Early recognition of children with special educational needs: report froma district

Health professionals involved in the pre-school child health surveillance programme need to identify thosechildren who are likely to require a formal statement of special educational needs. Such children should be identified as early as possible, preferably by their fourth birthday. Each district needs to examine their programme and thereby identify factors associated with late recognition of such children. We report on our own practice and findings over a three-year period, including the factors associated with late recognition of special needs and efforts to improve the rate of early recognition.     

多媒体教学法和传统教学法在消化内科教学中的应用对比分析

目的比较多媒体教学法和传统教学法在消化内科教学中的应用。方法选择某院2010年2月～2010年6月消化内科学生160人,在教学中大部分内容采用多媒体教学法,本组学习为多媒体组,同时选择2010年2月～2010年6月160名采用传统教学方法的学生为传统组;学习结束后,分别采用问卷调查表的形式对两组学生的学习兴趣、学习态度进行调查,比较教学结束时两组学生的考试成绩。结果 94.23%的学生认为多媒体教学方法优于传统模式,90.77%的学生认为学习内容掌握情况提高;95%的学生认为该教学模式易于理解和接受。多媒体组期中考试成绩为(82.3±14.2)分;期末考试成绩为(84.6±13.2)分,期末比期中成绩略有提高,但差异无统计学意义(P﹥0.05);多媒体组期中与期末考试成绩略高于传统组,但两组比较差异无统计学意义(P﹥0.05)。结论多媒体教学能明显提高消化内科学教学的质量,但并不是万能的。传统教育具有一定的片面性,两者有机的结合可以达到最佳的教学效果。     

Individual differences and early school adjustment: teacher appraisals of young children with special needs

Individual differences in temperament and personality influence children's development of self-regulation, social relationships, and adaptation within varied contexts. For young children with disabilities and/or family poverty, early school experiences provide both significant challenges and opportunities. In this study, teachers rated the temperament-related and personality-related behaviors and school adjustment of 176 children with special needs, ages 3-9 years. Overall, temperament dimensions of Negative Emotionality, Task Persistence, Inhibition, and Activity explained 58% of the variance in children's school adjustment ratings. The broader personality dimensions of Extraversion, Manageability, and Openness/Conscientiousness accounted for 71% of school adjustment ratings. These findings support the inclusion of individual difference assessments in intervention planning by interdisciplinary teams to enhance the 'goodness-of-fit' for young children at risk for school adjustment problems. Early intervention that focuses on differentiated supports and accommodations specific to each child's characteristics can enhance children's adjustment and self-regulation and provide the foundation for later school success.     

Post-acute care for children with special health care needs

Background

Almost all studies of post-acute care (PAC) focus on older persons, frequently those suffering from chronic health problems. Some research is available on PAC for the pediatric population in general. However, very few studies focus on PAC services for children with special health care needs (SHCN).

A home visit programme to teach medical students about children with special needs

OBJECTIVES: During an 8-week clinical rotation in paediatrics and child health, fifth-year medical students at the University of Cape Town are required to visit children with special needs in their homes. The home visit allows students to learn, first-hand, from children with special needs and their families about living with chronic disease and disability. DESIGN: During 1998 students anonymously completed home visit evaluation questionnaires (90% response rate, 160/177). Through verbal presentations, students are assessed on their ability to make a comprehensive evaluation of the impact of chronic disease and disability on a child and family. SETTING: University of Cape Town Medical School. SUBJECTS: Fifth-year medical students. RESULTS: A content analysis of verbal presentations found students were more likely to identify medical, psychosocial and economic than spiritual and ethical issues. As a learning experience, 37% (n=57) of students rated the home visit as 'extremely worthwhile', 62% (n=100) found it 'worthwhile' and only 2% (n=3) felt it was 'a waste of time'. Most (97%, n=155) students felt the programme should continue in the future. CONCLUSIONS: As an educational tool, home visiting grounds learning in families' experience and encourages reflection beyond the medical aspects of care for children with special needs.     

