A meta-analytic study on effectiveness of behavioral and psychotherapeutic treatments for challenging behaviors in individuals with mild mental retardation is reported. Eighty articles were examined. For each comparison, several study variables and two effect sizes (percentage of nonoverlapping data-PND and percentage of zero data-PZD) were evaluated (Ms = 75% and 35%, respectively). Studies in which experimental designs and methods of experimental functional analysis were used had significantly larger PNDs than those with AB designs and descriptive methods, respectively. Functional analysis, reliability of recording, generalization, and internally valid designs resulted in larger PZDs. We found that behavioral interventions for challenging behaviors are effective with people with mild mental retardation.

Context: Older people and people with an intellectual disability who receive long-term care are considered particularly vulnerable to infection outbreaks, such as the current Coronavirus Disease 2019. The combination of healthcare concerns and infection-related restrictions may result in specific challenges for long-term care staff serving these populations during infection outbreaks. Objectives: This review aimed to: (1) provide insight about the potential impact of infection outbreaks on the psychological state of healthcare staff and (2) explore suggestions to support and protect their psychological well-being. Method: Four databases were searched, resulting in 2,176 hits, which were systematically screened until six articles remained. Thematic analysis was used to structure and categorise the data. Findings: Studies about healthcare staff working in long-term care for people with intellectual disabilities were not identified. Psychological outcomes of healthcare staff serving older people covered three themes: emotional responses (i.e., fears and concerns, tension, stress, confusion, and no additional challenges), ethical dilemmas, and reflections on work attendance. Identified suggestions to support and protect care staff were related to education, provision of information, housing, materials, policy and guidelines. Limitations: Only six articles were included in the syntheses. Implications: Research into support for long-term care staff during an infection outbreak is scarce. Without conscious management, policy and research focus, the needs of this professional group may remain underexposed in current and future infection outbreaks. The content synthesis and reflection on it in this article provide starting points for new research and contribute to the preparation for future infection outbreaks.

This review aimed to examine the perceptions of parents, professionals and informal network members regarding support needs of parents with intellectual disabilities (ID). In accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement, five databases were systematically searched and 19 qualitative studies were reviewed using thematic analyses. No data were available on the perceptions of the informal social network. Data on parents and professionals were categorized in four themes (type of support, sources of support, conditions of successful support and characteristics of support members). Data from professionals did not refer to emotional support needs or to the potential support of volunteers, friends and neighbours. Data from parents indicated a preference to be treated as ‘full’ parents, whereas professionals tended to focus on disabilities of parents. Results and implications contribute to insights into support needs of parents with ID from different perspectives and may help identify new entry points to improve future interventions and working alliances.

Stigma can hamper full inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities in society. For other minority groups, higher levels of familiarity with these groups have been shown to relate to lower levels of stigma, whereby emotions can play a mediating role. However, concerning people with intellectual disabilities, there is limited knowledge regarding the general public's levels of familiarity, its relationship with stigma, and the role of emotions in this relationship. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among a nationally representative sample of the Dutch population (n ϭ 892). The relationship between levels of familiarity and different measures of stigma representing cognitive, emotional, and behavioral aspects of stigma (i.e., attributions, emotions, discrimination) was examined. Emotions (fear, anger, and sympathy) were studied as a mediator in the relationship between familiarity and discrimination (i.e., social distance, and intention to help). Participants who reported no familiarity in real life with people with intellectual disabilities (30.6% of the population sample) demonstrated higher levels of stigma (attributions, emotions, discrimination) than participants who reported any form of real-life familiarity (69.4% of the sample). Fear was found to be the most important mediator of the relationship between familiarity and discrimination. The findings stress the continuing importance to advocate for people with intellectual disabilities to be recognized and become known within society. This increased familiarity might reduce stigma and increase positive experiences of inclusion. Support workers may have a vital role in this process. The importance of fear in the relationship between familiarity and discrimination may inform future research and antistigma interventions.

We address the possibilities of truly interactive systems for people with Profound Intellectual and Multiple Disabilities (PIMD). These are intended to improve alertness, movement and mood. We are working on an interactive ball that follows body movement and an interactive floor mat for this target group. We explain the key features in the design that are essential for the possible success.