The findings indicate that health professionals working with these families must support mothers in managing various aspects of their lives, including those not directly related to their child with autism.

There is a need for evidence based interventions for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to limit the life-long, psychosocial impact of pragmatic language impairments. This systematic review identified 22 studies reporting on 20 pragmatic language interventions for children with ASD aged 0–18 years. The characteristics of each study, components of the interventions, and the methodological quality of each study were reviewed. Meta-analysis was conducted to assess the effectiveness of 15 interventions. Results revealed some promising approaches, indicating that active inclusion of the child and parent in the intervention was a significant mediator of intervention effect. Participant age, therapy setting or modality were not significant mediators between the interventions and measures of pragmatic language. The long-term effects of these interventions and the generalisation of learning to new contexts is largely unknown. Implications for clinical practice and directions for future research are discussed.

A number of autism intervention practices have been demonstrated to be effective. However, the use of unsupported practices persists in community early intervention settings. Recent research has suggested that personal, professional and workplace factors may influence intervention choices. The aim of this research was to investigate knowledge and use of strategies, organisational culture, individual attitudes, sources of information and considerations informing intervention choices by early intervention providers. An online survey was completed by 72 early intervention providers from four organisations across Australia. Providers reported high levels of trust and access of information from internal professional development, therapists and external professional development. A range of considerations including child factors, family values and research were rated as important in informing intervention choices. Participants reported greater knowledge and use of evidence-based and emerging practices than unsupported. Levels of use were linked to levels of knowledge, as well as some organisational and attitudinal factors. Areas for future research and implications are discussed.

Early and reliable screening for oropharyngeal dysphagia (OD) symptoms in at-risk populations is important and a crucial first stage in effective OD management. The Eating Assessment Tool (EAT-10) is a commonly utilized screening and outcome measure. To date, studies using classic test theory methodologies report good psychometric properties, but the EAT-10 has not been evaluated using item response theory (e.g., Rasch analysis). The aim of this multisite study was to evaluate the internal consistency and structural validity and conduct a preliminary investigation of the cross-cultural validity of the EAT-10; floor and ceiling effects were also checked. Participants involved 636 patients deemed at risk of OD, from outpatient clinics in Spain, Turkey, Sweden, and Italy. The EAT-10 and videofluoroscopic and/or fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing were used to confirm OD diagnosis. Patients with esophageal dysphagia were excluded to ensure a homogenous sample. Rasch analysis was used to investigate person and item fit statistics, response scale, dimensionality of the scale, differential item functioning (DIF), and floor and ceiling effect. The results indicate that the EAT-10 has significant weaknesses in structural validity and internal consistency. There are both item redundancy and lack of easy and difficult items. The thresholds of the rating scale categories were disordered and gender, confirmed OD, and language, and comorbid diagnosis showed DIF on a number of items. DIF analysis of language showed preliminary evidence of problems with cross-cultural validation, and the measure showed a clear floor effect. The authors recommend redevelopment of the EAT-10 using Rasch analysis.

The needs of people with dementia and their carers were diverse and not always effectively met by the services designed to support them. Recommendations are offered to service providers, policy-makers, and researchers to support more effective service provision tailored to meet the needs of people with dementia and their carers while they are living in the community.