Blueprint for Public Education

A comprehensive grassroots study of South Carolina schools could serve as a catalyst for change and improvement

Dialogic Teaching : Evaluation Report and Executive Summary

The aim of the intervention was to raise levels of engagement and attainment across English, maths, and science in primary schools by improving the quality of teacher and pupil talk in the classroom. The approach, termed ‘dialogic teaching’, emphasises dialogue through which pupils learn to reason, discuss, argue, and explain in order to develop their higher order thinking as well as their articulacy. The intervention was developed and delivered by a team from the Cambridge Primary Review Trust (CPRT) and the University of York. Year 5 teachers in 38 schools, and a teacher mentor from each school, received resources and training from the delivery team, and then implemented the intervention over the course of the autumn and spring terms in the 2015/2016 school year. Following the intervention, pupils were tested in English, mathematics, and science. This efficacy trial compared the 38 schools (2,492 pupils) in which the intervention took place with 38 control schools (2,466 pupils). During the intervention, the evaluation team also carried out a survey and interviews with a sample of teachers, mentors, and heads, plus case-study visits to three intervention schools

Development and testing of a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy resource for children's dental anxiety

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is an evidence-based treatment for dental anxiety; however, access to therapy is limited. The current study aimed to develop a self-help CBT resource for reducing dental anxiety in children, and to assess the feasibility of conducting a trial to evaluate the treatment efficacy and cost-effectiveness of such an intervention. A mixed methods design was employed. Within phase 1, a qualitative “person-based” approach informed the development of the self-help CBT resource. This also employed guidelines for the development and evaluation of complex interventions. Within phase 2, children, aged between 9 and 16 y, who had elevated self-reported dental anxiety and were attending a community dental service or dental hospital, were invited to use the CBT resource. Children completed questionnaires, which assessed their dental anxiety and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) prior to and following their use of the resource. Recruitment and completion rates were recorded. Acceptability of the CBT resource was explored using interviews and focus groups with children, parents/carers and dental professionals. For this analysis, the authors adhered to the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool criteria. There were 24 families and 25 dental professionals participating in the development and qualitative evaluation of the CBT resource for children with dental anxiety. A total of 56 children agreed to trial the CBT resource (66% response rate) and 48 of these children completed the study (86% completion rate). There was a significant reduction in dental anxiety (mean score difference = 7.7, t = 7.9, df = 45, P < 0.001, Cohen’s d ES = 1.2) and an increase in HRQoL following the use of the CBT resource (mean score difference = -0.03, t = 2.14, df = 46, P < 0.05, Cohen’s d ES = 0.3). The self-help approach had high levels of acceptability to stakeholders. These findings provide preliminary evidence for the effectiveness and acceptability of the resource in reducing dental anxiety in children and support the further evaluation of this approach in a randomized control trial

Adenoma development in familial adenomatous polyposis andMUTYH-associated polyposis: somatic landscape and driver genes

Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) and MUTYH‐associated polyposis (MAP) are inherited disorders associated with multiple colorectal adenomas that lead to a very high risk of colorectal cancer. The somatic mutations that drive adenoma development in these conditions have not been investigated comprehensively. In this study we performed analysis of paired colorectal adenoma and normal tissue DNA from individuals with FAP or MAP, sequencing 14 adenoma whole exomes (eight MAP, six FAP), 55 adenoma targeted exomes (33 MAP, 22 FAP) and germline DNA from each patient, and a further 63 adenomas by capillary sequencing (41 FAP, 22 MAP). With these data we examined the profile of mutated genes, the mutational signatures and the somatic mutation rates, observing significant diversity in the constellations of mutated driver genes in different adenomas, and loss‐of‐function mutations in WTX (9%; p < 9.99e‐06), a gene implicated in regulation of the WNT pathway and p53 acetylation. These data extend our understanding of the early events in colorectal tumourigenesis in the polyposis syndromes. © 2015 The Authors. The Journal of Pathology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland

Barber-Say/Ablepharon-Macrostomia : Patient’s View

Barber-Say syndrome (BSS) and ablepharon-macrostomia syndrome (AMS) are infrequently reported congenital malformation disorders caused by mutations in the TWIST2 gene. Both are characterized by abnormalities in ectoderm-derived structures and cause a very unusual morphology of mainly the face in individuals with otherwise normal cognition and normal physical functioning. We studied the impact that the presence of BSS and AMS has on psychosocial functioning of affected individuals and their families, using their point of view to start with. We tabulated frequently asked questions from affected individuals and families, and a parent of an affected child and an affected adult woman offered personal testimonies. We focused on perception of illness, body satisfaction, and the consequences for an otherwise normal individual who has a disorder that interferes with body image. The importance of paying particular attention to the management of both the physical appearance and the consequences of these entities on the quality of life is stressed by the affected individuals themselves

Is the qualitative research interview an acceptable medium for research with palliative care patients and carers?

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Contradictory evidence exists about the emotional burden of participating in qualitative research for palliative care patients and carers and this raises questions about whether this type of research is ethically justified in a vulnerable population. This study aimed to investigate palliative care patients' and carers' perceptions of the benefits and problems associated with open interviews and to understand what causes distress and what is helpful about participation in a research interview.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A descriptive qualitative study. The data were collected in the context of two studies exploring the experiences of care of palliative care patients and carers. The interviews ended with questions about patients' and carers' thoughts on participating in the studies and whether this had been a distressing or helpful event. We used a qualitative descriptive analysis strategy generated from the interviews and the observational and interactional data obtained in the course of the study.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The interviews were considered helpful: sharing problems was therapeutic and being able to contribute to research was empowering. However, thinking about the future was reported to be the most challenging. Consent forms were sometimes read with apprehension and being physically unable to sign was experienced as upsetting. Interviewing patients and carers separately was sometimes difficult and not always possible.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The open interview enables the perspectives of patients and carers to be heard, unfettered from the structure of closed questions. It also enables those patients or carers to take part who would be unable to participate in other study designs. The context is at least as important as the format of the research interview taking into account the relational circumstances with carers and appropriate ways of obtaining informed consent. Retrospective consent could be a solution to enhancing participants control over the interview.</p

Is Persistent Motor or Vocal Tic Disorder a Milder Form of Tourette Syndrome?

BACKGROUND: Persistent motor or vocal tic disorder (PMVT) has been hypothesized to be a forme fruste of Tourette syndrome (TS). Although the primary diagnostic criterion for PMVT (presence of motor or vocal tics, but not both) is clear, less is known about its clinical presentation. OBJECTIVE: The goals of this study were to compare the prevalence and number of comorbid psychiatric disorders, tic severity, age at tic onset, and family history for TS and PMVT. METHODS: We analyzed data from two independent cohorts using generalized linear equations and confirmed our findings using meta‐analyses, incorporating data from previously published literature. RESULTS: Rates of obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were lower in PMVT than in TS in all analyses. Other psychiatric comorbidities occurred with similar frequencies in PMVT and TS in both cohorts, although meta‐analyses suggested lower rates of most psychiatric disorders in PMVT compared with TS. ADHD and OCD increased the odds of comorbid mood, anxiety, substance use, and disruptive behaviors, and accounted for observed differences between PMVT and TS. Age of tic onset was approximately 2 years later, and tic severity was lower in PMVT than in TS. First‐degree relatives had elevated rates of TS, PMVT, OCD, and ADHD compared with population prevalences, with rates of TS equal to or greater than PMVT rates. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support the hypothesis that PMVT and TS occur along a clinical spectrum in which TS is a more severe and PMVT a less severe manifestation of a continuous neurodevelopmental tic spectrum disorder. © 2021 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Societ