School-based abuse prevention programs for children : a scoping review

Child abuse can have serious long-term physical, psychological, behavioural, societal and economic consequences. The aim of this scoping review was to map the literature on abuse prevention programs conducted at schools for pre-teenage children. The review outlines the specific components and methods of the programs, the measurements used and the results obtained. The review included 4135 children, 1841 parents, 16 teachers and two school counsellors. A scoping review of published articles was conducted following the Joanna Briggs methodology. PubMed, PSYCInfo, ERIC, The Cochrane Library and CINAHL were searched for articles published between 1989 and 2018. The search yielded 2042 publications of which nine met the inclusion criteria. Eight of the publications reported positive results. One publication reported mixed results in terms of the safety skills and knowledge of the participating children. There were several similarities between the programs regarding key components and methods of delivery. None of the articles included children with disabilities, even though they are particularly vulnerable of becoming victims of abuse.Petter Silfverskiölds Minnesfond; Stiftelsen Sunnerdahls Handikappfond; Helge Ax:son Johnson Stiftelse and Stiftelsen Solstickan.http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/cijd202022-07-19hj2020Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (CAAC

Signs of abuse in children with disabilities : a rapid review with expert panel social validation

BACKGROUND : Children with intellectual disabilities are at risk of becoming victims of abuse. However, persons working with this population often lack knowledge on how to interpret signs of abuse. The purpose of this study was to identify and socially validate signs of abuse in children with disabilities. METHOD : The study employed a mixed-method sequential design. The first phase consisted of a rapid review of publications that described signs of abuse in children with disabilities (n = 23). The second phase included social validation using an online survey. The participants were professionals working with disability and/or child abuse (n = 39). RESULTS : A significant difference between the 10 highest rated signs of abuse compared to the 10 lowest rated signs was found. Group comparisons between participants showed significant differences in the ratings of eight signs. CONCLUSIONS : The results from the study can provide guidance to the accuracy of signs of abuse in children with disabilities.Stiftelsen Solstickan and Helge Ax:son Johnsons Stiftelse.https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/cjid20hj2023Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (CAAC

Impact of a Parent’s Neurodegenerative Disease and Care on the Daily Life of Children

The purpose of the study described in this chapter was to explore children’s and parents’ views of how a neurodegenerative disease in a parent influences the daily life of the child. Focus groups were carried out with nine families of children, adolescents and parents with and without Parkinson’s disease, Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Huntington’s disease. Each group met twice over a period of 4 weeks. Data were transcribed and analysed using qualitative content analysis. The results explored the meaning of the two categories: consequences in daily life and influence of disease on children. These categories emerged out of the following subcategories: economy, responsibility, living with personal assistants, being and feeling, being different, activities and the symptoms of the disease. A parent’s disease has an impact on the individual child who is affected emotionally and psychologically, and with regard to practical issues and basic needs. The parent’s and the family’s needs for support create a conflict between the child’s rights for health, well‐being and privacy and the needs and rights of the parent with the disease for high quality care. The negative impacts also relate to lack of information and knowledge about the disease and the family’s need for economic support

Emergency Weather : Ulrika Ferm

"Between 1939 and 1946, under the Emergency Powers Act, Ireland found itself immersed in fog. In order to demonstrate its neutrality during World War II, the Irish government censored, along with a host of other things, all meteorological information. Naturally, this measure was intended to avoid the inopportune arrival of military aircraft or ships on Irish soil, but it was also a way of avoiding to commit, an acceptable way of not choosing sides. Ferm’s work, underpinned by a subtle narrative and particularly interested in forgotten, neglected or unexplained historical phenomena, slips between what these documents reveal and what they recount. Emergency Weather takes on a hybrid quality, existing as both document and fiction." -- Publisher's website

School-based abuse prevention programs for children with communication and/or intellectual disability : a qualitative study of teaching components and methods

Children with communicative and/or intellectual disabilities are disproportionally affected by abuse when compared to their typically developing peers. In this study, we investigate the key components and teaching methods for abuse prevention programs for use in special schools. The views of parents of children with disabilities were obtained via semistructured individual interviews (n = 6), and the views of special education teachers (n = 7) and practitioners who work with child victims with disabilities (n = 5) via focus groups. Results were coded using thematic analysis and are reported using the behavioural ecological model. Results indicate that children’s rights and empowerment were seen as key components. Videos and role-play were reported as effective interactive teaching methods. Using augmentative and alternative communication strategies, such as pictorial support and manual signs, were thought to increase children’s understanding and participation. We conclude that teacher involvement in school-based abuse prevention is essential to meet the needs of children with disabilities.https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/australasian-journal-of-special-and-inclusive-educationhj2022Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (CAAC

Communication between parents and neonatal healthcare professionals using pictorial support when language barriers exist – parents’ experiences

Purpose Families arriving in Sweden after being forced to flee their home need health care. Communication is a key component to establishing good care relations and becomes difficult when there are language barriers between families and healthcare professionals. In the context of neonatal care, communication is carried out with parents. The aim of the study was to describe parents’ experiences of communication with neonatal healthcare professionals and using pictorial support when language barriers exist. Method The study takes a qualitative approach based on seventeen interviews with parents who had experienced neonatal ward. Qualitative content analysis was used. Results The parents needed to communicate through supports, which caused distress and misunderstanding. The relationship between parents and the healthcare professionals affected the communication. Pictorial support was used to different degrees. Four categories were identified from the data analysis: Communicating through supports, Facing barriers in communication, Facing external influences and The need for a good healthcare relationship. Conclusion The present study is the first to describe parents’ experience with using the pictorial support developed in the project KomHIT Refugee and therefore fulfils the function of being a first evaluation of the pictures from parents’ perspective

Tablet computer-supported conversation between people with dementia and their carers: technology as interactional focus

The purpose of the study is to explore when and how technology becomes a topic in interactions involving people with dementia and their carers. Three dyads of older women with dementia and their carers participated in the study. The dyads interacted in the home environments of the persons with dementia using tablet computers and two web-based applications with generic pictures, videos, and music files (CIRCA) and personalized pictures and films (CIRCUS). The data included twenty-one video-recorded interactions. Topical episode analysis and transcripts of interaction were used to analyze and exemplify when and how technology was talked about in the dyads. The dyads were engaged in exploring the tablets, and six common ways of making technology a topic of conversation were identified: talk about tech problems, commenting actions, expressing uncertainty in navigation, instructing and explaining, expressing surprise, and talk about technical development. The dyads explored the tablets in ways that were reflected in the content of their conversations. If people with dementia and their carers should benefit from todays technology, such as there is evidence for the interactions examined in this study, their homes and daily environments must be equipped with sufficient internet access and technical support.Funding Agencies|Linkoping University; Horizon 2020; FORTE: Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare</p