Interview with Tim Gill: Sonia Livingstone and Kate Cowan interview with Tim Gill

To understand research and advocacy work on childhood and play, Sonia Livingstone OBE and Kate Cowan spoke to Tim Gill as part of our interview series on play in the digital world

"I've found it extremely draining" Emotional labour and the lived experience of line managing neurodiversity

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to address a significant gap in the line manager, HRM and the diversity management literature, that of exploring the role and significance of emotional labour (EL) in relation to the lived experienced of line managing neurodiversity. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative approach was used to explore lived experiences of line managers responsible for managing neurodiverse employees. Interviews were conducted with line managers employed in the UK transport industry. Findings The findings provide rich insights into line managing neurodiversity. A key overall finding is reasonable adjustments deemed essential to support neurodiverse employees require a myriad of hidden, complex, time consuming and often emotionally draining interactions with disabled employees, the employee's wider team, and HRM and occupational health (OH) practitioners. Research limitations/implications This is an exploratory study and therefore limited by nature of the research design, industry focus, scope of study and sample size. Practical implications The findings have the potential to inform HRM and OH practitioner support for line managers responsible for managing neurodiverse employees. Social implications The study contributes to wider societal attempts to make employment more inclusive to a range of historically disadvantaged groups. Originality/value The study fills an important gap in the HRM literature on line managing neurodiverse employees. The study makes a specific and unique contribution to extensive literatures on line management, disability and EL

Special educational needs and disability : Understanding local variation in prevalence, service provision and support

There is a growing recognition of the variation between local authorities in the proportions of children with SEN, the apparent composition of these groups, and the nature and quality of services provided to support them. Local area data collected on children with SEN, particularly the termly School Census and the annual SEN2 return by local authorities, show differences in the number of children with SEN, the nature of their recorded conditions and the Code of Practice level of support they are receiving. This variation was highlighted by the House of Commons Education and Skills Select Committee which commented on a ‘postcode lottery’ or a ‘lottery of provision’, and reports by the Audit Commission and Ofsted which also highlighted variation in provision and standards

The Use of Paxlovid Amongst the Elderly & Reduced Hospital Stays

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses infecting many species and cause a variety of illnesses. COVID-19 is caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS- CoV-2). Understanding that COVID-19 can cause severe disease in vulnerable populations has launched the development of viral treatments. Nirmatrelvir-ritonavir (Paxlovid) is an oral antiviral treatment authorized for adults with mild to moderate symptoms who are at an increased risk for severe disease. These authors pose the question: For older adults over the age of 65 who have had COVID-19, does the use of Paxlovid reduce hospitalizations, compared to those not treated with Paxlovid? A literature search was conducted on Nursing Reference Center Plus, CINAHL, PubMed, and National Library of Medicine/PubMed Central. The following terms were used: cov*, paxlov*, hospital*, elder* which resulted in a total of 11 articles out of 82 articles. Inclusion criteria consist of individuals ≥ 65 with symptoms that onset within 3-5 days of receiving Paxlovid. They must also have one or more risk factors that increase the risk for severe infection. Exclusion criteria consist of individuals under the age of 18 or ≥ 65 with mild to moderate symptoms that have lasted longer than 5 days. As well as severe renal/hepatic impairment, history of significant reactions to the active ingredients in Paxlovid, or contraindicated medications. Limitations include inconsistencies in the day of diagnosis and medication compliance. The evidence found that Paxlovid was effective in reducing hospital stays in older adults as opposed to those who did not receive Paxlovid

Responsiveness of device-based and self-report measures of physical activity to detect behavior change in men taking part in the Football Fans in Training (FFIT) program

The capacity of physical activity (PA) measures to detect changes in PA within interventions is crucial. This is the first study to examine responsiveness of activPAL3™ and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ; Short Form) in detecting PA change during a 12 week group-based, men-only weight management programme - Football Fans in Training (FFIT). Participants wore an activPAL3™ and completed the IPAQ pre- and post-programme (n=30). Relationships between change scores were assessed by Spearman’s correlations. Mean or median changes in PA were measured using paired samples t-tests and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. Responsiveness to change was assessed utilising Standardised Response Mean (SRM). Both device-based and self-report measures demonstrated significant changes pre-post intervention, although these changes were not significantly correlated. The SRM values for changes in activPAL3™ metrics were: 0.54 (MET-mins/day); 0.53 (step counts/day); and 0.44 (MVPA/day), indicating a small to medium responsiveness to change. SRM values for changes in IPAQ scores were: 0.59 (total PA mins/day); 0.54 (total MET-mins/day); 0.59 (walking MET-mins/day); 0.38 (vigorous MET-mins/day); and 0.38 (moderate MET-mins/day), revealing a small to medium responsiveness to change. These findings reveal that two commonly used device-based and self-report measures demonstrated responsiveness to changes in PA. While inclusion of both device-based and self-report measures is desirable within interventions it is not always feasible. The results from this study support that self-reported measures can detect PA change within behavioural interventions, although may have a tendency to overestimate changes, compared with device-based measures

