Co-design of a neurodevelopment assessment scale : a study protocol

Neurodevelopmental disorders are a heterogeneous group of conditions with overlapping symptomatology and fluctuating developmental trajectories that transcend current diagnostic categorisation. There is a need for validated screening instruments which dimensionally assess symptomatology from a holistic, transdiagnostic perspective. The primary aim is to co-design a Neurodevelopment Assessment Scale (NAS), a user-friendly transdiagnostic assessment inventory that systematically screens for all signs and symptoms commonly encountered in neurodevelopmental disorders. Our first objective is to undertake development of this tool, utilising co-design principles in partnership with stakeholders, including both those with lived experience of neurodevelopmental disorders and service providers. Our second objective is to evaluate the face validity, as well as the perceived utility, user-friendliness, suitability, and acceptability (i.e., ‘social validity’), of the NAS from the perspective of parents/caregivers and adults with neurodevelopmental disorders, clinicians, and service providers. Our third objective is to ascertain the psychometric properties of the NAS, including content validity and convergent validity. The NAS will provide an efficient transdiagnostic tool for evaluating all relevant signs, symptoms, and the dimensional constructs that underpin neurodevelopmental presentations. It is anticipated that this will maximise outcomes by enabling the delivery of personalised care tailored to an individual’s unique profile in a holistic and efficient manner

A whole-genome shotgun approach for assembling and anchoring the hexaploid bread wheat genome

Citation: Chapman, J. A., Mascher, M., Buluç, A., Barry, K., Georganas, E., Session, A., . . . Rokhsar, D. S. (2015). A whole-genome shotgun approach for assembling and anchoring the hexaploid bread wheat genome. Genome Biology, 16(1). doi:10.1186/s13059-015-0582-8Polyploid species have long been thought to be recalcitrant to whole-genome assembly. By combining high-throughput sequencing, recent developments in parallel computing, and genetic mapping, we derive, de novo, a sequence assembly representing 9.1 Gbp of the highly repetitive 16 Gbp genome of hexaploid wheat, Triticum aestivum, and assign 7.1 Gb of this assembly to chromosomal locations. The genome representation and accuracy of our assembly is comparable or even exceeds that of a chromosome-by-chromosome shotgun assembly. Our assembly and mapping strategy uses only short read sequencing technology and is applicable to any species where it is possible to construct a mapping population. © 2015 Chapman et al. licensee BioMed Central.Additional Authors: Muehlbauer, G. J.;Stein, N.;Rokhsar, D. S

Young People Transitioning from Juvenile Justice to the Community: Transition Planning and Interagency Collaboration

AbstractThis study investigated the collaborative transition process for youth incarcerated for three or more months in New South Wales (‘NSW’) juvenile justice facilities. Qualitative methodology was employed to analyse interviews conducted with staff from both the education and juvenile justice systems in NSW to determine how the agencies involved with the transition planning for incarcerated youth collaborate. The study also aimed to determine the roles and understanding of staff in each sector with reference to the transition process. The results of the study were examined under the framework of Kohler’s Taxonomy for Transition Programming and revealed that although many best practices were occurring in the area, improvements to the coordination of interagency collaboration would improve the likelihood that incarcerated youth would successfully transition back into the community

‘She will know that her mother’s doing something for her’: women with intellectual disabilities assuming the mother identity

This paper explores the experiences of women with intellectual disabilities in becoming a mother. The presented findings are from a grounded theory research study with 19 women with intellectual disabilities from the Czech Republic. The findings are organised around external and internal factors affecting the women’s assumption of the mother identity, with the most prominent being poverty of the participating mothers, negative attitudes towards their motherhood, and a lack of preparation for motherhood. There is a need for systemic support for mothers with intellectual disabilities, starting in adolescence with sexual education, and continued throughout adulthood, including programs focused on skills development

