An analysis of voice and language characteristics in an oral recall situation

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston Universit

Stock assessment and management recommendations for Pacific sardine (Sardinops sagax) in 1997

The primary goal of sardine management as directed by the California Fish and Game Code is rehabilitation of the resource with an added objective of maximizing sustained harvest. Accordingly, the Code states that the annual sardine quota can be set at an amount greater than 1,000 tons, providing that the level of take allows for continued increase in the spawning population. We estimated the sardine population size to have been 464,000 short tons on July 1, 1997. Our estimate was based on output from a modified version of the integrated stock assessment model called CANSAR (Deriso et al. 1996). CANSAR is a forward-casting, age-structured analysis using fishery-dependent and fishery-independent data to obtain annual estimates of sardine abundance, year-class strength and age-specific fishing mortality for 1983 through the first semester of 1997. Non-linear least-squares criteria are used to find the best fit between model estimates and input data. Questions about stock structure and range extent remain major sources of uncertainty in assessing current sardine population biomass. Recent survey results and anecdotal evidence suggest increased sardine abundance in the Pacific Northwest and areas offshore from central and southern California. It is difficult to determine if those fish were part of the stock available to the California fishery. In an attempt to address this problem, the original CANSAR model was reconfigured into a Two-Area Migration Model (CANSAR-TAM) which accounted for sardine lost to the areas of the fishery and abundance surveys due to population expansion and net emigration. While the model includes guesses and major assumptions about net emigration and recruitment, it provides an estimate which is likely closer to biological reality than past assessments. The original CANSAR model was also used and estimates are provided for comparison. Based on the 1997 estimate of total biomass and the harvest formula used last year, we recommend a 1998 sardine harvest quota of 48,000 tons for the California fishery. The 1998 quota is a decrease of 11% from the final 1997 sardine harvest quota for California of 54,000 tons. (55pp.

Neurodiversity at work: a biopsychosocial model and the impact on working adults

The term neurodiversity is defined and discussed from the perspectives of neuroscience, psychology and campaigners with lived experience, illustrating the development of aetiological theories for included neurodevelopmental disorders. The emerging discourse is discussed with relevance to adults, social inclusion, occupational performance and the legislative obligations of organizations

Diamond in the rough? An ‘empty review’ of research into ‘neurodiversity’ and a road map for developing the inclusion agenda

Neurodiversity broadly refers to naturally occurring diversity in human cognition (Singer, 1999). It is frequently used as an umbrella term for a range of neurocognitive developmental disorders (Doyle, 2020; Kapp, Gillespie-Lynch, Sherman, & Hutman, 2013) including Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder or Dyslexia. Recent public dialogue has shifted to the term ‘neurominority’ to sign post that relevant individuals are disadvantaged regarding a range of life outcomes including systemic social exclusion in education and inferior employment outcomes (Carter, Austin, & Trainor, 2012; Snowling, Adams, Bowyer-Crane, & Tobin, 2000). Subsequent restriction of opportunities for a fulfilled working life and career (Holliday, Koller, & Thomas, 1999; Taylor & Walter, 2003) is in contrast to emerging popular narratives about the talent potential of neurodiversity for modern workplaces (Austin & Pisano, 2017; Sniderman, 2014): the ‘diamond in the rough’ (Doyle, Patton, Fung, Bruk-Lee, & Bruyere, 2020). In this paper, we highlight the inadequate scope and focus of academic attention on neurodiversity and employment to date across the fields of applied psychology and management studies. We contextualise the neurodiversity paradigm from a medical, social and legal perspective in the wider workplace equality, diversity and inclusion agenda. Through a series of ‘Empty Reviews’ defined as a targeted analysis of literature gaps through systematic literature review principles (Schlosser & Sigafoos, 2009; Yaffe, Montgomery, Hopewell, & Shepard, 2012), we illustrate the dearth of tangible evidence. Through due diligence in our conceptualization including definition of gaps in knowledge, we outline a future research and practice agenda to facilitate informed inclusion for a marginalized minority. In other words, it is our aim to support evidence-based practice in this emerging field guiding Human Resources (HR) and employment policy to mitigate labor force exclusio

The neurodiversity movement. A tipping point. Community reflections on the lived experience of neurodivergent people through the lifespan

(PowerPoint Presentation: art by Gabrielle Goodridge; editing by Marianne Cole

Context matters: a review to formulate a conceptual framework for coaching as a disability accommodation

