The presence of a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in the family can have a negative impact on parental Quality of Life (QoL), but evidence on how treatments for children with ASD can affect parental QoL is currently limited. In this qualitative study, we develop a semi-structured interview in order to investigate the impact of ASD on the…

Social validity in the field of applied behaviour analysis is the measurement of the social significance of goals, the social appropriateness of procedures, and the social importance of the effects of a treatment. There is a paucity of rigorous research on social validity measurement as it relates to feeding treatment. To our knowledge, this is…

Purpose: Modifying gut bacteria in children with autism may influence behaviour, with potential to improve family functioning. We conducted a randomised controlled trial to assess the effect of prebiotics on behaviour, gastrointestinal symptoms and downstream effects on parental quality of life. Method: Children with autism (4-10yrs) were…

Background: Families of parents with intellectual disabilities still face discrimination, stigma and inadequate support, placing them in vulnerable positions. Social assistive robotics offers promising support. This study investigates the possible impact of social assistive robotics on family quality of life (FQoL). Method: An inclusive, iterative…

Gender dysphoria (GD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) co-occur relatively often, but there is no evidence-based treatment for this specific group. Therefore, we examined the effects of a group intervention for adolescents with ASD and GD in a pilot study with a pre-post-test design. The adolescents completed questionnaires on quality of life,…

Background: Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is a neurodegenerative condition characterised by a prominent and progressive deterioration in language abilities, which significantly impacts quality of life and interpersonal relationships. Speech and language therapy plays a crucial role in offering interventions. Group intervention is one mode of…

Individuals with intellectual disabilities need an affective and sexual education adapted to their characteristics. There are few interventions that meet these objectives and offer empirical evidence of their efficacy. To respond to the limitations of existing interventions, an evidence-based affective-sexual educational intervention for adults…

Maintaining healthy cognitive functioning and delaying cognitive decline in cognitively intact and cognitively impaired adults are major research initiatives for addressing dementia disease burden. Music interventions are promising, non-pharmaceutical treatment options for preserving cognitive function and psychological health in older adults with…

Purpose: The efficacy of service learning in physical activity (PA) intervention is generally not centered around perceptions of the service recipients, posing questions when the efficacy of an intervention is crucial, such as PA in people with disabilities. The present study examined perceptions of the recipients in a student-led service-learning…

Background: Psychological distress is highly noticeable among caregivers working in residential youth care (RYC). Maintaining and enhancing caregivers' professional mental health and quality of life is crucial to achieve effective outcomes in RYC. Nevertheless, trainings to protect caregivers' mental health are scarce. Considering the buffering…

This dissertation examines the integration of behavior analytical procedures into teaching performing arts dance skills to children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), mainly the innovative use of song-lyrics self-instruction. Individuals with ASD often face unique challenges, including social communication delays, limited play interests, and…

Background: Rehabilitation for cognitive-communication impairments following brain injury can be complex given the heterogenous nature of impairments post injury. Project-based intervention has the potential to improve communication skills and create a meaningful real-life context where individuals collaborate to develop a concrete product, which…

PWS Smart-Start is a behavioral caregiver training program developed specifically for caregivers of children with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) ages 3 to 14. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the acceptability and preliminary efficacy of the program. Thirty-four caregivers of children with PWS received the PWS Smart-Start training…

Navigating campus and the surrounding community may pose barriers to matriculation, engagement, and quality of life for students with disabilities. This intervention uses the student's smartphone device and a university map application to guide students as they navigate to specific destinations around campus (e.g., library, classroom buildings,…

This research study synthesizes research on applications of artificial intelligence (AI) to transform and improve quality of life for deaf and hard of hearing students. Twenty studies were analyzed, spanning domains including AI-enabled captioning, interpreters, personalized tutors, social robots, and assistive apps. Key findings demonstrate…