Development, implementation, and evaluation of the Apollo model of pediatric rehabilitation service delivery

This article presents the experience of a rehabilitation program that un- dertook the challenge to reorganize its services to address accessibility issues and im- prove service quality. The context in which the reorganization process occurred, along with the relevant literature justifying the need for a new service delivery model, and an historical perspective on the planning; implementation; and evaluation phases of the process are described. In the planning phase, the constitution of the working committee, the data collected, and the information found in the literature are presented. Apollo, the new service delivery model, is then described along with each of its components (e.g., community, group, and individual interventions). Actions and lessons learnt during the implementation of each component are presented. We hope by sharing our experiences that we can help others make informed decisions about service reorganization to im- prove the quality of services provided to children with disabilities, their families, and their communities

A realist evaluation of a physical activity participation intervention for children and youth with disabilities: What works, for whom, in what circumstances, and how?

Background: The need to identify strategies that facilitate involvement in physical activity for children and youth with disabilities is recognised as an urgent priority. This study aimed to describe the association between context, mechanisms and outcome(s) of a participation-focused physical activity intervention to understand what works, in what conditions, and how. Methods: This study was designed as a realist evaluation. Participant recruitment occurred through purposive and theoretical sampling of children and parents participating in the Local Environment Model intervention at Beitostolen Healthsports Centre in Norway. Ethnographic methods comprising participant observation, interviews, and focus groups were employed over 15 weeks in the field. Data analysis was completed using the context-mechanism-outcome framework of realist evaluation. Context-mechanism-outcome connections were generated empirically from the data to create a model to indicate how the program activated mechanisms within the program context, to enable participation in physical activity. Results: Thirty one children with a range of disabilities (mean age 12y 6 m (SD 2y 2 m); 18 males) and their parents (n=44; 26 mothers and 18 fathers) participated in the study. Following data synthesis, a refined program theory comprising four context themes, five mechanisms, and six outcomes, were identified. The mechanisms (choice, fun, friends, specialised health professionals, and time) were activated in a context that was safe, social, learning-based and family-centred, to elicit outcomes across all levels of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health. Conclusions: The interaction of mechanisms and context as a whole facilitated meaningful outcomes for children and youth with disabilities, and their parents. Whilst optimising participation in physical activity is a primary outcome of the Local Environment Model, the refined program theory suggests the participation-focused approach may act as a catalyst to promote a range of outcomes. Findings from this study may inform future interventions attempting to enable participation in physical activity for children and youth with disabilities

Open data as a source of innovativeness of enterprises

Celem artykułu jest wskazanie dużego znaczenia otwartych danych w tworzeniu innowacji i stymulowaniu procesów innowacyjnych. Niewątpliwie jest to bardzo ważne źródło innowacji oraz innowacyjności przedsiębiorstwa. W artykule zwrócono przede wszystkim uwagę na to, że otwarte dane mogą wpisać się na stałe w proces innowacyjny, ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem modelu otwartych innowacji. Na podstawie analizy badań brytyjskich dostrzeżono powiązania pomiędzy kategorią danych a ich wartością dla przedsiębiorstwa. Opracowanie jest uproszczonym studium teoretycznym, które stanowi asumpt do badań empirycznych.The main objective of this article is to stress the role and importance of open data as an factor creating innovation and stimulating innovative processes. Undoubtedly, open data are very important source of innovation and innovativeness of enterprises. The article first of all points out that open data can be permanently embedded in the innovation process, with particular emphasis on the open innovation model. Based on the analyses of British research, links between the category of data and their value for the enterprises were underlined. This study gives theoretical basis for further empirical research

Impact of open data on innovation activities of enterprises

Otwarte dane mają istotne znaczenie dla działalności innowacyjnej przedsiębiorstw. Celem artykułu jest wskazanie korzyści wynikających z możliwości wykorzystania otwartych danych w działalności innowacyjnej na przykładzie kilku polskich przedsiębiorstw. Podkreślono rolę i znaczenie otwartych danych dla różnych obszarów działalności tych organizacji. Opracowanie powstało na bazie przeprowadzonych badań pilotażowych i stanowi wstęp do dalszych badań.Open data is getting on importance for everyday innovative activities of enterprises. The aim of this article is to point out the advantages of using open data in innovative activities of enterprises. The role and importance of open data for different areas of activities was underlined. The article was developed on the basis of pilot studies conducted among polish enterprises and it is starting point to further research in this field

Conceptualizing participation in context for children and youth with disabilities: an activity setting perspective.

