O Transtorno do Espectro do Autismo (TEA) é uma deficiência do desenvolvimento neurológico, em que tem sido relatada dificuldade com a integração multisensorial, o que pode dificultar as habilidades cognitivas e motoras para permitir aprendizagem de diferentes tarefas e comunicação social. Considerando a possibilidade de interação em tarefas 3D por meio de dispositivos que necessitem de contato físico ou não, optou-se por avaliar pessoas com TEA e com DT em uma tarefa virtual variando o dispositivo de interação em duas seqüências de prática. Objetivou-se verificar se as pessoas com TEA são capazes de melhorar o desempenho em uma tarefa executada em um ambiente mais virtual (sem contato físico) ou mais real (com contato físico), e se essa melhora de desempenho pode ser transferida entre esses ambientes. Para a realização deste trabalho foram avaliadas 100 pessoas, divididas em dois grupos: 50 no grupo TEA, com idade entre 7 e 15 anos (11,3 ± 2,4 anos), 38 do sexo masculino e 12 do sexo feminino; e 50 pessoas com desenvolvimento típico - grupo DT, pareados por idade e sexo ao grupo TEA. Todos os participantes que realizaram ambas as seqüências mostraram uma tendência de atraso de movimento, mas os participantes que realizaram a seqüência B - a tarefa na barra de espaço primeiro - apresentaram mais atraso (m = 511 ms) do que os participantes que realizaram a seqüência A - tarefa no kinect -primeiro (m = 305 ms). Para ambas as seqüências, o erro absoluto foi maior para a interface kinect. Além disso, o grupo TEA reduziu significativamente o EV com a prática, enquanto que para o grupo DT esta diferença não ocorreu. Para o erro absoluto na fase de transferência, os resultados mostraram diferenças significativas para o grupo TEA entre os blocos A1 para a interface barra de espaço na Seqüência A (m = 475 ms) e Seqüência B (m = 718 ms). Desta forma, a prática na interface kinect (ambiente mais virtual) promoveu um melhor desempenho na interface de pressionar a barra de espaço (ambiente mais real), mas apenas para pessoas com TEA. Podemos concluir que pessoas com TEA melhoraram o seu desempenho independente do ambiente estimulado, porém com desempenho inferior ao grupo com desenvolvimento típico. E apenas o grupo TEA conseguiu transferir a prática do ambiente com características mais virtuais para com características mais reais / Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a deficiency of neurological development, in which difficulty has been reported with multisensory integration, which may hamper cognitive and motor skills to allow learning of different tasks and social communication. Considering the possibility of interaction in 3D tasks through devices that require physical contact or not, we opted to evaluate people with ASD and DT in a virtual task by varying the interaction device in two practice sequences. The objective was to verify if people with ASD are able to improve performance in a task executed in a more virtual (no physical contact) or more real (with physical contact) environment, and if this improvement of performance can be transferred between these environments. For the accomplishment of this work 100 people were evaluated, divided into two groups: 50 in the TEA group, with ages between 7 and 15 years (11.3 ± 2.4 years), 38 males and 12 females; And 50 people with typical development - DT group, matched by age and sex to the TEA group. All participants who performed both sequences showed a tendency of movement delay, but the participants who performed the sequence B - the task in the space bar first - presented more delay (m = 511 ms) than the participants who performed the sequence A - task in kinect - first (m = 305 ms). For both sequences, the absolute error was higher for the kinect interface. In addition, the TEA group significantly reduced the EV with the practice, whereas for the DT group this difference did not occur. For the absolute error in the transfer phase, the results showed significant differences for the TEA group between blocks A1 for the space bar interface in Sequence A (m = 475 ms) and Sequence B (m = 718 ms). In this way, practice in the kinect interface (more virtual environment) promoted a better performance in the interface of pressing the space bar (more real environment), but only for people with ASD. We can conclude that people with ASD improved their performance independent of the stimulated environment, but with inferior performance to the group with typical development. And only the TEA group managed to transfer the practice of the environment with more virtual characteristics to more real characteristics

