A dissertation submitted to The Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology School of Human and Community Development Faculty of Humanities University of the Witwatersrand In fulfilment of the requirements of the degree Master of Arts in Speech-Pathology March, 2017 / Purpose: There is a need to develop and refine assessment measures on bilingual children, since language measures used on monolingual individuals cannot and should not be directly applied to the bilingual population (Hoff et al., 2012; O’Brien, 2015). The occurrence of Afrikaans-English bilinguals in South Africa provides a rewarding area of investigation for the Speech-Language Therapist (SLT) (Penn & Jordaan, 2016), as the Afrikaans language is well-researched and many individuals from this population are considered to be more balanced bilinguals than other bilingual groups (Coetzee-Van Rooyen, 2013).The assessment of vocabulary in bilingual children has received particular attention because limited vocabulary is one of the first signs of language impairment (Ellis & Thal, 2008). This research aimed to determine how Grade 1 Afrikaans-English bilingual children perform on a bilingual vocabulary assessment. Design: A quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional and comparative design was used in this study. Method: The Expressive One-Word Picture Vocabulary Test 4 (EOWPVT-4) (Martin & Brownell, 2011a) and the Receptive One-Word Picture Vocabulary Test 4 (ROWPVT-4) (Martin & Brownell, 2011b) were used to assess 30 grade 1 Englishspeaking monolinguals. In addition an adapted Afrikaans expressive one word vocabulary test based on the EOWPVT-4 and an adapted Afrikaans receptive one word vocabulary test based on the ROWPVT-4 were used to assess 30 grade 1 Afrikaans-English bilinguals. Permission from the schools involved, informed consent from the parent/s or guardian/s as well as child assent were obtained. The data gathered from testing was tabulated, interpreted with the use of mean scores and standard deviations (SD) and analysed using within- and between -group statistical comparisons. Mean raw scores were converted to percentages for ease of comparison between receptive and expressive scores. Results: Within-language comparisons revealed that on the English test, receptive and expressive scores within both the English monolingual and bilingual groups were significantly correlated. Expressive scores could therefore be predicted from receptive scores or vice versa in both the English monolingual and bilingual groups. However, the receptive and expressive score on the Afrikaans tests were not significantly correlated. In the bilingual group, the receptive score in Afrikaans was significantly higher than the expressive score suggesting that although the bilingual participants had good knowledge of Afrikaans vocabulary they could not always express this in a naming test. They frequently used the English word. Afrikaans is possibly being used less in the home and school environments so that the English words are more familiar. Nonetheless, both the monolingual and bilingual participants had significantly higher scores on the receptive vocabulary assessment than on the expressive vocabulary assessments in both English and Afrikaans. Between-group comparison revealed that the differences between the scores of the English monolingual and Afrikaans-English bilingual learners were not significant on either the receptive or expressive vocabulary measure in English. The bilingual group performed as well as the English participants on the English tests, suggesting that they are not disadvantaged in the language of instruction. The norms used in the EOWPVT and the ROWPVT were applicable to both the monolingual and bilingual groups’ scores for the age range of the participants and highlighted that these tests were suitable in assessing an English monolingual and Afrikaans-English bilingual child in South Africa. When composite scoring was used the bilinguals scored significantly better than their monolingual peers on both the receptive and expressive measures, which confirmed the premise behind this study- that composite scoring should be used to gain an accurate assessment of a bilingual child’s vocabulary. Adaptation of the English tests into Afrikaans, as opposed to O’Brien’s study (2015), which adapted English tests into isiZulu, may have positively affected the results as all English words had direct translation equivalents in Afrikaans, which was not the case in isiZulu. The comparison between simultaneous and sequential bilinguals within the bilingual group demonstrated that the simultaneous bilinguals’ mean receptive and expressive scores surpassed those obtained by the sequential bilingual participants. A significant difference was identified between simultaneous and sequential bilinguals’ composite receptive scores and Afrikaans expressive scores. Finally, only one monolingual participant scored below the peer group mean on both the receptive and expressive vocabulary tests, indicating low proficiency in English and risk of language impairment; however no bilingual participants were found to be language impaired when composite scoring was used. Conclusion: Bilingualism remains a rewarding area of investigation in South Africa. Afrikaans-English bilingual children performed significantly better than O’Brien’s (2015) isiZulu-English participants on a translated, originally English vocabulary test. Throughout this study the refinement of valid assessment tools for accurate description of bilingual children’s vocabulary was highlighted. The well-researched technique of composite scoring has proven to be valuable in avoiding overdiagnosis in South African bilingual children. / MT2018

