A Comparison Study of the Needs of Parents with Mentally Retarded Children in China and in United States

The purpose of this study was to investigate the needs of parents of mentally retarded children in both China and America and to determine whether a significant difference exists between the needs of the two groups. It was hoped that the study would also help American readers understand more about the needs of Chinese parents. Participants in this study were 72 parents of mentally retarded children. They were composed of 45 Chinese parents from six provinces across China and 28 American parents from Nebraska. The parents responded to a questionnaire on which they rated their needs in the areas of parent training, understanding the cause of the disability, medical care, respite care, collaboration with teachers, understanding by the community, financial assistance, and information. They indicated their highest hope for the future of their child in a separate question. They also ranked their need priorities in an open ended question. Chinese parents responded to a questionnaire written in Chinese and the American parents responded to a nearly identical questionnaire written in English. The questionnaire was developed by the author with the help of University of Nebraska at Omaha students and professors, Nebraska parents, and Chinese special education leaders. The central question addressed was, How would the rating of needs by a sample of Chinese parents compare to the rating of needs by a sample of American parents on the topics of parent training, financial assistance, understanding by the community, respite care, understanding the cause of the disability, medical care, collaboration with teachers, and information? Results of the study indicated that there was a significant (.05 level) difference in the need for parent training, understanding the cause, medical care, respite care, and collaboration with teachers. There was no significant (.05level) difference in the need for understanding by the community, and financial assistance. Limitations of the study were discussed. Suggestions were made for further study that included expansion of the study to wider populations of parents after improving the instrument with the help of information gained from parent responses to the open ended questions. Concluding comments included the observation that some of the differences found may have been due to a lack of availability of service in China and a high degree of need for Chinese parents

The Impact of International Doctoral Capstone Experience on Occupational Therapy Clinicians\u27 Current Practice

The purpose of the study was to assess the impact of an international doctoral capstone on occupational therapy clinicians’ current practice. The study used a cross-sectional descriptive online survey design with qualitative elements with 26 occupational therapy graduates. All participants identified as female and the majority were 25-34 years old. Participants reported that the international doctorate capstone experience positively impacted their cultural competence and professional growth. Qualitative outcomes supported these findings through three themes on culture, building rapport with patients, and professional growth. This study suggests that an international doctoral capstone experience is an important way for occupational therapy students to be prepared to become culturally competent clinicians and advance their professional skills. Limitations of the study included a convenience sample of occupational therapy alumni who graduated from Creighton University and using a non-validated survey instrument. Future studies need to use a representative sample and examine the cultural competence and professional growth of occupational therapy students who did not complete an international capstone project

Are Attitudes Toward Evidence-Based Practice Different Between the United States and Chinese Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy Students?

Purpose: Evidence-based practice (EBP) integrates the best evidence from research, clinician expertise, and patient preferences and values to deliver the highest quality of care to improve patient outcomes. Occupational therapy (OT), physical therapy (PT), and rehabilitation students gain exposure to EBP through both didactic and experiential learning. The differences in cultural, educational systems, and student learning styles between the United States and China may lead to different students’ perceptions and attitudes towards EBP. The purpose of the study was to characterize and compare the perceptions of and attitudes towards EBP between the U.S. and Chinese OT and PT students. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of the Evidence-Based Practice Process Assessment Scale (EBPPAS) was sent to professional students enrolled in Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD), Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT), and Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) programs at three universities in the U.S. (n=1,062) and OT, PT, and rehabilitation students of four-year bachelor programs at four universities in China (n=1,017). Students’ perception of the overall and individual domain of EBP was compared between the U.S. and China with independent samples t-test. Results: In general, all students showed a positive attitude towards EBP across the five domains. The U.S. DPT students had the highest mean score of 3.90 in the domain of “attitude about EBP” followed by the U.S. MOT students (mean=3.88), and the U.S. OTD students (mean=3.84). On average, the U.S. students scored 0.44 (13.8%) higher than Chinese students in all domains combined. Responses from both countries showed the highest scores in the domain of “attitude about EBP” followed by “familiarity with EBP” and “intention to engage in EBP”. In addition, the overall mean score increased non-significantly by 0.07 for the U.S. students from 1st year to 3rd year while it increased significantly by 0.15 (pnd year to 4th year. Conclusion: Few research studies have compared professional students’ attitudes towards EBP between the U.S. and China. This study demonstrated that the U.S. students were more positive overall and in all five domains. Future studies may focus on novice ways to promote EBP in didactic teaching and in clinical practice

