1,198 research outputs found

    Social Prescribing for Autistic Adults

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    Background Autistic adults are affected by health and social disparities that impact life expectancy and quality of life, frequently resulting in escalating wellbeing concerns requiring costly acute care. Evidence suggests barriers to healthcare and a lack of post-diagnostic support may contribute to these inequalities. Social prescribing, a low-intensity personalised care model receiving increasing attention from policymakers and commissioners, offers opportunities to address isolation, build skills and promote health through collaborations between services and communities. However, social prescribing research and provision has overlooked wellbeing and access needs of autistic adults. This PhD project aimed to investigate factors affecting accessibility of social prescribing pathways, which can comprise a variety of models and mechanisms, and their suitability for autistic adults from initial referral through to prescribed activities. Methods The research delivered a systematic mapping review and mixed-methods study. The review synthesised previous reviews of literature on outcomes, settings and service pathways within community-based services for autistic adults. An online survey of 128 autistic adults explored barriers to primary healthcare, the point of access to social prescribing, across changing contexts using regression analysis. Semi-structured interviews with 23 autistic participants investigated perspectives on wellbeing, attitudes towards social prescribing as a response to wellbeing barriers, and provision of wider support in the community. Qualitative data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis, incorporating critical realism and the candidacy framework, to examine individual, relational and systemic factors. Results Findings suggest that access to social prescribing for autistic adults via referral from health and social care services involves patient and provider evaluations, socioeconomic factors and wider contexts. Self-determination was found to link themes relating to meanings of wellbeing for autistic adults. Social prescribing may promote self-determination through its tailored approach. However, pathways require adaptions to maximise engagement, including offering alternative referral routes, novel prescriptions and additional support at key transition points. Providers should work with the autistic community to improve access and acceptability, and bring mutual benefits for individuals and services. Conclusions Service commissioners and policymakers should consider supporting a social prescribing pathway embedded in autism diagnostic services or upskilling existing social prescribing pathways to adapt their practice for autistic adults. The research also adds to understandings of peer support and self-determination as important mechanisms in wellbeing for autistic adults

    Digital Technologies for Teaching English as a Foreign/Second Language: a collective monograph

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    Колективна монографія розкриває різні аспекти використання цифрових технологій у навчанні англійської мови як іноземної/другої мови (цифровий сторітелінг, мобільні застосунки, інтерактивне навчання і онлайн-ігри, тощо) та надає освітянам і дослідникам ресурс для збагачення їхньої професійної діяльності. Окрема увага приділена цифровим інструментам для впровадження соціально-емоційного навчання та інклюзивної освіти на уроках англійської мови. Для вчителів англійської мови, методистів, викладачів вищих закладів освіти, науковців, здобувачів вищої освіти

    The development, feasibility, and acceptability of a breakfast group intervention for stroke rehabilitation

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    Background: There are 1.2 million stroke survivors in the UK and the number is projected to increase significantly over the next decade. Research suggests that between 50% and 80% of hospitalised stroke survivors experience difficulties with eating and drinking. Presently, rehabilitation approaches to address these difficulties involve individual rehabilitation sessions led by uni-professionals. Recent national stroke guidance recommends that stroke survivors receive three hours of daily rehabilitation and emphasises the importance of addressing the psychosocial aspects of recovery. Implementing these recommendations presents a challenge to healthcare professionals, who must explore innovative methods to provide the necessary rehabilitation intensity. This study aimed to address these challenges by codesigning a multi-disciplinary breakfast group intervention and implementation toolkit to improve psychosocial outcomes. Methods: The Hawkins 3-step framework for intervention design was used to develop a multidisciplinary breakfast group intervention and to understand if it was acceptable and feasible for patients and healthcare professionals in an acute stroke ward. The Hawkins 3- steps were 1) evidence review and consultations 2) coproduction 3) prototyping. In collaboration with fifteen stakeholders, a prototype breakfast group intervention and implementation toolkit were codesigned over four months. Experience-based Codesign was used to engage stakeholders. Results: The literature review is the first to investigate the psychosocial impact of eating and drinking difficulties post stroke. The key finding was the presence of psychological and social impacts which included, the experience of loss, fear, embarrassment shame and humiliation as well as social isolation. Stroke survivors were striving to get back to normality and this included the desire to socially dine with others. Two prototype iterations of the intervention were tested with 16 stroke survivors across three hospital sites. The multidisciplinary breakfast group intervention was designed to offer intensive rehabilitation in a social group context. The codesigned implementation toolkit guided a personalised and tailored approach. A perceived benefit of the intervention was the opportunity to address the psychosocial aspects of eating and drinking rehabilitation as well as providing physical rehabilitation. Stroke survivors highly value the opportunity to socialise and receive support from their peers. The intervention was acceptable to both patients and healthcare professionals, and the workforce model proved practical and feasible to deliver using a collaborative approach in the context of resource-limited healthcare. Conclusions: The breakfast group interventions, developed through codesign, were positively received by patients and staff and feasible to deliver. They introduce an innovative and novel approach to stroke rehabilitation, personalised to each individual's needs, and offer a comprehensive intervention which addresses both physical and psychosocial aspects which target challenges related to eating and drinking. Unique contributions of this study include a theoretical model for breakfast group interventions, a programme theory and practical tool kit for clinicians to support the translation of research findings and implement breakfast groups in clinical practice

