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With a historic lack of attention to synthesis methods such as systematic review and meta-analysis and a lack of randomised controlled trials, the evidence base for behavioural interventions for children and adults who are autistic or are diagnosed with developmental disabilities is patchy. The Sharland Foundation Developmental Disabilities Applied Behavioural Research and Impact Network (SF-DDARIN), a network of like-minded researchers and practitioners across the UK, aims to address this. The purpose of this paper is to describe the network’s work and provide the context for the remaining articles in the special issue that exemplify network projects.

In this case study paper, the authors describe how the SF-DDARIN works and is resourced, detailing the process used to maximise research opportunities by facilitating network members working together. The authors outline the progressive research steps that the SF-DDARIN has identified are needed to develop and improve the evidence base for behavioural interventions systematically and, with examples, describe how the network delivers these steps.

Since its establishment in 2016, the SF-DDARIN network members have collectively worked on more than 53 projects involving over 50 researchers, had over 120 special schools contribute to projects and have recruited over 500 participants. This has been achieved through funding from the Sharland Foundation, primarily to cover the staffing costs of a small support team and internship partnerships with external organisations. Some projects have attracted external funding.

SF-DDARIN may provide an innovative, effective and resource-efficient model for other groups seeking to develop and extend their evidence base in developmental disability research.

A region’s transforming care partnership identified that autistic adults without an intellectual disability (ID) may be falling through gaps in services when presenting with a significant emotional and/or behavioural need in the absence of a mental health diagnosis. The region’s intensive support teams (ISTs) for adults with ID therefore piloted a short-term “behavioural support service” for this population. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate this pilot.

This study represents a mixed-methods service evaluation over a four year pilot period. The quantitative component examined referral rates and demographic data of accepted and declined referrals; and length of referral episodes and Health of The Nation Outcomes Scores (HoNOS) for accepted referrals. The qualitative component used thematic analysis to identify key themes relating to reasons for referral, clinical/therapeutic needs, and the models of support that most informed assessments and interventions at individual and systems levels.

The ISTs accepted 30 referrals and declined 53. Most accepted referrals were male (83%), and under 24 years old (57%). Average HoNOS scores were above the thresholds generally associated with hospital admission. Key qualitative themes were: transitional support; sexual risks/vulnerabilities; physical aggression; domestic violence; and attachment, trauma and personality difficulties. Support mostly followed psychotherapeutic modalities couched in trauma, attachment and second- and third-wave cognitive behavioural therapies. Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) did not emerge as a model of preference for service users or professionals.

This project represents one of the first of this type for autistic adults without an ID in the UK. It provides recommendations for future service development and research, with implications for Transforming Care policy and guidance.

This study aims to examine the key antecedents influencing the private firm’s intention to adopt big data analytics (BDA) in developing economies. To do so, the study follows the sequential explanatory approach.

To test the hypothesized model that draws on the technology–organization–environment (TOE) framework paired with the diffusion of innovation (DOI) theory, a purposive sampling technique was applied to gather data from 156 IT and management domain experts from the private firms that intend to adopt BDA and operate in Pakistan’s service industry, including telecommunication, information technology, agriculture, and e-commerce. The data were analysed using the partial least squares structural equations modelling (PLS-SEM) technique and complemented with qualitative analysis of 10 semi-structured interviews in NVIVO 12 based on grounded theory.

The empirical findings revealed that the two constructs – perceived benefits and top management support – are the powerful drivers of a firm’s intention to adopt BDA in the private sector, whereas IT infrastructure, data quality, technological complexity and financial readiness, along with the moderators, BDA adoption of competitors and government policy and regulation, do not significantly influence the intention. In addition, the qualitative analysis validates and further complements the SEM findings.

Unlike the previous studies on technology adoption, this study proposed a unique research model with contextualized indicators to measure the constructs relevant to private firms, based on the TOE framework and DOI theory, to investigate the causal relationship between drivers and intention. Furthermore, the findings of PLS-SEM were complemented by qualitative analysis to validate the causation. The findings of this study have both theoretical and practical implications.