Legislation concerning California residents with intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID/DD) requires recipients of services to be treated as independent individuals while emphasizing self-determination. At the same time, under regulatory procedures, recipients are considered dependent on the delivered services and not self-determinant. Neither the California Department of Developmental Services nor the trade associations representing community service providers have established a unified, systematic practice to support self-determination. This phenomenological study explored the experience of adults with ID/DD working toward self-determination. Specifically, it explored how medical and social models contribute to shaping and actualizing the independence of this population. Interviews with eight adults with ID/DD explored the perceived barriers to, and opportunities for, achieving independence through self-determination. Under the current statutory regulations, the study viewed two conceptual lenses. The first lens, social role valorization, is based on the study of normalization. The second lens, social reaction, emphasizes a response to the disparities that acknowledge the political, cultural, and social beliefs associated with theories of deviance and social role valorization. The findings demonstrated that self-determination requires collaboration between coordinated services, primary social systems, and theoretical services supporting social role value. The discovery of these key elements may help California's disability service system fulfill legislative requirements to increase opportunities for personal choice.

Sport is a cultural phenomenon that has spread throughout the world (Harvey & Houle, 1994). For youth, sport is perceived as a context that can play a major role in person’s psychosocial development across their life-span (Danish, Petitpas, & Hale, 2007). However, despite the increase in research in this field, very little work has examined how sport may play a role in the psychosocial development of youth with intellectual disabilities (ID). Moreover, an area of study that has also grown related to the lived experiences of individuals living with a disability including ID is social inclusion (SI). Similar to research related to psychosocial development, very little research has been conducted to examine whether the context of sport can foster social inclusion for youth with ID. Special Olympics Canada (SOC) is an organization “dedicated to enriching the lives of Canadians with an intellectual disability through sport” (SOC, 2010, “SOC Mission Statement”, para.1) and may be an organization that has the potential to positively impact the lives of its youth participants. Thus, the purpose of this research was to examine whether stakeholders perceived SO as impacting the psychosocial development and social inclusion. The results indicated that SO, by all stakeholders, is perceived as an organization that is facilitating the psychosocial development of its athletes through the incorporation of strong social support networks and the development of life skills. In addition, SO was perceived as facilitating social inclusion for youth, particularly in the context of school and their surrounding community.

Within the field of Disability Studies, research on cognitive and developmental disabilities is relatively rare in comparison to other types of disabilities. Using Clifford Geertz's anthropological approach, "thick description," autism can be better understood by placing both fiction and non-fiction accounts of the disorder into a larger theoretical context. Applying concepts from existing works in Disability Studies to the major writings of Jacques Derrida, Julia Kristeva, Jacques Lacan, and Donna Haraway also proves to be mutually enlightening. This ethnographic approach within the context of analysis of literary texts provides a model by which representations of individuals who are cognitively or developmentally disabled can be included in the academy.

Sport is a cultural phenomenon that has spread throughout the world (Harvey & Houle, 1994). For youth, sport is perceived as a context that can play a major role in person’s psychosocial development across their life-span (Danish, Petitpas, & Hale, 2007). However, despite the increase in research in this field, very little work has examined how sport may play a role in the psychosocial development of youth with intellectual disabilities (ID). Moreover, an area of study that has also grown related to the lived experiences of individuals living with a disability including ID is social inclusion (SI). Similar to research related to psychosocial development, very little research has been conducted to examine whether the context of sport can foster social inclusion for youth with ID. Special Olympics Canada (SOC) is an organization “dedicated to enriching the lives of Canadians with an intellectual disability through sport” (SOC, 2010, “SOC Mission Statement”, para.1) and may be an organization that has the potential to positively impact the lives of its youth participants. Thus, the purpose of this research was to examine whether stakeholders perceived SO as impacting the psychosocial development and social inclusion. The results indicated that SO, by all stakeholders, is perceived as an organization that is facilitating the psychosocial development of its athletes through the incorporation of strong social support networks and the development of life skills. In addition, SO was perceived as facilitating social inclusion for youth, particularly in the context of school and their surrounding community.

Sport is a cultural phenomenon that has spread throughout the world (Harvey & Houle, 1994). For youth, sport is perceived as a context that can play a major role in person’s psychosocial development across their life-span (Danish, Petitpas, & Hale, 2007). However, despite the increase in research in this field, very little work has examined how sport may play a role in the psychosocial development of youth with intellectual disabilities (ID). Moreover, an area of study that has also grown related to the lived experiences of individuals living with a disability including ID is social inclusion (SI). Similar to research related to psychosocial development, very little research has been conducted to examine whether the context of sport can foster social inclusion for youth with ID. Special Olympics Canada (SOC) is an organization “dedicated to enriching the lives of Canadians with an intellectual disability through sport” (SOC, 2010, “SOC Mission Statement”, para.1) and may be an organization that has the potential to positively impact the lives of its youth participants. Thus, the purpose of this research was to examine whether stakeholders perceived SO as impacting the psychosocial development and social inclusion. The results indicated that SO, by all stakeholders, is perceived as an organization that is facilitating the psychosocial development of its athletes through the incorporation of strong social support networks and the development of life skills. In addition, SO was perceived as facilitating social inclusion for youth, particularly in the context of school and their surrounding community.

