Pengelolaan Teacher Capacity Building (Tcb) Untuk Meningkatkan Profesionalitas Guru (Studi Kasus Guru SMPN 2 Dan SMP Darul Hikam Bandung)

Teacher Capacity Building (TCB) is a key point for a quality education service provided by a school. In the reality, schools have no standardize TCB system to ensure that their TCB is conducted effectivity and efficiently. The research was conducted to figure out the answers to four main questions related to the steps taken in determining the TCB policy at school, the TCB management, the quality assurance system, and the impacts of TCB either for the teacher as an individual, for learning quality, or for school quality. The location of the research were SMPN 2 Bandung and SMP Darul Hikam Bandung as the representation of school with their own school policy on TCB. The reasearch was a qualitative reaserch with descriptive method. The data was callected using three major techniques: observation, indeepth interview, and documentary study. The research revealed that the TCB in SMP Darul Hikam is basen on need analysis, the power of the leader, the tandardized recruitment, and teacher performance assessment. In SMPN 2 Bandung the TCB is empowered by the networking and a very health atmosphere for the teacher to show their best performances. The research also found that the aspects needs to be improved in the implementation of the TCB in both schools are the documentary and the quality assurance

The Autism - Tics, AD/HD and other Comorbidities inventory (A-TAC): further validation of a telephone interview for epidemiological research

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Reliable, valid, and easy-to-administer instruments to identify possible caseness and to provide proxies for clinical diagnoses are needed in epidemiological research on child and adolescent mental health.</p> <p>The aim of this study is to provide further validity data for a parent telephone interview focused on Autism - Tics, Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD), and other Comorbidities (A-TAC), for which reliability and preliminary validation data have been previously reported.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Parents of 91 children clinically diagnosed at a specialized Child Neuropsychiatric Clinic, 366 control children and 319 children for whom clinical diagnoses had been previously assigned were interviewed by the A-TAC over the phone. Interviewers were blind to clinical information. Different scores from the A-TAC were compared to the diagnostic outcome.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Areas under ROC curves for interview scores as predictors of clinical diagnoses were around 0.95 for most disorders, including autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD), tic disorders, developmental coordination disorders (DCD) and learning disorders, indicating excellent screening properties. Screening cut-off scores with sensitivities above 0.90 (0.95 for ASD and AD/HD) were established for most conditions, as well as cut-off scores to identify proxies to clinical diagnoses with specificities above 0.90 (0.95 for ASD and AD/HD).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The previously reported validity of the A-TAC was supported by this larger replication study using broader scales from the A-TAC-items and a larger number of diagnostic categories. Short versions of algorithms worked as well as larger. Different cut-off levels for screening versus identifying proxies for clinical diagnoses are warranted. Data on the validity for mood problems and oppositional defiant/conduct problems are still lacking. Although the A-TAC is principally intended for epidemiological research and general investigations, the instrument may be useful as a tool to collect information in clinical practice as well.</p

The prediction of fatigue using speech as a biosignal

Automatic systems for estimating operator fatigue have application in safety-critical environments. We develop and evaluate a system to detect fatigue from speech recordings collected from speakers kept awake over a 60-hour period. A binary classification system (fatigued/not-fatigued) based on time spent awake showed good discrimination, with 80 % unweighted accuracy using raw features, and 90 % with speaker-normalized features. We describe the data collection, feature analysis, machine learning and cross-validation used in the study. Results are promising for real-world applications in domains such as aerospace, transportation and mining where operators are in regular verbal communication as part of their normal working activities

Interpersonal trauma and its relation to childhood psychopathic traits : what does ADHD and ODD add to the equation?

Acknowledgements Thank you to the parents and young people who participated in the CATSS-9 studies.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Vitamin D in the general population of young adults with autism in the Faroe Islands

Vitamin D deficiency has been proposed as a possible risk factor for developing autism spectrum disorder (ASD). 25-Hydroxyvitamin D3 (25(OH)D3) levels were examined in a cross-sectional population-based study in the Faroe Islands. The case group consisting of a total population cohort of 40 individuals with ASD (aged 15–24 years) had significantly lower 25(OH)D3 than their 62 typically-developing siblings and their 77 parents, and also significantly lower than 40 healthy age and gender matched comparisons. There was a trend for males having lower 25(OH)D3 than females. Effects of age, month/season of birth, IQ, various subcategories of ASD and Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule score were also investigated, however, no association was found. The very low 25(OH)D3 in the ASD group suggests some underlying pathogenic mechanism

