Odor hedonic responses in children and young people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities.

Introduction: Odors are closely linked to emotions, play an important role in the well-being of individuals and can influence mood. Despite these crucial properties, the hedonic responses to odors of people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities (PIMD) remain little explored. Aim: This within-subjects study aims to examine whether children and young people with PIMD react in a differentiated way to odors evaluated as pleasant or unpleasant by neurotypical adults and, if so, with which behaviors. The influence of their global mood on their emotional responses to odors is also examined. Method: Twenty children and young people (7-18 years old) with PIMD were exposed to four pairs of hedonically contrasted odors. A control stimulus was presented before each odorant. Five emotional responses, one physiological reaction (nausea reactions), and three responses reflecting approach toward or avoidance of the stimulus were recorded throughout the duration of the stimulus exposure. The participants' global mood status was measured before the start of the research with the French version of the Mood, Interest and Pleasure Questionnaire (Ross and Oliver, 2003). Results: The results show that when exposed to pleasant odorants, participants kept their heads aligned with the odorant source longer, smiled longer, and produced more positive vocalizations. In contrast, unpleasant odorants elicit more pouts and grimaces. Nausea reactions occurred in the presence of unpleasant odorants. The hedonic responses were more marked during the second presentation of the stimuli. Participants with a higher MIPQ score showed significantly more emotional reactions to odors. Conclusion: The results confirm the presence of olfactory preferences in participants with PIMD and the existence of a link between their mood, emotions and olfactory hedonic processing. They prompt the use of odors to support not only the cognitive development of this population, but also their mood and their emotional regulation abilities.

Olfactive short-term habituation in children and young people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities.

BACKGROUND: Despite its importance for learning, the existence of the habituation process and its characteristics in people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities (PIMD) remains understudied. Habituation is, however, considered the simplest form of learning, and a significant neuroadaptive mechanism. Even though habituation occurs in all sensory modalities, the olfactory system is where it manifests itself very visibly. AIM: This study explores the olfactory short-term habituation abilities of children and young people with PIMD. METHOD: Twenty children and young people with PIMD (7-18 years) were presented six times successively with a 30-second habituating olfactory stimulus. The interstimulus interval was 15 s. A new odour was presented on the seventh trial. The scenario was carried out two times with two pairs of stimuli. The participants' head alignment duration on the odour was measured. RESULTS: Seventeen participants out of 20 manifested a decline in response, which reached about 50 % between the first and sixth presentation of the habituation odour. All habituators also showed a distinctive response when exposed to a novel odour. The participants who did not habituate showed a strong, non-fluctuating response to the stimulus throughout the presentations. Three participants only habituated to one of the two habituation stimuli. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS: The results raise theoretical, scientific, and practical issues. They question the factors explaining olfactory habituation mechanisms, namely the stimulus properties and the severity of impairment, reveal the need for points of comparison for interpreting this population's responses, and point to the consequences of stimuli repetition and or variety in therapeutic or educational settings for these individuals' learning and cognitive functioning.

Odour detection in children and young people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities.

BACKGROUND: Olfaction provides information on very important dimensions of the environment; however the olfactory abilities of children and young people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities (PIMD) remain largely unknown. This within-subjects study explores olfactory detection abilities in children with PIMD. METHOD: Twenty-two children and young people with PIMD (7-18 years) were presented with 18 medium intensity odours and an odourless control stimulus. Odorants were presented one by one in a randomised order. The neutral stimulus was presented prior to each odorant. Participants' responses were measured using 21 behavioural indicators. RESULTS: Results show that participants make a clear distinction between odorous and neutral conditions, between food and non-food, and between pleasant and unpleasant odours. The detection abilities are manifested by several behaviours, in particular by the duration of the head alignment on the odorant. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that participants detect the stimuli and act differently depending on the category.

Development and preliminary validation of the Self-Awareness Situation-Based Observation Lists for children with Profound Intellectual and Multiple Disabilities.

BACKGROUND: A primary, pre-reflective form of self-awareness develops during the first two years of life, through sensory perceptions and bodily and social experiences. Although this is a central dimension in the development of children with PIMD, no tools are available to guide caregivers' observations. AIMS: To present the development procedure and the results of the first validation step of a battery aimed at direct observation of primary self-awareness behaviors in children with PIMD. METHODS AND PROCEDURE: We built a criterion-referenced tool composed of five scales proposed in two complementary lists. The first list comprises inducing standardized tasks; the second natural observation situations. The battery was administered three times to 18 children with PIMD. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: The inducing tasks list was shown to be reliable, with good internal consistency, inter- and intra-rater reliability, high procedural reliability and high test-retest reliability. The natural observation situations list has a lower internal consistency, but high test-retest reliability. The social validity of both lists is deemed to be excellent. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS: The tool looks promising. Even if these first results need to be confirmed by further research, it opens up perspectives for assessment and intervention on a key dimension of human functioning.

Looking back, looking forward: Methodological challenges and future directions in research on persons with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities.

BACKGROUND: Within the context of the Special Interest Research Group (SIRG) on Persons with Profound Intellectual and Multiple Disabilities (PIMD), researchers often discuss the methodological problems and challenges they are confronted with. The aim of the current article was to give an overview of these challenges. METHODS: The challenges are centred on six topics. These reflect the main components of a study's design: (a) participant demarcation, (b) participant recruitment, (c) data collection and instruments, (d) data analysis, (e) ethics/including the "voice" of persons with PIMD and (f) theoretical models. RESULTS: Next, to describing the specific challenges, possible solutions and pathways to address them are discussed. These are illustrated by recent studies by the authors and other researchers in the field. CONCLUSIONS: The current contribution wants to stimulate further discussion and exchange of ideas, and the development of creative research techniques.