Although dyslexia affects 5–8% of the workforce this developmental disorder has not been sufficiently researched in adult populations. Yet a diagnosis confers legal protections as employers must provide disability ‘accommodations’ to assist work functioning and performance. The implementation of such accommodations, including coaching, lacks theoretical framing and evaluations of impact in practice. Recognizing a need for conceptual work, we undertook a narrative, systematic scoping review from a realist pragmatic epistemology, taking an iterative approach to define and address the review question: ‘to what extent, and under what conditions, can face-to-face learning interventions improve Working Memory (WM) and Self-Efficacy (SE) and can these lead to functional improvements related to work performance?’ Informed by expert and stakeholder consultation and user data, our review extracted and synthesized 25 studies from eleven countries to identify potentially applicable learning intervention theories, their effects upon WMand SE but also functional outcomes such as comprehension. We suggest that intervention protocols informed by Social Cognitive Learning Theory can improve SE, as would be expected, and more surprisingly also WM. The development of metacognition, stress management and fidelity to Goal Setting Theory were identified as valuable intervention features. We propose that coaching activities may provide a more contextualized environment for transfer of learning from WM to functional skills such as comprehension, when compared to computerized training interventions. We call for theoretically underpinned, primary studies to evaluate interventions with adult dyslexic populations to further our understanding of disability accommodations

Disability coaching in a pandemic

Purpose: An applied study using convenience data was conducted to compare the experiences of neurodivergent adults undergoing workplace coaching before and during the pandemic. Design/Methodology/Approach: The naturally occurring opportunity permitted a comparison of face-to-face and remote coaching in three cohorts, pre-pandemic (100% face-to-face), forced remote (100% remote) and choice (remote or face-to-face; 85% selected remote). A total of 409 participants self-reported performance before and 12 weeks after completing an average of 11 hours coaching. Findings: Significant differences between before and after scores for performance, with large effect sizes, were reported for all three cohorts across six dependent variables: memory, time management, organisational skills, stress management, understanding neurodiversity and concentration. There was no significant difference between the cohorts in terms of the magnitude of the effect. We found significant differences between the cohorts in terms of which topics were chosen as foci for the coaching, with executive functions related topics becoming less popular in the choice cohort. Implications: We abductively reasoned our results to suggest a positive relationship between personalized environments and cognitive demands for this client group. We call for further, theoretically grounded research exploring the role of coaching and environment in understanding the work performance of neurodivergent adults at work. Originality: The study contributes to the emerging knowledge on the different experiences of in-person and video-mediated coaching. Our focus on neurodivergent employees, which are heretofore less well researched within the workplace, provides essential data to support practitioners in maximizing opportunity for a marginalized group

Intersectional stigma for Autistic people at work: a compound adverse impact effect on labor force participation and experiences of belonging

Background: Little research addresses the experiences of autistic people at work, yet employment prospects remain bleak. The extant literature takes a largely remedial perspective and does not focus on harnessing this population's considerable talents. In global organizational practice, several programs purposefully target autistic people for their abilities. However, preliminary evidence suggests that such programs are inadvertently attracting mainly White males, to the exclusion of other demographics. Therefore, stigma surrounding autism at work remains, creating potential compound adverse impacts by marginalizing identities, including gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality, and socioeconomic status. We explored the intersection of autism with other marginalizing identities in the context of work. The research focused on labor force participation for autistic people and, for those in employment, perceptions of exclusion and inclusion. We compared the aforementioned variables by gender identity, racial identity, sexuality, socioeconomic background, and geographic origin. Methods: We undertook a global cross-sectional survey, advertised through various social media platforms and promoted directly to relevant organizations. The survey included a range of validated measures as well as demographic information. We analyzed the data with frequencies, cross tabulations, chi-square tests, and non-parametric, group-wise comparisons. Results: We found preliminary evidence of reduced rates of employment participation by race and geographic location. Females and non-binary people had lower perceptions of inclusion and belonging at work. The perception of accommodation provision had a strong association with inclusion and belonging; more so than incidental provision of flexibility in environment and scheduling not framed as a specific accommodation. Conclusions: The findings highlight the relational aspects of accommodation and a more universal inclusion perspective. We urge practitioners and researchers to monitor employment participation and levels of inclusion/exclusion using intersectional demographic identification. We appeal for cross-cultural collaboration with academic institutions outside the anglosphere to improve our knowledge of global programs and their impact