Barriers To Identifying Learning Disabilities: A Qualitative Study Of Clinicians And Educators

The estimated prevalence of learning disabilities (LDs) is nearly 8% of all children. Yet fewer than 5% of all children are diagnosed in public schools — jeopardizing remediation. The specific aims of this study were as follows: 1) To perform a qualitative study involving individual interviews with front-line child-facing professionals to identify barriers to detecting school-aged children with LDs and 2) To utilize results to suggest improvements to pediatric clinical care, as pediatricians are often initial responders for families when children experience academic difficulties. We conducted a qualitative study with individual interviews of 40 professionals from different areas of the United States identified through theoretical sampling (20 educators, 10 pediatricians, and 10 child mental health clinicians). Clinicians represented academic and community settings, and educators represented public, private, and charter schools. Twenty had expertise in assessing LDs; 20 were generalists without specific training. We also endeavored to maximize representation across age, gender, race/ethnicity, and location. We analyzed transcripts utilizing grounded theory and identified themes reflecting barriers to detection. Themes (and sub-themes) included: 1) areas requiring improved professional education (misconceptions that may hinder detection, confounding factors that may mask LDs, and need for increasing engagement of parents or guardians in identifying LDs) and 2) systemic barriers (time constraints that limited professionals’ ability to advocate for children and to delve into their emotional experiences, inconsistent guidelines across institutions and inconsistent perceptions of professional responsibility for detection, and confusion surrounding screening tools and lack of screening by some professionals in the absence of overt problems). Clinicians and other child-facing professionals may benefit from augmented training in screening and identification and enhanced evidence-based and institutional guidance. Future quantitative research could investigate whether these efforts could increase efficiency and perceived responsibility for recognition and improve earlier detection

The eyes have it: a visual-vestibular rehabilitation program for pediatric oncology and neuro-rehabilitation

The Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital (MRH) Occupational Therapy (OT) Pediatric Visual-Vestibular Dysfunction (PVVD) program is a clinical education and training program that aims to teach OT clinicians to better assess and treat PVVD in children with CNS cancer and/or other neurologic conditions. With a growing number of children surviving and participating in daily life with chronic and disabling health conditions, it is imperative that OTs stay informed on how to best support these children to live their best lives. Through education and training efforts of OTs at MRH, and by providing clinicians with tools to implement assessment and intervention techniques aimed to address PVVD, the program intends to expand OT practice and improve care for children with PVVD. In turn, this program will impact short and long-term health outcomes for these children. In addition to these training and clinical support efforts, the program will examine how effective these interventions are and publish results in order to advance OT practice and rehabilitation science as a whole. In combination with the outlined dissemination plan, the MRH OT PVVD program has the potential to significantly and positively influence OT practice and the lives of children with and at-risk for PVVD

Peer Mentoring in an Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Program: Student Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has had significant impacts on education. During this time, educators were tasked to develop creative and new ways to engage and teach students. Mentoring has been shown to positively impact academic and psychosocial outcomes and can enhance clinical skills in both in-person and e-learning environments. However, there is need for further research on peer mentoring programs in occupational therapy curriculum. Method: This retrospective qualitative study investigates the effects of peer mentoring on student perceptions of learning and professional development. Experiences were tracked for three semesters during the pandemic at an accredited entry-level occupational therapy program in the US. The students answered two to three questions at the end of each semester; qualitative analysis followed. Results: Twenty-six to 28 students consented each semester. Positive experiences, improved communication, and professional skills were reported. Most of the students felt peer mentoring enhanced learning, reduced stress, and fostered comradery. Collaborative partnership was preferred, and the students often asked for more structured faculty support. Discussion: The results are consistent with current evidence and confirm use of mentoring in entry-level occupational therapy programs may be beneficial even in adapted learning environments. This study gives insight to learning during a global pandemic and provides guidance for post pandemic pedagogical design

The Response of Cerebral Cortex to Haemorrhagic Damage: Experimental Evidence from a Penetrating Injury Model

Understanding the response of the brain to haemorrhagic damage is important in haemorrhagic stroke and increasingly in the understanding the cerebral degeneration and dementia that follow head trauma and head-impact sports. In addition, there is growing evidence that haemorrhage from small cerebral vessels is important in the pathogenesis of age-related dementia (Alzheimer's disease). In a penetration injury model of rat cerebral cortex, we have examined the neuropathology induced by a needlestick injury, with emphasis on features prominent in the ageing and dementing human brain, particularly plaque-like depositions and the expression of related proteins. Needlestick lesions were made in neo- and hippocampal cortex in Sprague Dawley rats aged 3-5 months. Brains were examined after 1-30 d survival, for haemorrhage, for the expression of hyperphosphorylated tau, Aβ, amyloid precursor protein (APP), for gliosis and for neuronal death. Temporal cortex from humans diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease was examined with the same techniques. Needlestick injury induced long-lasting changes-haem deposition, cell death, plaque-like deposits and glial invasion-along the needle track. Around the track, the lesion induced more transient changes, particularly upregulation of Aβ, APP and hyperphosporylated tau in neurons and astrocytes. Reactions were similar in hippocampus and neocortex, except that neuronal death was more widespread in the hippocampus. In summary, experimental haemorrhagic injury to rat cerebral cortex induced both permanent and transient changes. The more permanent changes reproduced features of human senile plaques, including the formation of extracellular deposits in which haem and Aβ-related proteins co-localised, neuronal loss and gliosis. The transient changes, observed in tissue around the direct lesion, included the upregulation of Aβ, APP and hyperphosphorylated tau, not associated with cell death. The findings support the possibility that haemorrhagic damage to the brain can lead to plaque-like pathology.This work was supported by the Sir Zelman Cowen Universities Fund, and by the Bluesand Foundation. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

