Facilitating Pupil Thinking About Information Literacy

Whilst information literacy is frequently taught through the imposition on learners of an established framework, this paper suggests a different approach by taking a lead from James Herring’s ideas. Specifically, it provides guidance to school-based information professionals who would like to encourage their pupils to devise their own flexible, information literacy models which are unique to them. Drawing on existing material in information science and wider thought, it proposes areas for coverage and considers how information professionals may support the dynamic process of model construction. It is recommended that those who are intent on facilitating the creation of personal information literacy models help pupils to identify the roles they take on in their lives, to reflect on the information needs that result, to ascertain the information they require in particular situations, to explore their information-seeking activities, to consider means by which information can be captured and to give thought as to how the information they have accessed may be used. This framework is, however, by no means rigid and readers are, of course, free to make their own adjustments

Potential Savings From Redetermining Disability Among Children Receiving Supplemental Security Income Benefits

Objective: To compare costs of redetermining disability to direct savings in SSI payments associated with different strategies for implementing Continuing Disability Reviews (CDRs) among children potentially enrolled in SSI from 2012–2021. Methods: We reviewed publicly available reports from the Social Security Administration (SSA) and Government Accountability Office (GAO) to estimate costs and savings. We considered CDRs for children ages 1–17 years, excluding mandated Low-Birth Weight and Age 18 Redeterminations that SSA has routinely carried out. Results: If SSA in 2012 performs the same number of CDRs for children as in 2010 (16,677, 1% of eligibles) at a cessation rate of 15%, the agency would experience net savings of approximately $145 million in benefit payments. If CDR numbers increased to the highest level ever (183,211, 22$1.6 billion in benefit payments. Discussion: Increasing the numbers of CDRs for children represents a considerable opportunity for savings. Recognizing the dynamic nature of disability, the agency could reassess persistence of disability systematically. Doing so could free up resources from children who are no longer eligible and help the agency better direct its benefits to recipients with ongoing disability and whose families need support to meet the extra costs associated with raising a child with a major disability

Preference-based health-related quality-of-life qutcomes in children with autism spectrum disorders: A comparison of generic instruments

Background: Cost-effectiveness analysis of pharmaceutical and other treatments for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) has the potential to improve access to services by demonstrating the value of treatment to public and private payers, but methods for measuring QALYs in children are under-studied. No cost-effectiveness analyses have been undertaken in this population using the cost-per-QALY metric. Objective: This study describes health-related quality-of-life (HR-QOL) outcomes in children with ASDs and compares the sensitivity of two generic preference-based instruments relative to ASD-related conditions and symptoms. Methods: The study design was cross-sectional with prospectively collected outcome data that were correlated with retrospectively assessed clinical information. Subjects were recruited from two sites of the Autism Treatment Network (ATN) in the US: a developmental centre in Little Rock, Arkansas, and an outpatient psychiatric clinic at Columbia University Medical Center in New York. Children that met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) criteria for an ASD by a multidisciplinary team evaluation were asked to participate in a clinical registry. Families of children with an ASD that agreed to be contacted about participation infuture research studies as part of the ATN formed the sampling frame for the study. Families were included if the child with the ASD was between 4 and 17 years of age and the family caregiver spoke English. Eligible families were contacted by mail to see if they would be interested in participating in the study with 150 completing surveys. HR-QOL outcomes were described using the Health Utilities Index (HUI) 3 and the Quality of Well-Being Self- Administered (QWB-SA) scale obtained by proxy via the family caregiver. Results: Children were diagnosed as having autistic disorder (76%), pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified [PDD-NOS] (15%), and Asperger's disorder (9%). Average HUI3 and QWB-SA scores were 0.68 (SD 0.21, range 0.07-1) and 0.59 (SD 0.16, range 0.18-1), respectively. The HUI3 score was significantly correlated with clinical variables including adaptive behaviour (ρ = 0.52; p < 0.001) and cognitive functioning (ρ = 0.36; p < 0.001). The QWB-SA score had weak correlation with adaptive behaviour (ρ = 0.25; p < 0.001) and cognitive functioning (r = 0.17; p < 0.005). Change scores for the HUI3 were larger than the QWB-SA for all clinical measures. Scores for the HUI3 increased 0.21 points (95%CI 0.14, 0.29) across the first to the third quartile of the cognitive functioning measure compared with 0.05 (95% CI -0.01, 0.11) for the QWB-SA. Adjusted R2 values also were higher for the HUI3 compared with the QWB-SA across all clinical measures. Conclusions: The HUI3 was more sensitive to clinical measures used to characterize children with autism compared with the QWB-SA score. The findings provide a benchmark to compare scores obtained by alternative methods and instruments. Researchers should consider incorporating the HUI3 in clinical trials and other longitudinal research studies to build the evidence base for describing the cost effectiveness of services provided to this important population. Adi

Effects of physical exercise, LEGO, and Minecraft activities on anxiety in underserved children with autism: Study design and methodological strategies

Anxiety is a common comorbidity for individuals with ASD, and there is some preliminary data about the efficacy of physical exercise to alleviate anxiety. However, we are not aware of any studies that have compared the effects of a physical exercise program on anxiety in underserved children with ASD using a randomized controlled research design. This paper describes a method to evaluate and compare the efficacy of an 8-week physical exercise intervention with a sedentary play intervention to alleviate anxiety in young children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) from underserved backgrounds. We assessed anxiety and its physical symptoms using the parent-rated Child Behavior Checklist DSM-5 anxiety (CBCL DSM-5) subscale, the child-rated Screen for Childhood Anxiety Related Emotional Disorder (SCARED), the parent-rated Child's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ), and salivary cortisol. We also utilized the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children (PAQ-C) to assess physical activity level and identify compounds. Unique components of this study include: •Implementation of novel physical exercise and sedentary play interventions that have been designed for children with ASD.•Recruitment of predominantly underserved and non-English speaking families

Psychological distress as a barrier to preventive healthcare among U.S. women

To examine the role of psychological distress in accessing routine periodic health examinations among U.S. women of reproductive age, we examined data on 9,166 women aged 18-49 years from the 1998 National Health Interview Survey. In multivariate regression, women with psychological distress were more likely than non-distressed women to report delayed routine care, not having insurance, and lack of a usual source of care. Among women without a usual source of care, distressed women were more than six and one-half times more likely to delay care compared with non-distressed women. Women with psychological distress report delays in receiving routine care. EDITORS\u27 STRATEGIC IMPLICATIONS: The findings suggest that, for distressed women in particular, continuity of care is vital in accessing routine care and obtaining timely and effective preventive services

Effects of physical exercise, LEGO, and Minecraft activities on anxiety in underserved children with autism: Study design and methodological strategies

Anxiety is a common comorbidity for individuals with ASD, and there is some preliminary data about the efficacy of physical exercise to alleviate anxiety. However, we are not aware of any studies that have compared the effects of a physical exercise program on anxiety in underserved children with ASD using a randomized controlled research design. This paper describes a method to evaluate and compare the efficacy of an 8-week physical exercise intervention with a sedentary play intervention to alleviate anxiety in young children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) from underserved backgrounds. We assessed anxiety and its physical symptoms using the parent-rated Child Behavior Checklist DSM-5 anxiety (CBCL DSM-5) subscale, the child-rated Screen for Childhood Anxiety Related Emotional Disorder (SCARED), the parent-rated Child's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ), and salivary cortisol. We also utilized the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children (PAQ-C) to assess physical activity level and identify compounds. Unique components of this study include: • Implementation of novel physical exercise and sedentary play interventions that have been designed for children with ASD. • Recruitment of predominantly underserved and non-English speaking families