Using coloured filters to reduce the symptoms of visual stress in children with reading delay

Background: Meares Irlen Syndrome (MIS), otherwise known as “visual stress”, is one condition that can cause difficulties with reading. Aim: This study aimed to compare the effect of two coloured-filter systems on the symptoms of visual stress in children with reading delay. Methods: The study design was a pre-test, post-test, randomized head-to-head comparison of two filter systems on the symptoms of visual stress in school children. A total of 68 UK mainstream schoolchildren with significant impairment in reading ability completed the study. Results: The filter systems appeared to have a large effect on the reported symptoms between pre and post three-month time points (d = 2.5, r = 0.78). Both filter types appeared to have large effects (Harris d = 1.79, r = 0.69 and DRT d = 3.22, r = 0.85). Importantly, 35% of participants’ reported that their symptoms had resolved completely; 72% of the 68 children appeared to gain improvements in three or more visual stress symptoms. Conclusion and significance: The reduction in symptoms, which appeared to be brought about by the use of coloured filters, eased the visual discomfort experienced by these children when reading. This type of intervention therefore has the potential to facilitate occupational engagement

Pelaksanaan Program Upaya Kesehatan Kerja pada Pos Ukk di Wilayah Kerja Puskesemas Kampung Bugis Kota Tanjungpinang Kepulauan Riau

The implementation of occupational health efforts program at Pos UKK in the workplace of Kampung Bugis Health Center Tanjungpinang City Riau Islands. The main program of occupational health efforts Pos UKK is to provide preventive and promotive services to the workers members. Pos UKK cadre expected to implement health efforts program well. The problem in this research is, how the occupational health efforts program implemented at Pos UKK in the workplace of Kampung Bugis Health Center. This research is a qualitative research method, in order to get more in-depth information about the implementation of occupational health efforts program at Pos UKK. Informants in this study were 6 people, which 2 people from the Pasir Putih Pos UKK (chairman and members), 2 people from Sehat Sejahtera Pos UKK (chairman and members), and 2 people of the Sejahtera Mandiri Post UKK (chairman and members). The results showed that the occupational health efforts program in Pos UKK Kampung Bugis Health Centre workplace still held by the cadre. However, the implementation wasn't optimal. The main program of occupational health efforts Pos UKK (health promotion and preventive) can not be carried out by a cadre of Pos UKK. Pos UKK cadres can only perform curative service. This is due to lack of knowledge and understanding of the role and function of cadres Pos UKK especially about health promotion and preventive. This condition also can not be separated from the role of Kampung Bugis health centers to the Pos UKK auxiliaries.The small sources of financial inclusion in Pos UKK in the workplace of Kampung Bugis Health Center also cause this condition. Coaching and training on the role and functions of Pos UKK cadres (primarily promotion and preventive) are continuous and sustainable to be implemented by the health centers Kampung Bugis in order to improve the knowledge and skills the cadres of Pos UKK. Landing and assisted health workers of Kampung Bugis Health Centre need to upgrading to the successful occupational health efforts program implemented at Pos UKK in the workplace of Kampung Bugis Health Center

Single-Session Attention Bias Modification Training in Victims of Work-Related Accidents

Individuals who experienced traumatic work-related accidents frequently show cognitive deficits and biased processing of trauma-relevant information, which, in turn, could increase the risk of further accidents. The attention bias modification training (ABMT) is designed to reduce hypervigilance toward and enhance attentional disengagement from threat stimuli. The aim of the present study was to assess whether it is possible to implicitly reduce the attentional bias toward trauma-related stimuli through a single session of ABMT in individuals who experienced a traumatic occupational accident. Nineteen individuals who had experienced a traumatic work-related accident and 11 workers who never experienced a work accident (control group) underwent a preliminary assessment of cognitive performance (executive functions and sustained attention) and an evaluation of the attentional bias toward accident-related pictures by means of a dot-probe task. The results showed that injured workers performed more poorly than controls in tasks of executive functions and concentration abilities. Also, injured workers showed an attentional bias toward trauma reminders (i.e., faster reaction times to probes replacing trauma-related pictures). Injured workers were then randomly allocated to a single-session of ABMT (N = 10) or to an Attention Control Condition (ACC; N = 9). After the training, the dot-probe task was administered again to assess changes in the attentional bias toward trauma-relevant pictures. Injured workers who underwent the ABMT, but not those who underwent the ACC, showed a significant reduction of the attentional bias from pre- to post-training. Overall, these results support previous findings reporting an association between traumatic occupational accidents and cognitive dysfunctions. More importantly, these preliminary findings add to a growing body of evidence suggesting the effectiveness of a short ABMT in reducing the attentional bias after a traumatic workplace accident

Occupational screening

Medical screening of workers is one of the tools often used to assess suitability for work and to attempt to reduce worker ill-health. This article outlines the objectives of the screening process and the basic criteria to be followed in developing a quality programme. It describes the different types of medical examination used in this setting. Screening programmes should be related to hazards specific to the work place as well as to the physical and mental requirements of the job. The guiding principle in the prevention of occupational disease should always be the control of hazardous exposure to prevent harmful effects occurring rather than early detection of harmful effects after they have occurred. The importance of being aware of and abiding by these principles is particularly applicable in the local context.peer-reviewe

