Language vs. Behavior: The Greater Impact on Social Skills in Children with Autism

When improving social skills in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, it is important to consider the verbal and nonverbal aspects of communication. Speech-Language Pathologists work on refining expressive language in children with ASD while Clinical Psychologists focus more on modifying their behavior. Using the different branches of knowledge from both clinical perspectives produces more treatment approaches for bettering social communication in children with autism. Although Speech-Language Pathologists and Clinical Psychologists work interprofessionally to determine the best course of treatment, one specialty may hold a greater impact over the other. Behavior can have an impact on social communication however, language is the driving force for how children with ASD communicate with one another

A Timeline of \u27In the Blood\u27

This timeline describes Purdue Theatre\u27s 2020-2021 production of Suzan Lori Parks\u27 In the Blood with guest director Tasia A. Jones

Applying Design Thinking to Reimagine Our First Year Experience – Evidence Gained from Prototype Projects in Three Irish Institutions

Our key focus sees the conference highlight the beneficial impact of Student and Staff Partnerships on the first year experience. We believe that the staff-student conversation is one of the best avenues for change and throughout the conference would want to create a vibrant climate in which staff and students engage in discussions about the future of the first year experience. This will build upon the reputation the host university has for its student engagement approach which sees students as partners in co-creating the learning experience. Therefore, we would anticipate sessions that showcase how first year practice has been influenced by or even co-created through engagement with the student voice

Scaffolding for Cognitive Overload Using Pre-lecture E-Resources (SCOPE) for First Year Chemistry Undergraduates

The aims of this project were: to develop additional online pre-lecture resources for first year chemistry undergraduates at level 7 and 8 to complement those prepared in the 2010/2911 academic year for level 8 students by Dr. Michael Seery as part of his teaching fellowship, and to evaluate the effect of implementing the resources with this year by analysing quantitative (test and exam results) and qualitative (pre-and post-implementation surveys and focus group interviews) data. Ten pre-lecture activities on organic chemistry were prepared and used with 87 level 8 students in Semester 2 and ten more on general chemistry topics have been developed and will be implemented with level 7 students in September 2012. Analysis of the mid-semester test and examination results of the students with whom the resources were used in semester 2 showed that, among groups with similar CAO points level, the gap in performance between those who had and had not studied chemistry at Leaving Cert was eliminated. The surveys and focus groups undertaken revealed that learners felt more confident and they could focus more in the lecture when they had completed a pre-lecture activity

Enhancing Forensic Science Context-based Laboratory Activities for Undergraduate Chemistry Students

This paper discusses the development of student centred context-based practical activities for use in third level Forensic Science/ Chemical Analysis courses

The perceptions of key stakeholders of the roles of specialist and advanced nursing and midwifery practitioners

Aim: To explore the perceptions of key stakeholders of the roles of specialist and advanced nursing and midwifery practitioners. Background: There is evidence that the contribution of these roles to patient care is poorly understood. Design: This research took place over 2 months in 2015 and is part of a larger study involving a rapid review to inform policy development on the specialist and advanced nursing and midwifery practice in Ireland. As an added value, a qualitative element involving thematic analysis was undertaken with key stakeholders. Methods: A phenomenological qualitative study was conducted incorporating semistructured interviews with key stakeholders (n = 15). Purposive sampling with maximum diversity was used to recruit a wide range of perspectives. Findings: Participant’s perspectives led to seven themes: Impact of these roles; role preparation, experience and organizational support; specialist and advanced practice roles in an interdisciplinary context; different folks but not such different roles; impact of specialist and advanced practice roles on patient outcomes; barriers and facilitators to enacting specialist and advanced practice roles; future development of these roles. Conclusion: There is acknowledgement of the positive impact of specialist and advanced practitioners; however, the evidence is currently not conclusive. Preparation for these roles needs to reflect changes in the calibre of today’s professional applicants, and organizational support is paramount to their successful execution. The contribution of their activity to patient outcome needs to be made visible to enhance these roles and to justify the development of new roles across a variety of healthcare areas

Development and validation of Australian aphasia rehabilitation best practice statements using the RAND/UCLA appropriateness method

