Cristina Mumbardó-Adam

Background: Home is a key context to foster self‐determination. This study examined whether intellectual disability moderates the relationship between home‐based opportunities to engage in self‐determined actions and self‐determination levels. Method: Middle and high school students with and without intellectual disabilities (aged 13–22) completed the AIR‐S questionnaire, which evaluates self‐determination capacity and opportunities at home. A moderation model was used to examine the relationship between home opportunities and self‐determination, as well as the moderating role of intellectual disability. Results: A positive association was found between home‐based opportunities and self‐determination. Although intellectual disability was not a significant direct predictor of self‐determination, once opportunities were considered, it significantly moderated this relationship, indicating that the positive association between opportunities at home and self‐determination became progressively stronger as levels of intellectual disability increased. Conclusions: Home‐based opportunities play a critical role in fostering self‐determination. Intellectual disability conditions how strongly supportive environments translate into self‐determined actions.

Early intervention research has stressed the need to identify parenting behaviors that support developmental outcomes. In children with disabilities, promoting developmentally sensitive interactions within daily routines is of paramount importance. The PICCOLO observational tool assesses parent–child interactions and thus provides practitioners with a useful instrument to guide their professional practices. However, to date, it has not been validated in children with developmental disorders such as autism and/or intellectual disability, even though this population is among those most likely to present developmental difficulties. In the current study, we examined the validity of the Spanish version of the PICCOLO in a sample of 210 mother–child dyads. Our results showed that the dimensional structure of the Spanish version aligns with the original structure; most factor loadings were high and statistically significant. Percentile scores were also shown to provide professionals with practical information when applying the PICCOLO in families of children with disabilities.

Promoting self‐determination has become an area of focus across the globe because of advocacy, policy, and research highlighting its role in improving the quality of life of people with disabilities. There have also been advancements in theories and research focused on how self‐determination is defined and supported across cultures. In this article, we explore information shared by a group of international translation teams working to translate an assessment of self‐determination, the Self‐Determination Inventory (SDI), and the theory that underlies the assessment, Casual Agency Theory, from American English. Findings suggest universal and context‐specific issues that impact translation and variation in the familiarity and contextual fit of self‐determination and Casual Agency Theory constructs across cultures. Implications for research focused on developing and translating new theories and constructs across cultures to promote cross‐cultural validity are discussed.

People with intellectual disabilities live with significant conceptual, social, and practical limitations that hinder the acquisition, development, and use of language. Pragmatic skills facilitate interpersonal relationships, allowing for the understanding and expression of oneself, as well as the planning, organization, and adaptation of speech depending on the context and interlocutor. These skills imply, therefore, complex higher functions that must be articulated harmoniously for effective communication. Identifying the weaknesses of people with intellectual disability in the pragmatic dimension of language enables the provision of individualized support resources to guarantee their participation and social inclusion. This study presents a systematic review based on the PRISMA guidelines, and it includes the most commonly used assessment tools for pragmatic competence in people with intellectual disabilities over time. Of the 172 articles found, 20 met the inclusion criteria and were finally reviewed. The results show a lack of conformity between instruments in the pragmatic aspects evaluated and a lack of adjustment of the evaluation tools to the characteristics of this population. Therefore, the design of new standardized tests that specifically evaluate the pragmatic skills of people with intellectual disability is required in the near future. A tailored assessment is crucial for defining a complete profile of their communication skills and generating individualized intervention and support programs.

Young people with autism have support needs related to self-determination that are currently not adequately addressed in Spain. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness, implementation, and acceptability of a program to support self-determination for young adults with autism in Spain. A multicenter, mixed methods randomized controlled trial (RCT) study was conducted (2020–2022). Young adults with autism between 17 and 30 years of age were recruited, and 40 were randomly assigned to the intervention or waiting-list group. Quantitative and qualitative data on outcomes relating to self-determination, program implementation and acceptability were collected at baseline, during, and after the intervention using several tools, including the SDI: SR and focus groups. Joint displays were used to integrate the quantitative and qualitative results for a comprehensive evaluation of the program. The quantitative results revealed no significant differences between the intervention and waiting list groups but indicated positive impacts on agentic actions and overall self-determination as reported by participants and caregivers. The qualitative results expanded the quantitative results by identifying personal and contextual barriers and facilitators of self-determination while offering deeper insights into the quantitative outcomes. Implementation fidelity was high, and the qualitative data provided areas for improvement and identified challenges and best practices. Program acceptability was high, and the group format proved useful. Our study provides the first empirical evidence of an intervention designed to promote self-determination in individuals with autism in Spain, but further research is needed. This trial was retrospectively registered at www.clinicaltrial.org (NCT05938751) on January 1 ^st , 2023.

Introducción: Investigaciones previas indican que un procesamiento sensorial atípico es común en personas con TEA y tiene un impacto significativo en sus habilidades de conducta adaptativa. Este estudio pretende describir la percepción de los jóvenes sobre su procesamiento sensorial y analizar cómo se relaciona con su conducta adaptativa. Metodología: La muestra incluyó ocho jóvenes de 12 a 14 años (cuatro con TEA grado 1 y cuatro con desarrollo típico). Se utilizaron los test AQA, ASSQ y ASSQ-GIRL para comparar los resultados de cribaje de autismo entre ambos grupos. El análisis se realizó con estadística no paramétrica utilizando el programa SPSS v22.0 y la técnica estadística U de Mann-Whitney. Resultados: Los adolescentes con TEA grado 1 perciben las sensaciones de manera atípica en comparación con el grupo control. Las diferencias se centraron en bajo registro, búsqueda sensorial, sensibilidad y evitación sensorial, siendo significativa la evitación y la búsqueda sensorial. Discusión: El estudio corrobora que los adolescentes con TEA presentan un procesamiento sensorial atípico que impacta su comportamiento adaptativo, mostrando mayor sensibilidad y conductas de evitación sensorial. Conclusiones: Estos resultados resaltan la importancia de este factor en la evaluación y tratamiento del TEA para mejorar su calidad de vida.