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Down syndrome-associated leukaemias: current evidence and challenges

Children with Down syndrome (DS) are at increased risk of developing haematological malignancies, in particular acute megakaryoblastic leukaemia and acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. The microenvironment established by abnormal haematopoiesis driven by trisomy 21 is compounded by additional genetic and epigenetic changes that can drive leukaemogenesis in patients with DS.

Self-Reported Traumatic Brain Injury and Its Biopsychosocial Risk Factors in Siblings of Individuals with Neurodevelopmental Conditions

Siblings of individuals with neurodevelopmental conditions are situated within a complex system of risk and resilience factors for poor outcomes, many of which overlap with the risk of traumatic brain injury and correlate with poorer recovery trajectories.

Early childhood development strategy for the world's children with disabilities

Early childhood is foundational for optimal and inclusive lifelong learning, health and well-being. Young children with disabilities face substantial risks of sub-optimal early childhood development, requiring targeted support to ensure equitable access to lifelong learning opportunities, especially in low- and middle-income countries.

Effects of ganaxolone on non-seizure outcomes in CDKL5 Deficiency Disorder: Double-blind placebo-controlled randomized trial

CDKL5 deficiency disorder (CDD) is a rare developmental and epileptic encephalopathy. Ganaxolone, a neuroactive steroid, reduces the frequency of major motor seizures in children with CDD. This analysis explored the effect of ganaxolone on non-seizure outcomes.

Patient-advocate-led global coalition adapting fit-for-purpose outcomes measures to assure meaningful inclusion of DEEs in clinical trials

Existing clinical tools that measure non-seizure outcomes lack the range and granularity needed to capture skills in developmental and epileptic encephalopathy (DEE)-affected individuals who also fall in the severe to profound range of intellectual disability. This effectively excludes those with severe impairments from clinical trials, impeding the ability of sponsors to evaluate disease-modifying therapies.

Measurement properties and feasibility of chronic pain assessment tools for use with children and young people with cerebral palsy

Chronic pain assessment tools exist for children, but may not be valid, reliable, and feasible for populations with functional, cognitive or communication limitations, for example, cerebral palsy (CP). This study aimed to (i) identify chronic pain assessment tools used with children and young people and rate their measurement properties; (ii) develop a CP specific feasibility rating tool to assess the feasibility of tools in CP; and (iii) categorise tools according to reporting method.

Behavioural and neuropsychological outcomes in children exposed in utero to maternal labour epidural analgesia

Recent studies report conflicting results regarding the relationship between labour epidural analgesia (LEA) in mothers and neurodevelopmental disorders in their offspring. We evaluated behavioural and neuropsychological test scores in children of mothers who used LEA.

"What about us?"- the drawbacks of current bruxism assessment criteria in evaluating vulnerable groups

Jenny Helen Kingsley Downs Leonard Wong BApplSci (physio) MSc PhD MBChB MPH MBBS, MPH, MMedStat Head, Child Disability Principal Research Fellow

How can we reach long-lasting inclusive participation for all? A vision for the future

In 2022, an international conference was held focusing on 'participation'. We shared current evidence, identified knowledge gaps and worked together to understand what new knowledge and community and practice changes were needed. This brief communication is a summary of the conference delegates' discussions.

Psychometric Properties of the EQ-5D-Y-5L for Children With Intellectual Disability

The EQ-5D-Y-5L is a generic preference-based measure of health-related quality of life for children. This study aimed to describe the distributional properties, test-retest reliability, and convergent validity of the EQ-5D-Y-5L in children with intellectual disability (ID).