The Acute Influence of Occupational Footwear on Balance

There is a great number of potential risks for falls and injuries because of problems in the workplace. In 2010, there were almost 3.1 million nonfatal and 646 fatal illnesses and injuries disclosed in the workplace (BLS, 2010). Fatal and nonfatal occupational injuries have decreased in the recent years but there is still much room to improve. Inappropriate footwear has been attributed to 45% of all falls (Menant et al. 2008). Past studies have shown that industrial footwear can have a detrimental effect on balance (Menant et al. 2008, Chander, Garner & Wade 2013). Occupational footwear have not been designed based on foot biomechanics but based solely on physical safety. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect different types of occupational footwear have on dynamic balance for acute bouts of time. Thirty-one healthy adult males (aged 21.2 ± 1.4 years; weight 82.6 ± 15.4 kg; height 179 ± 9.4 cm) with no musculoskeletal, orthopedic, neurological, cardiovascular, and vestibular abnormalities were examined. The participants were expected to come to two visit days. The first was a familiarization and lasted about ten minutes, while the second was the actual test and lasted about an hour. Dynamic balance was measured on the NeuroCom Equitest MCT (BWM, BWL, FWM, FWL). Latencies values were found to determine reaction times to the perturbations. Individuals were randomly assigned the three different types of footwear: work boot (WB) (mass 0.39±0.06 kg), tactical boot (TB) (mass 0.53±0.08 kg), and low-top slip-resistant shoe (LT) (mass 0.89±0.05 kg). 1 x 4 [Testing Session x Footwear Condition (BF v. LT v. TB v. WB)] RMANOVA was used to evaluate balance dependent variables. Post-hoc pairwise comparisons identified differences between footwear conditions. Significant differences were found in FWM and FWL translations, but post-hoc comparisons found no differences between footwear. Significant differences were also found in the BWL translations between the barefoot condition and TB and between the barefoot condition and WB. Both the TB and WB had a higher boot shaft height as well as increased latency values. Higher latency values mean a longer time to respond to perturbations, which could result in a fall or injury. These results would suggest that based solely on latency values that the LT is the better footwear. If these findings were combined with findings on EMG, chronic responses, and SOT, one footwear could be deemed best

Two steps forward, one step back? A commentary on the disease-specific core sets of the international classification of functioning, Disability and Health (ICF)

The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) is advocated as a biopsychosocial framework and classification and has been received favourably by occupational therapists, disability rights organisations and proponents of the social model of disability. The success of the ICF largely depends on its uptake in practice and it is considered unwieldy in its full format. Therefore, to make the ICF user friendly, the World Health Organisation (WHO) have condensed the original format and developed core sets, some of which are disease specific. The authors use the ICF Core Set for stroke as an example to debate if by reverting to classification according to disease, the ICF is at risk of taking two steps forward, one step back in its holistic portrayal of health

Rawan Atari - The Influence of Multi-Sensory Environment on Physiological Response in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Children with Special Health Care Needs

A research study based on the sensory integration theory was conducted to examine the effects of multi-sensory environment (MSE) on physiological arousal in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and special health care needs. Adapted environments may serve as a mechanism to treat anxiety levels in a population of children who experience more severe generalized anxiety symptoms than typically developing children. The sample consisted of children with community-based diagnoses of ASD and children with special health care needs, primarily children diagnosed with cerebral palsy (CP) from the Milwaukee Center for Independence (MCFI). Treatment for the autism sample was carried out by a trained MCFI staff member and treatment for children with special health care needs was carried out by a trained physical therapist. Electrodermal response was used as a measure to detect the “fight or flight” response of the sympathetic nervous system. The measurement of electrodermal activity was recorded by a wireless bracelet device that recorded the skin conductance level of the participant prior to entering the sensory room, during treatment in the sensory room, and after exiting the sensory room. Results indicated increased arousal in children with CP, as sensory stimulation was the main goal of physical therapists. Results for the autism sample varied by participant and indicated that treatment needs to be individualized for optimal benefits. Findings support the use of MSE as an alternative technique to improve therapeutic opportunities for children with cerebral palsy by stimulating sensations that are otherwise generally dormant.https://epublications.marquette.edu/mcnair_2014/1000/thumbnail.jp

Effectiveness of sensory modulation in treating sensory modulation disorders in adults with schizophrenia: a Systematic Literature Review

Sensory modulation, as a treatment for sensory modulation disorders in adults with psychiatric conditions, has been implemented by occupational therapists for more than two decades. The purpose of this systematic literature review was to evaluate published research evidence relating to this intervention. The aim of the study was to determine if there was established evidence for the effectiveness of sensory modulation in treating sensory modulation disorder in adults with schizophrenia and to identify any gaps in knowledge to guide further research. We utilized Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)’s levels of evidence and recommendation grading and the Rosalind Franklin Research Appraisal Instrument (RF-QRA) to review selected articles. The results were then summarized and reported utilizing the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) framework. A total of 17 studies were included in the study. We concluded that there is preliminary evidence for the existence of sensory modulation disorder in schizophrenia and the effectiveness of sensory modulation interventions for reducing distress. We recommended further studies on the effectiveness of sensory modulation with better rigor and advise that guidelines be developed for use in practice by clinicians.Griffith Health, School of Applied PsychologyNo Full Tex

Tracking Report 2008 Puma, Vietnam 360084100G

This document is part of a digital collection provided by the Martin P. Catherwood Library, ILR School, Cornell University, pertaining to the effects of globalization on the workplace worldwide. Special emphasis is placed on labor rights, working conditions, labor market changes, and union organizing.FLA_2008_Puma_TR_Vietnam_360084100G.pdf: 16 downloads, before Oct. 1, 2020