The Implementation of the iPad In Reading Instruction

This research paper explores the implementation of the iPad into reading instruction, specifically, how do teachers use the iPad to facilitate reading instruction in middle school classrooms? Examining the implementation of the iPad in the classroom will provide insight into possible benefits, including increasing student engagement and reading comprehension. Students from one fifth grade and one sixth grade classroom were observed, interviewed and assessed after using the iPad in their daily reading instruction. The study resulted in inconclusive gains in comprehension and increased student engagement. The implementation of the iPad provides several opportunities for teachers to create interactive learning experiences that can be meaningful to all students and assist them in improving their literary skills

Adapting to a Challenging Fieldwork: Understanding the Ingredients

Two occupational therapy students were assigned to an inpatient psychiatric unit for their first Level 1 fieldwork. With limited on-site supervision provided, they looked to each other for peer support and collaboration in assisting one patient with severe depression who was considered the “sickest patient on the unit.” The students were able to work together and make a positive intervention with this patient despite their novice status. Understanding what each of them brought personally to this experience as well as the nature of their working relationship and their use of concepts taught in the classroom has important implications for occupational therapy education. One of the profession’s goals in acute psychiatric settings is to engage clients in meaningful occupations to facilitate rehabilitation and the recovery process. The two students skillfully employed the concepts of emotional intelligence, cultural competence, and therapeutic use of self and demonstrated their comfort with technology and spirituality to facilitate his occupational reengagement. By examining this case report through the lens of the literature on emotional intelligence, cultural competence, and therapeutic use of self, the ingredients of their clinical reasoning becomes more transparent and available to other occupational therapy educational programs

Use of a Performance-Based Occupational Therapy Assessment of Executive Function with the Homeless Population: A Case Report

Background: An estimated 25% of the homeless population has a mental illness, which means that many experience cognitive problems that adversely impact basic and instrumental activities of daily living and goal attainment. This case report focused on the experience of an individual living in transitional housing who was evaluated with a performance-based occupational therapy assessment in the context of community-based interdisciplinary psychosocial care provided by a robust occupational therapy fieldwork program. Method: This case report generally followed the CARE Case Report Guidelines and highlights the use of a standardized performance-based assessment and follow-up care suggested by test outcomes. Results: This assessment confirmed that the client did not have executive function problems, rather his performance was impeded by social anxiety and agoraphobia. It also identified his occupational strengths, including a passion for art and his desire to reconnect with his family and take steps toward more independent housing. Conclusion: The standardized performance-based occupational therapy assessment of executive function carried out in a natural group setting confirmed its value in a psychosocial rehabilitative transitional housing program

Mississippi Farmers Markets: A Legal and Business Guide

This policy paper addresses state and federal laws affecting farmers markets in Mississippi, focusing on particularly confusing or burdensome areas of the law. Each section reviews Mississippi law and compares it to other states, then recommends alternatives

Enhancing Social Skills in Adolescents with High Functioning Autism using Motor-based Role-play Intervention

The purpose of this pilot study was to collect pilot data evaluating whether a motor-based role-play intervention using a canine animal assistant can enhance social skill use in two adolescents with HFA. A single subject ABA design across two participants was used. The intervention consisted of four 1-hour sessions over 4 weeks. The quality of social interaction was measured by the Evaluation of Social Interaction (ESI) administered at baseline and the 3-month probe. Frequency of targeted social skill use was measured during baseline, intervention, and probe phases. Participant 1 experienced statistically significant increases in both ESI scores (p = .012, t = -5.488) from baseline to the 3-month probe. Participant 2 also experienced a statistically significant increase in ESI scores from baseline to probe (p = .002, t = -10.167), but he was unable to fully maintain these gains at the 3-month probe. This pilot study’s findings suggest that the intervention produced positive effects in both participants and warrant further investigation

Definition and assessment of paediatric breakthrough pain: A qualitative interview study

Infants, children and young people with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions often experience acute, transient pain episodes known as breakthrough pain. There is currently no established way to assess breakthrough pain in paediatric palliative care. Anecdotal evidence suggests that it is frequently underdiagnosed and undertreated, resulting in reduced quality of life. The development of a standardised paediatric breakthrough pain assessment, based on healthcare professionals’ insights, could improve patient outcomes. This study aimed to explore how healthcare professionals define and assess breakthrough pain in paediatric palliative care and their attitudes towards a validated paediatric breakthrough pain assessment. This was a descriptive qualitative interview study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 29 healthcare professionals working in paediatric palliative care across the UK. An inductive thematic analysis was conducted on the data. Five themes were generated: ‘the elusive nature of breakthrough pain,’ ‘breakthrough pain assessment,’ ‘positive attitudes towards’, ‘reservations towards’ and ‘features to include in’ a paediatric breakthrough pain assessment. The definition and assessment of breakthrough pain is inconsistent in paediatric palliative care. There is a clear need for a validated assessment questionnaire to improve assessment, diagnosis and management of breakthrough pain followed by increased healthcare professional education on the concept

