Video feedback intervention: a case series in the context of childhood hearing impairment

Background: Recent research shows that parental sensitivity can explain a significant and unique amount of growth in speech and language outcomes in children with cochlear implants. In this intervention study we explored the impact of an intervention designed to support parental sensitivity on children's communication development. Aims: This study tests the effect of a complex intervention in the context of childhood hearing impairment using a case study design of three families. Propositions for each case were made using parental report of the child's development in an attempt to identify change in outcome measurements that were not likely to be due to general development in the child or a halo effect from the intervention. Methods and Results: Multiple pre- and post-intervention measures were taken. Outcome measures were mother–child contingencies to vocal utterances, emotional availability and an assessment of early communication in the child. Results for each case showed that improvements in some outcome measurements were found after the intervention and were maintained at follow-up. Conclusions & Implications: Taking account of developmental change in intervention studies with children is challenging. Single-subject intervention studies can be designed to allow research interventions to be tailored to meet families’ specific needs. Video interaction guidance may support pre-linguistic communicative development in children with hearing impairment

Video feedback intervention: a case series in the context of childhood hearing impairment

Background: Recent research shows that parental sensitivity can explain a significant and unique amount of growth in speech and language outcomes in children with cochlear implants. In this intervention study we explored the impact of an intervention designed to support parental sensitivity on children's communication development. Aims: This study tests the effect of a complex intervention in the context of childhood hearing impairment using a case study design of three families. Propositions for each case were made using parental report of the child's development in an attempt to identify change in outcome measurements that were not likely to be due to general development in the child or a halo effect from the intervention. Methods and Results: Multiple pre- and post-intervention measures were taken. Outcome measures were mother–child contingencies to vocal utterances, emotional availability and an assessment of early communication in the child. Results for each case showed that improvements in some outcome measurements were found after the intervention and were maintained at follow-up. Conclusions & Implications: Taking account of developmental change in intervention studies with children is challenging. Single-subject intervention studies can be designed to allow research interventions to be tailored to meet families’ specific needs. Video interaction guidance may support pre-linguistic communicative development in children with hearing impairment

Thin slice sampling of video footage for mother/child interaction: application to single cases

The purpose was to test the reliability of short samples of parent/child interaction for use in single-subject research. Four variable pairs of mother/child behaviour were coded for seven mother/child play sessions. Each session lasted 20 min and 18 min of the session was behaviourally coded using frame-by-frame analysis. The co-occurrence of the mother/child behaviours within a given time window was computed and an odds ratio was calculated for the co-occurrence of the targeted behaviours. The play session was divided into shorter segments (3, 6 and 9 min) and odds ratios of the variable pairs from the shorter segments were compared to the odds ratios from the entire session. Segments of 3 and 6 min did not yield the same pattern of results as the entire session. In single-subject research, evidence of the reliability of the time segment for behavioural coding should be reported in the methods section of original research manuscripts

‘Crippling and unfamiliar’: Analysing the concept of perinatal anxiety; definition, recognition and implications for psychological care provision for women during pregnancy and early motherhood

Aim: To clarify how perinatal anxiety is characterised within the current evidence base and discuss how a clearer definition and understanding of this condition may contribute to improving care provision by midwives and other healthcare professionals. Background: Perinatal anxiety is common, occurs more frequently than depression and carries significant morbidity for mother and infant. The concept of perinatal anxiety is ill-defined; this can pose a barrier to understanding, identification and appropriate treatment of the condition. Design: Concept Analysis paper. Method: Rodgers’ Evolutionary Model of Concept Analysis, with review based on PRISMA principles. Findings: While somatic presentation of perinatal anxiety shares characteristics with general anxiety, anxiety is a unique condition within the context of the perinatal period. The precursors to perinatal anxiety are grounded in biopsychosocial factors and the sequelae can be significant for mother, fetus, newborn and older child. Due to the unique nature of perinatal anxiety, questions arise about presentation and diagnosis within the context of adjustment to motherhood, whether services meet women’s needs and how midwives and other health professionals contribute to this. Most current evidence explores screening tools with little examination of the lived experience of perinatal anxiety. Conclusion: Examination of the lived experience of perinatal anxiety is needed to address the gap in evidence and further understand this condition. Service provision should account for the unique nature of the perinatal period and be adapted to meet women’s psychological needs at this time, even in cases of mild or moderate distress