A Dissertation Submitted to the School of Psychology, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology, / The idea of psycho-immunity stands as a relatively new field of inquiry focusing on resilience and coping instead of breakdown and pathology. In line with this shift in the literature, the present research has attempted to explore the relationship between the quality of mothering experienced by the child and subsequent patterns of perceived competence revealed by that same child. Black township children were selected as subjects as they are deemed to be a population "at risk" due to the cumulative political and socio-economic exigencies that have affected this community for many years. A total of 72 township children between the ages of 12 -17 were assessed. Both structured and supplementary unstructured instruments were employed in order to measure the quality of the maternal relationship on the one hand, and the child's perception of his/her own competence (or resilience) on the other. Results converged to indicate that for the sample investigated, it was the specific "holding" capacity, availability and involvement of the affectively engaged mother-figure that was most highly correlated with competence of a scholastic nature in early adolescence. Conversely, the intrusive mother who wields power as a parenting style was shown to be more likely to raise a child with a poor sense of social acceptance and competence. These findings provide penetrating insights regarding the potency of the maternal dyad in fostering resilience and competence in off-spring. They offer further understanding of the role of black parenting styles in either promoting or demoting the development of psychologically healthy youths who have the potential to become active participants in a new and more just South Africa. / Andrew Chakane 2018

Attachment theory is concerned with the relational ‘tie’ that exists between a mother and her child, which is said to play an imperative role in a child’s mental development and future attachment relationships. Although there is extensive research on attachment theory on an international scale, there is a paucity of information with regard to this in the South African context. The object of this study is to investigate mothers’ experiences of attachment with their child who has an Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). In addition this research aims to investigate whether this attachment relationship between a mother and her ASD child differs, or is the same across diverse socio-economic groups in the South African context. This research was qualitative in nature, which elicited rich, descriptive and personal accounts of mothers’ experiences of attachment with their ASD child across diverse socio-economic groups. Twelve participants from advantaged and disadvantaged communities from Johannesburg and the greater Johannesburg area were invited to participate in this study. Data was gathered through semi-structured interviews and analysed using thematic content analysis. Seven themes emerged from this study which explored mothers’ experiences of attachment with their ASD child. In addition, similarities and differences were found in mothers experiences of attachment across the diverse socio-economic groups.

Thesis (M.A. (Clinical Psychology)) --University of Limpopo, 2007 / The study explored transitional object attachment at Eisleben Village, Limpopo –South Africa. The participants of the study were mothers of children who were between six months and two years of age. The instrument t used to explore transitional object attachment was obtained from a related study, while the instrument used to study the participants personality were the Adult Attachment Questionnaire and the Relationship Questionnaire. There was low prevalence of transitional object attachment at Eisleben Village. Several factors had an impact on whether or not the child becomes attached to an object, i.e. the socio economic status of the participants as well as the child rearing practices.

