Diabetes and people with learning disabilities: issues for policy, practice, and education

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present an overview of the extant literature on diabetes in people with learning disabilities (LD) and discuss implications for policy, practice and research. Design/methodology/approach: The key findings are extracted from qualitative and quantitative studies and recent systematic literature reviews. These findings are discussed in the areas of prevalence, treatments and implications. Findings: The complex health needs of people with LDs who are diagnosed or at risk of developing diabetes are gaining wider recognition, and recent studies have begun to implement and evaluate potential solutions. Further analysis and alignment between services is required. Originality/value: Following a dearth of studies on diabetes in people with LD, the past decade has seen a sudden upsurge in large and diverse set of studies. This paper provides an overview on the extent of this study

Social skills interventions for Thai adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): a qualitative study of the perceptions and experiences of Thai adolescents, their caregivers and healthcare professionals

Background: Social skills interventions (SSIs) are effective for enhancing social skills and decreasing mental health problems in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, these interventions have been designed and their effectiveness has been established in Western countries. Lack of culturally acceptable SSIs for Asian nations is a possible barrier to implementing effective and tailored interventions that address the unique requirements of ASD individuals across countries and cultures. This study aims to explore the needs and preferences of adolescents with ASD, their caregivers, and healthcare professionals (HPs) in Thailand regarding the components, delivery formats, and cultural adaptation required for an outpatient-based social skills intervention. Methods: Qualitative data was collected via three focus groups of HPs (n = 20) and 24 paired interviews with adolescents with ASD and their caregivers from a child psychiatric hospital in Thailand. Purposive sampling was employed, and thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Results: Nine themes emerged from the data generated by HPs, and seven from adolescents with ASD and their caregivers. SSIs for Thai adolescents with ASD and their caregivers should emphasise specific social skills training and assess the abilities of adolescents as required. Incorporating various learning strategies is important. Parental involvement is essential and provides knowledge of an adolescent’s symptoms and coaching skills, which are best used to support their adolescents. Cultural considerations include the need for social knowledge of Thai culture, promoting assertiveness and praising parents’ abilities, implementing a programme in time to not interrupt academic achievement, and renaming a programme from social skills intervention to social communication intervention. Barriers to implementing a programme included HPs’ need for specialised training and education and decreased workload. Also, the caregivers’ and adolescents’ stigma reduced attendance in a programme. Increased extra compensation and relocation days off are provided as policy support for staff who deliver the intervention. Conclusion: The results suggest that SSIs for Thai adolescents with ASD should be tailored to meet the needs for specific knowledge, skills, and parental collaboration as coaches for their adolescents. Additionally, it should incorporate Thai culture. It is necessary to consider staff knowledge, workload, and stigma in order to reduce barriers to implementation in practice.</p

Risk factors for falls among adults with intellectual disabilities: A narrative review

BackgroundThe prevalence of falls involving people with intellectual disabilities (ID) is high in comparison with the general population. There has been little evidence to date on the contributing risk factors. The objective of this review was to identify risk factors for people with intellectual disabilities.MethodLiterature searches were conducted using electronic databases to explore evidence on the subject, and narrative synthesis was employed to analyse the results.ResultsSeven risk factors were identified: decreasing physical ability, epilepsy, paretic conditions, impulsiveness, previous falls, incontinence and non?use of assistive equipment. Thematic analysis identified factors across the four concepts: the person, the situation, ongoing and protective factors.ConclusionFactors for falls involving people with intellectual disabilities are dynamic and multifactorial. Some are specific to the population; however, further research is required to develop the understanding of the possible reasons. The findings have implications across policy, education, practice and research

Modest changes in dietary intake across the menstrual cycle: implications for food intake research

Food intake varies across the menstrual cycle in mammals, energy intake usually being greater in the premenstrual phase compared with the postmenstrual phase. Premenstrual increments in energy intake and a preferential selection of carbohydrate have been suggested to be greater in women with premenstrual syndrome (PMS), who may be more sensitive to cyclical hormonal or neurotransmitter fluctuations. This has direct implications for research within populations of women, especially where the primary outcome is diet or a change in energy balance. We aimed to determine whether: the premenstrual intake of energy and macronutrients differed from the postmenstrual intake; the change in intake across the menstrual cycle differed in women with PMS compared with controls; and the change in intake was related to the severity of premenstrual symptoms. We collected 3 d dietary intake data during the postmenstrual and premenstrual phases of the menstrual cycle in thirty-one women with PMS and twenty-seven control women. The consumption of energy and macronutrient intake were similar between the phases of the cycle in women with PMS. Conversely, intakes were usually greater premenstrually in control women, although not all differences were statistically significant. Exceptions were with non-milk extrinsic sugars and alcohol, which were both consumed in greater amounts in the premenstrual phase in women with PMS. Significant correlations were observed between the severit

