Estimating a minimum clinically important difference for the Developmental Behaviour Checklist - parent report.

Background: Evaluating the effectiveness of interventions relies on understanding what change in a main outcome is sufficient to be considered meaningful. Our aim was to estimate a Minimum Clinically Important Difference (MCID) for the Developmental Behaviour Checklist, parent-report (DBC-P)- a measure of behavioural and emotional problems in children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities.

Methods: We generated distribution-based estimates through meta-analysis of intervention evaluations using the DBC-P as an outcome measure.

Mental Health Problems Among UK Undergraduates: A Comparison Study of Autistic and Non-autistic Students.

The aim of this study was to examine whether the relationship between a set of risk and protective factors (e.g., self-esteem, stress, intolerance of uncertainty, autistic symptoms) and mental health problems differed between autistic and non-autistic undergraduates enrolled in UK universities across genders.

Longitudinal evaluation of the Family Stress Model in families of children with intellectual disabilities.

Background: The Family Stress Model (FSM) is a developmental framework used to explain the relationship between family economic hardship and children's developmental outcomes through parent factors. As a developmental theory, the FSM should be able to explain the impact of early adversity on developmental outcomes for all children, including children with intellectual disabilities.

Methods: Primary caregivers (n = 372, 88 % White British) of children with intellectual disabilities (M age at Wave 1=7.

Language and Beyond: A Registered Report Examining Single and Multiple Risk Models of Later Reading Comprehension Weaknesses.

Children with poor reading comprehension tend to have oral language weaknesses, suggesting that poor language in the early years is a proximal cause of later reading comprehension difficulties. Yet, longitudinal studies have not succeeded in reliably predicting which children go on to have comprehension weaknesses (CW), and evidence comprises small sample sizes and a narrow focus on language in isolation. In this registered report, we examined early predictors of later outcomes in 879 children with CW identified at 9 years in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children.

Factors Affecting Psychiatric Bed Utilisation by People With Intellectual Disabilities: A Time Series Analysis Using the English National Mental Health Services Data Set.

Background: In 2015, the Building the Right Support programme was launched for England in an attempt to reduce the number of psychiatric inpatients with intellectual disabilities and/or autism by 35%-50%. This target, and subsequent targets, were missed, and for 2025-2026, the government further committed to reducing numbers by 10%. Considering these continued targets, we aimed to investigate psychiatric bed utilisation over time, and to further understand factors that may influence psychiatric admissions and discharges of people with intellectual disabilities and/or autism, by utilising time series modelling with national English data to explore the relationship between a set of chosen sociodemographic, clinical and service-related predictor variables and the following outcome variables: (1) total monthly number of hospital spells, (2) total monthly number of discharges, (3) total monthly number of admissions, (4) ratio of community to non-community discharges, (5) number of inpatients with a length of stay under 2 years, (6) number of patients with a length of stay over 2 years and (7) total number of distinct individuals who had been subjected to restraints.

Specialist Psychiatric Bed Utilisation by People With Intellectual Disabilities and Autistic People: A Time-Series Analysis Using the English Assuring Transformation Dataset.

Background: Using nationally available anonymised and aggregated English data, we examined specialist and nonspecialist psychiatric bed utilisation by people with intellectual disabilities and/or autism.

Methods: Using data about specialist psychiatric bed utilisation from the Assuring Transformation Dataset, from March 2015 to January 2024, we applied linear regression (with moving average or autoregressive errors) to explore the relationships between a set of outcome variables (e.g.

Factors Associated With Length of Hospital Stay for Forensic Psychiatric Inpatients With Intellectual Disabilities.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to examine factors associated with length of stay within a psychiatric hospital for patients with intellectual disabilities who have a forensic history.

Methods: Data about 111 patients were gathered retrospectively from historical records for the period of February 2011 to March 2021. Negative binomial regression was then used to examine the relationship between selected predictor variables and length of stay.

Toward a consensus on dyslexia: findings from a Delphi study.

Background: Dyslexia is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders. There have been many definitions over the past century, and debate continues as to how dyslexia should be defined. This debate contributes to confusion and misinformation.

Towards a Consensus for Dyslexia Practice: Findings of a Delphi Study on Assessment and Identification.

This paper discusses the findings of a Delphi study in which dyslexia experts, including academics, specialist teachers, educational psychologists, and individuals with dyslexia, were asked for their agreement with a set of key statements about defining and identifying dyslexia: why it should be assessed and how and when this assessment should be conducted. Two rounds of survey responses provided a vehicle for moving towards consensus on how to assess for dyslexia. Forty-two consensus statements were ultimately accepted.

Wellbeing of Family Carers of Adults With Intellectual Disabilities During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the UK: Longitudinal Study.

Background: Longitudinal studies of family carers of people with intellectual disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic have been very rare. This study investigated trajectories of family-carer wellbeing and the impact of the caring role on carers' health over four time points measured during the COVID-19 pandemic and after all public health restrictions had been lifted (between December 2020 and late 2022) across the United Kingdom.

Methods: Family carers of adults with intellectual disabilities participated through a co-designed, online survey at four time points across the pandemic (2020-2022).

