School nurse perceptions of barriers and supports for children with diabetes

Adolescents with type 1 diabetes are likely attending most middle and high schools. These youth often do not receive the support needed to manage their diabetes during or after school. Nurses (n=110) from 3 states responded to a survey examining perceptions of barriers to and supports for diabetes management during school and after school activities. Results indicated that adolescents need more support at school. Support could be facilitated by education of school staff; improved communication among youth, parents, school nurses, teachers, and physicians; and more communication from adolescents to others about what they need to manage well in school. Open-ended questions allowed nurses to provide recommendations for supporting youth and ideas for addressing barriers to management at school. Future studies should address ways to enable adolescents to communicate about their diabetes and ways to educate the school team.     

What Hong Kong Teachers and Parents Think about Thinking

Thinking skills are critically important for later success in school. However, teachers and parents may have different perceptions of what constitutes thinking skills and the extent to which thinking skills should be taught in the classroom. Their views on their respective roles in fostering thinking skills may also differ. Such disagreements about both pedagogy and curriculum reflect differences in beliefs concerning the value of thinking skills. A survey questionnaire was administered to forty teachers and forty parents of Hong Kong preschoolers. Teachers and parents revealed their ideas about: (1) what constitutes thinking skills; (2) their perceptions on the importance of thinking skills in the lives of children, within and outside the classroom, for the present and in the future; (3) what strategies they employ to foster thinking skills in young children; and (4) their perceived roles in facilitating thinking skills. Whether from teachers or parents, the responses revealed the need for more adult understanding and support for children's thinking as a process. Responses were analyzed according to the coding system developed by Leah Adams. Implications for teacher and parent education are discussed.     

Menarche in the Severely Disabled Adolescent: School Nurses'' Attitudes, Perceptions, and Perceived Teaching Responsibilities

Children with physical disabilities increasingly are being mainstreamed into regular educational settings within public schools. Though the nurse has been the most preferred person to teach the child about menarche, little attention has been directed toward nurses' attitudes and perceptions of their functions in this role. This study determined perceptions of school nurses about their roles as teachers of sex education for children with physical disabilities. Responses were examined in relation to subjects' employment setting (handicapped or nonhandicapped/mixed setting) as well as the version of a stimulus story about a female adolescent sent to the school nurse for assistance and instruction on menarche. Results indicate that inservice programs for nurses and school personnel may be developed to facilitate more effective interactions with both handicapped and nonhandicapped children.     

Screen-related sedentary behaviours of school-aged children: Principals' and teachers' perspectives

OBJECTIVE: To solicit school principals' and teachers' perspectives on children's screen-related sedentary behaviour and to identify possible solutions to reduce sedentary behaviours among school-aged children. METHOD: In-person interviews using a semi-structured interview guide were conducted with school principals and grades five and six classroom teachers in 14 randomly selected elementary schools in London and Middlesex County, Ontario. Fourteen principals and 39 classroom teachers participated in the study. Inductive content analysis was performed independently by two researchers. RESULTS: Both principals and teachers were very concerned about children's excessive screen activities, but they did not perceive that they could play a key role in reducing these behaviours. Key barriers were identified to reducing screen-related sedentary behaviour and to children's active living both at and away from school. They included competing demands from other subjects, limited gym resources/space within the school, a lack of control over the home environment, and a perception that parents were poor role models. Notwithstanding the above barriers, principals and teachers still recommended increasing children's daily physical activity both within and outside of school hours. Furthermore, they stressed the need for parents to play a key role in reducing their children's screen-related sedentary behaviours and increasing their level of physical activity. CONCLUSION: School principals and teachers were very concerned about excessive screen-behaviour among school-aged children when away from school and suggested that interventions should emphasize increasing daily physical education, promoting recreational sports at or away from school, and engaging parents in regulating screen time at home.     

A Collaborative Protocol for Encopresis Management in School-Aged Children

ABSTRACT: Encopresis affects 1% to 3% of the general pediatric population, yet most parents are unaware of the condition. Parents frequently view encopretic symptoms as deliberate actions and react punitively. Children with encopresis live in constant fear of ridicule about a problem over which they have no control. The lengthy, complex management program for encopresis usually includes physiological and behavioral approaches. Noncompliance and withdrawing from the program too quickly are major obstacles to success. The collaborative protocol model, focused on medical clinicians, children and families, and school nurses in collaboration with the children's teachers provides comprehensive strategical management of encopresis. As health professionals with frequent opportunity for communication with children and their parents, schools nurses are essential members of the collaborative management team. Also, the unique position of school nurses offers the opportunity to identify children with encopresis and help them work toward a positive outcome.     