A Conceptual Framework for Creating Transition Plans for Incarcerated Youth

Incarcerated youth face many challenges as they transition back to the community. The development and implementation of person-centered transition plans have been shown to improve re-engagement in education and employment, and to reduce recidivism. There is, however, little research to guide personnel in juvenile justice settings as to what a transition plan should contain and how it could be implemented. This article offers a conceptual framework based on transition theories, the extant research literature on transition plans and services, and practitioner experience to inform transition plan components for all young people in custody, with a focus on youth with disabilities and in out-of-home care

A snapshot of education behind the fence: Supporting engagementin education of incarcerated youth in Australia

Incarcerated youth often have complex needs. Past researchers have reported that these young people have high drop-out rates and early disengagement from school. This study adds to the limited research on the ways both education and juvenile justice personnel support the engagement of incarcerated youth in education ‘behind the fence’. The authors analysed the educational provisions for incarcerated youth in juvenile justice centres in New South Wales, Australia. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 44 employees of juvenile justice and education sectors. The interview transcriptions were analysed using an inductive content analysis. Findings suggest that the education units were employing practices that promote student engagement, and recommendations include formal self-advocacy skills development and supporting students in developing intrinsic motivation

Transition Planning Processes for Young People Serving Custodial Sentences in New South Wales, Australia

The aim of the study was to identify transition planning processes as reported by participants for school-aged youth serving custodial sen- tences in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, and to establish the extent to which these reflect current evidence or research-based transition practices reported in the literature. The authors used inductive con- tent analysis methodology to analyse interviews with 44 staff members from the education and juvenile justice systems in NSW. The findings of the study indicate that although a number of evidence/research- based practices are being used, there are some that still need to be implemented. Specifically, there is a need for more involvement of the families of incarcerated youth and support for the self-determination of the young people in custody

Social Stories in Robot Assisted Therapy for Children with ASD

Mobile technology devices are commonly used as assistive technology to support children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in gaining skills in interpersonal communication. While considered gener- ally safe and e ective, there are concerns that a child that is taught to communicate through interactive technologies may become dependent on the virtual world and its rewards, while interpersonal skills are sacri ced or not generalized to real world settings (Bauminger-Zviely, Eden, Zancanaro, Weiss, & Gal, 2013). This chapter theorizes that the anthropomorphic embodiment of humanoid robots may provide a compromise between the real and the virtual worlds. The authors suggest that a humanoid robot can use social stories within an Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) framework to support the acquisition of social interaction skills of children with ASD. The objective of this chapter is to contribute to the current literature by providing a description of this intervention and make suggestions for its implementation using a case study approach

Combining universal design for learning with evidence based practices and technology enhanced instruction to support students with emotional and behavioural disabilities

Students with emotional and behaviouraldisabilities (EBD) have traditionallyexperienced the poorest outcomes of anygroup of students. Teachers often have difficultymanaging the behaviour of these studentsand supporting their learning because theytypically exhibit low levels of achievement andmastery, engagement and interest, motivationand perseverance, and self-regulation. Thereis evidence to support the use of preventativeplanning and positive behavioural supportsand technology enhanced instruction with thispopulation of students. These practices alignwell with the Universal Design for Learning(UDL) framework. This article examines arange of evidence-based practices for studentswith EBD, where they fit in the UDL framework,and provides examples of how technologyenhanced instruction (TEI) can be integrate

A Wraparound Approach to ‘Whole of Student’ Issues: Education, Health, and Community Services Review of Literature. Project Report

This review is part of a research project commissioned by the UNSW Gonski Institute for Education. The study aimedto examine how wraparound supports are represented in the Australian national and NSW state polices and schools and to identify best practises and models of wraparound support. This review addressedthree overarching questions: (1) How are wraparound services presented/advocated for in state or national policy?(2) To what extent are schools using the wraparound model in NSW andnationally, according to the grey literature? (3) What does the grey literature say about best practices in wraparound model?A search was conducted to identify grey literature relevant to wraparound practices. This was achieved through a comprehensive review of Australian nationaland NSWlegislation and policies in relation to the following sectors: (a) youth justice, (b) out of homecare, (c) disability, (d) mental health, (e) drug and alcohol, (f) homelessness, and (g) education