Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a closer look

Includes bibliographical references

Increasing appropriate social communication and pragmatic language skills in young adults with autism spectrum disorders

This report seeks to explore intervention methodologies that can be adapted for use with young transitional adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) to increase appropriate social communication. No interventions have been developed explicitly for use in speech-language therapy with young adults with ASD. As a result, existing interventions have to be adapted to use with this population. The interventions that were adapted were Behavioral Interventions, Developmental Social Pragmatic Interventions, and Enhanced Milieu Teaching. The adaptations of the reviewed interventions were illustrated by creating an instructional video to highlight how to use the interventions and their adaptations with an adult with ASD. The author and participant consider the video development and final product to be a success; however, until peer-reviewed efficacy studies that explore the effects of these intervention adaptations with young-adults with ASD are conducted, the author cannot assert that the intervention adaptations discussed will be effective therapy strategies for young adults with ASD.Communication Sciences and Disorder

Intelligent flight control systems

The capabilities of flight control systems can be enhanced by designing them to emulate functions of natural intelligence. Intelligent control functions fall in three categories. Declarative actions involve decision-making, providing models for system monitoring, goal planning, and system/scenario identification. Procedural actions concern skilled behavior and have parallels in guidance, navigation, and adaptation. Reflexive actions are spontaneous, inner-loop responses for control and estimation. Intelligent flight control systems learn knowledge of the aircraft and its mission and adapt to changes in the flight environment. Cognitive models form an efficient basis for integrating 'outer-loop/inner-loop' control functions and for developing robust parallel-processing algorithms

Research Advances: January 2014

The VA has a comprehensive research agenda to help the newest generation of Veterans -- those returning from operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, and New Dawn. In addition to exploring new treatments for traumatic brain injury and other complex blast-related injuries, VA researchers are examining ways to improve the delivery of health care services for these Veterans and promote their reintegration back into their families, communities, and workplaces.This publication reviews recent advances in research about Veterans' health and well-being

Praca socjalna i terapia rodziny: interdyscyplinarne korzenie interwencji w rodzinie

Social work practice takes place between persons in families and other social institutions, such as schools, health systems, welfare systems or courts. Drawing from multi-disciplinary theoretical sources, the article brings together social work and family therapy to develop a contemporary model of social work practice with families. There are five generic principles of family systemic practice: 1) persons are inherently relational; 2) families have resilient strengths; 3) family life cycles proceed systemically generating relational tasks for family members; 4) repetitive family interaction generates relational structures; 5) cultures, as perceived by family members, are themselves in dynamic motion, necessitating a transcultural understanding of family interaction.Praktyka pracy socjalnej odbywa się pomiędzy członkami rodzin a innymi instytucjami społecznymi, takimi jak: szkoły, systemy opieki zdrowotnej, systemy opieki społecznej i sądy. Czerpiąc z multidyscyplinarnych źródeł teoretycznych, artykuł łączy pracę socjalną i terapię rodzinną w celu opracowania współczesnego modelu praktyki pracy socjalnej z rodzinami. Istnieje pięć ogólnych zasad systemowej praktyki rodzinnej: 1) osoby są z natury relacyjne; 2) rodziny mają siły rodzące sprężystość psychiczną; 3) cykle życia rodzinnego postępują systemowo, generując relacyjne zadania dla członków rodziny; 4) powtarzające się interakcje rodzinne generują struktury relacyjne; 5) kultury, postrzegane przez członków rodziny, znajdują się w stanie dynamicznego ruchu, co wymaga transkulturowego zrozumienia interakcji rodziny

Examining the Use of Expressive Arts Therapies in Neurorehabilitation Treatment Planning

Those undergoing neurorehabilitation after stroke and traumatic brain injury report a diminished sense of overall wellness. This paper examines the conceivable benefits of introducing expressive arts therapies, which is the therapeutic use and combination of the visual arts, movement, drama, music, writing and other intermodal creative processes, into physical therapy and neurorehabilitation treatment planning. Expressive arts therapies have the capacity to engage with an individual’s physical, emotional, social and spiritual states concurrently. They simultaneously offer the ability to promote an increased sense of well-being, address mind-body disconnects, and process trauma non-verbally. The sections of this narrative literature review focus on the following neurological rehabilitation treatment goals: identity development and building self-esteem; coping with chronic pain and disability; improving communication and motor control; increasing cognition and memory. Qualitative, quantitative and arts-based research articles are included to support the inclusion of expressive arts therapies interventions that support and increase progress in neurorehabilitation treatment completion. The majority of research to date has indicated that a variety of positive outcomes occur, with little negative effect, when expressive arts therapies interventions are employed with stroke and traumatic brain injury survivors. There is a pronounced need for further research about the benefits of pairing expressive arts therapies with physical and neurological rehabilitation and this paper acts as supporting evidence to that statement

Footprints of emergence

It is ironic that the management of education has become more closed while learning has become more open, particularly over the past 10-20 years. The curriculum has become more instrumental, predictive, standardized, and micro-managed in the belief that this supports employability as well as the management of educational processes, resources, and value. Meanwhile, people have embraced interactive, participatory, collaborative, and innovative networks for living and learning. To respond to these challenges, we need to develop practical tools to help us describe these new forms of learning which are multivariate, self-organised, complex, adaptive, and unpredictable. We draw on complexity theory and our experience as researchers, designers, and participants in open and interactive learning to go beyond conventional approaches. We develop a 3D model of landscapes of learning for exploring the relationship between prescribed and emergent learning in any given curriculum. We do this by repeatedly testing our descriptive landscapes (or footprints) against theory, research, and practice across a range of case studies. By doing this, we have not only come up with a practical tool which can be used by curriculum designers, but also realised that the curriculum itself can usefully be treated as emergent, depending on the dynamicsbetween prescribed and emergent learning and how the learning landscape is curated

How well do final year undergraduate medical students master practical clinical skills?

Introduction: The clinical examination and other practical clinical skills are fundamental to guide diagnosis and therapy. The teaching of such practical skills has gained significance through legislative changes and adjustments of the curricula of medical schools in Germany. We sought to find out how well final year undergraduate medical students master practical clinical skills. Methods: We conducted a formative 4-station objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) focused on practical clinical skills during the final year of undergraduate medical education. Participation was voluntary. Besides the examination of heart, lungs, abdomen, vascular system, lymphatic system as well as the neurological, endocrinological or orthopaedic examination we assessed other basic clinical skills (e.g. interpretation of an ECG, reading a chest X-ray). Participants filled-out a questionnaire prior to the exam, inter alia to give an estimate of their performance. Results: 214 final year students participated in our study and achieved a mean score of 72.8% of the total score obtainable. 9.3% of participants (n= 20) scored insufficiently (<60%). We found no influence of sex, prior training in healthcare or place of study on performance. Only one third of the students correctly estimated their performance (35.3%), whereas 30.0% and 18.8% over-estimated their performance by 10% and 20% respectively. Discussion: Final year undergraduate medical students demonstrate considerable deficits performing practical clinical skills in the context of a formative assessment. Half of the students over-estimate their own performance. We recommend an institutionalised and frequent assessment of practical clinical skills during undergraduate medical education, especially in the final year