Attitudes About AIDS Education for Young Children Among Parents and Teachers

One hundred forty-seven parents of children in grades one through six and 53 elementary school teachers were surveyed to determine perceptions of children's knowledge and awareness about AIDS and attitudes regarding AIDS education in the early school years Results suggest that both parents and teachers underestimated children's awareness of and knowledge about AIDS Both groups agree that AIDS education is important for elementary school children and that the family should be the primary source of AIDS education Implications for the design and implementation of AIDS education programs are discussed.     

The identification and treatment of motor/learning difficulties: parents''perceptions and the role of the therapist

The diagnostic experience of 31 children, assessed as having motor/learning difficulties, attending an occupational therapy department within a children's hospital, was investigated. The study demonstrates the difficulty of specific identification of perceptuomotor problems. Close examination of the children's individual diagnostic pathways revealed a high number of health-care professional contacts and the fact that frequently there were lengthy gaps between parental (and sometimes professional) suspicions and final confirmation. The children's diagnostic experiences prior to starting treatment were varied and involved, and no one single route was predominant. The rationale for occupational-therapy assessment and treatment of this disorder is described, and parental perceptions of its effect are discussed. The findings suggest that an important part of therapeutic intervention may be increasing children's self-confidence and reducing intra and extra family tensions. Fewer behavioural problems were reported once treatment had commenced. It was concluded that an important part of the therapist's role was to provide information and support for parents and to liaise with school teachers, in addition to treating the children themselves.     

Teacher-Child Interactions and Preschool Children's Perceptions of Self and Peers

This study examined connections between teacher-child interaction and children's perceptions of self and peers. Forty-seven predominately white, middle-class preschoolers (twenty-seven boys, twenty girls; forty European-American, two Hispanic, two African-American, three Asian) were observed during indoor and outdoor activity at their preschool over a period of four months. Children's time spent interacting with teachers, as well as children's cooperative behavior, emotional expressions, and aggression toward teachers was assessed. In addition, children participated in interviews designed to assess their self-perceptions and perceptions of peers. Results revealed that girls spent more time interacting with teachers than boys, and had more cooperative and positive interactions with teachers than did boys. Correlation analyses indicated that the quality of teacher-child interaction was differentially linked to boys' and girls' self-perceptions and perceptions of peers. The implications of interactions between teacher and child for children's cognitions about self and others are discussed.     

What Hong Kong Teachers and Parents Think about Thinking

Thinking skills are critically important for later success in school. However, teachers and parents may have different perceptions of what constitutes thinking skills and the extent to which thinking skills should be taught in the classroom. Their views on their respective roles in fostering thinking skills may also differ. Such disagreements about both pedagogy and curriculum reflect differences in beliefs concerning the value of thinking skills. A survey questionnaire was administered to forty teachers and forty parents of Hong Kong preschoolers. Teachers and parents revealed their ideas about: (1) what constitutes thinking skills; (2) their perceptions on the importance of thinking skills in the lives of children, within and outside the classroom, for the present and in the future; (3) what strategies they employ to foster thinking skills in young children; and (4) their perceived roles in facilitating thinking skills. Whether from teachers or parents, the responses revealed the need for more adult understanding and support for children's thinking as a process. Responses were analyzed according to the coding system developed by Leah Adams. Implications for teacher and parent education are discussed.     

Strategies for improving disability awareness and social inclusion of children and young people with cerebral palsy

Background Children and youth with disabilities are at a higher risk of being socially excluded or bullied while at school compared with their typically developing peers. This study explored disabled children's suggestions for improving social inclusion. Methods Fifteen children with cerebral palsy were interviewed or took part in a group discussion about social inclusion and bullying. All interviews and focus groups were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Results The children and youth described several strategies to help improve social inclusion at school including: (1) disclosure of condition and creating awareness of disability; (2) awareness of bullying; (3) developing a peer support network and building self-confidence; and (4) suggestions on what teachers can do. Conclusions It is recommended that children's suggestions be considered within the classroom context to enhance the social inclusion and participation of children with disabilities.     

Parent-teacher involvement benefits everyone

Most educators accept that active involvement of parents in their children's education improves children's development and their academic success. Strong family backgrounds — i.e., the mother's education#shemployment focuses on school-type skills that are used to teach the children and the father encourages learning — influence high academic success for children. The roles parents assume in their children's education are key to children's overall development and achievements. Parents, involved as “teachers,” policy-makers, partners with school staff, and community liaisons, enable schools to address the developmental needs of their children. With improved preparation, teachers can be taught to work with parents and use them as allies in promoting their children's growth and development. They learn to encourage parents to provide good educational environments at home for their children and to teach them in out-of-school settings. As school personnel form partnerships with children's parents — everyone will benefit: parents expand their horizons by sharpening their own skills, their children achieve and seem to like learning, teachers seem to affect children's learning with less difficulty and behavior problems, and the entire community improves.     