Groups of students were enrolled in a course that sought to produce a three-phase theoretical model over three semesters.

A design project to comprehensively address school violence was launched at a university in eastern Pennsylvania.

This article updates the recent and most critical finding of the project by illuminating specific implications of the importance of teacher training and the development toward competence in recognition of children who are emotionally and psychologically injured through proactive measures such as screening for emotional and psychological well-being.

Although the model has not been tested, screening to identify those in need of emotional support and training to support teachers is clear. Screening and training offer important opportunities to help learners build skills toward resilience to soften the effects of trauma.

A view of the “whole child” with regard to academic success could further foster social and emotional development.

Early intervention can prevent the onset of symptoms associated with posttraumatic stress and related disorders. This effort alone may significantly reduce the uncomfortable incidences and perhaps ultimate prevention of the violence that is perpetuated among children.

Preliminary research supports a continued conversation regarding effective tools to find children emotionally and psychologically at-risk, which allows teachers an opportunity for timely emotional and psychological interventions.

This study aims to identify the determinants that influence citizen’s behavioural intention and continuous usage intention of smart mobility services in Indian smart cities with the help of an extended technology acceptance model.

This study uses a quantitative methodology to analyse the data collected from 509 residents of smart cities in India. The study used the partial least squares structural equation modelling approach to test the proposed hypotheses.

The study highlights the importance of perceived usefulness and ease of use in influencing citizens’ attitudes and intentions towards smart mobility services. Positive attitudes significantly impact behavioural intentions, which, in turn, link to continuous usage intentions.

This study contributes to the existing body of knowledge on smart cities and technology adoption, specifically in the area of smart mobility. The study’s findings will help service providers and policymakers to develop more robust strategies for the future.

This study examines how health-conscious consumers utilize nutrition facts panel labels when purchasing food products, focusing specifically on the dimension of ethical evaluation. It aims to understand how ethical considerations influence the decision-making process of consumers who prioritize health. By analyzing the impact of ethical evaluation on label usage, the study sheds light on the significance of ethics in consumer behavior in the context of purchasing packaged edible oil.

Empirical data were collected using an online survey and a non-ordered questionnaire. In total, 469 valid responses were obtained. The study used SPSS version 27.0 and SmartPLS version 3 for demographic analysis and structural equation modeling.

The findings suggest that three factors – perceived benefits, perceived threats, and nutrition self-efficacy, positively impact the use of NFP labels. However, perceived barriers negatively influence the use of NFP labels. In additionally, ethical evaluation mediates the usage of NFP labels.

In the health belief model, ethical evaluation functions as a mediator and has a greater influence on NFP label use. This study provides a framework for marketers to promote consumer health consciousness by encouraging them to incorporate NFP labels.

This study is one of the first attempts to demonstrate that ethical evaluation mediate health beliefs and the use of nutrition labels.

Institutional abuse is a worldwide phenomenon with the UK also subject to several high-profile abuse scandals perpetuated on people with learning disabilities and/or mental health conditions living within institutional settings. This study aims to provide a broad perspective of safeguarding practices within institutional care to inform practice and service development in this area.

A narrative overview was undertaken of a range of empirical evidence, discussion papers, enquiry reports, reports from regulatory bodies and professional guidance to explore safeguarding practices within institutional care for individuals with learning disabilities and/or mental health conditions.

A range of literature was identified that exposed and explored abuse in this context. Three key themes were identified: failings within institutional care; safeguarding issues and concerns; and good practice within institutional care. Whilst guidance is available, standards are explicit and protocols facilitate improvement potential in this area, a consistent message was that statutory recommendations for reform have not been effective.

This paper provides an important resource for practitioners and service providers involved in institutional care. An accessible overview of both the empirical evidence and grey literature on adult safeguarding within institutional settings is provided, along with a range of standards and resources that specify practice in these settings.