Objectives: To develop and validate a national set of best practice statements for use in post-stroke aphasia rehabilitation. Design: Literature review and statement validation using the RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method (RAM). Participants: A national Community of Practice of over 250 speech pathologists, researchers, consumers and policymakers developed a framework consisting of eight areas of care in aphasia rehabilitation. This framework provided the structure for the development of a care pathway containing aphasia rehabilitation best practice statements. Nine speech pathologists with expertise in aphasia rehabilitation participated in two rounds of RAND/UCLA appropriateness ratings of the statements. Panellists consisted of researchers, service managers, clinicians and policymakers. Main outcomes measures: Statements that achieved a high level of agreement and an overall median score of 7–9 on a nine-point scale were rated as ‘appropriate’. Results: 74 best practice statements were extracted from the literature and rated across eight areas of care (eg, receiving the right referrals, providing intervention). At the end of Round 1, 71 of the 74 statements were rated as appropriate, no statements were rated as inappropriate, and three statements were rated as uncertain. All 74 statements were then rated again in the face-to-face second round. 16 statements were added through splitting existing items or adding new statements. Seven statements were deleted leaving 83 statements. Agreement was reached for 82 of the final 83 statements. Conclusions: This national set of 82 best practice statements across eight care areas for the rehabilitation of people with aphasia is the first to be validated by an expert panel. These statements form a crucial component of the Australian Aphasia Rehabilitation Pathway (AARP) (http://www.aphasiapathway.com.au) and provide the basis for more consistent implementation of evidence-based practice in stroke rehabilitation

“Anyone can co-design?”: A case study synthesis of six experience-based co-design (EBCD) projects for healthcare systems improvement in New South Wales, Australia

Experience-based co-design (EBCD) is a quality improvement approach that is being used internationally to bring service users and health professionals together to improve healthcare experiences, systems and processes. Early evaluations and case studies of EBCD have shown promise in terms of improvements to experience and organisational processes, however challenges remain in participation around shared power and decision making, mobilisation for implementation, sustainment of improvements and measurement of outcomes. The objective of this case study was to explore the emergent issues in EBCD participation and implementation in six quality improvement projects conducted in mental health, rehabilitation, blood and bone marrow transplant, brain injury rehabilitation, urinary incontinence and intellectual disability settings by the Agency for Clinical Innovation (ACI), New South Wales, Australia (2015-2018). Methods: A two stage process of analysis was employed. The first stage involved a case to case synthesis using a variable-oriented approach. In this approach themes were identified within individual cases and compared across cases in workshops with all project leads. In the second stage the case themes were synthesised within an overarching thematic that was identified as the main challenge in effective participation and implementation in these EBCD projects. The results: themes identified in the first stage of analysis related to different methods for gathering experiences and the activities used for the co-design of improvements. Variability in service user participation within co-design workshops was also discussed. Four out of the six projects implemented improvements in full. The prominent thematic overarching all six EBCD cases was the need for guidance on capability development and co-design preparedness for all participants in co-design not only project leads. In conclusion, variability in EBCD implementation makes it difficult to identify which component parts are essential for improving experiences and services, and which of these lead to sustained changes and benefits for service users and health professionals. One way to address this is to develop a model for co-design capability and preparedness that is closely linked with a set of eight mechanisms that have been previously identified as essential to achieving change in healthcare improvement initiatives. Experience Framework This article is associated with the Innovation & Technology lens of The Beryl Institute Experience Framework. (http://bit.ly/ExperienceFramework) Access other PXJ articles related to this lens. Access other resources related to this len

The AGE-RAGE axis in an Arab population: The United Arab Emirates Healthy Futures (UAEHFS) pilot study

© 2017 The Authors Aims The transformation of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from a semi-nomadic to a high income society has been accompanied by increasing rates of obesity and Type 2 diabetes mellitus. We examined if the AGE-RAGE (receptor for advanced glycation endproducts) axis is associated with obesity and diabetes mellitus in the pilot phase of the UAE Healthy Futures Study (UAEHFS). Methods 517 Emirati subjects were enrolled and plasma/serum levels of AGE, carboxy methyl lysine (CML)-AGE, soluble (s)RAGE and endogenous secretory (es)RAGE were measured along with weight, height, waist and hip circumference (WC/HC), blood pressure, HbA1c, Vitamin D levels and routine chemistries. The relationship between the AGE-RAGE axis and obesity and diabetes mellitus was tested using proportional odds models and linear regression. Results After covariate adjustment, AGE levels were significantly associated with diabetes status. Levels of sRAGE and esRAGE were associated with BMI and levels of sRAGE were associated with WC/HC. Conclusions The AGE-RAGE axis is associated with diabetes status and obesity in this Arab population. Prospective serial analysis of this axis may identify predictive biomarkers of obesity and cardiometabolic dysfunction in the UAEHFS