Community Based Program for Young Adults with High Functioning Autism: Social Participation and Dating

Purpose: In the United States, autism spectrum disorders affect 1 in 88 individuals (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2012). Autism spectrum disorders affect individuals throughout their lifespan (Alexander, 2011). The most significant impairment in individuals with high functioning autism experience is qualitative impairment in social interaction (Sadock & Sadock, 2008). Services for individuals with autism spectrum disorders are available until the age of 21. Therefore, adults with autism spectrum disorders have limited access to intervention even though they continue to struggle (Shattuck, Wagner, Narendorf, Sterzinger, & Hansley, 2011). The focus of this project is young adults with high functioning autism spectrum disorder and the social interactions that occur in relationships, specifically dating. Methods: An extensive literature review was conducted in order to understand difficulties individuals face in dating along with evidenced-based interventions for social participation. The information obtained from the literature review was then analyzed using the Person Environment Occupation model (Law et al., 1996). Through the use of the Person Environment Occupation model, a systematic analysis of the occupational performances issues was conducted. Areas of need were then identified and interventions were created to improve occupational performance specific to dating. Results: Based upon the methodology described above, we developed a community based dating intervention protocol for young adults with high functioning autism spectrum disorders. The program includes weekly 90 minute sessions for 14 weeks. Each session focuses on a deficit area identified in the literature review as well as the systematic analysis. Sessions are graded to build upon one another in order to facilitate successful acquisition of dating skills. Conclusion: Several barriers may limit this programs implementation, such as the length of dedicated time to the program, limited funding and resources, and the effectiveness and validity of the program have not yet been researched. Despite these weaknesses, the program has several areas of strength including filling a current need, serving adults with autism spectrum disorders. The program is also based on research and grounded in a model

It Depends: The Conditional Correlation Between Frequency of Storybook Reading and Emergent Literacy Skills in Children At Risk for Language Difficulty

The current study examined the association between frequency of storybook reading and emergent literacy in 212 children at risk for language impairment, assessed during the fall semester of kindergarten. Measures included parent-reported storybook reading, as well as direct assessments of print knowledge, letter awareness, and expressive vocabulary. Results suggested nonsignificant to moderate (r = .11 to .25) correlations between frequency of storybook reading and child emergent literacy across the entire range of environment and ability. Quantile regression results suggested that the association was highest at low frequency of storybook reading, particularly for print knowledge, approaching r = .50. Moreover, the association between frequency of storybook reading and emergent literacy was highest at higher levels of emergent literacy for print knowledge, but particularly for letter naming, approaching r = .80. These results suggest that in children with language difficulties, the relationship between aspects of the home environment and emergent literacy is conditional upon the quality of the home environment as well as child’s proficiency in emergent literacy skills

Quality of the Literacy Environment in Inclusive Early Childhood Special Education ECSE Classrooms

The purpose of this study was to examine the quality of the literacy environment in inclusive early childhood special education (ECSE) classrooms (N = 54). The first aim was to describe the quality of the literacy environment in terms of structure (i.e., book materials and print/writing materials) and instruction (i.e., instructional support). The second aim was to examine the interrelationships among teacher and classroom characteristics and the quality of the literacy environment. Results showed that, on average, the quality of the structural literacy environment was low to moderate, and the quality of the instructional literacy environment was generally low. The number of children who were Dual Language Learners related to the quality of the structural literacy environment. The quality of the instructional literacy environment was positively associated with two teacher variables (teacher education and self-efficacy) and was negatively associated with one teacher variable (the number of language and literacy workshops attended). Implications are discussed

Longitudinal Analysis of Antibody Responses to Trachoma Antigens Before and After Mass Drug Administration.

Blinding trachoma, caused by the bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis, is a neglected tropical disease targeted for elimination by 2020. A major component of the elimination strategy is mass drug administration (MDA) with azithromycin. Currently, program decisions are made based on clinical signs of ocular infection, but we have been investigating the use of antibody responses for post-MDA surveillance. In a previous study, IgG responses were detected in children lacking clinical evidence of trachoma, suggesting that IgG responses represented historical infection. To explore the utility of serology for program evaluation, we compared IgG and IgA responses to trachoma antigens and examined changes in IgG and IgA post-drug treatment. Dried blood spots and ocular swabs were collected with parental consent from 264 1-6 year olds in a single village of Kongwa District, central Tanzania. Each child also received an ocular exam for detection of clinical signs of trachoma. MDA was given, and six months later an additional blood spot was taken from these same children. Ocular swabs were analyzed for C. trachomatis DNA and antibody responses for IgA and total IgG were measured in dried bloods spots. Baseline antibody responses showed an increase in antibody levels with age. By age 6, the percentage positive for IgG (96.0%) was much higher than for IgA (74.2%). Antibody responses to trachoma antigens declined significantly six months after drug treatment for most age groups. The percentage decrease in IgA response was much greater than for IgG. However, no instances of seroreversion were observed. Data presented here suggest that focusing on concordant antibody responses in children will provide the best serological surveillance strategy for evaluation of trachoma control programs