This study examines how the staff at a serviced housing for persons with developmental disabilities understands and manage their professional roles, and how they interact with the users. The material consists mainly of participant observation and interviews with duty personnel. The study has an existentialist/phenomenological framework and describes how personnel perceived their work situation as problematic and how this affected the staff's way of relating to and interact with the users. There was instances in which the staff exercised power over the users. The thesis also shows how the staff's jointly designed practical routine had compromising effects on the ethical principles they highlighted as important to follow in the interviews. The study shows that it is possible to understand the gap between the staff's ideals and practices based on their efforts to establish security, continuity and predictability in a situation that was perceived as unsafe.

Sport is a cultural phenomenon that has spread throughout the world (Harvey & Houle, 1994). For youth, sport is perceived as a context that can play a major role in person’s psychosocial development across their life-span (Danish, Petitpas, & Hale, 2007). However, despite the increase in research in this field, very little work has examined how sport may play a role in the psychosocial development of youth with intellectual disabilities (ID). Moreover, an area of study that has also grown related to the lived experiences of individuals living with a disability including ID is social inclusion (SI). Similar to research related to psychosocial development, very little research has been conducted to examine whether the context of sport can foster social inclusion for youth with ID. Special Olympics Canada (SOC) is an organization “dedicated to enriching the lives of Canadians with an intellectual disability through sport” (SOC, 2010, “SOC Mission Statement”, para.1) and may be an organization that has the potential to positively impact the lives of its youth participants. Thus, the purpose of this research was to examine whether stakeholders perceived SO as impacting the psychosocial development and social inclusion. The results indicated that SO, by all stakeholders, is perceived as an organization that is facilitating the psychosocial development of its athletes through the incorporation of strong social support networks and the development of life skills. In addition, SO was perceived as facilitating social inclusion for youth, particularly in the context of school and their surrounding community.