Evaluation Report on the Western Area Support Project (WASP) on early intervention with families who have a child with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD)

The WASP Project is funded by the Children Fund and aims to develop a holistic approach to interventions with families in the Western Board1 area of Northern Ireland. This is the first attempt in Northern Ireland to develop a Board-wide approach to the provision of specific ASD services for these families and children. International experience suggests that positive changes are possible with earlyidentification followed by consistent intervention that involves the parents and provides direct teaching of essential skills with the child.The evaluation of the WASP project would garner the learning from this new initiative and assess the implications for the future development of these services and similar ones in Northern Ireland and elsewhere

Modest changes in dietary intake across the menstrual cycle: implications for food intake research

Food intake varies across the menstrual cycle in mammals, energy intake usually being greater in the premenstrual phase compared with the postmenstrual phase. Premenstrual increments in energy intake and a preferential selection of carbohydrate have been suggested to be greater in women with premenstrual syndrome (PMS), who may be more sensitive to cyclical hormonal or neurotransmitter fluctuations. This has direct implications for research within populations of women, especially where the primary outcome is diet or a change in energy balance. We aimed to determine whether: the premenstrual intake of energy and macronutrients differed from the postmenstrual intake; the change in intake across the menstrual cycle differed in women with PMS compared with controls; and the change in intake was related to the severity of premenstrual symptoms. We collected 3 d dietary intake data during the postmenstrual and premenstrual phases of the menstrual cycle in thirty-one women with PMS and twenty-seven control women. The consumption of energy and macronutrient intake were similar between the phases of the cycle in women with PMS. Conversely, intakes were usually greater premenstrually in control women, although not all differences were statistically significant. Exceptions were with non-milk extrinsic sugars and alcohol, which were both consumed in greater amounts in the premenstrual phase in women with PMS. Significant correlations were observed between the severit

Evaluation Report on the Western Area Support Project (WASP) on early intervention with families who have a child with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD)

The WASP Project is funded by the Children Fund and aims to develop a holistic approach to interventions with families in the Western Board1 area of Northern Ireland. This is the first attempt in Northern Ireland to develop a Board-wide approach to the provision of specific ASD services for these families and children. International experience suggests that positive changes are possible with earlyidentification followed by consistent intervention that involves the parents and provides direct teaching of essential skills with the child.The evaluation of the WASP project would garner the learning from this new initiative and assess the implications for the future development of these services and similar ones in Northern Ireland and elsewhere

Connecting With Autism Project.

No abstract available

Systematic review of the effectiveness and cultural adaptation of social skills interventions for adolescents with autism spectrum disorders in Asia

Background: Social skills interventions have been shown to improve social skills in adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Because the majority of social skills interventions have been trialled in Western countries, they may not be generalisable to Asian countries with a different cultural background. The purpose of this review was to determine the efficacy and cultural adaptability of social skills interventions for adolescents with ASD (aged 10–19 years) in Asian countries. Method: This review incorporated quantitative and mixed methods published, peer-reviewed research. Five electronic databases were searched. This review followed the PRISMA guidelines. A meta-analysis was conducted by using Revman 5.4 for 3 studies. Results: In total, 15 studies were included in the review (n = 332), conducted across 7 Asian countries. Seven studies had undergone cultural adaptation in 3 countries (e.g., Hong Kong, South Korea, and Israel). Meta-analysis results for three comparable studies showed that the cultural adaptation of social skills interventions improved social skills knowledge of adolescents with ASD. Conclusion: The review identified that social skills interventions for adolescents with ASD in Asian countries, particularly those which have been adapted to adolescents’ cultural needs and preferences, are potentially effective for improving social skills. However, due to the study's limitations and the heterogeneity of included studies, further research is needed to provide strong evidence