After-school programming as intervention for students with disabilities

After-school programs are increasing in popularity, with an estimated 6.5 million students attending organized after-school programs (Harvard Family Research Project, 2008). With the continuing rise in popularity of these programs, more students (including students with disabilities) have access to after-school programs. The purpose of the current research was to discover what current practitioners of school psychology recommend in regards to after-school programming for students with disabilities. All participants were school psychologists or staff members at after-school programs located within either the Richmond, VA region (including the City of Richmond, Chesterfield County, and Henrico County) or the Harrisonburg,VA region (including the City of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County). Participants completed an individual interview with the researcher. Overall, it was found that the majority of school psychologists were aware of after-school programs in their areas, but the majority did not recommend these programs for students with disabilities as part of their practice. After-school program staff reported low levels of communication between their programs and the schools. School psychologists did, however, express willingness to share information with after-school programs to help these programs better serve students with disabilities. Further results are discussed as well as implications for future research

The (Social and Economic Paradigm of Racism and Its Impact on the Educational and Professional Experiences of Seven African-American Attorneys in Oklahoma City

Through the years Blacks have struggled for equality from the right to sit anywhere they chose on a bus to the right to eat in any restaurant. One of the most significant areas of struggle has been equal employment opportunities for Black professionals. The number of Black professionals has increased through the years; however, this increase is minimal when compared to the overall number of professionals in the United States. For example, the number of Black attorneys has increased by 600% over the past seventeen years... [yet] they only constitute four percent of the total number of lawyers in the United States (Kirby 47). In 1980 Black lawyers represented only 13,594 of the 501,834 Ameican lawyers and only 2,153 of the 118,700 enrolled law students by 1985. The number of Black lawyers is in short supply; the word that best describes the state of black judges is dearth, according to Kirby (47). In 1985 the number of Black state and federal court judges was approximately 450 compared to 12,093 whites (Kirby 47). Many Black lawyers hope to change the trends of social and economic inequality by working from the inside out. Johnny Cochran sees the law as a tool to empower the powerless, and Blacks who have felt powerless for many years choose law to change the system of oppression in the United States. (Randolph 116). Fred McCann, a black Oklahoma City lawyer, says that he entered the field to ensure lifetime financial security for himself Another Oklahoma City lawyer, Visanio Johnson, chose law because he wanted to help in the civil rights struggle and believed that law was the best way. This research provides information on lawyers in the Oklahoma City area. It includes reasons for obtaining law degrees and entering the legal profession. It explains the reasons for minority under-representation in law as seen through their eyes. It sheds light on racial discrimination that still exists in law schools, law firms, and courtrooms. One practical outcome of this study is that it can help young Blacks considering law as a career to understand some of the obstacles they may face and some advice for coping with them from people who have traveled the road already

Edge Shear Flows and Particle Transport near the Density Limit in the HL-2A Tokamak

Edge shear flow and its effect on regulating turbulent transport have long been suspected to play an important role in plasmas operating near the Greenwald density limit $n_G$. In this study, equilibrium profiles as well as the turbulent particle flux and Reynolds stress across the separatrix in the HL-2A tokamak are examined as $n_G$ is approached in ohmic L-mode discharges. As the normalized line-averaged density $\bar{n}_e/n_G$ is raised, the shearing rate of the mean poloidal flow $\omega_{\rm sh}$ drops, and the turbulent drive for the low-frequency zonal flow (the Reynolds power $\mathcal{P}_{Re}$) collapses. Correspondingly, the turbulent particle transport increases drastically with increasing collision rates. The geodesic acoustic modes (GAMs) gain more energy from the ambient turbulence at higher densities, but have smaller shearing rate than low-frequency zonal flows. The increased density also introduces decreased adiabaticity which not only enhances the particle transport but is also related to a reduction in the eddy-tilting and the Reynolds power. Both effects may lead to the cooling of edge plasmas and therefore the onset of MHD instabilities that limit the plasma density

Postnatal Depressive Symptoms Among Mothers and Fathers of Infants Born Preterm: Prevalence and Impacts on Children's Early Cognitive Function

OBJECTIVE: Preterm birth is associated with lower cognitive functioning. One potential pathway is postnatal parental depression. The authors assessed depressive symptoms in mothers and fathers after preterm birth, and identified the impacts of both prematurity and parental depressive symptoms on children's early cognitive function. METHOD: Data were from the nationally representative Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort (n = 5350). Depressive symptoms at 9 months were assessed by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CESD) and children's cognitive function at 24 months by the Bayley Short Form, Research Edition. Weighted generalized estimating equation models examined the extent to which preterm birth, and mothers' and fathers' postnatal depressive symptoms impacted children's cognitive function at 24 months, and whether the association between preterm birth and 24-month cognitive function was mediated by parental depressive symptoms. RESULTS: At 9 months, fathers of very preterm (<32 weeks gestation) and moderate/late preterm (32-37 weeks gestation) infants had higher CESD scores than fathers of term-born (≥37 weeks gestation) infants (p value = .02); preterm birth was not associated with maternal depressive symptoms. In multivariable analyses, preterm birth was associated with lower cognitive function at 24 months; this association was unaffected by adjustment for parental depressive symptoms. Fathers', but not mothers', postnatal depressive symptoms predicted lower cognitive function in the fully adjusted model (β = -0.11, 95% confidence interval, -0.18 to -0.03). CONCLUSION: Fathers of preterm infants have more postnatal depressive symptomology than fathers of term-born infants. Fathers' depressive symptoms also negatively impact children's early cognitive function. The national findings support early identification and treatment of fathers of preterm infants with depressive symptoms

Reasons for discontinuing clozapine: a cohort study of patients commencing treatment

Background Clozapine is uniquely effective in the management of treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS). However, a substantial proportion of patients discontinue treatment and this carries a poor prognosis. Methods We investigated the risk factors, reasons and timing of clozapine discontinuation in a two-year retrospective cohort study of 316 patients with TRS receiving their first course of clozapine. Reasons for discontinuation of clozapine and duration of treatment were obtained from case notes and Cox regression was employed to test the association of baseline clinical factors with clozapine discontinuation. Results A total of 142 (45%) patients discontinued clozapine within two years. By studying the reasons for discontinuations due to a patient decision, we found that adverse drug reactions (ADRs) accounted for over half of clozapine discontinuations. Sedation was the most common ADR cited as a reason for discontinuation and the risk of discontinuation due to ADRs was highest in the first few months of clozapine treatment. High levels of deprivation in the neighbourhood where the patient lived were associated with increased risk of clozapine discontinuation (HR = 2.12, 95% CI 1.30–3.47). Conclusions Living in a deprived neighbourhood was strongly associated with clozapine discontinuation. Clinical management to reduce the burden of ADRs in the first few months of treatment may have a significant impact and help more patients experience the benefits of clozapine treatment