    What effect does short term Study Abroad (SA) have on learners’ vocabulary knowledge?

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    This thesis describes a study which tracks longitudinal changes in vocabularyknowledge during a short-term Study Abroad (SA) experience. A test ofproductive vocabulary knowledge, Lex30 (Meara & Fitzpatrick, 2000),requiring the production of word association responses, is used to elicit vocabulary from 38 Japanese L1 learners of English at four test times at equal intervals before and after an SA experience. The study starts by investigating whether there are changes in both the total number of words and in the number of less frequently occurring words produced by SA participants. Three additional ways of measuring the development of lexical knowledge over time are then proposed. The first examines changes in the ability of participants of different proficiency levels in producing collocates in response to Lex30 cue words. The second tracks changes in spelling accuracy to measure if improvements take place over time. The third analysis uses an online measuring instrument (Wmatrix; Rayson, 2009) to explore if there are any changes in the mastery of specific semantic domains. The results show that there is significant growth in the productive use of less frequent vocabulary knowledge during the SA period. There is also an increase in collocation production with lower proficiency participants and evidence of some improvement in the way certain vocabulary items are spelled. The tendency for SA learners to produce more words from semantic groups related to SA experiences is also demonstrated. Post-SA tests show that while some knowledge attrition occurs it does not decline to pre-SA levels. The studyshows how short-term SA programmes can be evaluated using a word association test, contributing to a better understanding of how vocabularydevelops during intensive language learning experiences. It also demonstrates the gradual shift of productive vocabulary knowledge from partial word knowledge to a more complete state of productive mastery

    Efficient Deep Learning for Real-time Classification of Astronomical Transients

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    A new golden age in astronomy is upon us, dominated by data. Large astronomical surveys are broadcasting unprecedented rates of information, demanding machine learning as a critical component in modern scientific pipelines to handle the deluge of data. The upcoming Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) of the Vera C. Rubin Observatory will raise the big-data bar for time- domain astronomy, with an expected 10 million alerts per-night, and generating many petabytes of data over the lifetime of the survey. Fast and efficient classification algorithms that can operate in real-time, yet robustly and accurately, are needed for time-critical events where additional resources can be sought for follow-up analyses. In order to handle such data, state-of-the-art deep learning architectures coupled with tools that leverage modern hardware accelerators are essential. The work contained in this thesis seeks to address the big-data challenges of LSST by proposing novel efficient deep learning architectures for multivariate time-series classification that can provide state-of-the-art classification of astronomical transients at a fraction of the computational costs of other deep learning approaches. This thesis introduces the depthwise-separable convolution and the notion of convolutional embeddings to the task of time-series classification for gains in classification performance that are achieved with far fewer model parameters than similar methods. It also introduces the attention mechanism to time-series classification that improves performance even further still, with significant improvement in computational efficiency, as well as further reduction in model size. Finally, this thesis pioneers the use of modern model compression techniques to the field of photometric classification for efficient deep learning deployment. These insights informed the final architecture which was deployed in a live production machine learning system, demonstrating the capability to operate efficiently and robustly in real-time, at LSST scale and beyond, ready for the new era of data intensive astronomy

