Obesity Levels of Individuals With Intellectual Disabilities

Individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) have considerable health inequalities including higher levels of unmet health needs and a shorter life expectancy compared to the general population. The prevalence of obesity, a commonly accepted measure of health inequalities, is higher in people with ID than in the general population, and the factors leading to the increased prevalence among people with ID have not been well understood yet. This has become worse during the COVID-19 pandemic due to nationwide full and partial curfews. In this study, based on a dataset that comprises a set of parameters related to eating habits and physical conditions of a number individuals, the use of classification algorithms for predicting obesity levels of individuals with ID is proposed, and a performance analysis is made using well-known performance metrics. The results could be used by researchers and practitioners in this field to choose the best classifier for their mobile application solutions. Opportunities, research challenges, and future research directions in this topic are also presented.

Practice-Based Educational Research

Incoming PK12 general education teachers beginning their careers are not wanting to have individuals with intellectual disabilities in their classroom due to a lack of special education experience and knowledge. This practice-based qualitative narrative dissertation study explored student teacher individual perceptions and experiences on special education classroom behavior and inclusion for elementary public-school general education student teachers. The practice-based problem was the negative views pre-service K12 educators held for classroom inclusion and personal perceptions of individuals with intellectual disabilities. The study sample included 10 student teacher college students enrolled in one Texas early childhood program. Schlossberg's Transition Model was used as the practice-based conceptual framework and data were gathered from interviews and analyzed using Clandinin and Connelly's procedures for narrative analysis. The findings determined pre-service general education teachers are not always provided adequate inclusion training.

Sexual Offenders With Intellectual Disabilities: An Exploratory Comparison Study in an Incarcerated U.S. Sample

Research indicates that individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) are overrepresented among sexual offenders, and that those with ID might differ from those without ID in terms of the etiology of offending behavior. Despite this, few studies have explored ID using incarcerated U.S. samples. The present study sought to identify relevant characteristics of this population by comparing individuals with and without ID who are incarcerated in the U.S. for sexual offenses. Archival records for 3,066 participants were used to determine demographic, historical, and offense-related characteristics. Participants with ID, including those with borderline ID, comprised 19.1% of the sample and displayed elevated rates of adverse childhood experiences and psychopathology. Contrary to previous research, participants with ID were no more likely to offend against children than those without ID. These findings help to elucidate the etiology of offending behavior among those with ID and inform on potential targets for intervention.

Sex: What Is the Big Deal? Exploring Individuals’ with Intellectual Disabilities Experiences with Sex Education

This article offers perspectives shared by self-advocates in the first phase of a community-based participatory research project untaken to address barriers that individuals with intellectual disabilities face with respect to sexual health knowledge. Using descriptive qualitative methods, we interviewed 19 individuals with intellectual disability about their experiences and knowledge related to sexual health. The research question guiding this project was: What are self-advocates’ with intellectual disabilities experiences learning about sexual health and sexuality? The findings highlight that participants faced barriers and lack of access to sexual health education, and while they learned about sexual health through formal sexual health education, frequently this knowledge came through lived experience. Finally, the findings underscore that participants knew what they wanted with respect to sexual health education and offered recommendations. The importance of accessible sexual health education for self-advocates that supports their rights and desires to express their sexuality and sexual agency is highlighted.