Safe transport of children with disabilities and medical conditions: Caregiver experiences.

BACKGROUND: Road vehicle transportation is essential to support community access and participation for all children. However, little is known about the transport patterns of children with disabilities and medical conditions and their caregivers' experiences supporting them to be transported safely in road vehicles in Australia. AIM: To understand the transport needs of children with disabilities and medical conditions and the transport needs of their caregivers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A large-scale national survey was undertaken online to explore the experiences and perspectives of 193 caregivers, identifying the challenges and needs associated with providing and supporting safe road transportation for their children. RESULTS: Caregivers believed their child was missing out on participating in everyday life due to their transportation needs, with caregivers experiencing multiple challenges and barriers to transporting their child safely. CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE: There is a need to provide knowledge and support to caregivers who are primarily responsible for the safe transportation of their children with disabilities and medical conditions.

Simulator assessment of innovative intersection designs on driver speeds and trajectories.

Intersections are over-represented in crash statistics internationally, suggesting that treatments targeting intersections could substantially improve road safety. Aligning with a Safe Systems approach, several innovative intersection configurations have been proposed. We evaluated the effectiveness of five designs on reducing speed and modifying conflict angles using a driving simulator. The designs were 1) cut-through, 2) modified restricted squircle, 3) unrestricted squircle, 4) raised approach, and 5) raised intersection. For the higher speed green light condition, speed reductions for vehicles travelling straight through the intersection were seen for all five innovative designs on approach to the intersection and at critical conflict points within the intersection. Within the intersection specifically, speed reductions ranged from 1) 7-8 km/h for the modified restricted squircle, 2) 12.5-16.5 km/h for the unrestricted squircle, raised approach, and raised intersection, and 3) 15-19 km/h for the cut-through. In contrast, speeds for drivers turning right were either not substantially reduced (modified restricted squircle, unrestricted squircle, and raised intersection) or were increased (raised approach and cut-through). Beneficial modification of conflict angles were also observed at conflict points for three of the five designs: cut-through, and two variations of the squircle design. Innovative intersection designs may be effective in reducing intersection crash risk by reducing speeds and conflict angles.

"I Met Someone Like Me!": Autistic Adolescents and Their Parents' Experience of the KONTAKT® Social Skills Group Training.

This study captured the experiences of 35 autistic adolescents and their parents after completing a 16-session variant of social skills group training KONTAKT® (ACTRN12617001117303). Semi-structured interviews explored participants' and relatives' perceptions of KONTAKT® and associated social outcomes. Adolescents were classified as either high (HR, n = 23) or low (LR, n = 12) responders based on the primary outcome effects during the previous trial. Thematic analysis revealed that both HR and LR participants their parents were satisfied with KONTAKT®, noting consistent patterns of improvement in adolescents' social understanding, communication, relationships, and empowerment, although positive reports were more frequent among HR than LR groups. This study enhances the understanding of the impact of SSGT, which is key in improving their content, principles, and administration.