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Introduction Due to the increased risk of obesity for boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), recent guidelines recommend that dietary intake is carefully managed. Parents play an important role in the development of their child's eating behaviours and patterns. However, despite what is known about the increased risk of obesity for children with DMD, little is known about parental feeding behaviours in this population. The objective of this study was to qualitatively explore the experiences of parents of children with DMD around their child's weight management and understand what influences their feeding behaviours. Methods This paper reports a secondary data analysis. Semi‐structured, individual interviews were conducted and analysed using qualitative description. Results Thirteen parents were interviewed for the study. Three themes were developed: (1) parent responses to healthcare provider interactions, (2) mixed emotions contributing to feeding approach and (3) variable parenting feeding styles. Within the third theme, two subthemes arose including (1) control and preoccupation and (2) striking a balance. Conclusion Given the potential impact of higher weights on the progression of DMD, it is important that healthcare providers explore feeding behaviours with families. However, it is essential that healthcare providers consider the impact of these conversations on parents, as well as the broader issues that may place additional pressure on the lives of families.

Background: Autism is not always considered for girls and women until later along their clinical diagnostic pathways. Misdiagnosis or late diagnosis can pose significant disadvantages with respect to accessing timely health and autism-related services and supports. Understanding what contributes to roadblocks and detours along clinical pathways to an autism diagnosis can shed light on missed opportunities for earlier recognition. Objective: Our objective was to examine what contributed to roadblocks, detours, and missed opportunities for earlier recognition and clinical diagnosis of autism for girls and women. Design: We conducted a qualitative secondary analysis using data from a Canadian primary study that examined the health and healthcare experiences of autistic girls and women through interviews and focus groups. Methods: Transcript data of 22 girls and women clinically diagnosed with autism and 15 parents were analysed, drawing on reflexive thematic analysis procedures. Techniques included coding data both inductively based on descriptions of roadblocks and detours and deductively based on conceptualizations of sex and gender. Patterns of ideas were categorized into themes and the ‘story’ of each theme was refined through writing and discussing analytic memos, reflecting on sex and gender assumptions, and creating a visual map of clinical pathways. Results: Contributing factors to roadblocks, detours, and missed opportunities for earlier recognition and diagnosis were categorized as follows: (1) age of pre-diagnosis ‘red flags’ and ‘signals’; (2) ‘non-autism’ mental health diagnoses first; (3) narrow understandings of autism based on male stereotypes; and (4) unavailable and unaffordable diagnostic services. Conclusion: Professionals providing developmental, mental health, educational, and/or employment supports can be more attuned to nuanced autism presentations. Research in collaboration with autistic girls and women and their childhood caregivers can help to identify examples of nuanced autistic features and how context plays a role in how these are experienced and navigated.

School climate has long been understood to influence student success, yet the social climate and playspace of recess is often overlooked in overall school improvement efforts. The Recess Project is a collaborative action research project that aims to improve the social climate of recess through fostering a sense of belonging and enjoyment. We report a mixed-methods exploratory evaluation of the project based on survey data from 784 students in grades 4-8. Quantitative analysis compared scores for belonging and enjoyment between children who attended Recess Project (RP) schools and those who did not No Recess Project/NRP. The RP group reported more enjoyment than the NRP group, while sense of belonging was not significantly different between groups. Belonging and positive affect were positively associated with enjoyment scores in both groups, however, these associations were stronger in the RP group. Qualitative analyses revealed children enjoyed recess for the opportunity to socialise and to have autonomy over their activities. Children who did not enjoy recess reported boredom, bad weather and experiences of victimisation. We discuss the implications for further research and future work on improving the quality of the social climate of recess.