Background: This study describes the socio-demographic, clinical and functional characteristics of a representative sample of services users in Italy. The supports provided by formal agencies, natural networks and actual levels of quality of life (QoL) were assessed. Methods: 1,285 individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) served by 23 different services participated to the study. The influence of availability of support strategies, environmental factors, client characteristics, personal desires and goals, and support needs on the current QoL status was investigated using multiple regression. Results: QoL outcomes were significantly explained by support needs, client characteristics, personal goals and desires, and marginally by the presence of support strategies and environmental factors. Further, only a minor effect was found from support activities for general QoL outcomes. Conclusions: the results confirmed that the personal outcomes could be predicted providing support activities aligned to the specific personal needs and goals, confirming the importance of Personal Centered Planning process.

Societal views on the rights of persons with disabilities have changed over the last few decades. Evolutions are reflected in international conventions, as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) developed to guide policies and practices. However, knowledge about the implementation of the Convention remains limited. In addition, another important construct, quality of life (QOL), has gained increasing prominence in the field of disability. This construct has evolved from a sensitizing notion to a measurable construct that provides a framework to assist organization and systems transformation. The present research focused on the implementation of the UNCRPD articles to assist organizations and systems in the support provision practice. The study is a preliminary step toward implementation, looking for consensus on cross‐culturally referenced indicators of QOL outcomes. The methodology chosen to find cross‐cultural consensus was an international modified Delphi study to determine the relation and alignment among UN Convention articles, QOL domains, and measurable indicators. A total of 153 experts (self‐advocates, professionals, family members, academics, and experts in law) from 11 countries evaluated the indicators. The Delphi study resulted in finding at least one indicator per convention article/QOL domain pairing. Thus, an international pool of cross‐cultural indicators was identified to assist the implementation of the Convention articles. The study provides a first exploration of using the QOL framework to implement the UNCRPD. Although international indicators have been found per convention article/QOL pairing, challenges exist in regard to the further translation process into practice between policy and research, and vice versa. Efforts should continue to determine not only the relations among convention articles and measurable indicators, but also associated strategies for realizing the aim of the Convention in local policies and practices.

This article proposes the quality of life (QOL) construct as a framework from which to develop useful indicators to operationalize, measure, and implement the Articles of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). A systematic review of the scientific literature on people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) was carried out, with the aim of identifying personal outcomes that can be translated into specific and measurable items for each of the CRPD Articles aligned to the eight QOL domains. Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, the systematic review was conducted across the Web of Science Core Collection, Current Contents Connect (CCC), MEDLINE, KCI-Korean Journal Database, Russian Science Citation Index and SciELO Citation Index, for articles published between 2008 and 2020. A total of 65 articles focusing on people with IDD were selected. The results were grouped into four broad categories: conceptual frameworks used to monitor the CRPD; instruments used to assess the rights set out in the CRPD; recommendations on the use of inclusive research; and indicators or personal outcomes associated with specific rights contained in the CRPD.

The IVF score and the MD of the better eye appeared to better evaluate "reaching and grasping," "face orientation recognition," and "localization of people" simulated tasks, whereas for the "mobility" task, the Esterman VF seemed more useful. The precise evaluation of the glaucoma patient's ability to perform everyday life tasks is complex and may require both monocular and binocular VF tests.

Precis: Glaucoma patients displayed alterations in their quality of life (QoL) and their ability to perform activities of daily living. The visual field (VF) of the worse eye might serve as a good marker for QoL evaluation. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the correlations between VF defects, performance in simulated activities of daily living, and subjective evaluation of QoL in glaucoma patients. Methods: Thirty-two patients with glaucoma and 10 age-matched control subjects were included. All participants answered a QoL questionnaire and underwent an assessment of visual function including monocular and binocular best-corrected visual acuity, binocular contrast sensitivity test (LogCS), and monocular and binocular VF. All subjects also carried out a series of simulated activities of daily living in a controlled environment. Results: Glaucoma patients had lower QoL scores compared with controls for the composite score, near and distance activities, social functioning, mental health, role difficulties, dependency, and color vision. With regard to performance in the simulated mobility task, the number of mobility incidents was higher for glaucoma patients than for control subjects. For the reaching and grasping tasks, the overall movement duration for small objects was significantly longer in glaucoma patients compared with controls. The VF mean deviation of the worse eye was correlated with most of the QoL subscores. Mobility incidents as well as the reaching and grasping task parameters were not significantly correlated with QoL scores. Conclusions: Glaucoma patients showed an alteration of performance in simulated daily living activities, associated with a decreased QoL. There was no clear correlation between alterations in QoL and ability to perform activities of daily living. The QoL related to vision was mostly correlated to the visual function of the worse eye.

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Background Studies have reported a strong association between children's early literacy skills at preschool and their reading and writing skills at primary school. However, it is unclear whether this association is affected by language and curriculum practices. Objective The study investigates (i) whether early literacy skills are influenced by orthographic consistency and by preschool curriculum, and (ii) how early skills are related to later literacy skills across countries. Method Three countries, Italy (n = 73), Romania (n = 65), and Belgium (n = 109) were involved in the study, for a total of 247 children. Language and early literacy in preschool were assessed using a novel assessment tool (the ‘Talk’). Early visual-phonological and manual aspects integration were investigated using rapid automatized naming and grapho-motor tasks. The children’s reading and writing skills nine months later were assessed using standardized tests. Results Results showed higher early literacy scores for the groups of children speaking languages with more transparent orthographic systems and for the group taking part in preschool activities designed to enhance literacy acquisition. Later reading and writing skills were predicted by early competences, albeit with differences across countries. Conclusions Findings suggest that literacy acquisition trajectories are not only associated with early skills but are also influenced by language characteristics and curriculum practices. The study also presents preliminary findings relative to the ‘Talk’, an assessment tool that may have important implications for early identification and intervention of language and literacy difficulties, as well as for improving cross-country curriculum practices.