A rapid systematic review of breakthrough pain definitions and descriptions

Background Breakthrough pain is common in life-limiting conditions and at end-of-life. Despite over 30 years of study, there is little consensus regarding the definition and characteristics of breakthrough pain. Objective This study aims to update and expand a 2010 systematic review by Haugen and colleagues to identify (1) all definitions of breakthrough pain and (2) all descriptions and classifications of breakthrough pain reported by patients, caregivers, clinicians, and experts. Design This rapid systematic review followed the Cochrane Rapid Review Methods Group guidelines. A protocol is published on PROSPERO (CRD42019155583). Data sources CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and the Web of Science were searched for breakthrough pain terms from the inception dates of each database to 26th August 2022. Results We identified 65 studies that included data on breakthrough pain definitions, descriptions, or classifications from patients ( n = 30), clinicians ( n = 6), and experts ( n = 29), but none with data from caregivers. Most experts proposed that breakthrough pain was a sudden, severe, brief pain occurring in patients with adequately controlled mild-moderate background pain. However, definitions varied and there was no consensus. Pain characteristics were broadly similar across studies though temporal factors varied widely. Experts classified breakthrough pain into nociceptive, neuropathic, visceral, somatic, or mixed types. Patients with breakthrough pain commonly experienced depression, anxiety, and interference with daily life. Conclusions Despite ongoing efforts, there is still no consensus on the definition of breakthrough pain. A compromise is needed on breakthrough pain nomenclature to collect reliable incidence and prevalence data and to inform further refinement of the construct

Voice hearers’ experiences of the Making Sense of Voices in an NHS setting

The Making Sense of Voices (MsV) approach (Romme & Escher, 2000) has become established within large sections of the voice hearing community, as well as being adopted by some professional mental health workers. However, there has been limited research to assess this intervention. A recent case series using the MsV approach (Steel et al., 2019) reported promising results across a number of standardised outcome measures. The current study reports on the voice hearers’ experience of having received the MsV intervention, through the use of ‘exit interviews’ conducted as part of the case series. Individual participants’ experiences indicated a range of reactions to the intervention. Positive outcomes appeared to relate to a better understanding of voice hearing experiences and a greater sense of control over voices. Not all participants reported a positive experience of communicating with their voices. Outcomes are discussed within the context of potential common and distinct ‘ingredients’ of the MsV approach, compared to other approaches to working with distressing voices

A protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify measures of breakthrough pain and evaluate their psychometric properties.

INTRODUCTION: Breakthrough pain is common in children and adults with cancer and other conditions, including those approaching end-of-life, although it is often poorly managed, possibly partly due to a lack of validated assessment tools. This review aims to (1) identify all available instruments measuring breakthrough pain in infants, children, adolescents or adults and (2) critically appraise, compare and summarise the quality of the psychometric properties of the identified instruments using COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) criteria. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Two searches will be carried out between October 2019 and January 2020, one for each aim of the review. The Cochrane Library, International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews, Embase, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE), PsycINFO, Web of Science Core Collection, Google Scholar, the ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Database, Evidence Search and OpenGrey databases will be searched from database inception until the date the search is conducted. Reference lists of eligible articles will be screened and authors in the field contacted. For search 1, articles will be screened by two reviewers by abstract, and full-text where necessary, to identify if a breakthrough pain assessment was used. Search 2 will then be conducted to identify studies evaluating measurement properties of these assessments. Two reviewers will screen articles from search 2 by title and abstract. All potentially relevant studies will be screened by full text by both reviewers. For search 2, data will be extracted in parallel with the quality assessment process, as recommended by COSMIN. Two reviewers will assess methodological quality using the COSMIN Risk of Bias checklist and the COSMIN updated criteria for good measurement properties. Findings will be summarised and, if possible, data will be pooled using meta-analysis. The quality of the evidence will be graded and summarised using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE) guidelines. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Results of this review will be submitted for publication in a peer review journal and presented at conferences. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42019155583