Research alerts from HealthMatters Community Academic Partnership

Below are four new research alerts for the April TAC Bulletin Update:

1 When the frequency of contact with adults with ID, the number of individuals worked with and the amount of formal ID training received were considered, there was no significant difference between the attitudes of staff in mainstream and specialist ID services.

Please read further here.

2 Grandmothers of children with autism have different experiences from grandmothers of children who are typically developing. Having a family member with ASD was associated with more flexible family functioning.

Grandmothers felt increased difficulty communicating with their grandchild, giving advice, coping with challenging behaviors, and finding activities to share. They also reported needing more information about the condition.

Please read further here.

3 Physicians identified several barriers to caring for people with ID including lack of accessible education about primary care. They felt overwhelmed, lacked confidence when interacting with patients, and were "driving without a map" (no past experiences to guide them).

Further, physicians were not able to identify helpful resources and expressed anxiety about potential challenging behaviors exhibited by some patients with ID. They also voiced a need for more training and more exposure to and experience in working with people with ID.

Patients with ID agreed with these same ideas. In addition, people with ID felt that they did not always feel heard or respected in the doctor's office.

Please read further here.

4 Mothers and healthy siblings of children with Prader-Willi syndrome experienced a poorer perceived quality of life compared to samples of children with other complex health conditions. Interventions should focus on providing psychosocial support for each member of the family.

They should encompass all aspects of life -- emotional, physical, communication, family dynamics, and personal perceptions of disease.

Please read further here.

HealthMatters Alerts: www.HealthMattersProgram.org