Teaching thinking skills: The “what” and the “how” of young children's thinking

This review illustrates current perspectives on young children's thinking, from the viewpoint of developmental psychology. Relevant findings from both cognitive developmental and information processing literatures are discussed. Specific abilities of preschoolers are highlighted, and practical suggestions are offered from both perspectives.     

“I Fell Off [the Mothering] Track”: Barriers to “Effective Mothering” Among Prostituted Women

Ecological theory and basic assumptions for the promotion of effective mothering among low‐income and working‐poor women are applied in relation to a particularly vulnerable population: street‐level prostitution‐involved women. Qualitative data from 38 street‐level prostituted women shows barriers to effective mothering at the individual, community, and societal levels. Suggestions for enhancing the lives and long‐term well‐being of prostituted women with children are included.     

Partitioned association-linkage test: distinguishing “necessary” from “susceptibility” loci

Marker allele-disease association and linkage between a disease locus and a marker locus are two different phenomena. Linkage without evidence of association and association without evidence of linkage are possible observations. Linkage analysis uses marker loci and the phenomenon of recombination to look for disease-related loci which are presumably major contributors to disease expression (“necessary” loci). However, the phenomenon of association is more complex. One explanation for the existence of an association is that there is a “necessary” locus in linkage disequilibrium with a marker locus. Another explanation is that the marker locus itself (or a closely linked locus in linkage disequilibrium with the marker) is a “susceptibility” locus, which increases the probability of contracting the disease but is not necessary for disease expression. Although there are other possible explanations for the existence of an association, these two can lead to different results when family data from a disease showing association are analyzed for linkage between the associated marker and the disease. If the linkage disequilibrium hypothesis is correct, there will be evidence for linkage. If the susceptibility locus hypothesis is correct, there may be strong evidence against linkage. In this work, we explore a method that could indicate whether an association is due to a susceptibility locus or a necessary locus. We show that, by dividing families based on the presence or absence of the associated marker allele in a randomly chosen affected sib, calculating lod scores, and then calculating a heterogeneity statistic, we could distinguish whether linkage data came from a susceptibility locus or a necessary locus. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

“Abstinence” and “nonabstinence” models for the treatment of bulimia

One of the most controversial dimensions along which developing therapeutic approaches for bulimia can be differentiated is their allegiance to an “abstinence” or “nonabstinence” model. Through analogy to traditional treatment programs for chemical dependency, many self-help and professional programs for bulimia hold that the complete elimination of binge-vomiting behavior is a prerequisite for therapeutic work, and require abstinence from the inception of treatment. In contrast, the nonabstinence model suggests that a more gradual reduction in the frequency of episodes may be preferable in that it provides more opportunities for relapse prevention training and avoids reinforcing dichotomous thinking styles. The present paper reviews the theoretical and clinical arguments that have been advanced by each side, including the case for classifying bulimia as a substance abuse disorder. A strategy for investigating the relative efficacy of the two approaches is proposed. It is suggested that particular attention be paid to such variables as differential attrition, the effect of each modality on the accuracy of self-report, the need for continuing or supplementary therapy, the occurrence of treatment “casualties,” interactions between client characteristics and mode of therapy, and long-term results. In the interim before such data are available, a reasonable clinical recommendation may be the implementation of a “compromise” approach designed to maximize the advantages claimed by each model while minimizing possible risks.     

Defending a “Never Event”

There are medical mishaps that have been deemed “Never Events” by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). This term refers generally to preventable occurrences so egregious that they should never occur. But they do occur. And when they do, litigation often follows. This article focuses on one such Never Event—the operating room fire—with strategies on how to defend it. Information provided in this article was derived from a review of the relevant literature and from the author's personal experience defending lawsuits arising from Never Events, including a jury trial involving a surgeon who was sued for a patient's injuries after a fire erupted in the operating room.     

“The Wall that Stops the Outside Coming In”: Exploring Infinity and Other “Difficult” Concepts with a Preschooler

At the centre of many debates about 'developmentally appropriate practice' (NAEYC & NAECS, 1991) is the issue of difficulty and challenge. In this study we examine one preschooler's (Amy) conversations with the first author in an attempt to re-think what we as educators consider difficult for this age group. The informal interviews from which the data are drawn provide a window into mathematical queries which interest or puzzle Amy at those times, as well as the ways in which she challenges the interviewer mathematically. It is evident from these task-based conversations that topics which primary teachers and caregivers might traditionally avoid, such as 'infinity' and 'negative numbers', were concepts this four-year-old's inquiry brought into view. The authors argue that we find ways to give prominence to individual children's questioning of mathematical ideas and in turn, pause to reconsider what is 'difficult' mathematics for the early years.     

“Missing Milestones”

Missing milestones are known to be a normal variant of development. The purpose of our study is to find if missing milestones always lead to normal development?

