Integrated working and outcomes for disabled children and their families: A service user perspective

There has been considerable discussion in the last decade about the integration of Children’s Services and the development of outcomes frameworks to evaluate their effectiveness. However, whilst these drivers have shaped a whole ‘generation’ of service development, scant attention has been paid to the evidence base as to any cause and effect relationship between the two or to any service-user perspective. It is from this standpoint of ‘barrenness’ that the research question emerged. This study outlines the gap in the existing knowledge base as to whether integrating services does in fact impact on outcomes specifically for the parents/carers of disabled children from a service user perspective. The interpretive methodology adopted is that of a grounded theory approach, moving the reader towards emerging ‘new’ theory. To accomplish the task the author presents her individual paradigm and explores the extant literature to inform her findings. The methods implemented are described in detail and findings which initially ‘tell the story’ of experiences of integrated services, and identification of outcomes, reposition the reader within an integrated framework where both basic needs and more aspirational outcomes can be addressed. Current gaps in integrated services are highlighted and implications for both further research and future service provision are offered in conclusion

Cepheid Color-Temperature Relations

Using our 1997 work in spectroscopic temperatures, as well as published Cepheid photometry, we derive color-temperature relations for a set of 13 Cepheids in Galactic clusters. The colors and temperatures used are individual values taken at different phases, rather than mean values averaged over the pulsational cycle. The observed colors are corrected for both reddening and metallicity. The effect of gravity on the colors is small. We find that B-V and V-R are the best colors to use to determine a Cepheid photometric temperature scale. These color-temperature relations will be useful for future Cepheid Baade-Wesselink studies and for abundance analyses of more Galactic and extragalactic Cepheids

The effectiveness of three types of practice in word recognition in grades II and III

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston Universit

Lithium and r-Process Abundances in the Population II Cepheid M5 V42

We report the results of an abundance analysis of the 25.7 day Population II Cepheid V42 in the globular cluster M5. V42 is probably a post–asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star, in its final crossing of the H-R diagram. We find [Fe/H] = -1.22, in excellent agreement with a similar analysis of this star by Gonzalez & Lambert, and of red giants in M5 by Sneden et al. The analysis is based on six spectra obtained during three different phases of the star's pulsational cycle. Oxygen is depleted, and sodium is enhanced, while the "α" elements Mg, Si, Ca, and Ti are enhanced by about 0.3 dex. Most interesting, lithium is detected, with log (Li) ≈ +1.8, suggesting the production of lithium and its rapid transport to the surface. Zinc and silicon abundances are normal with respect to iron and calcium, suggesting that depletion onto dust grains during the AGB stage has not affected the star's abundances. The neutron-capture elements show ratios consistent with a nearly pure r-process origin. This r-process dominance is probably unrelated to the production of lithium, since the cluster's red giant branch stars show a similar pattern. Nonetheless, it appears that some low-mass, metal-poor stars do not solely destroy lithium in the course of their normal evolution

An Intensive, Interdisciplinary Treatment Program for Persons with Aphasia

Traditionally, much of individual aphasia therapy has been focused on attempts to remediate underlying linguistic deficits. While many treatments have been shown to improve discrete language functions (Robey et al, 1998), those newly learned skills do not always transfer readily to non-trained environments. Over the past two decades, a growing number of aphasiologists have begun to focus their attention on social approaches to aphasia assessment and treatment (Elman, 2007). One such approach, group treatment, serves as a natural and dynamic vehicle to improve social communication, which has been shown to improve discrete language skills in persons with aphasia (pwa), (Elman & Bernstein-Ellis, 1999). Group treatment frequently co-occurs with individual therapy, but is rarely used as a formal mechanism to train generalization. Another area of broad discussion in aphasia rehabilitation is the concept of treatment intensity. Basso (2005) reported that pwa who received a higher number of therapy sessions improved more than those who received a lower number of therapy sessions. Bhogal et al (2003) found that treatment provided on a more intense level (>8.8 hours/week) for a shorter period of time resulted in stronger improvements compared to treatment provided on a less intense level over a longer period of time. A final issue is that individuals with stroke-induced aphasia often present with concomitant motor, cognitive and dietary/cardiac issues. Thus it seems that an interdisciplinary approach incorporating physical, occupational and nutritional therapy would also be beneficial. This paper explores the speech-language effects of a treatment program, which attempts to incorporate evidenced-based treatment, in an intensive, interdisciplinary format. Pilot data from an initial cohort completed June 2011 as well as multiple-baseline data from a second cohort completed June 2012 is presented

