Clinical encounters can provide a portal into understanding patient needs and person-centred care. Communication in interviewing is vital: communicating caring attitudes and actions in tandem. Some patients and populations require extra consideration in clinical settings. Many individuals with developmental disabilities present with cognitive, communication, motor or sensory differences that necessitate adaptations as we prepare and engage them in interviews. The following guidelines provide a summary of steps to “Communicate CARE when you INTERVIEW” a patient with a developmental disability. The principles and practices are broadly applicable and stand to benefit patients as well as clinicians in initial clinical encounters.

Dr. Peter Rosenbaum reveals developmental pediatric pearls of wisdom as he interacts with 3-year-old Sophia and her mother. Dr. Rosenbaum is a professor of paediatrics at McMaster University and co-founder of CanChild Center for Childhood Disability Research (CanChild: Development in the Rewarding Healthcare Experience). For more pearls, explore the CanChild Center for Childhood Disability Research website and the famous F Words of Childhood Disability. Young Sophia and her mom share wisdom through their earlier Curriculum of Caring video (Sophia: gifts of wisdom for parents and professionals.)

Psychiatrist, Dr. Elspeth Bradley, provides a summary of how to H.E.L.P. when faced with people engaging in behaviours that indicate distress. She has written about and taught this H.E.L.P. approach widely, and we are grateful that she shares her insights in this forum. She has also worked with SpotLight drama and friends in the development of the Curriculum of Caring music video, "H.E.L.P." Check it out in the music video section! Dr Bradley referred to the Journal on Developmental Disabilities article 'Mental Health and Autism: Promoting Autism FaVourable Environments (PAVE).' It can be found online in the Journal on Developmental Disabilities (2013).