An evaluation of wayfinding abilities in adolescent and young adult males with autism spectrum disorder

BackgroundWayfinding refers to traveling from place to place in the environment. Despite some research headway, it remains unclear whether individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) show strengths, weaknesses, or similarities in wayfinding compared with ability-matched typically developing (TD) controls.MethodThe current study tested 24 individuals with ASD, 24 mental-ability (MA) matched TD (MA-TD) controls, and 24 chronological-age (CA) matched TD (CA-TD) controls. Participants completed a route learning task and a survey learning task, both programmed in virtual environments, and a perspective taking task. Their parents completed questionnaires assessing their children’s everyday wayfinding activities and competence.ResultsOverall, CA-TD controls performed better than both the ASD group and the MA-TD group in both wayfinding tasks and the perspective taking task. Individuals with ASD performed similarly to the MA- TD controls on wayfinding performance except for backtracking routes. Perspective taking presented an area of deficit for people with ASD and it predicted individual differences in route learning and survey learning. Parents’ reports did not predict their children’s wayfinding performance. Two mini meta-analyses, including previous studies and the current study, showed a significant deficit in route learning, but not in survey learning for the ASD group relative to MA-TD controls.ConclusionsAlthough participants with ASD showed impairments in wayfinding relative to CA-TD controls, the impairment is not specific to their ASD, but rather due to their mental age. Nevertheless, route reversal in route learning may present unique difficulty for people with ASD beyond the effects of mental age.     

Packing : quand des parents témoignent

ObjectiveIn a very controversial context that led to a packing ban in 2016, the aim of this study was to give a voice to parents of autistic children who are not visible in the media and who have experienced packing for their child.Methods and resultsThrough the intermediary of a child psychiatrist, seven in-depth interviews were carried out in Seine-Saint-Denis, a suburb where the index of social disadvantage is very high and where there is a significant shortage of places and resources. Seven mothers of children with autism agreed to testify to report on the help provided by professionals and the beneficial effects of packing on the most problematic manifestations: self-injury, perceptual problems, anxiety, agitation, and shouting.ConclusionThese testimonies reveal a clear discrepancy between the satisfaction of the parents who spoke out and the anti-packing movement of parents’ associations that influence public policy. They reflect a complex situation that requires the cooperation of different professionals to best answer the questions posed by certain symptoms and manifestations of extreme distress.     

Parents’ experiences and information needs related to childhood fever: A systematic review

ObjectiveTo synthesize current evidence about experiences and information needs of parents/caregivers managing pediatric fever.MethodsWe used systematic review methodology with an a priori protocol. We searched Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global, from 2000 to May 2018.ResultsWe included thirty-six studies (n = 29 quantitative, n = 7 qualitative; 15,727 participants). Quantitative data contained four themes; 1) caregivers seek information about pediatric fever, 2) low knowledge is coupled with misconceptions and anxiety, 3) fever assessment and management practices vary, 4) demographic factors (e.g., ethnicity, age, socioeconomic status, education) influence information needs and health practices. Qualitative data contained three themes; 1) tension between logic and emotion, 2) responsibility contrasted with sense of vulnerability, 3) seeking support and information to build confidence.ConclusionParents often overestimate the risks associated with pediatric fever and struggle to make decisions during a child’s febrile illness — leading to caregiving actions that may not reflect current clinical recommendations. Parents seek knowledge about how to care for a febrile child at home and what indicators should prompt them to seek medical attention.Practice ImplicationsIn addition to providing clear, reliable information, interventions that address educational, pragmatic, and emotional domains may be effective in supporting parents.     

An exploration of parents’ knowledge,attitudes and practices towards the use of antibiotics in childhood upper respiratory tract infections in a tertiary Jordanian Hospital

Objectives

The present study aimed to evaluate the parents' knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) towards the use of antibiotics for childhood upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs), at the Jordanian University Hospital.

Parent support programmes and policies in the Caribbean

ABSTRACT

The authors, through a consultancy with the Caribbean Child Development Centre, the University of the West Indies Open Campus, sought to identify comprehensive parent support programmes and policies in the healthcare sector in non-Spanish-speaking Caribbean countries. As mapping researchers, the authors were contracted to map policies and programmes in the healthcare sector whose aims were to support both family wellbeing and children’s healthy development. A review of the existing literature about parenting practices and parenting support programming in the Caribbean was conducted. A catalogue of existing programmes and policies in non-Spanish speaking Caribbean countries was compiled using relevant documents and interviews from primary sources involved in the programmes and the development and implementation of policies. This article outlines the trends identified during the interviews and mapping exercise.     

Measuring vaccine acceptance among Canadian parents: A survey of the Canadian Immunization Research Network

Parental decision making about childhood vaccinations is complex and multidimensional. There is a perception that the number of parents having concerns regarding childhood vaccinations has been increasing in Canada. The aim of this study was to explore vaccine hesitancy among Canadian parents and to examine factors associated with a parent’s intention to vaccinate his/her child. Informed by the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) this study assesses potential associations between parents’ knowledge, attitudes and beliefs toward vaccination and their intention to vaccinate their child in the future. A national sample of Canadian parents of children aged 24–59 months (N = 2013) was surveyed using an online survey methodology. Half of the surveyed parents strongly intended to have their child vaccinated in the future. Parents’ information needs and searches as well as parents’ trust in different institutions were associated with intention to vaccinate. Parents who reported having frequently looked for vaccine information, who considered that it was their role as parents to question vaccines, or who had previously experienced difficulty accessing vaccination services were less likely to strongly intend to vaccinate their child in the future. Parents who had a high level of trust in doctors and public health were most likely to strongly intend to vaccinate their child. Results of the multivariate analysis showed that positive attitudes (aOR = 8.0; 95% CI: 6.0, 10.4), higher perceived social support (aOR = 3.0; 95% CI: 2.3, 3.93), and higher perceived behavioural control (aOR = 1.8; 95% CI: 1.4, 2.43) were associated with parents’ intention to vaccinate their child. Findings of this study suggest that trust-building interventions that promote pro-vaccine social norms and that address negative attitudes toward vaccination could enhance vaccine acceptance among Canadian parents.