Parental factors associated with obesity in children with disability: a systematic review

The current literature on obesity in typically developing children shows that the family context, and specifically the way parents parent their children are major determinants of childhood obesity. The influence of these factors on obesity in children with disability, however, remains unclear. A systematic review of the literature was undertaken to identify the parental and parenting risk factors associated with obesity in children and adolescents with disability. Articles were identified through Medline, Academic Search Complete, PsycINFO, ProQuest, ISI, CINAHL, Cochrane and Scopus databases. There was no restriction on publication dates. The inclusion criteria were empirical papers that tested associations between parental and parenting risk factors and obesity in children and adolescents with intellectual and other developmental disabilities. Only 11 studies met the selection criteria and subsequently included in this review. Results suggest that obesity in children and adolescents with disability may be associated with socioeconomic status; parents' body mass index, perception and attitude towards their children's weight and physical activity; and levels of activity in both parents and children. Firm conclusions about these associations cannot be reached, however, due to mixed findings and methodological limitations of the studies. Recommendations for future research are provided.

Above and beyond: exploring outcomes and practices of Scope Southern Region Early Childhood Intervention Service for children with disability

This research project is an exploration of the early childhood intervention service (ECIS) provided by Scope Southern Region. The research seeks to examine the benefits and outcomes for families and children. In doing so, the project’s emphasis is on key practices such as family centred practice and transdisciplinary practice, while examining the enablers and barriers to providing positive benefits to families and children. The central question is whether the interventions are of assistance to families and children.

The human rights needs and priorities of children with disability in Papua New Guinea

 A final report from the 'Voices of Pacific children with disability: Identifying the needs and priorities of children with disability in Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea' research project.

Legitimising children’s evidence: Inclusive participatory research with children with disability

Achieving human rights is at the core of development outcomes, and the achievement of positive development outcomes increasingly relies on evidence-based policy and practice. However, people with disability have been routinely excluded from research evidence and knowledge production, both due to a lack of interest in their issues (Yeo and Moore, 2003) and through an over-reliance on research design that does not address barriers to their participation as research respondents (Wilson et al. 2013). Children with disability are even more marginalised from participation in knowledge production processes and have been passively subjected to research being conducted on or about them, rather than with them (Gray and Winter 2011a). This exclusion is even more evident in developing countries of the global south though with some rare exceptions (Kembhavi and Wirz, 2009; Singal, 2010; Wickenden and Kembhavi- Tam, 2014; Don et al, 2015; Nguyen et al, 2015). This paper reports on the ‘Voices of Pacific Children with Disability’ project (hereafter referred to as the Voices project) which, drawing on the broader field of child participatory research, developed a method for children with disability to competently provide evidence about their needs, aspirations and human rights priorities. Eighty-nine children with disability living in rural and urban areas of Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea (PNG) participated, using a suite of data collection ‘tools’ designed to support children to express their life priorities and human rights’ needs. In this paper we examine a sub-set of this data related to children’s future priorities, the primary one being employment, and explore the utility of such evidence for governments, NGOs and other stakeholders, in shaping policy and service delivery in line with the rights of children with disability. Such data is important when working in an evidence informed way as often these organisations have limited data on the needs and values of the groups they serve.

Spreading the word: using film to share research findings and knowledge about children with disabilities in Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea

While there is increasing international interest in disability inclusive development, people with disability largely remain ‘unseen, unheard and uncounted’ (UN ESCAP 2012:1). Children with disability, particularly, remain excluded from research informing development, and there is a paucity of information that is drawn directly from the self-report of children with disability living in developing countries. This exclusion occurs across all stages of research, including access to research findings. When child research is conducted in such countries, to gain further evidence to support disability inclusive development and advance human rights, researchers must question how findings will be reported back to participants and their communities, and seek a method that is both accessible and culturally relevant. This paper reports on the Voices of Pacific children with disability research project about the human rights of children with disability in Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea (PNG), and focuses on film as a dissemination method. Project researchers developed methods to enhance the participation of children with diverse disabilities as informants, and drew upon community development principles to disseminate research findings via film; a method that resonated with the aural and visual story telling traditions of participants.This medium also included accessibility features that have been utilised by local and international audiences.

Towards ending the silence: working women as carers of children with chronic illness/disability

This research presents stories from Australian women who work and care for a child with a significant chronic illness or disability. The paper considers the theory of Silencing the Self (Jack, 1991) in relation to the reported experiences and behaviours of these women. We report three themes of Caring and Working: "Otherness", "Doing it All" - but "Wanting to Live a Normal Life". As in Jack's study, these women engaged in silencing of the self. However, we also observed other people contributing to their silence and, unlike the respondents in Jack's study, many of these women fought the silence and did not accept that their unhappy situations should continue. They sought a life where silencing may not have been necessary.

