(1.1) Background: Research assent is a term used with those deemed vulnerable, for whom modifications and additional considerations are required when requesting their voluntary agreement to participate in research. (1.2) Methods: The authors' research experiences and inclusive research principles were integrated with a review of literature on…

Background: It is well established that valproate, and its valproic acid, sodium valproate, and valproate semisodium forms is a highly teratogenic drug and evidence suggests that use in pregnancy leads to physical birth defects in 10% of children born compared with a background rate of 2% to 3%. Congenital malformations associated with valproate…

Background: In recent times, people with intellectual disabilities are increasingly included in research studies; however, their participation in sensitive research such as palliative and end-of-life care is less frequent. The reasons for not including people with intellectual disabilities in these kinds of research studies are issues in relation…

Background: People with intellectual disability encounter substantial healthcare discrepancies, yet are under-represented in research. While people with intellectual disability can make valuable contributions to research and consequently improve their quality of life, researchers encounter multiple challenges including them in research. One…

Background: Adults with intellectual disabilities and/or autism are often excluded from participating in health and healthcare research. Understanding study information, which is an important aspect of demonstrating capacity to give informed consent, can be a particular challenge. This study surveyed clinical researchers to discover: (i) their…

This article provides a timely response in regard to the Department of Health's current initiative to financially reward GPs to prioritise and undertake dementia screening for people with learning disabilities over the age of 50 years and for people with Down syndrome over the age of 40 years. Whilst GPs are becoming increasingly aware of their…

This study describes the experiences of a researcher negotiating consent with people with learning disabilities to become participants in a research study. The study was about how the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) was applied to everyday decision-making in social care settings. However, before data collection could begin, the researcher had to follow…

Young people with autism were involved in a study examining the participation of young people with autism in drama education. This study considers the approaches devised to obtain consent from ten young people with autism who communicated in different ways. The process of obtaining consent and monitoring assent is outlined and evaluated. The…

This paper describes the process of couple therapy with a client who has a mild learning disability and cerebral palsy, and her partner, who also has cerebral palsy (all information has been anonymised and pseudonyms are used throughout). Informed consent was gained from both individuals for the purposes of writing about their case. Therapy…