O Transtorno do Espectro do Autismo (TEA) é uma deficiência do desenvolvimento neurológico, em que tem sido relatada dificuldade com a integração multisensorial, o que pode dificultar as habilidades cognitivas e motoras para permitir aprendizagem de diferentes tarefas e comunicação social. Considerando a possibilidade de interação em tarefas 3D por meio de dispositivos que necessitem de contato físico ou não, optou-se por avaliar pessoas com TEA e com DT em uma tarefa virtual variando o dispositivo de interação em duas seqüências de prática. Objetivou-se verificar se as pessoas com TEA são capazes de melhorar o desempenho em uma tarefa executada em um ambiente mais virtual (sem contato físico) ou mais real (com contato físico), e se essa melhora de desempenho pode ser transferida entre esses ambientes. Para a realização deste trabalho foram avaliadas 100 pessoas, divididas em dois grupos: 50 no grupo TEA, com idade entre 7 e 15 anos (11,3 ± 2,4 anos), 38 do sexo masculino e 12 do sexo feminino; e 50 pessoas com desenvolvimento típico - grupo DT, pareados por idade e sexo ao grupo TEA. Todos os participantes que realizaram ambas as seqüências mostraram uma tendência de atraso de movimento, mas os participantes que realizaram a seqüência B - a tarefa na barra de espaço primeiro - apresentaram mais atraso (m = 511 ms) do que os participantes que realizaram a seqüência A - tarefa no kinect -primeiro (m = 305 ms). Para ambas as seqüências, o erro absoluto foi maior para a interface kinect. Além disso, o grupo TEA reduziu significativamente o EV com a prática, enquanto que para o grupo DT esta diferença não ocorreu. Para o erro absoluto na fase de transferência, os resultados mostraram diferenças significativas para o grupo TEA entre os blocos A1 para a interface barra de espaço na Seqüência A (m = 475 ms) e Seqüência B (m = 718 ms). Desta forma, a prática na interface kinect (ambiente mais virtual) promoveu um melhor desempenho na interface de pressionar a barra de espaço (ambiente mais real), mas apenas para pessoas com TEA. Podemos concluir que pessoas com TEA melhoraram o seu desempenho independente do ambiente estimulado, porém com desempenho inferior ao grupo com desenvolvimento típico. E apenas o grupo TEA conseguiu transferir a prática do ambiente com características mais virtuais para com características mais reais / Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a deficiency of neurological development, in which difficulty has been reported with multisensory integration, which may hamper cognitive and motor skills to allow learning of different tasks and social communication. Considering the possibility of interaction in 3D tasks through devices that require physical contact or not, we opted to evaluate people with ASD and DT in a virtual task by varying the interaction device in two practice sequences. The objective was to verify if people with ASD are able to improve performance in a task executed in a more virtual (no physical contact) or more real (with physical contact) environment, and if this improvement of performance can be transferred between these environments. For the accomplishment of this work 100 people were evaluated, divided into two groups: 50 in the TEA group, with ages between 7 and 15 years (11.3 ± 2.4 years), 38 males and 12 females; And 50 people with typical development - DT group, matched by age and sex to the TEA group. All participants who performed both sequences showed a tendency of movement delay, but the participants who performed the sequence B - the task in the space bar first - presented more delay (m = 511 ms) than the participants who performed the sequence A - task in kinect - first (m = 305 ms). For both sequences, the absolute error was higher for the kinect interface. In addition, the TEA group significantly reduced the EV with the practice, whereas for the DT group this difference did not occur. For the absolute error in the transfer phase, the results showed significant differences for the TEA group between blocks A1 for the space bar interface in Sequence A (m = 475 ms) and Sequence B (m = 718 ms). In this way, practice in the kinect interface (more virtual environment) promoted a better performance in the interface of pressing the space bar (more real environment), but only for people with ASD. We can conclude that people with ASD improved their performance independent of the stimulated environment, but with inferior performance to the group with typical development. And only the TEA group managed to transfer the practice of the environment with more virtual characteristics to more real characteristics

Family-centred service (FCS), which acknowledges the importance of family engagement in therapeutic processes and focuses on needs of all family members, is increasingly being recognized as an optimal care delivery model for families of children with developmental disabilities. However, services for families are oftentimes ‘child-centric’, wherein family members are seen as partners in therapy or care delivery only, while their own or family needs are not addressed. This arises from the lack of awareness of complex and highly individual family needs by professionals with whom they interact, but also from a significant lack of services oriented toward parent-specific needs in current delivery models. This thesis aims to address this knowledge gap and provides solutions for parental support in the context of pediatric developmental rehabilitation, which might also be applicable to other settings (e.g., community, education). The objectives of this thesis were: (a) to conduct a systematic review synthesizing randomized controlled trials aiming to address parents’ physical, psychological and socioeconomic well-being; (b) to perform cross-cultural and language adaptation and proof-of-concept pilot exploration of an innovative, strengths-based support program ‘ENabling VISions And Growing Expectation’ (ENVISAGE) for parents of children with neurodevelopmental disabilities in Croatia; (c) to refine the Croatian version of the program according to the pilot study results; (d) to run the first set of ENVISAGE workshops and evaluate their impact on Croatian parents’ perception of self, their child with a disability and their family; and (e) to learn about participants’ experience with the program. The findings show that interventions aiming to improve parents’ well-being have limited but promising effectiveness on parents’ health and well-being outcomes. ENVISAGE has proven to be a comprehensive, acceptable, usable, feasible and impactful program for parents of children with developmental disabilities in Croatia. / Dissertation / Doctor of Science (PhD) / Parents raising children with developmental disabilities have unique challenges in their parenting role, which might impact their health and well-being. However, there has been very little focus on parental and family needs in the context of pediatric developmental rehabilitation. Parents are often expected to focus on their child’s issues when their own support needs are usually also significant. This thesis aimed to address this research and practice gap through: a) evaluating best quality evidence on how to support parental well-being; and b) piloting a novel ‘early intervention’ support program for parents of children with disabilities, ‘ENabling VISions And Growing Expectation’ (ENVISAGE), in a new culture and language setting, Croatia. These findings have implications for spreading awareness of innovative programs to improve well-being of parents of children with developmental disabilities in various sectors (e.g., healthcare, community).