Working parents of children with chronic illness/disability: narratives of concern

This paper reports some initial findings of an exploratory, qualitative study of the life and work of people who are, concurrently, parents of a child with chronic illness/disability and working full time. The respondents of this study happen to be all women. Two emerging themes of interest are explored here. The first is a revisit of traditional notions of the abusive workplace, which seems to be of special interest when considering the plight of these women. Secondly, the numerous work and home demands on the working mother, especially the working mother of a child with chronic illness or disability. [twas unsurprising that these women reported extensive and multiple physical and emotional demands while trying to manage full time work with significant home and caring responsibilities. What is surprising is that these narratives of concern have not previously been explored, and should be.

Does the cognitive interview promote the coherence of narrative accounts in children with and without an intellectual disability?

We examined whether the cognitive interview (CI) procedure enhanced the coherence of narrative accounts provided by children with and without intellectual disabilities (ID), matched on chronological age. Children watched a videotaped magic show; one day later, they were interviewed using the CI or a structured interview (SI). Children interviewed using the CI reported more correct details than those interviewed using the SI. Additionally, children interviewed using the CI reported more contextual background details, more logically ordered sequences, more temporal markers, and fewer inconsistencies in their stories than those interviewed using the SI. However, the CI did not increase the number of story grammar elements compared with the SI. Overall children interviewed with the CI told better stories than those interviewed with the SI. This finding provided further support for the effectiveness of the CI with vulnerable witnesses, particularly children with ID.

How do leading questions impact children with an intellectual disability?

This research investigated the impact of different types of leading questions on the memory and recall abilities of mainstream children and children with an intellectual disability. The results of this research have applications for investigative interview training and other professionals who interview children about their experiences.

Police perceptions of interviews involving children with intellectual disabilities: a qualitative inquiry

This study employed a qualitative method to explore the experiences of 20 police officers when interviewing children with intellectual disabilities. Three main themes were interpreted as representing challenges to the officers when interviewing special-needs children: police organizational culture, participants' perceptions of these children as interviewees, and prior information. Participants in this inquiry mentioned poor organizational priority within the police force for child abuse cases and children with intellectual disabilities, as well as inadequate support for interviewing skills development and maintenance. Participants also attempted to equalize these children by interviewing them in the same way as their mainstream peers. Finally, participants viewed interview preparation as influential in determining an interview's successful outcome, but recognized that preparedness could bias their interviewing techniques. Increased attention towards these issues will provide a basis for developing strategies to minimize such challenges and thus improve the quality of interviews with children with intellectual disabilities.

How well does the gudjonsson suggestibility scale for children, version 2 predict the recall of false details among children with and without intellectual disabilities?

Purpose. This study explored the effectiveness of the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale for Children, version 2 in predicting the tendency of older school-aged children (with and without intellectual disabilities) to generate errors in an independent suggestibility paradigm.

Method. Sixty-nine children with an intellectual disability (aged 9-14 years) and 50 mainstream children matched for chronological age participated in a 30-minute magic show that was staged at their school. Three days later, the children participated in a separate biasing interview that provided seven true and seven false details about the magic show. The following day, the children participated in a second interview where they were required to recall the magic show in their own words and answer a series of cued-recall questions. Between 1 and 2 weeks later, the children were administered the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale-2 (GSS-2).

Results. While there was no significant association between performance on the GSS-2 and the independent suggestibility paradigm for the children with an intellectual disability, the chronological age-matched children's yield scores predicted their reporting of both false-new details and false-interviewer suggestions for the independent event.

Conclusion. When predicting children's recall of false details, the GSS-2 appears to be more useful with mainstream school-aged children compared with children who have an intellectual disability.

Towards ending the silence: working women caring for children with chronic illness

This paper presents stories from women who work and care for a child with a significant chronic illness or disability. The purpose of this paper is to move towards ending the silence on their lives. A three-phase emergent research design responds to the question: What is life like for a full-time worker who is concurrently the primary carer of a chronically ill child? This paper considers the theory of Silencing the Self (Jack, 1991) in relation to the emergent themes of “Otherness” and “Doing it All.” As in Jack’s study, these women also engaged in silencing of the self. However, unlike the respondents in Jack’s study, these women did not demonstrate feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness for the future, nor were they alone in contributing to their silence. Indeed, many experienced silencing behaviors from others around them, and many rallied against the silence, not accepting that their burden should continue. Consideration of Jack’s theory is made to point out the distinctions between the women in this study and Jack’s study, and analytical commentary is provided to demonstrate the relevance of this analysis in light of the current debates surrounding the Work–Home Conflict and the rising levels of informal care provided by women in our communities.