Social Support Networks Among Children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Previous research using predominantly adult populations has found that social support is positively correlated with an individual’s quality of overall health and wellbeing. Given the limited research investigating social support among children, especially children with special needs, the present study explored the social support networks of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Nine children enrolled in an after-school program were observed interacting with others and were interviewed in group discussions about the sources of support they tend to rely on in their daily activities. Preliminary findings suggest that children relied on each other’s for help during the regular after-school activities and reported receiving different extent and types of support from family members, peers, teachers, and coaches. These findings suggest that children with IDD benefit from a strong social support network system which may have practical implications for middle childhood interventions in educational settings

The Victorian Newsletter (Spring 1986)

The Victorian Newsletter is sponsored for the Victorian Group of Modern Language Association by the Western Kentucky University and is published twice annually.The Novel as Risk and Compromise, Poetry as Safe Haven: Hardy and the Victorian Reading Public, 1863-1901 / William W. Morgan -- Bard and Lady Novelist: Swinburne and the Novel of (Mrs.) Manners / David G. Riede -- Genre and Gender in Aurora Leigh / Dorothy Mermin -- Walter Pater: The Critic and the Irrational / Robert Keefe -- He Stoops to Conquer: Redeeming the Fallen Woman in the Fiction of Dickens, Gaskell and Their Contemporaries / Laura Hapke -- Trollope's Ground of Meaning: The Macdermots of Ballycloran / Sarah Gilead -- Byron and Disraeli / Peter W. Graham -- Wilde's Autobiographical Signature in The Picture of Dorian Gray / Karl Beckson -- Books Receive

Erosion risk assessment of active coastal cliffs in temperate environments

The potentially negative consequences resulting from cliff recession are a matter of serious concern in many coastal areas worldwide. The assessment of these kind of processes has traditionally been performed by calculating average cliff recession rates and projecting them into the future, without taking into consideration the diverse factors affecting cliff dynamics and stability. In this work a new, practical method is presented to evaluate cliff erosion risk on temperate environments, by analysing the main factors responsible for both the physical and the socioeconomic aspects of erosion, representing cliff loss potential and damage potential respectively. For this purpose an integration of 11 physical variables (such as cliff lithology, beach characteristics or rainfall regime) and 6 socioeconomic variables (such as land use type or population density) is proposed. These variables are weighted and combined into a Hazard Index and an Impact Index, which in turn are merged into a composite Risk Index, where the resulting values are normalized and expressed as a percentage of the maximum theoretical risk. The method is tested and validated by using data about cliff retreat rates and mass movement processes in the coast of Cádiz province (SW Spain). The proposed approach allows the zoning of coastal cliffs according to the risk, hazard and/or impact levels, including the recognition of critical areas where specific intervention strategies should be adopted. It is believed that the method presented in this work is practical and at the same time scientifically valid, without requiring extensive and detailed surveys of the area where it is to be applied. This way, it constitutes an easy to use, valuable tool for decision-making regarding land use planning and management strategies in active coastal cliffs

Error determination in the photogrammetric assessment of shoreline changes

The evaluation of error or uncertainty in shoreline change studies is an issue of prime importance for providing an adequate framework for calculated rates of change and to allow the establishment of threshold values above which the rates would be significant. In this note, a practical, easy-to-use method is presented to estimate error involved in the calculation of shoreline changes on aerial photographs, including the three most used types of shoreline indicators: high water line, dune/cliff toe and cliff top. This approach takes into account the specific characteristics of each shoreline proxy, such as relief in the case of the cliff top or tidal oscillations in the case of the high water line. At the same time it includes the error components that are independent from the proxy, basically related to the technical aspects of the process such as photo scanning and georeferencing. A practical example of application of the method is provided for several types of data inputs, based on shoreline changes around the Bay of Cádiz (SW Spain)

Through the Lens of a Camera: Exploring the Meaning of Competitive Sport Participation Among Youth Athletes with Disabilities

This study explores the meaning of competitive sports participation among youth athletes with disabilities who are members of a sled hockey team affiliated with a community-based therapeutic recreation (TR) and adaptive sports organization. The study draws upon theories of Social Role Valorization and Perceived Freedom in Leisure, and employs the Socio-Ecological Model to (a) examine the role of adaptive sports programs as bridging organizations, mediating the space between individual capacities, collective identities, and valued social roles for youth with disabilities; and (b) identify barriers and enablers of participation. Photovoice was employed utilizing the template analytic method. Findings suggest that competitive sports participation: (1) facilitates identification with valued social roles, (2) supports outcomes associated with Perceived Freedom in Leisure, and (3) empowers youth with disabilities to discuss barriers and enablers to social inclusion. This study highlights the role of Photovoice as a tool for informing TR and adaptive sport practice, and facilitatin