Gender comparisons of fat talk in the United Kingdom and the United States

This study compared different forms of body talk, including "fat talk," among 231 university men and women in central England (UK; n = 93) and the southeastern United States (US; n = 138). A 2 (gender) by 2 (country) repeated measures ANOVA across types of body talk (negative, self-accepting, positive) and additional Chi-square analyses revealed that there were differences across gender and between the UK and US cultures. Specifically, UK and US women were more likely to report frequently hearing or perceiving pressure to engage in fat talk than men. US women and men were also more likely to report pressure to join in self-accepting body talk than UK women and men

Autism spectrum disorders in adolescence and adulthood: Long-term outcomes and relevant issues for treatment and research

The advances in research and treatment of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) over the past three decades have focused largely on early childhood and school-age years. Although ASD is a lifelong condition, there has been relatively little attention paid to ASD during the adolescent and adulthood periods. As the population of those with ASD continues to rise and age, the need to provide research and treatment for this group has become increasingly evident. This paper reviews the current literature available on symptoms, functioning, and treatment of adolescents and adults with ASD, as well as the unique issues that arise for individuals with ASD after childhood. Adulthood outcomes for ASD are generally poor, even for those with average to above average cognitive ability. Further research and additional clinical resources are needed for this rapidly increasing group

Preparing for Secondary Inclusion: What Educators Can Learn from Parents of Students with Disabilities

As part of a movement toward collaboration between general and special education teacher preparation, the authors met with focus groups including parents of teenagers with disabilities, English and special education teachers, and pre-service teachers from both programs. Some of our most relevant findings sprang from conversations with parents whose children were placed in inclusive settings. The issues that surfaced highlight several issues relevant to teacher development and support. Most remarkable is the clarification that there are two worlds of education: school for the masses and school for the exceptions. The purpose of this article is to present what we learned from parents of teenagers with disabilities through our analysis of the primary issues they identified. We also provide a context and hypothesis for gaps in teacher expectation and preparation, and finally identify pathways for improving teacher preparation through collaboration at the university, school, and teacher levels