Peer interactions and social relationships of high school students with moderate or severe disabilities in inclusive classrooms: A comparative study

Although the social benefits of inclusive education have been documented over the years, research also indicated that merely placing students with disabilities into general education environment does not guarantee reciprocal peer interactions and positive social relationships. To promote peer interactions and social relationships, and maximize the social benefits of inclusive education, further understanding of what is occurring in inclusive environments is essential and significant. In this study, the social status of a group of six high school students with moderate or severe disabilities in inclusive cooking classes was examined. In addition, the social interaction behaviors of this group of students with disabilities were compared with the interaction behaviors of two groups of general education students. The two groups of general education students were identified based on the results of peer nomination sociometric assessment suggested by Coie, Dodge, and Coppotelli (1982). Information obtained from peer nomination sociometric assessment conducted in the study was used to classify the social status of group members into six different group categories, popular, average, neglected, controversial, rejected and unidentified (for detailed descriptions, see Coie, Dodge, and Coppotelli, 1982). The two groups of general education students in the study were chosen from the average group and the popular group. The average group had six participating students and the popular group had five participating students. The results of the study showed that the social status of the participating students with disabilities varied. Although no participating students with disabilities were popular among their peers, the majority of the participating students with disabilities obtained average (obtaining few liked and few disliked nominations) or controversial (obtaining many liked and many disliked nominations) status. Given the severity of the participating students\u27 disabilities, finding these two groups represented is somewhat encouraging. In comparison with their nondisabled peers, participating students with disabilities were involved in fewer social interactions. They tended to interact with adults rather than interact with their peers and often played passive recipient roles in interacting with others. Statistical tests revealed significant differences in some aspects of social interaction behaviors between students with disabilities and their counterparts without disabilities, but not in others. The results of the study were discussed in light of recent research findings and educational implications related to inclusive education practices. It was suggested that effective intervention strategies should be implemented to promote social interactions and social relationships between students with and without disabilities in inclusive environments. Future studies need to investigate factors that influence the social status of included students with moderate or severe disabilities

Development of the Sensory Processing Measure-School: Initial Studies of Reliability and Validity

OBJECTIVE. The history and development of the Sensory Processing Measure-School are detailed, and findings of initial pilot studies are reported. METHOD. Multiple reviews, focus groups, case studies, and two pilot studies were used to develop the early versions of the tool. Internal consistency and discriminatory ability were examined. RESULTS. Internal consistency measured with Cronbach\u27s alphas ranged from .93 to .99 in the first pilot study and .70 to .99 in the second pilot study. Children who were typically developing were correctly classified 92.3% of the time, and children with sensory issues were correctly classified 72% of the time. CONCLUSION. Initial results suggest that the tool is reliable and valid and discriminates children with and without sensory processing issues. Further research is under way with larger samples. Over the past 10 years, important changes have occurred in what is considered to be best practice in occupational therapy in the schools (Muhlenhaupt, 2003; Roley, Clark, Bissell, & Brayman, 2003; Swinth & Muhlenhaupt, 2004). Concurrently, occupational therapists are increasingly being asked to evaluate schoolchildren to determine the impact of sensory processing difficulties on the child\u27s educational performance. In response to this need, the Sensory Processing Measure-School (SPM-School) was created