In order to make informed decisions about how best to support children and young people with disabilities, effective strategies that facilitate active and meaningful participation in school are required. Clinical factors, diagnosis or impairments somewhat helpful in determining what should be provided in interventions. However, clinical factors alone will not offer a clear view of how to support participation. It is helpful then to look at wider psychosocial and environmental factors. The aim of this review was to synthesise evidence of psychosocial and environmental factors associated with school participation of 4–12 year old children with disabilities to inform the development of participation-fostering interventions. A systematic search and synthesis using realist methods was conducted of published research. Papers had to include consideration of psychosocial and/or environment factors for school participation of children with disabilities. The review was completed in accordance with the Realist and Meta-narrative Evidence Syntheses: Evolving Standards (RAMESES) and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. Papers were identified via Boolean search of the electronic databases MEDLINE, CINAHL, PhycINFO and ERIC (January 2006-October 2018). Appraisal focussed on contributions in terms of whether the articles are appropriate for the review (relevance) and research quality (rigour). Data were analyzed using content and thematic analysis methods using a realist framework. A narrative synthesis of results was reported. We identified 1828 papers in the initial search. Seventy two papers were included in the final synthesis. Synthesis of findings led to three overarching mechanisms representing psychosocial factors for children (1) identity (2) competence and (3) experience of mind and body. Environmental aspects (context) compromised five interrelated areas: (1) structures and organization, (2) peers, (3) adults, (4) space and (5) objects. Our synthesis provides insights on how professionals may organize efforts to improve children’s participation. Consideration of these findings will help to proactively deal with suboptimal participation outcomes. Development of theoretically determined assessments and interventions for management of school participation are now required.

Purpose of the Study: To identify and examine the published qualitative research evidence relative to the experience of living with dementia. Design and Methods: Metasynthesis was used as the methodological framework to guide data collection and analysis. Results: Three themes were identified. The first theme considered the main condition-related changes experienced by people with dementia (PWD) and showed how these are interlinked and impact upon various areas of people’s lives. The second theme indicated that amidst these changes, PWD strive to maintain continuity in their lives by employing various resources and coping strategies. The third theme underlined the role of contextual factors. The reviewed evidence indicates that, the emerging experience of PWD and their potential to adjust to the continuous changes is influenced by access to and quality of both personal and contextual resources which remain in a constant, transactional relationship to each other. Implications: The findings were interpreted and discussed in the context of relevant theoretical frameworks and research evidence. It was considered that current evidence and findings presented in this review can be further explored and expanded upon in a more systematic way through research conducted within the theoretical framework of dynamic systems theory. Further research would be also beneficial to explore the subjective experience of dementia from a participatory perspective. Exploring the application of these theoretical standpoints would contribute to the current state of knowledge and offer both PWD and carers fresh perspective on the nature of change and potential for adaptability in dementia.

Aim: The aim of this review was to synthesize empirical evidence of family factors associated with participation of children with disabilities aged 5 to 12 years to inform the development of family‐centred participation‐fostering interventions.Method: A systematic search was performed for articles published in English between 2001 and 2017 in MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Scopus, and ASSIA following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. Quality of evidence was appraised using the Research Triangle Institute Item Bank. Family factors associated with participation were identified and assessed using a multistage ‘semi‐quantitative’ approach.Results: Thirty studies were included in the review. Four non‐modifiable ‘status’ factors consistently associated with participation were parental ethnicity, parental education, family type, and family socio‐economic status. Six modifiable ‘process’ factors with consistent associations with participation were parental mental and physical health functioning, parental self‐efficacy beliefs, parental support, parental time, family preferences, and activity orientation.Interpretation: Rehabilitation professionals should direct their focus towards modifiable family factors as primary targets for family‐centred interventions. Strategies that can improve families’ access to information, counselling, and community support services are likely to support children's participation by empowering families and optimizing their health and well‐being.What this paper adds: Non‐modifiable ‘status’ and modifiable ‘process’ factors are important in participation of children with disabilities. Disadvantaged family circumstances shaped by status factors are associated with reduced participation. Key process factors for intervention are parental mental and physical health and parental self‐efficacy beliefs. Other important process factors for intervention are parental support and time, family preferences, and activity orientation.

Summary: Adults with neurodevelopmental disorders frequently present to, but fit uneasily into, adult mental health services. We offer definitions of important terms related to neurodevelopmental disorders through unifying research data, medical and other viewpoints. This may improve understanding, clinical practice and development of neurodevelopmental disorder pathways within adult mental health services.

Background: Autistic adults have high risk of mental ill-health and some available interventions have been associated with increased psychiatric diagnoses. Understanding prevalence of psychiatric diagnoses is important to inform the development of individualised treatment and support for autistic adults which have been identified as a research priority by the autistic community. Interventions require to be evaluated both in terms of effectiveness and regarding their acceptability to the autistic community.Objective: This rapid review identified the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in autistic adults, then systematic reviews of interventions aimed at supporting autistic adults were examined. A rapid review of prevalence studies was completed concurrently with an umbrella review of interventions. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines were followed, including protocol registration (PROSPERO#CRD42021283570).Data sources: MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.Study eligibility criteria: English language; published 2011–2022; primary studies describing prevalence of psychiatric conditions in autistic adults; or systematic reviews evaluating interventions for autistic adults.Appraisal and synthesis: Bias was assessed using the Prevalence Critical Appraisal Instrument and AMSTAR2. Prevalence was grouped according to psychiatric diagnosis. Interventions were grouped into pharmacological, employment, psychological or mixed therapies. Strength of evidence for interventions was assessed using GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation). Autistic researchers within the team supported interpretation.Results: Twenty prevalence studies were identified. Many included small sample sizes or failed to compare their sample group with the general population reducing validity. Prevalence of psychiatric diagnoses was variable with prevalence of any psychiatric diagnosis ranging from 15.4% to 79%. Heterogeneity was associated with age, diagnosis method, sampling methods, and country. Thirty-two systematic reviews of interventions were identified. Four reviews were high quality, four were moderate, five were low and nineteen critically low, indicating bias. Following synthesis, no intervention was rated as ‘evidence based.’ Acceptability of interventions to autistic adults and priorities of autistic adults were often not considered.Conclusions: There is some understanding of the scope of mental ill-health in autism, but interventions are not tailored to the needs of autistic adults, not evidence based, and may focus on promoting neurotypical behaviours rather than the priorities of autistic people.