The BeHealthyR Study: A randomized trial of a multicomponent intervention to reduce stress, smoking and improve financial health of low-income residents in Rotterdam

Background: Compared to higher socioeconomic status (SES) groups, those in lower SES groups are financially strained, experience higher rates of smoking-related morbidity, are in poorer health and have reduced life expectancy. This is especially true for the city of Rotterdam, where a large inequality in health is observed between low and high SES groups. The BeHealthyR study (Dutch: Grip en Gezondheid) is a randomized controlled trial (RCT) which will evaluate the impact of a theory-based multicomponent behavior intervention aiming to reduce stress, smoking, and improve financial health by means of a group-based stress management program combining cognitive and behavioral techniques, and nudges in low-SES residents living in Rotterdam. Methods: The BeHealthyR study is a three-arm RCT. Between February 2018 and July 2019, low-SES participants who perceive stress, smoke, are financially strained and reside in Rotterdam (one of the four largest cities in The Netherlands) are recruited. Subsequently, participants are randomly assigned to either a stress management condition (SM), stress management with a buddy condition (SM-B) or a control condition (CC). Participants in the SM and SM-B conditions will attend four weekly group sessions (1.5 h/session) and a follow-up session eight weeks later. The SM condition includes psychoeducation and exercises, and cognitive and behavioral intervention techniques. Demographic data and objective measures will be collected at baseline (T0), four weeks post-baseline (T1), and twelve weeks post-baseline (T2). Primary outcome measures are to reduce stress, smoking and improve financial health. We hypothesize that low-SES participants in the intervention conditions, compared with those in the control condition, will experience less stress, smoke less and have improved financial health. Discussion: This study is a group-based intervention which aims to investigate the effects of a theory-based behavioral change intervention employing several components on reducing stress, smoking, and improving financial health in low-SES residents living in Rotterdam. If effective, the findings from the present study will serve to inform future directions of research and clinical practice with regard to behavioral change interventions for low-SES groups. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov (ID: NCT03553979). Registered on January 1 2018

Therapeutic and educational objectives in robot assisted play for children with autism

“This material is presented to ensure timely dissemination of scholarly and technical work. Copyright and all rights therein are retained by authors or by other copyright holders. All persons copying this information are expected to adhere to the terms and constraints invoked by each author's copyright. In most cases, these works may not be reposted without the explicit permission of the copyright holder." “Copyright IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. However, permission to reprint/republish this material for advertising or promotional purposes or for creating new collective works for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or to reuse any copyrighted component of this work in other works must be obtained from the IEEE.” DOI: 10.1109/ROMAN.2009.5326251This article is a methodological paper that describes the therapeutic and educational objectives that were identified during the design process of a robot aimed at robot assisted play. The work described in this paper is part of the IROMEC project (Interactive Robotic Social Mediators as Companions) that recognizes the important role of play in child development and targets children who are prevented from or inhibited in playing. The project investigates the role of an interactive, autonomous robotic toy in therapy and education for children with special needs. This paper specifically addresses the therapeutic and educational objectives related to children with autism. In recent years, robots have already been used to teach basic social interaction skills to children with autism. The added value of the IROMEC robot is that play scenarios have been developed taking children's specific strengths and needs into consideration and covering a wide range of objectives in children's development areas (sensory, communicational and interaction, motor, cognitive and social and emotional). The paper describes children's developmental areas and illustrates how different experiences and interactions with the IROMEC robot are designed to target objectives in these areas.Final Published versio

Voices from practice:When is the gap between diagnosis and intervention apparent?

Aim: In this manuscript an overview is provided of the current state of psycho-educational practice in the Netherlands, in particular the role of test outcomes considered. In order to detect clues for bridging the gap between diagnosis and intervention, one should investigate the ecology in which this gap is apparent. Method: Two in vivo studies have been carried out. In a first study, a questionnaire has been administered to a total of 36 school psychologists, 21 special care coordinators, and 44 teachers. Results: A qualitative analysis of the answers, by means of a classification scheme (κ.82), revealed questions about the specific role of intelligence tests and its consequences to educational practices. Therefore, a case study has been carried out in a second study. The case study provided in-depth information about the targeted care process around a grade 1 student. Conclusion: Results indicated a gap between diagnosis and intervention that followed after the administration of the intelligence test. Suggestions are proposed for improvement, and the need for interventions at the level of educational professionals is highlighted

Voices from practice:When is the gap between diagnosis and intervention apparent?

Aim: In this manuscript an overview is provided of the current state of psycho-educational practice in the Netherlands, in particular the role of test outcomes considered. In order to detect clues for bridging the gap between diagnosis and intervention, one should investigate the ecology in which this gap is apparent.Method: Two in vivo studies have been carried out. In a first study, a questionnaire has been administered to a total of 36 school psychologists, 21 special care coordinators, and 44 teachers.Results: A qualitative analysis of the answers, by means of a classification scheme (κ.82), revealed questions about the specific role of intelligence tests and its consequences to educational practices. Therefore, a case study has been carried out in a second study. The case study provided in-depth information about the targeted care process around a grade 1 student.Conclusion: Results indicated a gap between diagnosis and intervention that followed after the administration of the intelligence test. Suggestions are proposed for improvement, and the need for interventions at the level of educational professionals is highlighted.<br/

Voices from practice:When is the gap between diagnosis and intervention apparent?

Aim: In this manuscript an overview is provided of the current state of psycho-educational practice in the Netherlands, in particular the role of test outcomes considered. In order to detect clues for bridging the gap between diagnosis and intervention, one should investigate the ecology in which this gap is apparent. Method: Two in vivo studies have been carried out. In a first study, a questionnaire has been administered to a total of 36 school psychologists, 21 special care coordinators, and 44 teachers. Results: A qualitative analysis of the answers, by means of a classification scheme (κ.82), revealed questions about the specific role of intelligence tests and its consequences to educational practices. Therefore, a case study has been carried out in a second study. The case study provided in-depth information about the targeted care process around a grade 1 student. Conclusion: Results indicated a gap between diagnosis and intervention that followed after the administration of the intelligence test. Suggestions are proposed for improvement, and the need for interventions at the level of educational professionals is highlighted