Language and social/emotional problems identified at a universal developmental assessment at 30 months

Non peer reviewedPublisher PD

Motor coordination problems in children and adolescents with ADHD rated by parents and teachers: effects of age and gender

Summary. Objective. ADHD is frequently accompanied by motor coordination problems. However, the co-occurrence of poor motor performance has received less attention in research than other coexisting problems in ADHD. The underlying mechanisms of this association remain unclear. Therefore, we investigated the prevalence of motor coordination problems in a large sample of children with ADHD, and the relationship between motor coordination problems and inattentive and hyperactive/impulsive symptoms. Furthermore, we assessed whether the association between ADHD and motor coordination problems was comparable across ages and was similar for both genders. Method. We investigated 486 children with ADHD and 269 normal controls. Motor coordination problems were rated by parents (Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire) and teachers (Groningen Motor Observation Scale). Results. Parents and teachers reported motor coordination problems in about one third of children with ADHD. Problems of fine and gross motor skills, coordination skills and motor control were all related to inattentive rather than hyperactive/impulsive symptoms. Relative to controls, motor coordination problems in ADHD were still present in teenagers according to parents; the prevalence diminished somewhat according to teachers. Boys and girls with ADHD were comparably affected, but motor performance in controls was better in girls than in boys. Conclusions. Motor coordination problems were reported in one third of children with ADHD and affected both boys and girls. These problems were also apparent in adolescents with ADHD. Clinicians treating children with ADHD should pay attention to co-occurring motor coordination problems because of the high prevalence and the negative impact of motor coordination problems on daily life

Subjective face recognition difficulties, aberrant sensibility, sleeping disturbances and aberrant eating habits in families with Asperger syndrome

BACKGROUND: The present study was undertaken in order to determine whether a set of clinical features, which are not included in the DSM-IV or ICD-10 for Asperger Syndrome (AS), are associated with AS in particular or whether they are merely a familial trait that is not related to the diagnosis. METHODS: Ten large families, a total of 138 persons, of whom 58 individuals fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for AS and another 56 did not to fulfill these criteria, were studied using a structured interview focusing on the possible presence of face recognition difficulties, aberrant sensibility and eating habits and sleeping disturbances. RESULTS: The prevalence for face recognition difficulties was 46.6% in individuals with AS compared with 10.7% in the control group. The corresponding figures for subjectively reported presence of aberrant sensibilities were 91.4% and 46.6%, for sleeping disturbances 48.3% and 23.2% and for aberrant eating habits 60.3% and 14.3%, respectively. CONCLUSION: An aberrant processing of sensory information appears to be a common feature in AS. The impact of these and other clinical features that are not incorporated in the ICD-10 and DSM-IV on our understanding of AS may hitherto have been underestimated. These associated clinical traits may well be reflected by the behavioural characteristics of these individuals

Child and parental sleep in young children with epilepsy: A population-based case-control study

Objective: To determine the prevalence of parent‐reported sleep problems in young children with epilepsy and their parents, and to compare findings with those in a non–epilepsy‐related neurodisability (neurodevelopmental/neurological difficulties) group. Method: Parents of young children (1–7 years) with epilepsy (n = 48 [91% ascertainment]) completed the Child Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ). Parents (mothers and fathers) also completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Iowa Fatigue Scale (IFS) in relation to their own functioning. The responses of parents of children with epilepsy were compared with parents of developmental‐, age‐, and gender‐matched children with nonepilepsy‐related neurodisability (n = 48). Results: There was not a significant difference in the proportion of children with epilepsy and the children with neurodisability scoring in the at‐risk range on the CSHQ (81% vs. 71% respectively) (p = 0.232). 62% of mothers and 44% of fathers of children with epilepsy had ‘poor quality sleep’ on the PSQI; there was not a significant difference between mothers of children with epilepsy and those of children with neurodisability (p = 0.526) or IFS (p = 0.245) total scores. However, mothers of children with epilepsy had significantly more difficulties on the productivity subscale of the IFS (p = 0.004). There were no significant differences between fathers’ scores on either measure. In the epilepsy group, child behavioral problems (p = 0.001) were independently associated with child sleep difficulties and maternal mental health problems were associated with parental sleep difficulties (p = 0.04) and fatigue (p = 0.018). Significance: Young children with epilepsy and their parents have a high rate of sleep difficulties. There is a need to develop effective interventions for this population, taking into consideration of the role of child behavioral problems and parental mental health difficulties