater variety of stimuli, among children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) than among their developmentally disabled or typically developing peers. Such findings are problematic given the difficulty of assessing and identifying fears or phobias among the ASD population and the challenge of identifying effective treatments for those with core diagnostic deficits in comprehension, communication, and attentional skills. The current review aimed to evaluate the literature describing interventions to treat fears, specific phobia, or social phobia among children with ASD and to identify evidence-based practice in this area. The review indicated that a variety of interventions, described as both traditional and novel, were successful in treating fearful or phobic behavioral responses to stimuli. The findings also suggest that behavioral intervention, including reinforcement, modeling, and exposure, may be considered evidence-based practice in the treatment of fears and phobias among children with ASD. However, the current research base is limited by the predominant focus on the behavioral element of the fear response, and the lack of research examining the cognitive or physiological responses during assessment or treatment