Background The Snoezelen® is a multisensory intervention approach that has been implemented with various populations. Due to an almost complete absence of rigorous research in this field, the confirmation of this approach as an effective therapeutic intervention is warranted.Method To evaluate the therapeutic influence of the Snoezelen® approach. Twenty-eight relevant articles relating to individual (one-to-one) Snoezelen® intervention with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) were reviewed. A meta-analysis regarding the significance of the reduction of maladaptive behaviour and the enhancement of adaptive behaviour was implemented. An analysis of standardised mean differences was used through the use of fixed effect models.Results The primary finding was that the Snoezelen® approach, when applied as an individual intervention for individuals with IDD, enabled significant and large effect size in adaptive behaviours, with generalisation to the participants' daily life.Conclusions Weaknesses in the examined research methodologies, the heterogeneity between research designs, the small number of available research projects, and the small number of participants in each research project, prevent a confirmation of this method as a valid therapeutic intervention at this time.

Background As part of an international, multicentre project, the service and support needs of Australian family carers were investigated.Method A sample of 1,390, 448 family carers completed a self-report survey, including an adaptation of the Family Needs Survey (FNS) and several open-ended questions. A mixed method design was used, employing quantitative and qualitative analyses.Results On the FNS the most frequently endorsed items were those relating to the need for information about services and, in particular, future, out-of-home accommodation. Similarly, the need for respite services was endorsed by over 80% of respondents. Comments indicated that access to and the quality of respite, day support, and therapy programs were a priority.Conclusions Participants expressed the need for greater access to information. Access to appropriate respite options, together with quality day support and therapy services, remain a priority for family carers.

Background Families of young children with disabilities are faced with ongoing challenges that impact various aspects of family life. Given the increasing emphasis on promoting positive outcomes in these families, the overall aim of the current study was to examine the contribution of child, family, and support characteristics to the quality of life in families of young children with disabilities.Method The sample was recruited from several early childhood intervention programs within metropolitan Melbourne, Australia, and consisted of 64 families of children aged between 3 and 5 years with a developmental delay or disability.Results As a whole, parental perceptions and experiences of family-centred professional support was one of the strongest predictors of family quality of life. The perceived intensity of child behavioural problems as well as support from extended family members also accounted for a significant proportion of unique variance in predicting quality of family life.Conclusion The current findings provide further evidence for the importance of a family-focused approach to intervention that acknowledges and provides support that is tailored to the unique needs of each individual family. The practical implications of these results as well as directions for future research are discussed.

Background Previous research has reported on the effectiveness of the Signposts program for supporting families of children with an intellectual disability and difficult behaviour (Hudson et al., 2003; Hudson, Cameron, & Matthews, 2008). This paper reports on an investigation of the extent to which child characteristics moderate the effectiveness of the program.Method Data collected from 689 participants in the Signposts program were analysed to examine if the child characteristics of gender, age, or associated disability impacted on outcomes.Results The gender analyses produced mean effect sizes of 0.39 for boys and 0.42 for girls; however, this difference was not statistically significant. The age analyses produced mean effect sizes of 0.38 for children aged 2–5 years, 0.42 for children aged 6–12 years, and 0.30 for children aged 13–18 years; however, these differences among the age groups were not statistically significant. The associated disability analyses across 7 groups produced mean effect sizes ranging from 0.31 to 0.75; however, the differences among these groups were not statistically significant.Conclusions First, gender was not a moderating variable. Second, while the effect size for the older age group seemed to be marginally lower than that of the other two groups, age was not found to be a moderating variable. Finally, type of associated disability was not found to be a moderating variable. Methodological limitations of the study necessitate care in interpreting the findings.

Background Caregivers in this qualitative study reported the multidimensional implications of having a child with autism on their family's lives and overall functioning.Method The Effects of the Situation Questionnaire (Yatchmenoff, Koren, Friesen, Gordon, & Kinney, 1998) was used to gather qualitative data from 80 caregivers. Colaizzi's (1978) phenomenological data analysis method was used to analyse the caregivers' written narratives. Biopsychosocial-spiritual, systemic, and ecological theoretical lenses were used to conceptualise the recorded experiences.Results Seven thematic content areas emerged from the caregivers' data. They include: psychological implications, familial implications, social implications, services, spiritual benefits, economic challenges, and focus on the future of having a child diagnosed with autism.Conclusions The results of this study offer valuable insight into how helping professionals may attend to the biological, psychological, social, and spiritual dimensions of those caring for an individual with autism.

Background Disability research data often exist in the form of individual records located within discrete registers that may extend across sensitive political boundaries.Method This paper discusses the opportunities and challenges associated with using linked health and administrative data for disability research, with examples from research projects conducted both in Australia and overseas.Results Linked data offer distinct value in providing a comprehensive profile for a range of health issues, such as morbidity, mortality, assessing health care costs and/or quality of service provision.Conclusions While the use of record linkage in health research is not a novel concept, recent advances in technology and electronic data management plus improved data linkage protocols have markedly increased the feasibility and opportunity for successfully utilising data linkage for the purposes of research, while at the same time protecting the privacy of the individual. An awareness and appropriate management of the associated challenges is required to maximise the outcomes of disability research using linked data.

Background The purpose of this study was to revise and validate the Individual Child Engagement Record (ICER), an instrument designed to observe and measure the engagement of children with disabilities in early childhood settings.1Method The ICER was revised with reference to pilot study results and the literature. Inter‐observer reliability of the revised measure (ICER‐R) was examined by calculating levels of agreement between observers coding video‐clips of children with disabilities engaged in three different activity types (mealtime, free play, and structured group time) in an inclusive childcare centre. The E‐Qual III was used as a criterion measure to examine concurrent validity.Results Good overall percentage agreement and kappa coefficients were achieved for the codes recorded. A statistically significant correlation was found between data gathered using the ICER‐R and the E‐Qual III when comparing total engaged behaviours.Conclusions The ICER‐R was found to be a valid and reliable measure of engagement of children with disabilities in early childhood settings. The results support the potential of the ICER‐R as a practitioner‐friendly tool.