United States Elite Youth Tennis Athletes’ Use of Psychological Strategies in Competition

Young athletes are routinely faced with stressors and competitive structures that collegiate and adult athletes face. Psychological skills training (PST) can provide young athletes with strategies and skills to cope with these stressors and ultimately influence sport performance (Vealey, 2007). To date, the only study exploring in-competition experiences of young athletes was with participants between 16 and 18 years of age (Van Raalte, Brewer, Rivera, & Petitpas, 1994). The current study is the first investigation on the in-competition experiences of children and adolescents in sport. Twelve elite young tennis athletes (M[subscript]age = 11.83) who trained within a Player Development program in the Northeastern United States and had been exposed to a PST program participated in this study. Match observations and post-match interviews were used to capture athletes’ match experience and in-competition psychological strategy use. As a result of thematic content analysis (Braun & Clark, 2006), eight themes and 19 subthemes emerged. These eight themes included (a) pre-match feelings, (b) pre-match preparation, (c) competition was used to practice skills and strategies, (d) in-match feelings, (e), in-match use of and rationale for psychological strategies, (f) athletes’ thoughts and behaviors during changeovers, (g) frequency of psychological strategy use, and (h) psychological strategy learning process. Findings support for the notion that early adolescent athletes are capable of understanding their thoughts, focus, and feelings during competitions and are able to use psychological strategies to regulate their emotions and positively influence psychological and physical performance outcomes. In addition, the results of this study provide compelling evidence for the effectiveness of the PST program

Using Plain Language in Evaluation

Blog post to AEA365, a blog sponsored by the American Evaluation Association (AEA) dedicated to highlighting Hot Tips, Cool Tricks, Rad Resources, and Lessons Learned for evaluators. The American Evaluation Association is an international professional association of evaluators devoted to the application and exploration of program evaluation, personnel evaluation, technology, and many other forms of evaluation. Evaluation involves assessing the strengths and weaknesses of programs, policies, personnel, products, and organizations to improve their effectiveness

Emily Lauer and Courtney Dutra on Person-Centered Evaluation: Aging and Disability Services

Blog post to AEA365, a blog sponsored by the American Evaluation Association (AEA) dedicated to highlighting Hot Tips, Cool Tricks, Rad Resources, and Lessons Learned for evaluators. The American Evaluation Association is an international professional association of evaluators devoted to the application and exploration of program evaluation, personnel evaluation, technology, and many other forms of evaluation. Evaluation involves assessing the strengths and weaknesses of programs, policies, personnel, products, and organizations to improve their effectiveness

Developing an Operational Definition of Intellectual Disability for the Purpose of National Health Surveillance

This report summarizes recommendations that were developed to establish a more consistent approach to operationalizing the case definition for the purpose of public health surveillance among adults with intellectual disability in the United States. The approach included consideration of well established conceptual definitions, such as in the International Classification of Disability, Health, and Function (ICF), and the most recent version of the definition established by the American Association on Intellectual Disability (AAIDD). Additionally, the definitions used in current national and state level major data collection efforts, as well as those used in targeted research studies were considered, with a recognition that these sources are likely to remain the foundation upon which a national surveillance system will be built, and that any recommended definition must accommodate or ‘fit over’ those used in current data collection

Massachusetts Department of Developmental Services Medication Review

This presentation by Alixe Bonardi goes over the use of pharmaceutical drugs among adults with developmental disabilities, touching on why adults use drugs, when, and the situations that lead pharmacists to prescribe certain drugs. Presented at the National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services (NASDDDS) Reinventing Quality Conference 2012

The Healthy People 2020 Roadmap for Massachusetts Children & Youth with ASD/DD: Understanding Needs and Measuring Outcomes

The Massachusetts Autism Commission 2012 report identified “a critical need to develop a comprehensive statewide approach” to respond to the needs of the rapidly increasing population of people with autism spectrum disorder and developmental disabilities (ASD/DD). In response, UMass Medical School has been conducting a needs assessment to inform efforts to establish a state-level data collection and surveillance plan for systems of services for children and youth with ASD/DD. Although Massachusetts is a resource rich state, through a review of secondary data analysis, key informant interviews, focus groups, and surveys, the needs assessment has identified certain gaps in services and coverage. Selected findings are shared here, though much more exists. Presented at the 2015 AUCD (Association of University Centers on Disabilities) Annual Conference

An Intervention to Monitor and Reduce Fall Rates Among Adults with Intellectual Disability (ID)

Courtney Noblett-Dutra, Alexandra Bonardi, Emily Lauer and Sharon Oxx present their research on fall rates among adults with intellectual disabilities and possible ways to reduce them. Presented at the 2012 International Association for the Scientific Study of Intellectual Disability (IASSID) World Congress

Moving Beyond Google Translate: What Massachusetts Families from Diverse Cultures Need for Effective Autism Services and Supports

The project team conducted a state needs assessment of children and youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Developmental Disabilities (DD) that aligns with the six MCHB Healthy People 2020 core indicators (i.e., early identification, medical home, access to community-based systems of care, family involvement, transition to adulthood, and insurance). The results will inform state efforts to establish a state-level data collection and surveillance plan for systems of services for children and youth with ASD and DD. Preliminary data from the needs assessment across multiple sources indicate that screening and evaluation for ASD and other DD’s in Massachusetts occur less frequently in non-native English-speaking populations and other minority cultures, demonstrating a need for systemic improvement

Gender and the premature deaths of people with intellectual disabilities: an international expert consultation

People with intellectual disabilities die at much younger ages than the general population, with this gap in life expectancy greater for females than males. This study aimed to seek the views of international experts concerning evidence relating to gender and the premature deaths of people with intellectual disabilities, their views on priorities for future research, and recommendations for future research and policy. Twenty international experts on the health and/or mortality of people with intellectual disabilities were invited to complete an online questionnaire. The questionnaire was based on summary statements from a literature review on gender and premature death among people with intellectual disabilities compared to the general population. Summary statements included general topics such as mortality and specific major causes of death (e.g., cancer). For each summary statement, respondents rated on 5-point scales: their agreement with the statement; the importance of the topic; and the adequacy of the evidence. Participants then indicated their top three priorities for future research, and gave recommendations for future research and policy. Eighteen (90% response rate) respondents from nine countries participated. There was consensus among respondents regarding the greater inequality in intellectual disability vs. general population mortality rates for women compared to men. Evidence was considered inadequate for most topics. Evidence on cause-specific death rates was the most frequently mentioned main research priority, followed by age trends in mortality compared to the general population. Recommendations ranged from the need to use consistent methodology and case definition in future research, to the need for governments to be called to account on the issue. Further evidence on gender and mortality is urgently needed; an international consensus on recommendations for future research pertaining to gender and the premature deaths of people with intellectual disabilities would greatly assist the development of evidence-based policy and practice. © 2020 The Authors. Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities published by International Association of the Scientific Study of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and Wiley Periodicals LLC