Childhood Disability Funded Research
Funded research as a direct result of the BACD-JLA Childhood Disability Priority Setting Partnership
Priority 1: Does the timing and intensity of therapies (e.g. physical, occupational and speech and language therapy, ‘early intervention’, providing information etc.) alter the effectiveness of therapies for infants and young children with neurodisability, including those without specific diagnosis? What is the appropriate age of onset / strategies / dosage / direction of therapy interventions?
- Clinical effectiveness of a child-specific dynamic stretching exercise programme, compared to usual care, for ambulant children with spastic cerebral palsy - the SPELL trial - NIHR research in progress
- Clinical effectiveness of an adolescent-specific strengthening programme, compared to usual care, for ambulant adolescents with spastic cerebral palsy - the ROBUST trial - NIHR research in progress
- Intensive Interaction for children and young people with profound and multiple learning disabilities: INTERACT trial - NIHR research in progress
- Therapy interventions for children with neurodisability: a scoping study of current practice and perceived research needs - NIHR scoping study published Jan 2028
Priority 2: To improve communication for children and young people with neurodisability: (a) what is the best way to select the most appropriate communication strategies? And (b) how to encourage staff/carers to use these strategies to enable communication?
- Identifying appropriate symbol communication aids for children who are non-speaking: enhancing clinical decision making - NIHR research published Nov 2020
Priority 4: Does appropriate provision of wheelchairs to enable independent mobility for very young children improve their self-efficacy?
- Cost-effectiveness of earlier provision of powered wheelchair interventions for children with mobility limitations: evidence synthesis and economic model - NIHR research published Oct 2020
Priority 7: Does a structured training programme, medicines and/or surgery speed up the achievement of continence (either/or faecal or urinary) for children and young people with neurodisability?
- Improving continence in children and young people with neurodisability (ICoN): survey of current NHS practice and systematic review of effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and contextual factors that modify implementation of interventions - NIHR research published Dec 2021
Priority 10: What is the long term safety, effectiveness and sustainability of behavioural strategies and/or drugs (e.g. melatonin) to manage sleep disturbance in children and young people with neurodisability (outcomes include time to onset, duration, and reducing impact on family)?
- Pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions for non-respiratory sleep disturbances in children with neurodevelopmental disorders: a systematic review - NIHR research published
Priority 13: Are sensory processing/integration therapeutic programmes effective in improving behaviour and/or increasing play/participation for children and young people with neurodisability?
- A pragmatic Randomised Controlled Trial of Sensory Integration Therapy versus usual care for sensory processing difficulties in Autism Spectrum Disorder in children: impact on behavioural difficulties, adaptive skills and socialisation (SenITA) - NIHR research published Jun 2022
Priority 14: Are behavioural and sensory interventions (e.g. early intensive behavioural intervention, EarlyBird, encouraging socialisation with peers etc.) effective in managing symptoms of Autistic Spectrum Disorder?
- Intensive behavioural interventions for young children with autism: A systematic review and cost-effectiveness analysis - NIHR research published Jul 2020
- Clinical and cost effectiveness of a parent mediated intervention to reduce challenging behaviour in pre-schoolers with moderate to severe learning disability: a randomised controlled trial - NIHR research published Jan 2024
Priority 20: Are oro-motor treatment strategies (e.g. oral motor exercises, sensory stimulation, sensorimotor activities etc.) effective to improve eating and drinking or speech for children and young people with neurodisability? Are there identifiable subgroups that benefit more from the strategies?