Background
Persons with intellectual disabilities have the right to pursue and acquire gainful employment and thereby obtain the psychological, social and economic benefits derived from employment.
...Aims
This study aimed to examine workers' attitudes towards and perspectives with respect to the challenges of employing persons with intellectual disabilities.
Method
The sample was composed of 168 persons (60% male). Participants responded to a questionnaire that assessed their attitudes towards working with persons with intellectual disabilities (ATWQ) and a challenges questionnaire (CHQ).
Results and Conclusion
This study found that familiarity (frequency of contact) and having a previous work experience with someone with an intellectual disability were positively associated with workers' attitudes towards employing persons with intellectual disabilities. Furthermore, owners and supervisors were more reluctant to accept the practice of employing persons with intellectual disabilities than were employees. No differences were found by gender. Implications based on the findings are discussed herein.
Intellectual disability (ID) is a large group of neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by a congenital limitation in intellectual functioning (reasoning, learning, and problem solving), adaptive ...behavior (conceptual, social, and practical skills), originated at birth and manifested before the age of 18. By whole exome sequencing of five consanguineous Pakistani families presenting hallmark features of ID, global developmental delay, aggressive and self‐injurious behaviors, microcephaly, febrile seizures and facial dysmorphic features, we identified three novel homozygous missense variants (NM_024298.5: c.588G > T; p.Trp196Cys, c.736 T > C; p.Tyr246His and c.524A > C; p. Asp175Ala) and one rare homozygous in‐frame deletion variant (c.758_778del;p.Glu253_Ala259del) in membrane‐bound O‐acyltransferase family member 7 (MBOAT7) gene previously associated with autosomal recessive neurodevelopmental disorder. The segregation of the variants was validated by Sanger sequencing in all family members. In silico homology modeling of wild‐type and mutated proteins revealed substantial changes in the structure of both proteins, indicating a possible effect on function. The identification and validation of new pathogenic MBOAT7 variants in five cases of autosomal recessive ID further highlight the importance of this genes in proper brain function and development.
The affected individuals were examined by a local consultant geneticist and medical doctor at district hospital Bannu and Khyber medical university hospital Peshwar.
Detailed clinical features including age, gender, family history and consanguinity was recorded.
After clinical investigation and consent form, blood samples were collected, then whole exome sequencing was performed and data was analyzed by bioinformatician.
Finally, we found a causative variant in three families and submitted to journal of gene medicine for publication.
Background:
Women with an intellectual disability (ID) have a similar risk of developing breast cancer as women in the general population yet present with later stage breast cancers, which have ...poorer outcomes.
Aim:
To identify whether there is a need to develop a breast cancer awareness intervention for women with an ID.
Methods:
Interventions aimed at increasing cancer awareness and breast cancer awareness for people with an ID were identified and critically appraised.
Results:
Five interventions to increase cancer awareness or breast cancer awareness in people with an ID were identified.
Conclusion:
The review highlighted the paucity of theoretically underpinned breast cancer awareness interventions specifically aimed at women with an ID. Facilitating breast cancer awareness for women with an ID could potentially lead to earlier presentation of potential symptoms of breast cancer, earlier treatment, better prognosis and ultimately, improved survival. This article establishes that there is a need for an intervention underpinned by theory to increase breast cancer awareness in women with an ID.
Background
Adult siblings are important in the lives of individuals with profound intellectual disabilities, especially as parents age. However, little is known about the roles they assume.
Method
We ...examined these roles among 58 participants from the Netherlands, who completed an online questionnaire.
Results
Most participants (89.7%) assumed multiple roles, and the majority were content with their roles. Between 7% and 58% indicated that they were the only individuals providing a certain role. Shared roles primarily involved healthcare professionals, other siblings, and parents. Almost half the participants (48.2%) assigned higher scores for the amount of support provided than for the experienced burden.
Conclusions
Adult siblings often assume multiple roles. The shared roles emphasise the importance of collaboration.
Background
Recent literature has suggested that relaxation activities can reduce the challenging behaviours of people with intellectual disabilities, particularly in severe and profound grades, due ...to the counteractive effect of muscle relaxation on emotional frustration or psychological distress. Despite having inconclusive evidence, multisensory environment (MSE) and massage therapy (MT) are the commonly used approaches to relaxation among these people. However, these two approaches have not yet practised or tested in combination for reducing these people's challenging behaviours.
Methods
A preliminary clinical efficacy trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of MT, MSE and their combined use for residents with intellectual disabilities in a long‐term care facility on reducing their challenging behaviours. Eligible residents were recruited and randomly assigned to one of the four study groups (n = 11–12 per group), that is, MT in MSE, MSE alone, MT alone or usual care, for a 10‐week intervention after a 1‐month washout period. Outcome measures, including the Behaviour Problem Inventory, pulse and respiration rates, Behaviour Checklist and Alertness Observation Checklist, were assessed at recruitment and immediately following the interventions.