Effectiveness of using blended learning strategies for teaching and learning human anatomy

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to implement innovative teaching methods--blended learning strategies--that include the use of new information technologies in the teaching of human anatomy and to analyse both the impact of these strategies on academic performance, and the degree of user satisfaction. METHODS: The study was carried out among students in Year 1 of the biology degree curriculum (human biology profile) at Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona. Two groups of students were tested on knowledge of the anatomy of the locomotor system and results compared between groups. Blended learning strategies were employed in 1 group (BL group, n = 69); the other (TT group; n = 65) received traditional teaching aided by complementary material that could be accessed on the Internet. Both groups were evaluated using the same types of examination. RESULTS: The average marks presented statistically significant differences (BL 6.3 versus TT 5.0; P < 0.0001). The percentage pass rate for the subject in the first call was higher in the BL group (87.9% versus 71.4%; P = 0.02), reflecting a lower incidence of students who failed to sit the examination (BL 4.3% versus TT 13.8%; P = 0.05). There were no differences regarding overall satisfaction with the teaching received. CONCLUSIONS: Blended learning was more effective than traditional teaching for teaching human anatomy.     

66名学龄自闭症儿童语言障碍表现及其教育训练对策

目的 研究学龄自闭症儿童语言障碍表现及其教育训练对策。方法 选择为本院于2017年1月至2018年1月收治的66名自闭症儿童语言障碍患儿作为本次研究对象,采用随机数字表法将患儿分为观察组和对照组各33例。予以对照组患儿一对一的语言训练,予以观察组患儿一对二或小组形式进行语言训练,在6个月后采用S-S法比较2组患儿的语言能力和综合能力以及患儿家属的满意程度。结果 经过2种不同的教育训练方式,观察组患儿的教育训练的总有效率为96.96%,对照组患儿的教育训练的总有效率为63.63%,观察组患儿的教育训练总有效率高于对照组患儿(χ2=11.591,P<0.05)。观察组患儿家属对护理满意率为93.93%,明显高于对照组患儿家属的75.75%,差异有统计学意义(χ2=4.243,P<0.05)。结论 对自闭症儿童语言障碍患儿予以一对二或小组的形式进行语言训练,可以促进患儿相互学习和模仿,提升患儿的语言能力和认知能力,效果比一对一形式的训练更好,能够提升患儿家属对护理的满意程度,提升医患关系。     

Transition practice before entering primary school: A longitudinal study of children with and without special needs across a year

IntroductionThe transition to primary school is a significant milestone for children. Transition periods can offer new opportunities to build skills, relationships, and experiences that strengthen self-efficacy. In Singapore, parents play an important role in supporting transition as preschools and primary schools operate independently. Occupational therapists are involved in supporting children with special needs in transitions.ObjectiveFocusing on the transition period of getting children ready for primary school, the objectives are (i) to learn about the strategies that parents used for the purpose of transition and understand the intentions behind what they do and (ii) to compare the transition practices and perceived school readiness between parents of children with and without special needs.MethodA longitudinal study involving 48 parents was conducted over 12 months. Parents completed a survey at the start and end of the year to detect changes from baseline, and semi-structured interviews every two months to gather their subjective experiences and track their child’s readiness for transition. The surveys and interviews were conducted on a mobile instant messaging platform. Coding of responses was guided by school readiness domains identified in earlier studies and Occupational Therapy Practice Framework’s approaches to intervention.ResultsMost parents focused on establishing and maintaining new self-help and academic skills across the year while few were “modifying” or “preventing”. Increasing trends in child readiness were noted for both children with and without special needs.ConclusionIn family-centred practice, it is important to recognise parents’ expertise and resources.     

Day care experiences and the development of conflict strategies in young children

This paper presents a study of learning experiences in peer conflicts among two- and three-year-olds in Dutch daycare centres. Data were collected from individual sampling of 96 children during their free play. As in earlier studies, the results we obtained showed that three-year-olds used fewer unilateral strategies and more bilateral strategies than did two-year-olds. Bilateral strategies increased the likelihood children would play together after the conflict, but decreased the likelihood one of them would win. Unilateral strategies increased the likelihood one of them would win the conflict, but the use of physical force decreased the likelihood they would play together afterwards. Teachers often focused on the (alleged) perpetrator of the conflict and on punishing the use of physical force. But they were seldom focused on helping to reconcile the opponents. This study suggests that the children's interest in peer relationships is a strong incentive to use bilateral strategies. Therefore, teachers should value and support peer relations rather than focusing on the perpetrators.     

Organizing healthcare delivery systems for persons with ongoing care needs and their families: a best practices framework

How systems of care delivery are structured can have a major impact on their relative efficiency and on the quality of care provided to individuals. As the population continues to age, as more people are able to continue to live with disabilities or chronic conditions, and as demands continue from consumers and lobby groups to allow individuals to be more fully integrated into customary Canadian life, pressures to deal with the needs of persons with ongoing care requirements will only continue to mount.