When Music Speaks: Mental Health and Next Steps in the Danish Music Industry. Part 1 - Danish Music Creators' Subjective Wellbeing and Mental Health

This report contains findings based on the largest ever study of musicians’ and music creators’ mental health in Scandinavia, with 1865 survey respondents. Across our whole sample of musicians and more broadly defined music-makers in Denmark, subjective wellbeing is estimated to be worse than the wider Danish population based on our best approximation, with young music creators and women particularly badly affected. Levels of anxiety (measured using the HADS-A scale) are high amongst our sample. 45.8% received scores indicating abnormal levels of anxiety. However, age is significant variable here. For survey respondents under the age of 40, 68.7% received scores indicating abnormal levels of anxiety, with 42.8% reaching the threshold of clinical significance. Anxiety was seen to be most acute in the age band 25-29 years. For those in this age band, 78.2% received scores indicating abnormal levels of anxiety, with 49.1% showing clinically significant anxiety, of which 15.5% scored severe, clinically significant, anxiety. Gender is also a significant variable. For female respondents, 65.4% received scores indicating abnormal levels of anxiety (of which 41.2% reached the threshold of clinical significance) compared to 39.1% for men. Of those respondents who can be categorised as having abnormal anxiety, 61% of these considered music as their main career. This suggests, in line with other global studies, that the music career itself is a significant factor

When Music Speaks: Mental Health and Next Steps in the Danish Music lndustry. Part 2 - A Review of Models of Musicians' Mental Health Interventions

Executive Summary: • There is a need for peer-reviewed scholarship on the effectiveness of musicians’ mental health interventions. • An initial review of global mental health interventions for musicians was undertaken as part of this report from which four models of practice were discernible: telephone helplines; preventative models; therapeutic approaches, and peer support models. These are not mutually exclusive nor necessarily exhaustive. • We have named examples of organisations throughout who are included as examples of best practice that draw on these models (wholly or in part). • Of the four models explored below, and with reference to our survey findings on Danish music creators, we would suggest that both therapeutic and peer support models offer the most favourable evidence base. Resilience-based, preventative methods are potentially promising for musical performers at specific career stages and in certain demographics despite a lack of peer-reviewed evidence to date, and helplines based on need in a crisis are, on balance, likely to offer less utility in the Danish context given our survey data. • Of all of the four models we have explored, a more holistic and/or multi-faceted approach is likely to yield the best results, which is indeed adopted by many of the organisations named. • The best examples of musicians’ mental health interventions embed mechanisms in order to rigorously evaluate effectiveness amongst service users across different modalities, time scales and musician demographics, and share these findings with stakeholders, with service offerings adapted accordingly

Food Shelf Friendly: Increasing the Nutritional Quality of Food Shelf Donations

Introduction: Food insecurity is a household-level economic and social condition of limited access to nutritionally adequate and safe food. Food banks provide a major source of sustenance for individuals experiencing food insecurity, many of whom deal with obesity, diabetes and hypertension, however, the nutritional contents of many donations to these operations fail to meet the dietary recommendations set forth by the USDA for individuals with many chronic health conditions. In the present economy there is increasing demand for the services of local food shelves, however, often these organizations are unable to sufficiently meet the needs of their clients with regard to quantity ,and perhaps more importantly, the nutritional quality and variety of food available. One cause of the lack of nutritionally rich donations is poor public education about the needs of the food shelf and its clients. This study seeks to determine if consumer education at the point of purchase can influence donation decisions to increase the quantity and improve the nutritional quality of items donated to the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf in a sustainable and reproducible manner.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1034/thumbnail.jp