Peer Inclusion in Interventions for Children with ADHD: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Objective. To assess the effectiveness of peer inclusion in interventions to improve the social functioning of children with ADHD. Methods. We searched four electronic databases for randomized controlled trials and controlled quasi-experimental studies that investigated peer inclusion interventions alone or combined with pharmacological treatment. Data were collected from the included studies and methodologically assessed. Meta-analyses were conducted using a random-effects model. Results. Seventeen studies met eligibility criteria. Studies investigated interventions consisting of peer involvement and peer proximity; no study included peer mediation. Most included studies had an unclear or high risk of bias regarding inadequate reporting of randomization, blinding, and control for confounders. Meta-analyses indicated improvements in pre-post measures of social functioning for participants in peer-inclusive treatment groups. Peer inclusion was advantageous compared to treatment as usual. The benefits of peer inclusion over other therapies or medication only could not be determined. Using parents as raters for outcome measurement significantly mediated the intervention effect. Conclusions. The evidence to support or contest the efficacy of peer inclusion interventions for children with ADHD is lacking. Future studies need to reduce risks of bias, use appropriate sample sizes, and provide detailed results to investigate the efficacy of peer inclusion interventions for children with ADHD

Applying Item Response Theory (IRT) Modeling to an Observational Measure of Childhood Pragmatics: The Pragmatics Observational Measure-2

Assessment of pragmatic language abilities of children is important across a number of childhood developmental disorders including ADHD, language impairment and Autism Spectrum Disorder. The Pragmatics Observational Measure (POM) was developed to investigate children's pragmatic skills during play in a peer-peer interaction. To date, classic test theory methodology has reported good psychometric properties for this measure, but the POM has yet to be evaluated using item response theory. The aim of this study was to evaluate the POM using Rasch analysis. Person and item fit statistics, response scale, dimensionality of the scale and differential item functioning were investigated. Participants included 342 children aged 5-11 years from New Zealand; 108 children with ADHD were playing with 108 typically developing peers and 126 typically developing age, sex and ethnic matched peers played in dyads in the control group. Video footage of this interaction was recorded and later analyzed by an independent rater unknown to the children using the POM. Rasch analysis revealed that the rating scale was ordered and used appropriately. The overall person (0.97) and item (0.99) reliability was excellent. Fit statistics for four individual items were outside acceptable parameters and were removed. The dimensionality of the measure showed two distinct elements (verbal and non-verbal pragmatic language) of a unidimensional construct. These findings have led to a revision of the first edition of POM, now called the POM-2. Further empirical work investigating the responsiveness of the POM-2 and its utility in identifying pragmatic language impairments in other childhood developmental disorders is recommended

Indexes: The Heart of Research

This article, originally a presentation at ACL’s 2023 conference, will delineate the enduring value of indexes for librarians and researchers alike, giving some examples of how indexes have evolved in a technology-driven age

The measurement of visual ability in children with cerebral palsy : A systematic review

AIM To identify and evaluate measures of visual ability utilised with children with cerebral palsy (CP). METHOD Eight databases were searched for measures of visual ability. Key selection criteria for measures were: (1) use with children with CP, and (2) focus of visual ability measurement at Activities and Participation domain of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). The Consensus-based Standards for the Selection of Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) Checklist was used to assess psychometric properties. RESULTS From 6763 papers retrieved, 25 were relevant and 19 measures of visual ability were identified. Only ten measures were supported with evidence of validity or reliability. No discriminative measure analogous to existing CP functional classification systems was found. No outcome measure valid for evaluation of visual abilities of children with CP was found. INTERPRETATION Vision impairment is recognised as relevant to the functioning of children with CP, however measurement of vision is most often focused at Body Function levels, e.g. visual acuity. Measuring visual abilities in the Activities and Participation domain is important in considering how a child with CP functions in vision-related activities. The lack of psychometrically strong measures for visual ability is a gap in current clinical practices and research

Design tools for interdisciplinary translation of material experiences

Designers increasingly have the opportunity to influence the development of materials as they emerge from the laboratory. In order for this to be successful, designers need to be able to communicate effectively with materials scientists so that materials can be developed with desired functionalities and properties. This paper reviews evidence in favour of using isomorphic sets of material stimuli as tools to bridge the disciplinary gap between designers and materials scientists. We show how these isomorphic sets and their accompanying experiments can be used to translate between the two communities, and to systematically explore the relationship between the technical attributes of materials and subjective experiences of their sound, taste and feel. This paper also explores the limitations of psychophysical approaches and other quantitative techniques for elucidating material experience, and suggests new possibilities for interdisciplinary collaborations that draw on ethnographic approaches

Inpatients' information needs about medication:A narrative systematic literature review