METHODS

This is a prospective case study on seven patients referred for motor developmental problems from July 1997 to February 1998 and then followed over a 2-year period. On each attendance, the multi-disciplinary team assessed children

RESULTS

We present a case series of seven children with “missing motor milestones”. Six of the seven, had tactile defensiveness but absent parachute reflexes on presentation

At the end of the two year period, 3 infants had normal development (Group I). One was discharged after 7 months. The second one had speech problems most likely secondary to her bilateral serous otitis media, with no other developmental problems. The third child acquired age appropriate milestones before the care was transferred to another hospital. Of the four in Group II, three developed global developmental delay and the fourth was diagnosed to have multiple cavernous haemangiomata in the brain. The pre-school alert panel was alerted for two of them possibly needing future help in school

Five of the seven children in our study were still being followed up after two years

CONCLUSIONS

Missing milestones in a subject can be a benign variation of normal motor development. However, they may also be the first sign to appear in children with neuro-developmental disorders

Tactile defensiveness may be the most useful early sign to enable the early diagnosis of non-weight bearing children with 'missing milestones'     

The meaning of “physical fitness”

The understanding of the term "physical fitness" was determined for a randomly selected sample (n = 94) of a population using a self-administered mailed questionnaire. Subjects were asked to state and give a reason for their perceived level of physical fitness, to state their perceived performance level in a number of physical fitness tests (muscular strength, daily physical work capacity, fatness, level of regular physical exercise, exercise speed, and body flexibility), and to rate how well these tests measure physical fitness. The reason most frequently stated for perceived level of physical fitness was the level of habitual physical activity (43%); significantly less frequently (P less than 0.01-0.0001) cited were reasons related to health (23%), physical performance (12%), and obesity (3%). The variation in perceived level of physical fitness was best explained by the variation in imagined regular exercise and fatness (r2 = 0.66, P less than 0.0001) with no significant additional contribution from imagined performance in remaining fitness tests. The measurement of regular exercise was most favored as a test of physical fitness. These results, taken together with evidence of the physical and psychological health benefits of regular exercise, imply that the most appropriate measure of physical fitness for the average person is an assessment of the habitual physical activity level.     

“I Did It Myself”: The Necessity of Solo Play for Preschoolers

Recent research about the benefits of solitude suggests that the capacity to play alone is an important developmental step, but the benefits of solitude in early childhood have not been fully researched. Current research on solitary play most often views solitary in contrast to social play, and focuses on how low rates of social interaction may negatively affect preschoolers. Children who play alone more than is typical fall into four groups: shy and non-shy soloists, isolated and depressed children. Only the latter two groups present clear concerns during the preschool years. Solo play should be viewed as a capacity in its own right, not in contrast to social play. More research from this perspective is needed to investigate the regulatory and expressive benefits of playing alone for all preschoolers.     

The atlas network: a “strategic ally” of the tobacco industry

Amid growing academic and policy interest in the influence of think tanks in public policy processes, this article demonstrates the extent of tobacco industry partnerships with think tanks in the USA, and analyzes how collaborating with a network of think tanks facilitated tobacco industry influence in public health policy. Through analysis of documents from tobacco companies and think tanks, we demonstrate that the Atlas Economic Research Foundation, a network of 449 free market think tanks, acted as a strategic ally to the tobacco industry throughout the 1990s. Atlas headquarters, while receiving donations from the industry, also channeled funding from tobacco corporations to think tank actors to produce publications supportive of industry positions. Thirty‐seven per cent of Atlas partner think tanks in the USA received funding from the tobacco industry; the majority of which were also listed as collaborators on public relations strategies or as allies in countering tobacco control efforts. By funding multiple think tanks, within a shared network, the industry was able to generate a conversation among independent policy experts, which reflected its position in tobacco control debates. This demonstrates a coherent strategy by the tobacco industry to work with Atlas to influence public health policies from multiple directions. There is a need for critical analysis of the influence of think tanks in tobacco control and other health policy sectors, as well as greater transparency of their funding and other links to vested interests. © 2016 The Authors The International Journal of Health Planning and Management Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd     

“Risk management” is a verb

To optimally demonstrate the value of risk management, our actions must show the benefits. The American Society for Healthcare Risk Management (ASHRM) board needs to provide support through tools and resources. ASHRM members must show through their actions the value of risk management. And ASHRM members need to show the organization where actions and activities should be focused in the future. Actions show the value of enterprise risk management.     

“PEOPLE NOT PIGEONHOLES”

Private O. T. Practitioner specialising in problems of neurological dysfunction — notably in relation to CVA patients and children with specific learning difficulties in normal school situation. This article discusses an aspect of the author's work in relation to children with specific learning difficulties. Through the support and good offices of her local primary school headmaster, there is a current application before the NSW Department of Education School Based Initiatives Program Committee, proposing the employment of an occupational therapist to conduct a remedial program in that school. It proposes that a pilot study document and attempt to define the advantages and desirable extent of such a program, not only for the particular school, but in the development of future Departmental policy. On a recent visit to U.K. the author found her concept hailed enthusiastically as a significant initiative in the present search to deal effectively with the estimated one in five children and young adults who will have some form of special educational needs as evidenced in the report by the Warnock Committee of Enquiry 1978.