Given a baffling contradiction that the availability of safety knowledge may not necessarily lead to workers' safety behavior, this study aims to develop an exploratory two-step working model of safety knowledge in translating safety climate into safety behavior. In particular, this study highlights the importance of articulating tacit safety knowledge and improving workers' systematic problem solving (SPS) capacity in a favorable safety climate.

This study uses 110 valid responses from Pakistan-based construction workers to test five hypotheses which embody the exploratory two-step working model of safety knowledge. The partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) is used to analyze the data.

The results of this study support the two-step working mechanism of safety knowledge in translating safety climate into safety behavior. Furthermore, results suggest that safety climate as a job resource facilitates converting construction workers' tacit safety knowledge into explicit safety knowledge (i.e. safety knowledge articulation) and then enabling them to spot non-conformities in safety management practices (i.e. SPS) and consequently to work safely (i.e. safety behavior).

The study has both theoretical and practical significance. In theory, it extends organizational learning theory and job demands-resources (JD-R) theory in the construction safety research domain and elaborates on the mediating role of safety knowledge articulation and SPS for the relationship between safety climate and safety behavior. In practice, it highlights the importance of continuous articulation of tacit safety knowledge and accumulation and use of explicit safety knowledge in construction safety management practices.

Evidence of overprescribing of psychotropic medicines to manage challenging behaviour in people with intellectual disabilities has led to national programmes within the UK to promote deprescribing, such as stopping the overprescribing of medication in people (with learning disabilities, autism or both). To successfully implement deprescribing initiatives, we need to understand how to engage stakeholders in the process.

In a published systematic review, we reported evidence about the process of deprescribing psychotropic medicines for people of all ages with intellectual disabilities and challenging behaviour. As a part of the original review, we searched for evidence about stakeholders’ experiences of the psychotropic deprescribing process, which was synthesised and reported within the current study.

Six studies were identified. Involving carers and people with intellectual disabilities, providing ongoing support and improving access to non-pharmacological interventions, including positive behaviour support, may contribute to successful outcomes, including reducing or stopping psychotropic medicines and improving quality of life. Implementing psychotropic deprescribing requires a multidisciplinary collaborative care approach and education for stakeholders.

There have been no previous reviews of stakeholder experiences of deprescribing psychotropic medications for people with intellectual disabilities and challenging behaviour. The existing literature is scant, and further research is needed.

In light of the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic, electronic auditing otherwise known as computer-assisted audit tools and techniques (CAATTs) has become inevitable to automate the auditing process worldwide. Accordingly, the purpose of this study is to examine the influence of technological, organizational and environmental (TOE) factors on public sector adoption of CAATTs in developing countries such as Jordan under the COVID-19 pandemic conditions.

This study used 136 usable responses from the managers of internal audit (IA) of the Jordanian public sector entities. The data collected were analyzed using partial least squares-structural equation modeling. The TOE framework has been used in this study to consider a wide set of TOE factors. Then, this study suggests a CAATTs adoption model that incorporates the related technology factors of the diffusion of innovation theory to environmental and organizational factors. Further, this study contributes to the TOE framework by addressing government regulations, audit bodies’ support and audit task complexity as environmental factors affecting CAATTs adoption in the context of the public sector.

The results revealed that for technological factors, only the compatibility affects CAATTs adoption by the IA departments. For organizational factors, organizational readiness, top management support, auditors’ information technology competency and entity size were found to be significant factors. From the environmental factors, both government regulation and audit task complexity influence the CAATTs adoption. Besides, entity size moderates the influence of top management support on the CAATTs adoption in the public sector.

The findings could highlight the significance of the CAATTs adoption in the public sector institutions (by internal auditors) post-COVID-19, taking into consideration the TOE framework’s factors. Also, the findings are significant for the decision-makers and regulators in declaring new legislation for the electronic IA profession in the Jordanian public sector.

It turns out that the CAATTs adoption in the public sector can definitely enhance their ability to achieve the role of IA in preserving public funds and restricting corrupt practices within the public sector.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is one of the first studies that address the professional audit agency support and audit task complexity as environmental factors, as well as the entity size as an organizational factor, that affect CAATTs adoption in the IA department of the public sector.