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Individuals with additional needs, such as learning disabilities, face a crisis of unemployment in the United Kingdom (UK). Many of these individuals encounter few adult services that are in place to address their support needs. Supported work internship programs are one attempt to address this crisis. One such program for young people with learning disabilities is the Project SEARCH model. Though a number of research studies have explored the efficacy of the Project SEARCH model, the reported markers of success (e.g., subsequent employment rates) have not taken into account first-hand participant experiences. The current study aimed to establish whether participant views were consistent with the previously reported, positive, quantitative measures. We explored the views of seven interns, aged 17 to 24 years, with various learning difficulties, and three job coaches who were involved in the program from September 2017 to June 2018. Semistructured interviews were conducted and analysed using thematic analysis. Participants revealed meaningful experiences for those involved, positive self-development, and renewed aspirations for the future. The value of a strong and consistent support network involving family members, job coaches, coworkers, and supervisors was highlighted. The study also found ongoing challenges associated with the scheme. These centred on concerns that interns' abilities were being underestimated, the impact of a reduction/withdrawal of support at the conclusion of the program, and the barriers to finding subsequent competitive employment for interns. The research highlights the value of eliciting participant voice within research, and discusses how the findings can be used to further develop supported work internship programs.

AbstractAimsPrevious international research has shown that autistic people have difficulty accessing dental care due to sensory processing, anxiety and communication issues. However, it is not known whether autistic adults in the United Kingdom are experiencing similar dental care barriers. The current study investigated autistic adults' dental experiences in the United Kingdom.Methods and resultsA mixed methods survey was given to self‐selecting autistic (n = 37) and non‐autistic adults (n = 43) to compare whether autistic individuals had more negative experiences than non‐autistic individuals. Closed questions asked about anxiety, patient‐practitioner communication, satisfaction and the dental environment. Open questions asked about autism‐specific dental challenges, what works well at the dentist, and improving autistic individuals' experiences. Responses were analyzed using thematic analysis. Overall, results demonstrated that autistic adults in the United Kingdom have more negative dental experiences than non‐autistic adults. These predominantly related to interactions with dental practitioners, a challenging sensory environment, anxiety, pain, and disclosure. Participants recommended sensory environment adaptations, ways to increase preparedness, longer appointments, and individual accommodations.ConclusionThis study offers best‐practice strategies for working with autistic patients and highlights the importance of dentists working with autistic individuals to maximize the quality of care and outcomes for this underserved population.

AbstractAimsPrevious research has demonstrated that autistic individuals often experience difficulties accessing dental care, both as a result of autism specific difficulties and practitioners' attitudes towards autism. However, very little research exists that explores dental professionals' experiences of providing care to their autistic patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the strategies UK‐based dental professionals' use when working with autistic patientsMethods and ResultsIn this study, dental professionals (n = 16) from a variety of specialty roles (special care, paediatrics, orthodontics) were interviewed. We asked participants to talk through, in depth, specific cases they had encountered in their practice, what sorts of accommodations they had provided, and what concerns had arisen during appointments. Thematic analysis was used to analyses the data and revealed four main themes: the unique dental needs associated with being autistic, effective adaptations to practice, the crucial role of the caregiver, and the importance of specialist knowledgeConclusionRecommendations for how dentists can improve the dental experiences of autistic patients can be drawn from the specialist dentists' responses in this study. These include involving autistic patients in decisions about their treatment and being flexible and willing to work with autistic patients and their caregivers.

AbstractRecent findings suggest that children with autism may be impaired in the perception of biological motion from moving point‐light displays. Some children with autism also have abnormally high motion coherence thresholds. In the current study we tested a group of children with autism and a group of typically developing children aged 5 to 12 years of age on several motion perception tasks, in order to establish the specificity of the biological motion deficit in relation to other visual discrimination skills. The first task required the recognition of biological from scrambled motion. Three quasi‐psychophysical tasks then established individual thresholds for the detection of biological motion in dynamic noise, of motion coherence and of form‐from‐motion. Lastly, individual thresholds for a task of static perception – contour integration (Gabor displays) – were also obtained. Compared to controls, children with autism were particularly impaired in processing biological motion in relation to any developmental measure (chronological or mental age). In contrast, there was some developmental overlap in ability to process other types of visual motion between typically developing children and the children with autism, and evidence of developmental change in both groups. Finally, Gabor display thresholds appeared to develop typically in children with autism.