Despite actual and perceived barriers to the enduring use of II, all participants spoke positively of the approach and were continuing to use II in practice.

A number of studies have used mindfulness-based interventions to influence the behavior of people with intellectual disabilities, to improve their quality of life, and to reduce challenging behavior. The present review critically evaluates 18 studies and assesses the clinical and academic impact of their findings. Strengths identified included replicable methodological approaches, use of multiple baseline designs, strong construct and criterion validity, and consideration of the mechanisms by which mindfulness influences behavior change. Limitations included a lack of randomized controlled trials, inclusion of qualitative data without structured analysis, limited use of statistical analyses, and problems with sampling leading to difficulties generalizing findings. There was also a paucity of research investigating the impact of "Dialectical Behavior Therapy" and "Acceptance and Commitment Therapy" and the role of mindfulness within these approaches. Further research is warranted in this regard.

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Accessible summary This research project is about Intensive Interaction. Intensive Interaction is a way of communicating with people who have severe and profound learning disabilities and can be used with people who do not communicate with words. We asked three paid carers that trained in Intensive Interaction about their experience and how training had changed their work with people with learning disabilities. This research project matters to people with learning disabilities because it tries to find out the best way to train people to do this work. This could help make services better for everyone. SummaryThe engagement of people with learning disabilities in social communication is crucial to the development of relationships with others, a sense of social inclusion and self-worth. Intensive Interaction is an approach that can help carers develop their skills to engage people with severe and profound learning disabilities in personally relevant communication. Carers learn techniques by attending workshops offered by health and social care professionals, and this study seeks to explore the impact of one such training programme. This study used interpretative phenomenological analysis to explore the lived experience of Intensive Interaction training and practice of three paid carers who worked with people with learning disabilities. Three superordinate themes emerged from the analysis: 'Investment', 'Outcomes' and 'Challenges'. Results suggest that participants had an overwhelmingly positive experience in learning and using Intensive Interaction and that coaching, supervision and support were vital. The clinical and practical implications for this are discussed.

Collars are an attachment method commonly used to mount data collection devices on wildlife. Removal of collars at the completion of a data collection period is a high priority for the purpose of animal welfare, but retrieval of collars can often be difficult. Weak links or other drop-off devices are used by researchers with the intention of improving collar retrieval rates, and for mitigation of animal welfare risks associated with collar entanglement. However, the design and effectiveness of such devices is not regularly reported in detail in the literature. We surveyed wildlife researchers to collate and communicate their experiences with weak links, and assess their attitudes towards collaring Australian mammals in the 35–5500 g weight range. Forty-five researchers responded to the survey, of whom 25 had used weak links in at least one study. There was very little consistency between the performances of weak links, with researchers finding them effective in less than half of the scenarios reported upon. Outcomes varied depending on the type of material used for the link, the species being collared, and the environmental conditions under which the collars were being deployed. We recommend (1) researchers test weak links prior to deployment; (2) users to not rely upon weak links as the primary method of collar retrieval; and (3) continued communication of design and outcomes of all radio-collars deployed including those with weak links.