'I Wish the School Had a Better Understanding of the Diagnosis': parent perspectives on educational needs of students with sex chromosome aneuploidies

Students with sex chromosome aneuploidies (SCAs) are at increased risk for learning disabilities and often require individualized supports in the school setting. Parents of students with rare disorders such as SCAs possess a unique understanding of their child's educational experiences and play a crucial role in the development of successful school support plans. This international survey study aimed to inductively capture parent perspectives on educational needs and supports for students with SCAs. Parents of youth with SCAs ages 5-21 years (n = 305) provided free-text responses to open-ended questions about their child's education. Qualitative content analysis using a bioecological systems framework resulted in three overarching themes. Overall, parents identified multiple factors related to the SCA diagnosis that act as barriers to learning, a strong need for school-based social and emotional supports, and elusive or incomplete educational support plans. Based on these findings, we recommend developing robust family-school partnerships, increased collaboration between the school and the child's medical team, and acknowledgement of the significant role the genetic condition plays in the educational experiences of students with SCAs. Specific suggestions for school support plans for students with SCAs are explored, such as providing school-based behavioral health supports and explicit teaching of executive function strategies.

Participation in collaborative projects as a precursor of trust in organizations for individuals with intellectual disability

The present study focuses on organizations delivering services to individuals with intellectual disability, where trust relations between professionals and family members are required. More specifically, we examine the existence of significant differences in the degree to which family members and professionals trust each other. We also propose that their joint participation in collaborative teams (VI) will improve trust (VD). Specifically, our teams (experimental condition) designed and implemented collaborative projects with the participation of professionals and family members. Participants in the control condition did not participate in the collaborative projects. Our results confirmed that family members trust professionals more than professionals trust family members. Their joint participation in collaborative projects improved professionals' trust in family members over time, compared to the control condition. The effect of collaborative projects was not significant for family members' trust in professionals.

Quality of Life in School-Aged Youth Referred to an Autism Specialty Clinic: A Latent Profile Analysis

We examined whether different profiles of quality of life (QoL) existed among youth referred to an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) specialty clinic and, if present, determined if these groups were associated with different characteristics. Data were from parental report of 5-17 year-old youth (N = 476) who were scheduled to receive an evaluation at an ASD clinic. Parents completed questionnaires, including the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory, assessing child and family functioning; providers reported diagnostic impressions. A latent profile analysis found five distinct groups: Low Risk, School Problems, Only Social Emotional Problems, and two Physical/Social Emotional Problems. The groups differed on clinical characteristics and family functioning. These findings have implications for more efficient and effective evaluations in service delivery systems serving complex patients.