The capacity for growth and development is an integral part of being human. Infant social-emotional development is critically important to overall development and begins in the first months of life. These processes encompass how we relate to ourselves and others in our everyday lives (Malti & Cheah, 2021). Social-emotional development includes…

The lives of caregivers can be deeply impacted by having a child with a developmental disability (DD). To offset those impacts, caregivers may engage in accommodations, or strategies to bolster everyday functioning. The nature and extent of these accommodations can provide insight into how the family is doing and what supports are needed from a…

Background: People with behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia, Lewy body dementia, posterior cortical atrophy and young onset Alzheimer's disease may experience language and communication difficulties. However, the role of speech and language interventions for people with these non-language led dementias has received little attention. Aims:…

A compassionate care framework considers the neurodiverse needs of autistics and challenges the practitioner to think beyond their own comfort levels, preferences, and understanding of "correct" labels to consider how their language and actions support or create barriers for students. The foundational goals of compassionate care seek to…

Individual differences in cognitive abilities emerge early during development, and children with poorer cognition are at increased risk for adverse outcomes as they enter adolescence. Caregiving plays an important role in supporting cognitive development, yet it remains unclear how specific types of caregiving behaviors may shape cognition,…

Children with Autism face several significant challenges, including deficits in both verbal and nonverbal communication, difficulties with concentration, limited interest in their surroundings, non-responsiveness, and struggles with adapting to new situations. It is imperative to consider and address these challenges when implementing…

Toileting skills are a milestone typically achieved by the age of four. For many caregivers, particularly those who have children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder or other developmental disabilities, teaching toileting is a challenge resulting in delayed implementation. Delaying toileting increases the risk of challenges to acquiring this…

Background: Australia has limited supports to help families where Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) impacts children and young people. National Organisation for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Australia (NOFASD), in conjunction with the University of Otago, New Zealand, piloted and established a 7-week online program to assist caregivers to…

Caregiver-mediated interventions for young autistic children are increasingly considered standard of care. These interventions share two sets of components: strategies to improve children's communication, behavior, and development; and procedures to coach caregivers to implement those strategies. To date, no review has examined how caregiver…

Caregiver-mediated interventions for young autistic children are increasingly considered standard of care. These interventions share two sets of components: strategies to improve children's communication, behavior, and development; and procedures to coach caregivers to implement those strategies. To date, no review has examined how caregiver…

The development of independent sitting changes everyday opportunities for learning and has cascading effects on cognitive and language development. Prior to independent sitting, infants experience the sitting position with physical support from caregivers. Why does supported sitting not provide the same input for learning that is experienced in…

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenology design was to describe the experiences of caregivers to adults with I/DD in the State of Texas. The theory guiding this study was the social constructivism framework which focused on how language and culture frame how individuals communicate, experience, and understand reality. In this study, the…

Recent studies explore youth and children language brokering at the interface of caregiving for their migrant families and frame this conceptualisation as interactionally mediated practicing of care with the overall purpose of family sustainability during the family's coping process within the migration context. From this joint perspective, youth…

The tacit practical knowledge of psychologists and support staff to foster a real connection between support staff and people with intellectual disabilities and challenging behaviour was explored. Therefore, six dyads comprising individuals with intellectual disabilities and challenging behaviour and their support staff were video recorded during…

Caregiver-implemented communication intervention can result in increased communication skills in young children. Parents/caregivers are the first teachers of their children and are in natural positions to provide naturalistic communication intervention throughout their child's daily life within their home. Professionals who work with young…