This article considers the conceptualization, operationalization and implications of ‘‘activity settings’’ for research on the recreation and leisure participation of children and youth with disabilities. Activity settings are contextualized settings that situate child and youth activities and their participation experiences. We discuss activity settings as an important construct for considering environmental qualities that provide opportunities for beneficial participation experiences for children and youth with disabilities. The article considers existing research using the concept of activity settings, the conceptualization of environment and contemporary issues in the measurement of participation and environment, indicating how these are addressed by an activity settings approach. We then describe the development of two quantitative measures of recreation and leisure activity settings – one assessing environmental qualities and the other assessing youth experiences – that have the potential to inform researchers, managers and clinicians about relationships between environmental qualities and participation experiences. Finally, we consider the implications of an activity settings approach for research, theory building and clinical practice. Implications for Rehabilitation An activity setting perspective can enhance understanding of the recreation and leisure participation of children and youth with disabilities. The Measure of Environmental Qualities of Activity Settings (MEQAS) and Self-reported Experiences of Activity Settings (SEAS) provide unique assessments of environmental qualities and experiences from an activity setting perspective. Clinicians might use the SEAS alone to understand particular youth experiences in certain types of settings, which may be limiting or facilitating development. The combined use of the SEAS and MEQAS can provide experiential profiles linked to activity setting qualities such as structure, type of activity and social partners, providing a valuable source of information about youth programs. Link: http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.3109/09638288.2012.748836Canadian Institute of Health Research (TWC-95045)Canadian Institute of Health Research Vanier Canada Doctoral Scholarshi

Development of a measure to assess youth Self-reported Experiences of Activity Settings (SEAS)

There is a need for psychometrically-sound measures of youth experiences of community/home leisure activity settings. The 22-item Self-Reported Experiences of Activity Settings (SEAS) captures the following experiences of youth with a grade 3 level of language comprehension or more: Personal Growth, Psychological Engagement, Social Belonging, Meaningful Interactions, and Choice & Control. Forty-five youth ages 14 to 23 (10 with severe disabilities) completed the SEAS in 160 leisure activity settings. The SEAS has good to excellent internal consistency (Cronbach’s alphas from 0.71-0.88) and moderate test-retest reliability (mean scale ICC= 0.68) as expected due to changes in activity settings over time. The SEAS was able to differentiate various types of activity settings and participation partners. The SEAS can be used to gain greater understanding of situation specific experiences of youth participating in various types of recreation and leisure activity settings, including youth with different types of disabilities and those without disabilities. doi.org/10.1080/1034912X.2014.878542.Canadian Institutes of Health Research [TWC-95045].Canadian Institutes of Health Research Vanier Canada Doctoral Scholarshi

Visual-spatial cognition in children using aided communication

Item does not contain fulltextChildren with severe motor impairments are restricted in their manipulation and exploration of objects, but little is known about how such limitations influence cognitive development. This study investigated visual-constructional abilities in 75 children and adolescents, aged 5;0-15;11 (years;months), with severe speech impairments and no intellectual disabilities (aided group) and in 56 children and adolescents with typical development (reference group). Verbal comprehension, non-verbal reasoning, and visual-spatial perception were assessed with standardized tests. The task of the participants was to verbally instruct communication partners to make physical constructions identical to models that the partner could not see. In the aided group, 55.7% of the constructions were identical to the models participants described, compared to 91.3% in the reference group. In the aided group, test results explained 51.4% of the variance in construction errors. The results indicate that the participants' language skills were decisive for construction success. Visual-perceptual challenges were common among the aided communicators, and their instructions included little information about size and spatial relations. This may reflect less experience with object manipulation and construction than children with typical development, and using aided communication to instruct others to make three-dimensional constructions. The results imply a need for interventions that compensate for the lack of relevant experience.11 p

Visual-spatial cognition in children using aided communication

Children with severe motor impairments are restricted in their manipulation and exploration of objects, but little is known about how such limitations influence cognitive development. This study investigated visual-constructional abilities in 75 children and adolescents, aged 5;0-15;11 (years;months), with severe speech impairments and no intellectual disabilities (aided group) and in 56 children and adolescents with typical development (reference group). Verbal comprehension, non-verbal reasoning, and visual-spatial perception were assessed with standardized tests. The task of the participants was to verbally instruct communication partners to make physical constructions identical to models that the partner could not see. In the aided group, 55.7% of the constructions were identical to the models participants described, compared to 91.3% in the reference group. In the aided group, test results explained 51.4% of the variance in construction errors. The results indicate that the participants' language skills were decisive for construction success. Visual-perceptual challenges were common among the aided communicators, and their instructions included little information about size and spatial relations. This may reflect less experience with object manipulation and construction than children with typical development, and using aided communication to instruct others to make three-dimensional constructions. The results imply a need for interventions that compensate for the lack of relevant experience