A Light Divided (Original short stories)

These short stories are about people in conflict; the characters venture toward personal growth, struggle to improve family relationships, and search for a relationship with God or the cosmos. In the title story a lonely man take actions which cause his increased isolation. His shattered hopes induced him to abandon his newfound friend, a companion who might have added stability to his dismantled existence. The stories show the tension between the rational man and the religious zealot; religious individuals must discover that orthodox prescriptions cannot prevent one from experiencing the pain of life. The themes and characters in these stories are rooted in rural towns, steeped in provincial attitudes and concerns. This volume treats themes of isolation, longing, disillusionment, fear of the unknown, within a context of reflective living. These characters live deliberately, sucking out the marrow of life; they are characters who live simple, unglamorous, yet courageous lives

Child protection and the needs and rights of disabled children and young people: A scoping study

Child abuse, as defined by the NSPCC, refers to ''behaviour that causes significant harm to a child. It also includes when someone knowingly fails to prevent serious harm to a child' (see http://www.child-to-child.org/about/childprotection.htm). The four types of abuse included in this study are physical, emotional, sexual abuse and neglect. The World Health Organisation treats maltreatment, a word used in the US, as synonymous with abuse. Child protection, as defined by the voluntary agency Child-to-Child, is 'a broad term to describe philosophies, policies, standards, guidelines and procedures to protect children from both intentional and unintentional harm' (see http://www.child-tochild. org/about/childprotection.htm). This term is still used in Scotland and N Ireland and is the one we use most in this report. England and Wales use the term safeguarding, which perhaps implies the inclusion of early intervention and preventative practice. Finally, in referring to disabled children we include young people aged 0-18 with physical, sensory, learning or communication impairments or mental distress. This was a scoping study which aimed to lay the groundwork for a larger piece of research

The effects of the integration of mathematics within children\u27s literature on early numeracy skills of young children with disabilities

Math skills are critical for future success in school (Eccles, 1997), as school-entry math knowledge is the strongest predictor of later academic achievement (Claessens, Duncan, & Engel, 2009). Researchers have found that teachers of young children spend less time teaching mathematics than other subject areas (Phillips & Meloy, 2012), and there is a lack of formal early mathematics instruction for young children’s understanding of early numeracy (Chard et al., 2008). However, preschoolers are developmentally ready for mathematics and are more able to learn math concepts than previously believed (Balfanz, Ginsburg, & Greenes, 2003). While there is a recent increase of literature on math with young children, there is a scarcity of research related to young children with disabilities in the field of mathematics, particularly utilizing evidence based interventions. The current study investigates one intervention integrating mathematics within children’s literature for preschoolers with disabilities. This study was a quasi-experimental group design, with one treatment group and one comparison group (N = 50 participants). Targeted early numeracy skills included: (1) one-to-one correspondence, (2) quantity comparison, and (3) numeral identification. The 20-minute intervention was conducted three days per week for six weeks; the comparison group received a typical small group storybook reading of the same literature book with no elaborations. The Test of Early Mathematics Ability, Third Edition (TEMA-3; Ginsburg & Baroody, 2003) was used as a pre and post standardized assessment, and analyzed using one-way ANCOVAs controlling for pretest scores. The Preschool Numeracy Indicators (PNI; Floyd, Hojnoski, & Key, 2006) was used as a weekly curriculum based measurement and analyzed by one-way ANCOVAS and by individual and group means for descriptive data. After the intervention, the children in the treatment group scored significantly higher in the areas of total math ability, quantity comparison, and one-to-one counting fluency than the comparison group. Implications include possibilities for further integrating mathematics within literature for preschoolers with disabilities, the benefits of intentional storybook selection for this type of intervention, and the recognition of the importance of introducing mathematical topics to preschoolers with disabilities in order of developmental cognitive readiness