Results
A total of 42 participants (17 men and 25 women) completed the study. There were no significant differences in frequency and severity of challenging behaviours and most of the outcome measures between the four groups at post‐test. Nevertheless, there were statistical significant differences on the active and inactive state (Alertness Observation Checklist) between the three treatment and control groups. Many participants in the three treatment groups changed from an active to inactive state (i.e. reduced activity levels) throughout the interventions, especially the MT in MSE. Such inactivity might suggest the participants' brief exhaustion followed by a period of alertness during the treatment activities. But their attention span and social contact to the immediate environment could still be maintained.
Conclusions
Participants of MT in multisensory environment acquired more inactive state than the other study groups. This inactive state indicates a state of ‘passive alertness’, which is more likely in a relaxing manner.
•Our review of social inclusion literature finds several conflicting definitions.•Hence, we propose a definition and ecological model of social inclusion.•Our definition focuses on interpersonal ...relationships and community participation.•Our ecological model includes individual, interpersonal, and community variables.•We describe future research that our definition and ecological model can inform.
Social inclusion is an important goal for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, families, service providers, and policymakers; however, the concept of social inclusion remains unclear, largely due to multiple and conflicting definitions in research and policy. We define social inclusion as the interaction between two major life domains: interpersonal relationships and community participation. We then propose an ecological model of social inclusion that includes individual, interpersonal, organizational, community, and socio-political factors. We identify four areas of research that our ecological model of social inclusion can move forward: (1) organizational implementation of social inclusion; (2) social inclusion of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities living with their families, (3) social inclusion of people along a broader spectrum of disability, and (4) the potential role of self-advocacy organizations in promoting social inclusion.
Background:
Children with mild intellectual disabilities and emotional and behavioural problems whose parents have mental health concerns are at an increased risk of developing problems themselves. ...This study analysed the effectiveness of the ‘You are Okay’-program aimed to support these children and parents and to reduce the risk of problem development in children.
Method:
A quasi-experimental design was used to compare the experimental group (‘care as usual’ and ‘You are Okay’) with the control group (‘care as usual’) on the main outcome of emotional and behavioural problems and proposed intermediate outcomes.
Results:
Children in the experimental group reported a significant medium to large decrease in emotional and behavioural problems compared to the control group. The effects on the intermediate outcomes were non-significant.
Conclusions:
This specific study population comprising a vulnerable group of children seems to benefit from this specially adapted ‘You are Okay’-program. More research is necessary to draw further conclusions.
‘High functioning autism’ is a term often used for individuals with autism spectrum disorder without an intellectual disability. Over time, this term has become synonymous with expectations of ...greater functional skills and better long-term outcomes, despite contradictory clinical observations. This study investigated the relationship between adaptive behaviour, cognitive estimates (intelligence quotient) and age at diagnosis in autism spectrum disorder. Participants (n = 2225, 1–18 years of age) were notified at diagnosis to a prospective register and grouped by presence (n = 1041) or absence (n = 1184) of intellectual disability. Functional abilities were reported using the Vineland Adaptive Behaviour Scales. Regression models suggested that intelligence quotient was a weak predictor of Vineland Adaptive Behaviour Scales after controlling for sex. Whereas the intellectual disability group’s adaptive behaviour estimates were close to reported intelligence quotients, Vineland Adaptive Behaviour Scales scores fell significantly below intelligence quotients for children without intellectual disability. The gap between intelligence quotient and Vineland Adaptive Behaviour Scales scores remained large with increasing age at diagnosis for all children. These data indicate that estimates from intelligence quotient alone are an imprecise proxy for functional abilities when diagnosing autism spectrum disorder, particularly for those without intellectual disability. We argue that ‘high functioning autism’ is an inaccurate clinical descriptor when based solely on intelligence quotient demarcations and this term should be abandoned in research and clinical practice.
Idiopathic intellectual disability (
) encompasses the cases of intellectual disability (ID) without a known cause and represents approximately 50% of all cases. Neural progenitor cells (NPCs) from ...the olfactory neuroepithelium (NEO) contain the same information as the cells found in the brain, but they are more accessible. Some miRNAs have been identified and associated with ID of known etiology. However, in idiopathic ID, the effect of miRNAs is poorly understood. The aim of this study was to determine the miRNAs regulating the expression of mRNAs that may be involved in development of
. Expression profiles were obtained using NPC-NEO cells from IID patients and healthy controls by microarray. A total of 796 miRNAs and 28,869 mRNAs were analyzed. Several miRNAs were overexpressed in the
patients compared to controls. miR-25 had the greatest expression. In silico analysis showed that ROBO2 was the target for miR-25, with the highest specificity and being the most down-regulated. In vitro assay showed an increase of miR-25 expression induced a decrease in ROBO2 expression. In neurodevelopment, ROBO2 plays a crucial role in episodic learning and memory, so its down-regulation, caused by miR-25, could have a fundamental role in the intellectual disability that, until now, has been considered idiopathic.
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