The Fountain District: Framework Plan

The \u27South Auditorium\u27 neighborhood established itself in the days when loggers and other workers filled the district’s hotels due to its proximity to the river. In the wake of the Great Depression and as the logging trade declined, the area began to fall into disrepair and development shifted away from the Willamette River. By the 1950s, many of its 2,000+ inhabitants were low-income or elderly and living in small, poorly maintained apartments, shuffling from one to the next as they were forced out of their prior home. The neighborhood was also extremely diverse, housing numerous immigrant families, particularly Italian, Jewish, Chinese, and African American families. In 1955, the newly formed Portland Development Commission targeted a block of land in what was then considered part of South Portland as a test of the new Urban Renewal philosophy making the rounds in planning circles, at the behest of the Mayor’s Advisory Committee. It was decided that a 110 acre portion of the district would be razed in two phases. Interestingly, the district had originally been intended as the home for a new expo center or coliseum, with the remaining redevelopment occurring around it. This center would be just the sort of attraction to lure people to the city center, it was believed; these plans were scrapped, however, after conflicts between interested parties on each side of the Willamette resulted in the centerpiece of the project (later to be Veterans’ Memorial Coliseum) being relocated to the eastern side of the river. Inspired by the design principles of Le Corbusier and the budgets of major firms such as Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill (SOM), renewal pressed onward, with the forthcoming towers and plazas to be punctuated by greenspaces, among them a set of fountains crafted by Lawrence Halprin. Little, if anything, remains of the district as it had existed prior to the removal of the area’s residences, businesses, and the communities who resided there. This project was conducted under the supervision of Donald J. Stastny and Edward Starkie

Effects of ambient air pollution on obesity and ectopic fat deposition:a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction - Globally, the prevalence of obesity tripled from 1975 to 2016. There is evidence that air pollution may contribute to the obesity epidemic through an increase in oxidative stress and inflammation of adipose tissue. However, the impact of air pollution on body weight at a population level remains inconclusive. This systematic review and meta-analysis will estimate the association of ambient air pollution with obesity, distribution of ectopic adipose tissue, and the incidence and prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease among adults. Methods and analysis.The study will follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines for conduct and reporting. The search will include the following databases: Ovid Medline, Embase, PubMed, Web of Science and Latin America and the Caribbean Literature on Health Sciences, and will be supplemented by a grey literature search. Each article will be independently screened by two reviewers, and relevant data will be extracted independently and in duplicate. Study-specific estimates of associations and their 95% Confidence Intervals will be pooled using a DerSimonian and Laird random-effects model, implemented using the RevMan software. The I2 statistic will be used to assess interstudy heterogeneity. The confidence in the body of evidence will be assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach.Ethics and disseminationAs per institutional policy, ethical approval is not required for secondary data analysis. In addition to being published in a peer-reviewed journal and presented at conferences, the results of the meta-analysis will be shared with key stakeholders, health policymakers and healthcare professionals.Prospero registration numberCRD42023423955

Parks Canada’s adaptation framework and workshop approach: Lessons learned across a diverse series of adaptation workshops

In 2017, the Canadian Parks Council Climate Change Working Group, a team of federal, provincial, and territorial representatives, developed a Climate Change Adaptation Framework for Parks and Protected Areas, guiding practitioners through a simple, effective five-step adaptation process. This framework was adapted by Parks Canada into a two-day adaptation workshop approach, with 11 workshops subsequently held from September 2017 to May 2019 at Parks Canada sites in the Yukon, Quebec, Manitoba, Alberta, Nova Scotia, British Columbia, Newfoundland, and Ontario. Lessons learned from each workshop have been integrated into the approach, with the development of tools and guidance for each phase of the process, and a shareable, visual “placemat” that describes each step of the framework, acting as a map for those navigating the process

Relations between Home Literacy Environment, Child Characteristics, and Print Knowledge for Preschool Children with Language Impairment

To contribute to the modest body of work examining the home literacy environment (HLE) and emergent literacy outcomes for children with disabilities, this study addressed two aims: (a) to determine the unique contributions of the HLE on print knowledge of preschool children with language impairment (LI); and (b) to identify whether specific child characteristics (oral language ability, print interest) moderated these relations. The sample consisted of 119 preschool children with LI. HLE was conceptualized as frequency of storybook reading and literacy teaching during book reading. Frequency of storybook reading was a unique predictor of print knowledge, which is consistent with research on children with typical language. Literacy teaching did not predict print knowledge, which diverges from research on children with typical language. No interactions between the HLE and child characteristics were significant, but language ability and print interest play a role in understanding individual differences in literacy development