OBJECTIVE: To provide an overview of inpatients' information needs about medication, including the best moment to provide this information, how, by whom and what patient characteristics influence these needs.METHODS: A systematic literature review was conducted. Studies that reported the information needs from inpatients about medication were included from Medline and Embase. The Crowe critical appraisal tool (CCAT) was used to assess the quality of the studies.RESULTS: Initially, 710 records were retrieved from Medline and Embase. After the forward search, another 609 records were screened and in total, 26 articles were included. The CCAT scores ranged from 17 to 34 points on a 40 point scale and two articles received 0 points.CONCLUSION: Inpatients main needs about medicine information are information about adverse and beneficial effects of medication, and general rules about how to take medication. Preferably, this information is printed and provided at the time of prescribing by a physician that already has a relationship with the patient. The most recent studies show that patients are open to the use of modern technology.PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: This review provides a starting point for providing medicine information to inpatients. Further research should focus on patient characteristics influencing these information needs.</p

Applying Item Response Theory (IRT) Modeling to an Observational Measure of Childhood Pragmatics: The Pragmatics Observational Measure-2

Assessment of pragmatic language abilities of children is important across a number of childhood developmental disorders including ADHD, language impairment and Autism Spectrum Disorder. The Pragmatics Observational Measure (POM) was developed to investigate children’s pragmatic skills during play in a peer–peer interaction. To date, classic test theory methodology has reported good psychometric properties for this measure, but the POM has yet to be evaluated using item response theory. The aim of this study was to evaluate the POM using Rasch analysis. Person and item fit statistics, response scale, dimensionality of the scale and differential item functioning were investigated. Participants included 342 children aged 5–11 years from New Zealand; 108 children with ADHD were playing with 108 typically developing peers and 126 typically developing age, sex and ethnic matched peers played in dyads in the control group. Video footage of this interaction was recorded and later analyzed by an independent rater unknown to the children using the POM. Rasch analysis revealed that the rating scale was ordered and used appropriately. The overall person (0.97) and item (0.99) reliability was excellent. Fit statistics for four individual items were outside acceptable parameters and were removed. The dimensionality of the measure showed two distinct elements (verbal and non-verbal pragmatic language) of a unidimensional construct. These findings have led to a revision of the first edition of POM, now called the POM-2. Further empirical work investigating the responsiveness of the POM-2 and its utility in identifying pragmatic language impairments in other childhood developmental disorders is recommended

Non-pharmacological Interventions for Adults with Autism: a Systematic Review of Randomised Controlled Trials

To determine the effects of non-pharmacological randomised controlled trials in adults with autism, a systematic review was conducted across five electronic databases. A total of 3865 abstracts were retrieved, of which 41 articles met all inclusion criteria: randomised controlled trial; non-pharmacological intervention; adults with autism; and English publication. Twenty included studies had strong methodological quality ratings. No meta-analysis could be performed due to heterogeneity between studies. Articles reported on interventions for (1) social functioning and language skills, (2) vocational rehabilitation outcomes, (3) cognitive skills training, and (4) independent living skills. Social functioning was the most studied intervention. PEERS for young adults and Project SEARCH plus ASD support interventions had the strongest evidence. Emerging evidence suggests nonpharmacological interventions could be effectivepublishedVersio

CO_2-dependent carbon isotope fractionation in Archaea, Part I: Modeling the 3HP/4HB pathway

The 3-hydroxypropionate/4-hydroxybutyrate (3HP/4HB) pathway of carbon fixation is found in thermophilic Crenarchaeota of the order Sulfolobales and in aerobic, ammonia-oxidizing Thaumarchaeota. Unlike all other known autotrophic carbon metabolisms, this pathway exclusively uses HCO_3- rather than CO_2 as the substrate for carbon fixation. Biomass produced by the 3HB/4HP pathway is relatively ^(13)C-enriched compared to biomass fixed by other autotrophic pathways, with total biosynthetic isotope effects (ε_(Ar)) of ca. 3‰ in the Sulfolobales and ca. 20‰ in the Thaumarchaeota. Explanations for the difference between these values usually invoke the dual effects of thermophily and growth at low pH (low [HCO_3-]) for the former group vs. mesophily and growth at pH > 7 (high [HCO_3-]) for the latter group. Here we examine the model taxa Metallosphaera sedula and Nitrosopumilus maritimususing an isotope flux-balance model to argue that the primary cause of different ε_(Ar) values more likely is the presence of carbonic anhydrase in M. sedula and its corresponding absence in N. maritimus. The results suggest that the pool of HCO_3-inside N. maritimus is out of isotopic equilibrium with CO_2 and that the organism imports < 10% HCO_3- from the extracellular environment. If correct and generalizable, the aerobic, ammonia-oxidizing marine Thaumarchaeota are dependent on passive CO_2 uptake and a slow rate of intracellular conversion to HCO_3-. Values of ε_(Ar) should therefore vary in response to growth rate (μ) and CO_2 availability, analogous to eukaryotic algae, but in the opposite direction: ε_(Ar) becomes smaller as [CO_(2(aq))] increases and/or μ decreases. Such an idea represents a testable hypothesis, both in the laboratory and in natural systems. Sensitivity to μ and CO_2 implies that measurements of ε_(Ar) may hold promise as a pCO_2 paleobarometer