Elementary school parents'/guardians' perceptions of school health service personnel and the services they provide

BACKGROUND: The school nurse, the school social worker, and the school counselor play an important role in promoting the health of children. Health services in the school setting provide opportunities to appraise, protect, and promote student health. The purpose of this study was to identify parents' or caregivers' perceptions and beliefs regarding the importance of schools providing various health services to their elementary school-aged children. In addition, the study examined the levels of parental support for, perceptions of, and contact with school health service personnel. METHODS: In 2005, a nationally representative random sample of 369 (51% return rate) parents of elementary school-aged children completed the questionnaire developed for this study. RESULTS: A majority of parents/caregivers reported that their child's school had a school nurse (78.8%) and counselor (60.5%), but only 22.6% reported their school had a social worker. A majority of parents/caregivers perceived full-time school nurses (86.3%), school counselors (78.6%), and school social workers (56.3%) as important or extremely important and that schools should be held responsible for having each in their child's elementary school. A majority of parents/caregivers were willing to pay an increase in yearly tax dollars to have full-time school health personnel. CONCLUSIONS: This study established a level of parental support for, perceptions of, and contact with school health service personnel. Parents were most supportive of school nurses and should be perceived as allies in ensuring job security.     

Parental perceptions of early childhood services for pre-primary children in Australia

This study aimed to investigate patterns of usage and factors behind parental choices of early childhood care and educational services for their four to five year old children in the year prior to formal education. Specifically, 175 volunteer parents recruited from eight suburban and rural regions throughout the state of Victoria provided interview data about the range of services and their availability for their children, what they expected their children to gain from the service at their children spent the most time in, the nature of any problems with the service (including the type of information about their children that they required) and their perception regarding the availability of quality learning environments for children in the year before they went to school. In addition, examination of children's participation in extra curricular . activities was undertaken. Parents reported how they defined quality time with their children in an attempt to identify parental input into young children's learning experiences. The data revealed that most parents believed that, regardless of the type of service, young children experienced positive learning and developmental outcomes from participation in early childhood services and home life. Even though a minority of parents identified a number of problems with each service type, the parents generally concluded that, despite service type, their children would be adequately prepared to cope.with school in the following year.     

Voices of children,parents and teachers: how children cope with stress during school transition

This study explores how children's perceptions of stress factors and coping strategies are constructed over time. Children were interviewed before and after they made the transition from preschool to primary school. This study also explores teachers' and parental strategies in helping children to cope with stress at school. The sample included 53 six-year-old children, their parents and teachers. The findings show that children generally could make accurate predictions of unhappy things that might happen during the transition to primary school. Children reported being incompetent in fulfilling teachers' expectations regarding learning, self-help skills and conforming to rules. Children also reported peer conflicts and being nervous about authority. Children learned direct problem-solving skills, seeking social support and emotional regulation at preschool, but had only used the first two coping strategies at school. A majority of parents thought that transition problems affected children's emotions, whereas most teachers thought that transition problems affected children's learning.     

Social and psychological characteristics of Kuwaiti children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease that may have an impact on children's psychosocial adjustment. This study aimed to investigate the psychosocial characteristics of Kuwaiti children with type 1 diabetes as compared to healthy children without diabetes, and assess the impact of glycaemic control on psychosocial variables. A total of 349 school children aged 6-18 years with type 1 diabetes, and 409 children without diabetes having comparable age, gender, and social class were included in the study. Data were obtained by interviewing children and parents using a questionnaire. Psychological distress was measured by the Hopkins symptoms checklist-25 scale including anxiety and depression. Glycaemic control was assessed by glycosylated haemoglobin, HbA(IC) level. Glycaemic control was considered 'good to excellent' at HbA(IC)<8.0%, 'fair' at HbA(IC) 8.1 to 10.0%, and 'poor' at HbA(IC)>10.0%. Median scores of anxiety, depression, and total distress were significantly higher in children with diabetes indicating worse psychological adjustment. There was also significant difference between children with diabetes and those without diabetes in social aspects and school absence days. There was significant positive correlation between HbA(IC) concentration and scores of the psychological functioning indices. Children with poor glycaemic control had worse psychological adjustment. After controlling the variance accounted by gender and age, stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that girls, older children, children in need of emotional support, and those with higher HbA(IC) were at higher risk for psychological maladjustment. These variables explained 47.9% of the variation in total distress. In conclusion, the study supported our hypotheses. Children with diabetes had worse psychological adjustment, and distress was related to glycaemic control. Since psychological distress increases the risk for future complications due to its relation with glycaemic control, longitudinal studies are recommended to identify children with diabetes having distress at an early stage when preventive interventions are effective.     