    2023-2024 Graduate School Catalog

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    You and your peers represent more than 67 countries and your shared scholarship spans 140 programs - from business administration and biomedical engineering to history, horticulture, musical performance, marine science, and more. Your ideas and interests will inform public health, create opportunities for art and innovation, contribute to the greater good, and positively impact economic development in Maine and beyond

    Anxiety and Extreme Demand Avoidance in Children and Adolescents: the Roles of Sensory Sensitivities and Intolerance of Uncertainty

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    Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) is a diagnosis that has been described in clinical practice but not recognised by official diagnostic and statistical manuals. The National Autistic Society (UK) describes PDA as ‘a profile of autism’; however, there is some evidence that strategies for supporting those with autism may be less effective for those identifying with the PDA profile. PDA is described as ‘driven by anxiety’; therefore, it is suggested that a better understanding of the underlying factors contributing to anxiety in this under researched group may support more effective treatment strategies, including shaping school strategies to work with autistic children. No research to date has empirically investigated the role of sensory sensitivities in PDA. Aim: This study investigates the relationship between autistic traits and extreme demand avoidance (EDA), exploring the contributing roles of both intolerance of uncertainty (IU) and sensory sensitivities (SS) to levels of anxiety; and aims to further develop an understanding of those who identify with the diagnosis of pathological demand avoidance (PDA). Method: A quantitative, between and within groups design was used. Scores from parentreport measures were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics, including correlational analysis of the variables, mediation and structural equation modelling (SEM), and repeated measures ANOVA with paired sample t-tests of subscales. Results: Those identifying with PDA scored higher on the EDA-Q than those with Autism; however, there was no difference between ASSQ scores between those identifying with PDA and those identifying with Autism. SEM found a model with good fit of autism and EDA traits being highly corelated and predicting anxiety. IU and SS had moderating roles in the relationship between autism and EDA traits with anxiety. Discussion: PDA shows discriminant properties to autism but should be seen within the context of autism. Understanding of the impact of autistic traits in those who identify with PDA, whether they identify with autism or not, could help make sense of their diagnostic and treatment needs, and supports the concept of PDA as ‘a profile of autism’. It is suggested that there is a need to provide clarity and distinctions with the often-overlapping language used to describe different constructs within the PDA literature. Importantly, understanding sensory needs as a key underlying mechanism behind anxiety in those identifying with PDA , and moving towards a strengths based approach can support tailored, comprehensive assessment schedules and more individualised behaviour management strategies for this population

    Consumer Neuroscience e Brand Relationship: misurare l’associazione implicita tra il Sé del consumatore e il brand.

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    Il presente elaborato si focalizza sulla connessione tra Consumer Neuroscience e Brand Relationship con un focus specifico sul Sé del consumatore, analizzato attraverso uno strumento di misurazione indiretta del comportamento. L’obiettivo è stato quello di contribuire alla validazione e all’utilizzo nel contesto italiano di un SC-IAT per lo studio dell’associazione tra Sé e brand, interpretandone i risultati tramite un’analisi di matrice neuroscientifica su stimoli brand-related. Il vantaggio di questo strumento, rispetto allo IAT tradizionale, è quello di poter ‘fotografare’ un’istantanea sulla relazione senza la necessità di utilizzare una dimensione comparativa. Misurando direttamente la forza dell’associazione tra il concetto del brand e quello del Sé. Per farlo, l’autore è passato attraverso fasi distinte che hanno prima indagato gli aspetti puramente psicometrici dello strumento, per dedicarsi successivamente a un test neuroscientifico. I risultati hanno evidenziato delle buone performance del SC-IAT, così pensato, suggerendo approfondimenti futuri e applicazioni a brand dalla differente architettura. Inoltre, l’analisi neurofisiologica ha evidenziato come lo strumento possa risultare efficace nel fornire un’interpretazione aggiuntiva agli indicatori neurofisiologici testati durante la visualizzazione di uno stimolo relativo al brand