Caregiver perceptions of children who have complex communication needs following a home-based intervention using augmentative and alternative communication in rural Kenya: an intervention note:Home-based intervention using AAC in rural Kenya

A high level of unmet communication need exists amongst children with developmental disabilities in sub-Saharan Africa. This study investigated preliminary evidence of the impact associated with a home-based, caregiver-implemented intervention employing AAC methods, with nine children in rural Kenya who have complex communication needs. The intervention used mainly locally-sourced low-tech materials, and was designed to make use of the child's strengths and the caregiver's natural expertise. A pretest-posttest design was used in the study. Data were gathered using an adapted version of the Communication Profile, which was based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) framework. The non-parametric Wilcoxon signed-rank test was applied to data from the first two sections of the Communication Profile-Adapted. Qualitative analysis was conducted on the final section. The data provided evidence of statistically significant positive changes in caregiver perceptions of communication at the levels of Body Structure and Function, and Activities for Communication. Also, analysis of the Participation for Communication section revealed some expansion to the children's social activities. The potential impact of the home-based intervention would benefit from investigation on a larger scale. Limitations of the study are discussed

A very, very lonely, unmagical time. The lived experience of perinatal anxiety: A longitudinal interpretative phenomenological analysis

Problem: Minimal longitudinal qualitative evidence examining lived experience of anxiety over the perinatal continuum limits holistic understanding of the course of antenatal and postnatal anxiety. Background: Perinatal anxiety has deleterious effects on the mother and infant and is more commonly experienced yet less well investigated than perinatal depression. Aim and method: To explore women's experiences living with perinatal anxiety to increase understanding of the condition; inform support given by midwives and other health professionals and provide practice, education, and research recommendations. Five women were interviewed at three timepoints, producing 15 datasets. Data was analysed using Longitudinal Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Findings: Nine Group Experiential Themes emerged: the anxious mother, transformation, sets of ears and the anxious pregnancy (antenatal); baby as external focus, returning to oneself and the emotional unknown (early postnatal); and moving on, and shifting sands (late postnatal). Three Longitudinal Experiential Concepts explicated lived experience over time: maternal eyes, transforming existence, and emotional kaleidoscope. The lived experience of perinatal anxiety was revealed as socially constructed, with relationships with self, others, and the world key. The collision between anxiety and motherhood as social constructs provides perinatal anxiety with its unique characteristics. Conclusion: Midwives and other healthcare professionals should understand the significance of perinatal anxiety, enabling disclosure of stigmatising and uncomfortable feelings without judgement. Research examining whether perinatal specific screening tools should be used by midwives and exploring the relationship between perinatal anxiety and depression is recommended. Education for clinicians on the significance of perinatal anxiety is essential

Photo-active and dynamical properties of hematite (Fe2O3)-water interfaces: An experimental and theoretical study

The dynamical properties of physically and chemically adsorbed water molecules at pristine hematite-(001) surfaces have been studied by means of equilibrium Born–Oppenheimer molecular dynamics (BOMD) in the NVT ensemble at 298 K. The dissociation of water molecules to form chemically adsorbed species was scrutinised, in addition to ‘hopping’ or swapping events of protons between water molecules. Particular foci have been dynamical properties of the adsorbed water molecules and OH− and H3O+ ions, the hydrogen bonds between protons in water molecules and the bridging oxygen atoms at the hematite surface, as well as the interactions between oxygen atoms in adsorbed water molecules and iron atoms at the hematite surface. Experimental results for photoelectrical current generation complement simulation findings of water dissociation.Author has checked copyrightAD 17/02/201