Public awareness of health-related topics is increasing, and an increase in average life expectancy has increased the senior citizen population in Taiwan. Furthermore, because of the high cost of raising young children, people's willingness to give birth has decreased. Taiwan's aging population and declining birth rate are key challenges for its…

We evaluated the effectiveness of an online training on palliative care knowledge and self-efficacy among staff working with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) using a one-group pretest-posttest design. Staff from four nonprofit residential and day services organizations in a U.S. Midwestern state participated. Among 132…

Background: Australian disability services must comply with quality standards defined by federal government. Standards are abstract, focus on paperwork and rarely describe what good service quality looks like in practice. This research explored frontline day service staff's perceptions of good service quality to identify ways that it may be better…

The purpose of this research was to determine what components of academic and therapeutic clinical day programs ensure success for students with mental health diagnoses as they transition back to conventional educational settings. This study focused on the importance of developing students' capabilities to fulfill their own needs within Maslow's…

Neurodiverse children in day treatment programs often experience behavioral challenges that limit their opportunities to engage in recreational physical activities. These activities are important for physical health and aid in developing motor and socio-emotional skills. The present study used an explanatory sequential mixed methods design to…

The use of smartphones and tablet devices in activities is believed to have great potential for enhancing the participation of people with intellectual disabilities. However, these technologies, in themselves, do not contribute to participation. What matters is how they are used. Employing the concept of domestication and insights gained from…

Information and communication technologies (ICT) have been widely adopted in the intervention literature for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The systematic and predictable nature of ICTs make them particularly attractive for individuals with ASD. One ICT that has potential promise for individuals with ASD is virtual reality (VR).…

Background: The social relationships model was developed to describe positive relationships between support staff and people with intellectual disability. We evaluated an educational intervention based on this model. Method: Eighteen staff supporting 5 adult service users with severe or profound intellectual disability from 3 day services received…

The expectations and role of families in the care of children with autism spectrum disorder are increasingly important. Nonetheless, no study has thus far explored the perspectives of siblings about the care received by a brother or sister with this disorder. The objective of this study was to fill this gap in the literature. This multicentre…

The purpose of this study was to investigate how nature-inspired art education might foster a sense of connectedness and collaboration in adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (hereinafter knows as ASD) in a day program. While many studies have uncovered such beneficial art education for children with ASD, there has been little research attempted…

The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of an immersive learning (IL) course in which university students planned, developed, and implemented a 2-week day camp for children with disabilities. To assess perceptions and associated dispositional constructs, university students completed reflection activities before, during, and post camp…

PACE Center for Girls is a Florida-based nonprofit organization that serves girls of middle school and high school age who are at risk of involvement with the justice system. PACE aims to get these girls back on track by taking a gender-responsive approach, providing a blend of academic and social services that are shaped by an awareness of girls'…

With handwriting being limitedly taught in schools; high intensity, summer handwriting camps may resolve the numerous handwriting rehabilitation referrals of school-aged children. To improve handwriting, a 5-day (3-hr/daily session) summer camp was created for children (ages 5-9 years old). Thirty children (ages 5-9) were given manuscript…

Objectives: To evaluate the effects of a program for training direct-care staff to implement an iPad®-based communication intervention with adults with developmental disability and severe communication impairment. Methods: Participants were 11 adults with developmental disability and 19 direct-care staff drawn from two day program settings.…

Spatial visualization and mental rotations skills are considered a strong predictor of success in STEM fields (Wai, Lubinski, & Benbow, 2009). This study analyzed the malleability and amount of change in fourth through sixth grade students using the Revised PSVT:R. Participants engaged in a STEM camp driven by maker pedagogy and focused on the…