Statistical analysis plan for the SOLUTIONS randomised controlled trial with internal pilot: Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) in 10-17-year-olds presenting at policy custody.

Background: Within England, children and young people entering police custody are referred to Liaison and Diversion (L&D) teams. These teams liaise with healthcare and other support services aiming to divert children and young people away from the criminal justice system. Although targeted psychological interventions are not typically offered to children and young people by L&D teams, evidence suggests that Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) leads to a reduction in internalising and externalising behaviour problems.

Generalized models for estimating cerebral lateralisation of young children using functional transcranial Doppler ultrasound.

Thompson et al., 2023 (Generalized models for quantifying laterality using functional transcranial Doppler ultrasound. Human Brain Mapping, 44(1), 35-48) introduced generalised model-based analysis methods for determining cerebral lateralisation from functional transcranial Doppler ultrasound (fTCD) data which substantially decreased the uncertainty of individual lateralisation estimates across several large adult samples.

Positive family connections for families of children with a developmental disability: Cluster randomized controlled trial.

Positive Family Connections is a coproduced, positively oriented, family-systems program for families of children with a developmental disability aged 8-13 years. The study was a feasibility cluster randomized-controlled trial which was registered prospectively (International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number 14809884). Families (clusters) were randomized 1:1 to take part in Positive Family Connections immediately or to a waitlist condition and were followed up 4 months and 9 months after randomization.

Child behavior problems and parental psychological distress in Chinese families of children with autism: The putative moderating role of parental social support and cultural values.

The wellbeing of parents of children with autism residing in mainland China remains understudied. We aimed to examine whether and how parental perceived social support, individualism, and collectivism acted together to moderate the relationships between child behavior problems and parental psychological distress in Chinese parents of children with autism. With convenience and snowball sampling, data on 268 primary caregiver parents of children with autism were collected from an online cross-sectional survey.

Sibling Relationship and Behavioral Adjustment in Families of Disabled Children: Cross-Lagged Associations.

Cross-lagged panel designs were used to examine longitudinal and potential (bi)directional relationships between primary caregiver reported sibling relationship quality and the behaviors of children with intellectual disability (n = 297) and their closest in age siblings. The behavioral and emotional problems of the child with intellectual disability positively predicted sibling conflict over time. When accounting for control variables, this relationship was no longer present.

Heterogeneity in children's reading comprehension difficulties: A latent class approach.

Background: Poor comprehenders are traditionally identified as having below-average reading comprehension, average-range word reading, and a discrepancy between the two. While oral language tends to be low in poor comprehenders, reading is a complex trait and heterogeneity may go undetected by group-level comparisons.

Methods: We took a preregistered data-driven approach to identify poor comprehenders and examine whether multiple distinct cognitive profiles underlie their difficulties.

Mapping and identifying service models for community-based services for children with intellectual disabilities and behaviours that challenge in England.

Background: One in five children with an intellectual disability in the UK display behaviours that challenge. Despite associated impacts on the children themselves, their families, and services, little research has been published about how best to design, organise, and deliver health and care services to these children. The purpose of this study was to describe how services are structured and organised ("service models") in England for community-based health and care services for children with intellectual disability who display behaviours that challenge.

PROTOCOL: Evaluating the application and effectiveness of precision teaching: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Precision Teaching is a behavior measurement system that emphasizes the development of behavioral repertoires and utilizes Standard Celeration Charts as its primary tool. This system has been applied across various areas, including mainstream and special education, and has successfully improved academic, motor, communication, and other skills. While previous systematic reviews have highlighted important aspects of Precision Teaching, a more comprehensive evaluation is needed to consider all its different applications and recent developments in conceptualizing it.

Psychiatric inpatient admissions and discharges of people with intellectual disabilities: A time series analysis of English national data.

Background: We examined whether a series of variables were related to the number of psychiatric inpatients using publicly available data about English psychiatric bed utilisation and NHS workforce.

Method: Using linear regression, with auto-regressive errors, we examined relationships between variables over time using data from December 2013 to March 2021.

Results: Over time, the number of inpatients reduced by either 6.

Generalized models for quantifying laterality using functional transcranial Doppler ultrasound.

We consider how analysis of brain lateralization using functional transcranial Doppler ultrasound (fTCD) data can be brought in line with modern statistical methods typically used in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Conventionally, a laterality index is computed in fTCD from the difference between the averages of each hemisphere's signal within a period of interest (POI) over a series of trials. We demonstrate use of generalized linear models (GLMs) and generalized additive models (GAM) to analyze data from individual participants in three published studies (N = 154, 73 and 31), and compare this with results from the conventional POI averaging approach, and with laterality assessed using fMRI (N = 31).

Intrathecal Morphine Use in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Surgery is Associated with Decreased Opioid Use and Decreased Length of Stay.

Background: Length of stay (LOS) in the hospital following posterior spinal fusion (PSF) for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) has decreased over the past decade due to well-defined postoperative clinical pathways, earlier mobilization, and improved pain control methods. Historically, liberal use of parenteral and oral opioids for pain control caused side effects, resulting in delayed discharge. Intraoperative intrathecal morphine (ITM) has been posited to reduce the need for postoperative opioids and to expedite the discharge process.