Knowledge and perception of professionals towards school injuries

As injuries remain a threat to children everywhere including school, this study was undertaken to reveal the knowledge and perceptions of school physicians, nurses, teachers and social workers regarding school injuries. To accomplish this aim, all school-based clinics operated by a physician were identified. All physicians and nurses were included in this survey. In addition, a teacher or a social worker was randomly selected from the same school. They were requested to fill in a questionnaire to collect relevant information. Findings indicate that school injury is not perceived as a priority problem by all social workers and 68.5% of teachers. Moreover, its economic burden was not perceived by one third of physicians and nurses. Regarding associated risk factors, more than 80% of the surveyed professionals recognized nine out of the 16 stated factors as a risk for school injuries. However, less than 80% viewed that the risk of school injury is higher in technical schools, schools which include more than one educational stage as well as in the evening shift. Moreover, less than 80% of nurses recognized that a higher risk is associated with poorly kept school building, primary schools and methods of transportation. Furthermore, less than 80% of teachers recognized that boys are at a much higher risk of injuries. Surveyed professionals ranked increase supervision, continuous maintenance of school building as well as health education activities as priority preventive strategies. Mass media was the method of health education that received the highest priority while the least were pupils' activities and the organization of an injury prevention day. It can be concluded that, school professionals, exceptionally teachers and social workers need to be aware of the extent of school injuries and the risks associated with their occurrence. Such awareness is the key issue in ensuring the safety of children while they are at school. Moreover, it is indispensable for the planning and implementation of effective preventive strategies. They should also recognize that pupils' involvement is a highly effective mean of creating awareness about safety and to encourage them to take the responsibility of their safety as well as that of other pupils. Organized training programs directed to all personnel in the area of school injuries are deemed essential.     

Assistive devices and cerebral palsy: the use of assistive devices at school by children with cerebral palsy

Background   Although the importance of providing disabled children with assistive devices has always been highlighted, most studies in the field of assistive device research seek the participation of adult users or adult carers. Accordingly, the opinions of young users themselves seem to be overlooked. To start to address the gap, this study aimed to understand the children's perspectives regarding device use in school and to explore the factors related to their device utilization in this setting.
Methods   Semi-structured interviews were adopted as the main data collection instrument. A total of 44 participants were involved, including 15 Taiwanese children with cerebral palsy, aged between 8 and 15 years, 15 mothers and 14 teachers.
Results   The interview results show a high frequency of device use in school which can be attributed to children's willingness, teachers' attitudes, mothers' support, physical environmental factors and device-related features.
Conclusions   The findings not only demonstrate the significance of child–environment interaction but also provide evidence that children's views may be different from those of adults because they are at a different developmental stage and act out different roles in their environment.     

大理市小学教师对儿童铅中毒的认识、态度和需求

目的了解小学教师对儿童铅中毒的认识、态度和需求,为预防儿童铅中毒干预教育提供依据。方法抽取大理市城区16所小学的430名教师为研究对象,自行设计儿童铅中毒认知水平问卷,测评小学教师对儿童铅中毒的认识、态度和需求情况。结果小学教师对我国儿童铅中毒的流行势态、污染源的认识相对不足,对儿童铅中毒污染来源及危害防治知识的认知存在文化程度差异,小学组与中专及以上各组之间得分差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。95.0%的小学教师认为有必要在幼儿园、学校开展儿童铅中毒的健康教育,并愿意接受儿童铅中毒知识的专门培训。结论对小学教师进行定期、系统的儿童铅中毒知识培训,有助于预防儿童铅中毒健康促进工作的开展。     

Paternal involvement in pediatric Type 1 diabetes: fathers' and mothers' psychological functioning and disease management

Psychological functioning in fathers of children with Type 1 diabetes has received relatively little attention compared to mothers. This study examined fathers' perceived involvement in their children's diabetes care as it related to mothers' and fathers' pediatric parenting stress, depression, anxiety, marital satisfaction, and sleep, and to their children's diabetes regimen adherence and glycemic control. Eighty-two mothers and 43 fathers completed questionnaires. Multivariate linear regressions were conducted separately for mothers and fathers to determine the relationships between the perceived amount and the perceived helpfulness of father involvement in child diabetes care on parental psychosocial functioning and child diabetes control. Maternal perceptions of father helpfulness and amount of involvement in illness care were related to improved marital satisfaction and fewer depressive symptoms in mothers. In fathers, perception of their own amount of involvement was related to increased pediatric parenting stress and anxiety. Better child regimen adherence was associated with maternal perceptions of father helpfulness but not the amount of their involvement, while paternal perceptions of their own helpfulness were related to poorer glycemic control. These findings suggest that fathers and mothers may react differently to their roles in childhood illness and that perceptions of their involvement may be differently associated with children's glycemic control and regimen adherence.