    Persons with autism and persons with ADHD : the need to understand and improve services for families in Malta

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    Persons diagnosed with autism, or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and/or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are often reported to perform significantly low in overall wellbeing when compared to their neurotypical counterparts (van Heijst & Geurts, 2015; Meier et al., 2011). With active participation in society considered to be a key factor surrounding wellbeing (Askari et al., 2015), it comes as no surprise therefore that the reduced levels of involvement reported in areas such as social engagement, education, and leisure may be major contributors to this (Deserno et al, 2016). Over the years, Malta has made considerable shifts towards the recognition of certain rights when it comes to disability, although negative attitudes still exist, both from the general public, as well as professionals (Cardona, 2013). This study therefore sought to understand the experiences of those living with autism and/or ADHD in the local scenario, looking into how current support structures impact their livelihood. Using a mixed-method approach involving quantitative and qualitative data collection strategies, this study sought to highlight insider voices, attempting to ‘take stock’ of the status of the evidence base, listening to the voices of those concerned and their experiences with local services and within the wider local community as a whole, identifying any gaps in services or data along the way. The findings of this study indicate that locally, persons living with autism and/or ADHD, encounter challenges throughout their development from children into adulthood which considerably impact their performance and consequently their wellbeing. A number of areas for development were identified. The services surrounding the attainment of a diagnosis for instance, were found to be typically carried out professionally in the case of those flagged at early years, however, were severely lacking when it came to adults. Moreover, a vast majority (80%) of adult service user participants in the study had received their diagnosis during adulthood, exposing a local picture where diagnoses are not being made early enough, leading to individuals facing foundation schooling and critical years without the necessary support. Although services users who are being diagnosed as adults may have faced a different situation when they were of school age, since these conditions were less known and there was less awareness, nevertheless, caregivers are still reporting that there are instances where they know that there is a condition but find it hard to access a diagnosis as they are told to wait until the child is older. Support services and referrals for treatment offered following diagnosis were also found to be severely lacking, with 91% of service user respondents and 6 82% of caregiver participants not having received any services or information after receiving their diagnosis. Encouraging achievements within the educational and employment realm were observed, however areas for improvement still remain, with finding indicating this may be more so the case for those living with autism. Levels of dissatisfaction with services were reported across large numbers of participants with the highest ranked dissatisfaction expressed towards how well services were connected amongst each other, followed by access to services following diagnosis. Several lamented long waiting lists, lack of trained professionals and infrequency and inconsistency across public services provided. In addition to this, over 70% of participants reported being dissatisfied with the prospects for lifelong fulfilment, accompanied by concerns about services not catering for different age groups, particularly adolescence and even more so adulthood. These findings were also echoed in data gathered from service providers, who in the larger part, shared that there were waiting lists associated with the provision of their services – in some cases, of even more than 13 months. A review of the services provided amongst participating service providers also reflected the critical reduction in services available for adults when compared to younger ages. Amongst service providers, the largest challenge in offering services both for ASD and ADHD was lack of trained professionals. These include a range of services, such as occupational therapy, speech therapy, behaviour specialists, health and educational services as well as social services, amongst others. Over the years, valuable developments have been achieved when it comes to Malta catering for the needs of all of its citizens, including those living with ADHD or ASD. The views and experiences discussed in this study have brought several commendations for milestones reached and have also highlighted several others that still need to be worked as a society towards. Ultimately, awareness and understanding across the different strata and branches of society is at the base of making these developments possible. The study concludes with a list of recommendations proposed for the enhanced wellbeing of those living with these conditions and society at large. These include, amongst others, recommendations for policy, such as the creation of a one-stop shop for provision of services, the introduction of quiet rooms in places such as hospitals and schools, the incentivising of youngsters to undertake studies related to disability in order to enrich the local pool of professionals, and the involvement of diagnosed individuals in decision-making processes. Recommendations for further research are also laid out, such as investigating gender differences related to ASD and ADHD, where females are typically underdiagnosed, or further examining the findings of this study by looking into ASD and ADHD separately to bring more insight into, for instance, findings related to the educational and employment attainments for these groupsnon peer-reviewe
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