Technology in Practice: Promoting Participation in Patients with High Level of Spinal Cord Injury

Motor impairment often occurs following a spinal cord injury, limiting participation in functional tasks. Although the primary rehabilitative focus is to cure paralysis, not all patients experience full recovery. For those who may not regain complete motor function, rehabilitative interventions are needed to bridge the gap between disability and optimal participation. During rehabilitation, patients prioritize increasing independence and participation in meaningful activities (Rigby, Ryan, & Campbell, 2010). More specifically, regaining arm and hand function was reported as a top priority during treatment for individuals with complete spinal cord injury (Peckham, et al., 2001). Technology has been utilized to improve participation in individuals with tetraplegia, who may only regain partial function (Ripat & Woodgate, 2012). A review of current evidence was conducted to determine technological devices that are used to increase autonomy in individuals with high level spinal cord injury. The purpose of this session is to present an evidence based review focused on various modes of technologies that can be used both during the rehabilitation process and in the home. A search of PubMed and CINAHL databases yielded approximately 1,200 resources, which were refined to sixteen journal articles that included evaluations of upper extremity interventions for adults and adolescents with cervical and thoracic level spinal cord. The selected articles for this review primarily focused on functional electrical stimulation, such as brain-computer-interface and neuroprostheses, as well as electronic aids of daily living. Articles were critically reviewed by two raters. Overall, individuals experienced increased participation when utilizing technology to perform functional tasks. Occupational therapists play an integral role in the implementation and patient-training of these devices to increase function and participation in daily activities. Examples of occupations in which technology has been integrated range from feeding and hygiene management to leisure pursuits. As technology continues to advance, therapists working with this population will need to increase their knowledge of these technologies and how to incorporate them into therapeutic interventions. Although existing evidence supports the use of these devices for facilitating function, there is a need for more high level evidence to further establish technology as an effective intervention with this population. References: Peckham, P. H., Keith, M. W., Kilgore, K. L., Grill, J. H., Wuolle, K. S., Thrope, G. B., ... & Wiegner, A. (2001). Efficacy of an implanted neuroprosthesis for restoring hand grasp in tetraplegia: a multicenter study. Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation, 82(10), 1380-1388. Rigby, P., Ryan, S., & Campbell, K., A. (2011). Electronic aids to daily living and quality of life for persons with tetraplegia. Disability & Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 6(3), 260-267. doi:10.3109/17483107.2010.522678 Ripat, J. D., & Woodgate, R. L. (2012). Self-perceived participation among adults with spinal cord injury: A grounded theory study. Spinal cord, 50, 908-914

Difficulties in retrieving specific details of autobiographical memories and imagining positive future events in individuals with acute but not remitted anorexia nervosa

INTRODUCTION: The factors that contribute to the maintenance of anorexia nervosa (AN) are not fully understood, although it is generally accepted that depression is a core feature and contributes to poor prognosis. Individuals with depression tend to have difficulties in producing specific details of autobiographical memories and future episodes. Our aim was to investigate autobiographical memory and episodic future thinking (EFT) in individuals with AN (n = 46), people recovered from AN (recAN; n = 40), and non-affected controls (n = 35). METHOD: Using a remotely administered computerised version of the autobiographical memory test and episodic future thinking task, we measured six aspects of memory retrieval and EFT generation: specificity, detailedness, difficulty in remembering/imagining, positivity, vividness and realism. Memory and EFT cue valence was manipulated; cues were either positive, neutral, or disorder-related/negative. As the production of EFTs is theoretically linked to the ability to retrieve autobiographical memories, the relationship between autobiographical memory specificity and EFT specificity was explored. To investigate whether autobiographical memory and EFT performance were independent of performance on other forms of cognition, working memory, verbal fluency and cognitive flexibility were measured. RESULTS: People with AN had difficulties retrieving specific details of autobiographical memories and rated autobiographical memories as less positive overall, and less vivid when primed by positive cues. People with a lifetime diagnosis (currently ill or recovered) reported greater difficulty in retrieving memories. The AN group generated less positive EFTs, particularly to positive and neutral cues. Comorbid depressive symptoms had some contribution to the observed findings. Lastly, in all groups autobiographical memory specificity predicted EFT specificity. DISCUSSION: Problems with retrieving specific details of autobiographical memories and simulating positive EFTs may be a state feature of AN. Treatments targeted at alleviating depressive symptoms, as well those targeted towards facilitating memory retrieval or reconsolidation, and the construction of positive EFTs, may contribute to hope for recovery and strengthen the sense of self beyond the disorder. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40337-022-00684-w