Motivational Interviewing, 2nd ednWilliam Miller and Stephen RollnickThe Guilford Press. ISBN: 1‐572‐30563‐0, 2002, 428 pp with index, £26.95 (hbk)

More people with intellectual disability are living independent lives. They can and do experiment with substances that the wider community try, such as alcohol and drugs (both legal and illicit). Unfortunately for some, they develop problems related to their use of these substances. Face‐to‐face, semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 13 professionals who work in Intellectual Disability Services and Alcohol &; Drug Services to discover their experiences of caring for people with intellectual disabilities who hazardously use substances. Although small numbers of people presented to these services, many more people with intellectual disabilities used Intellectual Disability Services for support, rather than their local Alcohol &; Drug Services. While the numbers may be relatively small, the challenges this client group pose are very perturbing in relation to their physical, emotional and social health. The professionals reported a lack of education in working with this doubly disadvantaged population. Moreover, policies were absent to guide staff to work collaboratively with this often‐ignored population. These findings are discussed in light of the innovative practices that are occurring in other parts of the UK regarding the recognition, assessment treatment and long‐term management of this population. Intellectual Disability Services and Alcohol &; Drug Services need to work more closely together if the needs of this population are to be effectively met.     

Development of the public information and communication technology assessment tool

Purpose. Public information and communication technologies, such as information kiosks, automated banking machines and ticket dispensers, allow people to access services in a convenient and timely manner. However, the development of these technologies has occurred largely without consideration of access by people with disabilities. Inaccessible technical features make operation of a public technology difficult and barriers in the environment create navigational challenges, limiting the opportunity of people with disabilities to use these devices and access the services they provide. This paper describes the development of a tool that individuals, disability advocacy groups, business owners, healthcare providers, and urban planners can use to evaluate the accessibility of public technologies and the surrounding environment. Evaluation results can then be used to develop recommendations and advocate for technical and environmental changes to improve access.

Methods. Tool development consisted of a review of the literature and key Canadian Standards Association documents, task analysis, and consultation with accessibility experts. Studies of content validity, tool usability, inter-rater and test-retest reliability were conducted in sites across Canada.

Results. Accessibility experts verified the content validity of the tool. The current version of the tool has incorporated the findings of a usability study. Initial testing indicated excellent agreement for inter-rater and test-retest reliability scores.

Conclusions. Social exclusion can arise when public technologies are not accessible. This newly developed instrument provides detailed information that can be used to advocate for more accessible and inclusive public information and communication technologies.     

Using assistive technology for schoolwork: the experience of children with physical disabilities

Aim.?This study explored the experience of children with physical disabilities using assistive technology for participation with schoolwork to gain a greater understanding of their perspectives and subjective experiences.

Method.?A qualitative study involving thematic analysis of in-depth interviews of the child with a parent or significant adult. Purposeful sampling from a larger study recruited five children aged between 10 and 14 years, with differing physical disabilities who attended mainstream schools. All children used computer-based assistive technology.

Results.?All of the children recognised that assistive technology enabled them to participate and reduced the impact of their physical disability, allowing independent participation, and facilitated higher learning outcomes. Issues related to ease of use, social implications and assistive technology systems are discussed.     

The World Report on Disability as a blueprint for international,national, and local aphasia services

Abstract

This commentary aims to extend the debate of the lead article authors () by translating the nine recommendations of the World Report on Disability into a plan of action for the aphasia community. Solutions for the advancement of aphasia science and services are presented at international (macro), national (meso), and local (micro) levels. Implications for speech-language pathologists and aphasia service delivery are discussed. An overarching call to action is the need for speech-language pathologists to support a strong and vibrant aphasia community at all levels, so that the voices of people with aphasia can be heard.     

精神分裂症患者精神残疾的影响因素研究进展

精神分裂症是一种常见而严重的精神疾病之一,其患病率约为1%,无文化、地区差异[1].精神残疾是指各类精神障碍(尤指精神分裂症)患者予抗精神病药物(如氯氮平)持续治疗一年无效,以致对其日常生活和社会功能造成严重影响的状态[2].第二次残疾人抽样调查结果显示,精神残疾率高达45.0%,且近半数(48.4%)的精神残疾由精神分裂症所致[3].精神残疾不仅严重危害个人健康及社会安定,而且加重了社会医疗负担[1,4].故本文对近几年国内外学者对精神分裂症患者精神残疾的影响因素(包括药物治疗、人口社会因素、疾病特征和精神症状等)和干预措施等研究现况进行总结,旨在深入研究精神分裂症患者精神残疾的影响因素,并为干预措施提供依据,以便进一步改善精神分裂症患者的社会功能,提高其生活质量,促进其早日回归社会.     

针刺结合低频电刺激治疗脑梗死后吞咽障碍的疗效观察

目的：观察针刺结合低频电刺激治疗脑梗死后吞咽障碍的疗效。方法：脑梗死后吞咽障碍患者120例,随机分为针刺组、电刺激组及综合组各40例。3组均按常规对症支持治疗。针刺组加用针刺治疗,电刺激组加用电刺激治疗,综合组联合以上两种方法治疗。采用洼田饮水实验、脑卒中患者神经功能缺损程度评分标准中的吞咽困难亚量表进行评定临床疗效。结果：治疗1及2周后,3组洼田氏饮水试验评分均较治疗前呈逐渐下降趋势（P〈0.01）,且各时间点综合组评分更低于针刺组及电刺激组（P〈0.01）,针刺组与电刺激组评分各时间点比较均差异无统计学意义;治疗1及2周后,3组吞咽困难亚量表吞咽障碍程度评分均较治疗前呈逐渐上升趋势（P〈0.01）,且各时间点综合组评分更高于针刺组及电刺激组（P〈0.01）,针刺组与电刺激组评分各时间点比较均差异无统计学意义;治疗2周后,3组临床疗效比较,综合组总有效率均明显高于针刺组及电刺激组（P〈0.01）,针刺组与电刺激组比较差异无统计学意义。结论：针刺结合低频电刺激法明显提高脑梗死后吞咽障碍患者的吞咽功能。     

Association between Disability,Cognition, Fatigue,EQ-5D-3L Domains,and Utilities Estimated with Different Western European Value Sets in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

Objectives

To assess the association between fatigue, cognition, domains of the EuroQol five-dimensional questionnaire (EQ-5D-3L), disability, and utilities estimated with several Western European value sets in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).