Attachment parenting : new ideas, old practices

This study examined a sample of practitioners of Attachment Parenting (AP) in the Western culture. Questionnaire data on a sample of mothers (n=275) was gathered to identify the demographics and practices of AP mothers and the use of transitional objects (TOS) by their children. To further assess these practices a smaller sub-sample of this was interviewed (n=15). The mothers primarily breastfed on the infant\u27s cues, practiced extended breastfeeding (mean weaning age was 35.8 months), used little or no childcare, carried children in slings, coslept, and nursed or held their infant during the transition to sleep. Children whose mothers practiced high contact parenting (defined as: breastfeed, feed on cue, cosleep, and feed or hold during the transition to sleep) used traditional TOs much less frequently than children who are not parented in this high contact style. Children who did not use a traditional TO or who were reported to use the mother\u27s breast as a TO were weaned at a much later age than were children who used traditional TOs or a part of the mother\u27s body (i.e hair, ear) as a TO. This is discussed in terms of cultural interpretations and Winnicott\u27s theory of TO use

Using Ability Grouping to Examine the Effects of Differentiated Instruction in an Undergraduate Course in Communication Sciences & Disorders

Differentiated instruction is a student-centered approach to instruction that considers the differing characteristics and aspects of the learner. With increasing diversity in higher education, differentiated instruction is one strategy that instructors may use to facilitate student success. However, there is limited empirical research examining the effectiveness of differentiated instruction in higher education. Using a quasi-experimental pretest posttest group design, the effects of differentiation of instruction, specifically differentiation of content and variable grouping, on student content knowledge were examined in an undergraduate course in a Communication Sciences and Disorders program. Students in the intervention group scored significantly higher on final course grades and one unit posttest following participation in the intervention. Overall, the intervention group scored significantly higher on the final course grade than the comparison group. Yet, there were no significant differences between the intervention and comparison group on the final posttest scores, on the student perception survey, nor the weekly posttest quiz scores, except in the area of pragmatics. Implications for pedagogical approaches in CSD and higher education are discussed

Attachment style, psychotic phenomena and the relationship with aggression: investigation in a general population sample

Purpose: This study aimed to explore the relationship between attachment style, sub-clinical symptoms of psychosis and aggression in a general population sample. Design: Using both convenience and snowball sampling, participants in the community (n=213) completed an online questionnaire including previously validated measures of adult attachment, aggression and psychotic like events. Findings: Results suggested that there were statistically significant correlations between all study variables. Multiple linear regression demonstrated that total psychotic-like experiences and attachment scores significantly predicted variance in total aggression. Moderation approaches revealed that the relationship between psychotic-like events and aggression was stronger in individuals with more insecure attachment styles. Research limitations/implications: This generalisability of the results is compromised by the sampling methodology and the use of self-report tools. However, the significant results would support larger scale replications investigating similar variables. Originality/value: This study suggests there is a relationship between psychotic like experiences and facets of aggression in the general population. The findings suggest that attachment is a contributing factor to aggression associated with psychotic like experiences, and highlight the need for similar investigations within clinical samples. The results imply that attachment may be a useful construct for explanatory models of the relationship between adverse childhood experiences, psychotic experiences and aggression

Infant feeding practices of emirati women in the rapidly developing city of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Rapid economic and cultural transition in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been accompanied by new challenges to public health; most notably a rapid rise in chronic disease. Breastfeeding is known to improve health outcomes in adulthood, is associated with reduced risk of developing chronic disease, and is therefore an important public health issue for this rapidly increasing population. Factors associated with infant feeding practices were examined in a cohort of 125 Emirati women and their infants, with data collected at birth and 3, 6 and 15 months postpartum by questionnaires and interviews. Participants were recruited in the Corniche Hospital, the main maternity hospital in the city of Abu Dhabi. Factors affecting the duration of breastfeeding and the introduction of complementary foods were investigated using univariate and multivariate statistics. Recommended infant feeding practices, such as exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life and timely introduction of appropriate complementary foods, were poorly adhered to. Factors implicated in early cessation of breastfeeding included: time to first breastfeed, mother’s education level, employment status and early introduction of complementary foods