Thesis (M.A. (Clinical Psychology) --University of Limpopo, 2007 / Disruptive Behaviour Disorders are often associated with high rates of school drop outs, academic skills deficits and low achievement, drug abuse, low self esteem, depression, delinquency and incarceration. The main aim of the study was to establish whether children with DBDs are cognitively and/or neurologically impaired. The study investigated (1) whether children with DBDs show deficiencies in cognitive and motor functions and (2) whether gender and subtype influence cognitive and motor functions. Method: The sample of 137 children with DBDs (ADHD, ODD and CD) and those without a diagnosis of DBDs was drawn from children aged between 8 and 15 years. They were assessed using instruments that were selected to be measures of Executive Functions, cognitive functioning, and motor functions. The scores obtained from the administration of these measures were compared for significant differences between the DBD subtypes and a non-DBD control group as a possible function of gender. Results: The findings indicate that children with symptoms of DBDs performed poorer than the control group on all tests with the exception of the Digits backward. EF and motor impairments are associated with ADHD-C and ADHD-PI, and not with ADHD-HI, ODD and CD. Although among the DBDs, neuropsychological and cognitive impairments have been found to be severe in children with ADHD-PI and ADHD-C, the ADHD-C subtype showed qualitatively larger differences with the normal control group on most measures. There were no differences found between the genders in the performance on all tests that were administered. Conclusion Children of the ADHD-C and ADHD-PI subtypes are significantly more impaired on measures of Executive, cognitive and motor functions than those with ADHD-HI, ODD and CD and those without externalising disorders. However, the ADHD-C subtype found to be more severely impaired when compared with the ADHD-PI subtype.

The HIV/AIDS pandemic has implications at every level of social functioning. It affects individuals, families, communities and organisations. The burden of caring for those exposed, affected and infected is vast, but one of the most significant developments which have the potential to reduce disease burden is antiretroviral therapy. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is complex and difficult to administer, and requires a learning process which is mediated through a number of means. Vygotskian theory was utilised to better understand the process of adherence through mediated learning, and as a framework for explaining compliance. In this study, mediated learning occurs both in the context of the clinic staff and the clinic attendees, and the caregivers and the child. Therefore Vygotsky‟s theory offers useful insight into this process. This qualitative study aimed to research the factors which contribute to ART adherence in a small sample of HIV positive children who are attending a local clinic. Eight child-caregiver dyads were interviewed, and drawings utilised to better understand child and caregiver factors which contribute to compliance. There were a number of psychosocial factors identified which contribute to compliance, or lack thereof, including social support, stigma, medication fatigue, disclosure, access difficulties, psychoeducation, and motivation. A number of qualitative differences were also identified between children who knew their HIV status and those who did not. These differences emerged primarily through the analysis of the child participants‟ drawings and there appeared to be a number of inter- and intrapersonal benefits to disclosure. The factors identified in this study, if better understood, can inform interventions to improve compliance on ART. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sci.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2010.

This study investigated the construction of fatherhood through the 'voices of children' from a selection of schools in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. An open, exploratory qualitative research design was employed. The results suggest that children's constructions are primarily contemporary in nature, as opposed to traditional stereotypical notions of fathers as providers only. Fathers were cast in a 'new father' role as loving, caring, supportive and involved. Despite contemporary constructions, children also acknowledge a wide range of father imperfections. Differences in constructions were evident between children from different socio-economic backgrounds. Increased research efforts could focus on exploring gender and socio-economic differences in greater detail. It is hoped that these findings will provide the impetus for practitioners and researchers to be more inclusive of fathers and children in research. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2006.

Deafness is one on the most common types of disability in South Africa with 90% of deaf children being born to hearing parents, many of whom are unprepared for the consequences of deafness. Since deafness is an invisible disability, the severity of its impact upon both the child and the family is often underestimated. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of hearing parents raising deaf children. Thus, the primary research questions were: What are the experiences of hearing parents raising deaf children in South Africa, and how do various ecosystemic variables affect the way they manage their parenting role? This study was informed by the ecological systems theory which is the theoretical framework that underpins this study. The research paradigm shaping this study was pragmatism, while the strategy used was phenomenology. The mixed methods approach was employed, using both qualitative and quantitative approaches concurrently in a triangulation design. The findings emanating from the quantitative data served to complement the findings from the qualitative data. These findings were corroborated in the interpretation stage. The findings, representing the lived experiences of hearing parents raising deaf children, show that although the parenting experiences differ according to the unique circumstances in the family, school and community, there are several commonalities. These include issues associated with the diagnosis and parenting of deaf children. Some of these issues included the challenge of communicating with the deaf child, the financial burden, stigmatization from the general public, strained interpersonal relationships, concern about the child’s future, as well as lack of opportunities for the Deaf to study at tertiary institutions and limited employment opportunities for deaf persons. The findings from both sets of data reveal that, despite the resilience of participants, there is a need for formal support for parents from professionals in the community, as well as informal parental support from the family, friends, and community members, including other hearing parents raising deaf children, and the need for a central location to access information on deafness and related matters. Recommendations were made to address these issues, with a view to facilitating the emotional well-being of hearing parents raising deaf children, and consequently improving the quality of life of the deaf child and the family. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

