Research in developmental disabilities
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The aim was to characterize the panorama of developmental disorders in 208 preschool children with a clinical diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), referred to a specialized centre, the Autism Centre for Young Children (ACYC), for intervention. At the centre, a research team examined all children according to structured protocols and interviews. All available test data from their assessments prior to referral were scrutinized. ⋯ In this group attention deficits in connection with speech and language problems were prominent. The highly individual developmental profiles seen in children with ASDs have to be taken into account when planning intervention and follow-up. The children's medical characteristics also vary considerably and will be detailed in a further report.
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Many people working in human services in Western countries suffer from burnout, characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and decreased personal performance. Prevention of emotional exhaustion (the first phase of burnout) constitutes a great challenge because emotional exhaustion may cause increasing turnover rates in staff and lead to a lesser quality of care. Prevention of emotional exhaustion requires knowledge of its predictors. The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between emotional exhaustion, social capital, workload, and latitude in decision-making among German professionals working in the care of persons with intellectual and physical disabilities. ⋯ The results of this study demonstrate that specific factors in work organization are associated with emotional exhaustion. Taking into account sociodemographic changes and the upcoming challenges for human services professionals, the results underline the importance of considering aspects of organization at the workplace to prevent burnout. Specific circumstances of male employees must be considered.
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Many studies have shown that children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have had early indicators of language delay. The aim of the present study was to examine the cognitive profile of school age children referred to a specialist clinic for ASD, ADHD, or both, and relate this profile specifically to the age at which these children were first flagged up (or not) as suspected from language delay during the preschool years. Forty clinic children with ASD, ADHD, or the combination of the two (without clinical suspicion of learning disability) were assessed cognitively and as regards language development and language function at a mean age of 7.3 years. ⋯ School age clinic children who present with ASD and ADHD have a similar cognitive and early language development profile as do those children from the community, followed prospectively, who present with a suspicion of early preschool language delay and are shown at school age to suffer from ASD or ADHD. Concern about early language delay in the preschool age should prompt assessments (psychiatric and cognitively) for ASD and ADHD in a multidisciplinary setting much more often than is currently the case. In many cases early language delay, even in the absence of clear learning disability should be taken as a signal that - regardless of specific diagnosis - intellectual functioning might be in the low average range.
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Although many studies have explored emergency services for children, there are few published reports of the utilization of emergency services by children with disabilities. The present study attempts to provide data regarding the utilization of, and factors affecting, emergency department visits by disabled children in Taipei. A general census of 1006 children with disabilities, identified from the Taiwan National Disability Registry System in Taipei, was conducted. ⋯ The 'deficit' and 'balance' household economic status groups gave odds ratios of 3.902 (95% CI=1.469-10.364) and 3.311 (95% CI=1.249-8.779), relative to the 'surplus' group. The model also indicated that those children with disabilities who were reported as being in poor physical health had 11.359 times (95% CI=2.968-43.469) the likelihood of using emergency care than those whose physical health was in excellent condition. The study suggests that in order to maximize the health of children with disabilities, medical care stakeholders should consider who are the most likely groups to use emergency department services and develop anticipatory guidance or preventive services for this vulnerable population.
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The DC-LD is a new classification system providing operationalized diagnostic criteria in recognition of lacking applicability of standard psychiatric criteria for adults with intellectual disability. This study attempts to evaluate internal consistency, inter-rater reliability and factor structure of the Psychopathology Checklists for Adults with Intellectual Disability (P-AID), a set of checklists developed from the DC-LD. The P-AID checklists comprising 10 psychiatric diagnoses and 8 types of problem behaviors were filled in by staff at community based homes for adults with intellectual disability in Western Norway. ⋯ Issues regarding sensitivity and specificity are discussed. This study is the first attempt to develop and evaluate Psychopathology Checklists based on the DC-LD. The results from this study indicate the P-AID can be used in identifying mental health needs at a detailed diagnostic level.