M.A. (Psychology) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

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Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Western Sydney, 2009. / A thesis presented to the University of Western Sydney, College of Health and Science, School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Includes bibliographies.

Ph.D. / Aggression during adolescence has a long term effect on the mental health of adolescents. This is a great reason for concern. Although society is intensely aware of the incidences of aggression within South African schools, little research is available regarding this issue. Learners with special educational needs, and specifically learners with cerebral palsy, have been even more neglected in this regard. This study evolves from the field work of the researcher’s M.Ed. dissertation in which the experience of aggression in adolescent boys with cerebral palsy was explored and described. The aim of this study is to develop, describe, implement and evaluate a psycho-educational model as a frame of reference for the facilitation of constructive management of aggression in adolescent boys that live with cerebral palsy. A theory generating research design was used to fulfil this purpose. The development of this model consisted of four steps. Step one consisted of the concept analysis. Facilitation, constructive and management were identified as the central concepts. As part of the concept analysis these concepts were defined and essential and related criteria were discussed. All the concepts and criteria were then summarised in a comprehensive definition. A model case was constructed before the concepts were classified. During the process of classification a heightened self-awareness was identified as the terminus of the process. During step two relationship statements were drawn between the different concepts. These relationship statements as a whole provide substance and structure to the theory. In step three the psycho-educational model as a frame of reference for the facilitation of constructive management of aggression in adolescent boys with cerebral palsy was described. The structure of the model was described in terms of its purpose, assumptions and the context of the model.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Delaware, 2007. / Principal faculty advisor: Christopher M. Modlesky, Dept. of Health, Nutrition, and Exercise Sciences. Includes bibliographical references.

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive stimulation technique that modulates brain function by increasing or decreasing cortical excitability (Nitsche & Paulus, 2001). In chronic stroke patients tDCS has been shown to improve function of the affected arm when combined with rehabilitative motor training (e.g. Lindenberg et al., 2010) and thus has the potential to accelerate motor learning. Its potential as a treatment for upper limb function in hemiplegic cerebral palsy (CP) had not been explored, which was the principle aim of this doctorate. After literature reviews on CP and tDCS (Chapter 1) feasibility work in healthy subjects was conducted to develop and validate the experimental procedures (Chapters 2 to 5). Chapter 2 examined whether tDCS improved motor performance of the non-preferred hand in healthy right-handed adults. The sophisticated kinematic outcome measures detected changes in performance due to learning, but no effect of tDCS was found. In Chapter 3, a novel motor learning task was developed and validated in healthy children and adolescents. This task was added to the study protocol and using a revised study design tDCS was found again to have no benefit on either motor performance or motor learning in healthy adults (Chapter 4). Tolerability, perception and acceptance of electrical stimulation were explored in Chapters 5 and 6, with the former showing that tDCS was well tolerated by healthy adults. Using a qualitative research methodology Chapter 6 established that teenagers with CP and their parents had concerns over the application of electricity on the scalp and how little is currently known of tDCS effects in CP. In Chapter 7, tDCS was applied to a teenager with hemiplegic CP with no clear beneficial effects. Finally, the contribution of this doctoral work with regard to the use of tDCS for the rehabilitation of motor function in CP is discussed in Chapter 8.

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