This research programme endeavours to develop, implement and evaluate an effective method of offering psychosocial support to vulnerable children. Vulnerability is defined by trained community members as including children who are experiencing especially difficult lives. The forms of difficulties experienced by the children has usually been a consequence of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, extreme poverty combined with other psychosocial risk factors, child abuse (especially child sexual abuse) and violence. This community based programme incorporates four phases of intervention, only two of which were the focus of summative evaluation. However, due to the integrated nature of the programme it was necessary to implement and document the various phases of the intervention programme: (i) community selection and mobilisation; (ii) the 5-day Sensitisation Programme (SP) sensitises adult community volunteers to the psychosocial needs of vulnerable children; (iii) the 15-session Structured Group Therapy Programme (SGTP) enables children to work through past adversities and to build resilience within small groups of peers in a programme where community volunteers served as apprentice facilitators under the supervision, guidance and ethical responsibility of qualified psychologists; (iv) community based initiatives to offer on-going of PSS activities to vulnerable children in each of the partnering communities. Nine partnering communities were selected, three township, periurban and rural communities. This programme was not effective in the informal settlements as it was not possible for these communities to place children as a priority. A qualitative summative evaluation of the SP took place using post workshop evaluation questionnaires, focus group discussions conducted by an independent researcher and an audit of the community based initiatives that developed as a result of participation in the SP. The SGTP was summatively evaluated using a 4-way Factorial design with one within-subject and three between-subject conditions: to investigate the age of the subjects, the geographic regions and gender variables. The 741 children formed five experimental and control conditions to conduct various combinations of the above-mentioned phases programmes and to adequately control for the many confounding variables. Pre- and post intervention assessments were conducted by trained community research assistants. The dependent variable measures were the Culture Free Self Esteem Inventory (Battle, 1992), the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (Biere & Elliot, 1997), the Reynolds Depression Scale for Children (Reynolds, 1989), the Social Support Scale (Beale Spencer, Cole, Jones, and Phillips Swanson, 1997) and the Connor's Parent Questionnaire Connors, 1998). Multivariate analysis evaluated the effectiveness of the various experimental and control conditions. The results indicate that the SGTP, run in combination with the SP, is an effective intervention strategy in that it alleviates symptoms of self-reported depression and other psychosocial manifestations of distress as well as decreased the number and severity of symptoms reported by primary caregivers, and leads to increased access to perceived social support. The SP and the SGTP conducted independently of each other have limited benefits and as such can be considered to be partially effective. The children who had formed part of the non-vulnerable control group felt left out of the programme and report an increase in symptomatology and decreased access to social support. While this community-based programme can be considered to be an effective method of therapeutic intervention and of offering psychosocial support to vulnerable children, further research is needed to consider the cost-effectiveness, the sustainability and ways in which those children who do not participate can still can benefit. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2004.

This article investigates the impact of poverty and shocks on adolescents, particularly their role in early school drop-out. Data consisting of 3043 adolescent interviews and 1945 household interviews, from a recent survey entitled Transitions to Adulthood among Adolescents in Durban, South Africa, has been used. While conventional explanations of drop-out acknowledge the role of socio-economic factors, this paper attempts to understand, through an asset-vulnerability framework, the explicit contribution of poverty and shocks to drop-out in the South African context. The results indicate that the poverty-based theory of drop-out put forward, while appealing, does not fully account for drop-out. Instead, it would seem that among poor households the education of their children is seen as an asset that is to be protected. It is proposed that school feeding schemes be reconsidered as a social welfare tool to support poor households in their attempts to keep their children in school. / Thesis (M.Dev.Studies)-University of Natal, Durban, 2001.