American Studies As a Way of Life

American Studies As a Way of Lif

Suppressor analysis to identify proteins that work with the Mycobacterium smegmatis SecA2 protein export system

Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of the disease tuberculosis, is a serious threat to human health, responsible for 1.4 million deaths annually. When M. tuberculosis is spread from person to person by aerosol and is phagocytosed by alveolar macrophages, the proteins exported by the bacterium are ideally positioned to interact with the host. Therefore, exported proteins and the systems responsible for their export are important for M. tuberculosis virulence. All bacteria, including mycobacteria, contain the Sec protein export system, which is responsible for the bulk of protein export and is composed of a motor ATPase protein, SecA, and a membrane-embedded channel complex, SecYEG. Mycobacteria, including both M. tuberculosis and the model organism Mycobacterium smegmatis, along with some Gram-positive bacteria, are unique in containing two functionally distinct SecA proteins. The SecA protein responsible for housekeeping protein export is termed SecA1 and is essential for cell survival, while the second SecA protein, termed SecA2, is required for the export of a small subset of proteins and is important for M. tuberculosis virulence. While the canonical Sec system is well understood, the mechanism of SecA2-dependent export is not. Like canonical SecA proteins, the mycobacterial SecA2 requires ATPase activity to function. Furthermore, an M. smegmatis secA2 mutant (secA2 K129R) that encodes a SecA2 protein defective in ATP binding is dominant negative and appears to be trapped in a complex with interacting proteins at the membrane. Here, we analyze extragenic suppressors of secA2 K129R in an effort to better understand SecA2-dependent export and identify additional components of the SecA2 pathway. Using this approach, we demonstrate a connection between M. smegmatis SecA2 and SecY, the major membrane-embedded component of the housekeeping Sec export channel. In addition, we demonstrate a connection between the SecA2 system and Msmeg_1684, a protein of unknown function that is found throughout mycobacteria and may represent a novel component of the SecA2 pathway. Our findings suggest a new model in which the mycobacterial SecA2 export pathway is integrated into the housekeeping Sec pathway and includes an additional SecA2-specific component, Msmeg_1684.Doctor of Philosoph

University Students\u27 Perceptions Of The Severity Of Binge Drinking

The purpose of this research was to assess university students\u27 perceptions of the severity of binge drinking. To assess university students\u27 perceptions, a survey questionnaire was used. The survey looked at reported binge drinking behaviors by sampled college students and how serious they perceived consequences of binge drinking. A total of 270 students at Minnesota State University, Mankato participated in the research regarding binge drinking during spring semester 2014. The mean age was 19.8 years old, with a majority (70%) being freshmen and sophomores. Around 60% of females reported binge drinking within the last two-weeks of taking the survey, while around 50% of males reported binge drinking. There were no statistically significant differences in binge drinking based on the participants\u27 age, gender, year in school, race or if they were a member of an organization on campus. A majority of participants (95.2%) reported that they believed `causing another persons\u27 death\u27 to be very serious, while experiencing a hangover was perceived as not serious to slightly serious by most participants (77.8%)

Developing National and Global Identities: Adolescent Identity Crisis Negotiation during a Two Week International Exchange

Literature elucidating the adolescent travel experience is scarce. In fact, travel and tourism scholarship to date largely glosses over the adolescent experience, focusing instead on the perspective of the whole family unit or the experience of the older adult traveler. The purpose of this study was to give voice to youth travelers by investigating the travel experiences of two male and six female adolescents from the South Eastern United States

Using an Interdisciplinary Case Study to Incorporate Quantitative Reasoning in Social Work, Nursing, and Mathematics

Through the national consortium, SUMMIT-P, Ferris State University faculty collaborated to develop and scaffold mathematics and quantitative reasoning across disciplines to reduce math anxiety. Participants in this collaborative group included faculty from social work, nursing, and mathematics who developed a case study on a Hurricane Katrina scenario that necessitated calculating the need for emergency shelter, water, food, and medicine, and as a response to the potential for a Malaria outbreak. This particular case study allowed faculty to use the lens of social justice to teach mathematical concepts and provided an avenue for nursing and social work students to engage in mathematics through a case study germane to their profession. This article discusses the process of developing this case study and focuses on the successes and challenges faculty and students faced while the parts of the case study were implemented in the varied disciplines. This discussion also includes sidebar contributions from faculty at other SUMMIT-P institutions who have engaged in similar cross-disciplinary collaborations