Thesis (MEdPsig)--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The research in this qualitative study focuses on the role of the Educational Psychologist in facilitating inclusion of a learner with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). The international movement towards inclusive education, with emphasis on the inclusion of all learners irrespective of their special needs in mainstream schools, gained momentum in the South African context with the announcement of Education White Paper 6, Special Needs Education: Building an Inclusive Education and Training system. More learners with FAS are accommodated in mainstream schools and research has indicated that most cases of FAS in the world prevailed in the Western Cape. FAS is one of the leading causes of mental retardation and the challenges which the inclusion of learners with FAS pose to those who have to facilitate inclusive education, has urged this study. The study seeks to explore the role of the Educational Psychologist in the process of facilitating inclusion of a learner with FAS. An eco-systemic approach underpins the study. A single learner with FAS within the context of the family and education system was chosen by means of purposive sampling as the focus of a qualitative, case study. The eco-systemic approach makes it possible to explore special needs in terms of intrinsic factors (within the learner) and extrinsic factors (within the system) in order to address the needs of the system. Semistructured interviews were held with respondents from different levels of the eco-system in which the learner functions. A review of personal records and field notes were used to gather information related to the education and learning process. The data were analysed using aspects of content analyses. Four themes emerged: support to the learner, support to the school, support to the parents and support to the school community. The findings indicated that the inclusion of learners with FAS predicts a change and an expansion in the role of the educational psychologist. Early identification, early intervention and a multi-functional team approach seem to improve the long-term prognoses of learners with FAS. The facilitation of inclusive education for learners with FAS poses a challenge to the educational psychologist to render individual support, but also to provide support in a holistic systemic manner, focusing on those who work and live with the individual learners. The learning, behaviour and developmental barriers which learners with FAS may experience were highlighted with the hope to guide those who work with these learners. Several positive and negative factors were indicated and recommendations were made. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie kwalitatiewe studie fokus op die rol van die Opvoedkundige Sielkundige in die fasilitering van inklusiewe onderwys aan 'n leerder met Fetale Alkohol Sindroom (FAS). Die internasionale beweging na inklusiewe onderwys, wat die insluiting van alle leerders, ongeag hulle spesiale behoeftes, by hoofstroomskole onderskryf, het ook in Suid-Afrika neerslag gevind met die uitreiking van die Onderwys Witskrif 6, Special Needs Education: Building an Inclusive Education and Training System. Meer leerders met FAS word by hoofstroomskole ingesluit en navorsing het getoon dat die voorkomssyfer van FAS in die Wes-Kaap die hoogste ter wêreld is. Die feit dat FAS tans een van die vernaamste oorsake van verstandelike gestremdheid is, en die uitdagings wat die insluiting van leerders met FAS aan diegene wat inklusiewe onderwys moet fasiliteer bied, het hierdie navorsingsondersoek genoop. Die doel van hierdie studie is om 'n in diepte ondersoek te doen na die rol van die Opvoedkundige Sielkundige in die fasilitering van inklusiewe onderwys aan 'n leerder met FAS. 'n Ekosistemiese benadering het die teoretiese raamwerk van die studie gevorm. 'n Enkele leerder met FAS is binne die konteks van sy familie en die onderwyssisteem, met behulp van doelgerigte steekproefneming, gekies om die fokus van die kwalitatiewe gevallestudie te vorm. Die ekosistemiese benadering maak dit moontlik om spesiale behoeftes ten opsigte van faktore wat primêr by die leerder (intrinsiek) voorkom, sowel as faktore wat in die sisteem (ekstrinsiek) voorkom, te ondersoek en te verseker dat die behoeftes van die sisteem aangespreek word. Semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude is gevoer met respondente uit die verskillende vlakke van die ekosisteem waarbinne die leerder funksioneer. 'n Oorsig van persoonlike rekords en verslae asook veldnotas is gebruik om inligting oor die leerder, die onderrig en die leerposes te bekom. Inhouds-analise is gebruik om die data te analiseer. Vier temas het uit die data na vore gekom, naamlik: ondersteuning aan die leerder, ondersteuning aan die skool, ondersteuning aan die ouers en ondersteuning aan die skoolgemeenskap. Die bevindinge dui daarop dat die insluiting van 'n leerder met FAS 'n roluitbreiding en 'n veranderende rol vir die Opvoedkundige Sielkunde in die vooruitsig stel. Vroeë identifikasie, vroeë intervensie en 'n multi-funksionele spanbenadering kan die langtermyn prognose van leerders met FAS verbeter. Die rol wat die Opvoedkundige Sielkundige op die verskillende vlakke van die ekosisteem kan speel, ten einde inklusiewe onderwys aan 'n leerder met FAS te fasiliteer, lê opgesluit in die mate waarin geïndividualiseerde, maar tog ook holisties omvattende ondersteuning aan diegene wat met hierdie leerders werk, gelewer kan word. Uit die bevindinge het suksesvolle en minder suksesvolle aspekte duidelik geword. Dit het daartoe bygedra dat die leer-, gedrag- en ontwikkelingshindernisse, sowel as die sterkpunte van die leerder met FAS, duidelik geword het en wenke vir toekomstige gebruik verbesonder kon word. Op grond van die bevindinge en aan die hand van literatuur is aanbevelings gemaak.

Thesis (M Speech Path)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study was done in collaboration with the Foundation for Alcohol Related Research (FARR), a non-governmental organization whose primary objective is to develop and maintain Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) prevention programmes across South Africa. Research has shown the occurrence of FASD in South Africa to be much higher than in other parts of the world. As part of their prevention programmes, FARR uses a three part diagnostic process, including a maternal interview, a dysmorphological examination, as well as a general developmental assessment. The maternal interview questionnaire that FARR currently uses takes an average of two hours per interviewee to complete. Even though a recent study indicates that FASD prevention programmes administered by FARR can potentially reduce FASD prevalence, shorter maternal interviews could improve the use of FARR resources and the ability of FASD research studies to gather meaningful information and inform future prevention efforts. The main purpose of this study was to adjust the maternal interview questionnaire used by FARR in order to make interviews with mothers shorter while delivering the information needed for successful FASD prevention programmes. Data related to the adequacy of the adjusted maternal interview questionnaire was collected and analysed according to an action research approach in four consecutive phases. The research procedures consisted of two separate focus group interviews with five key role players from FARR. During the first focus group interview the main problems with the questionnaire was identified as being (i) the length of the questionnaire, (ii) the unsuitability of the questionnaire to interview someone other than the biological mother, and (iii) inconsistency between interviewers when using the questionnaire. During the second phase of the study the questionnaire was adjusted and revised as part of a second focus group interview. The interviewers, data capturer and data analyst who used the adjusted questionnaire as part of a larger FASD prevention programme made several suggestions on how the questionnaire could be further adjusted to suit the needs of FARR. These suggestions were addressed during the final phase of the study, after which the adjusted questionnaire was finalized. Findings from the study suggest that identified problems with FARR’s original maternal interview questionnaire were successfully addressed by the adjusted questionnaire, while simultaneously satisfying the objectives of a maternal interview as identified by participants during the first focus group interview. Results confirmed that more maternal interviews could be conducted in the same time period using the adjusted interview questionnaire compared to when the original questionnaire was used, due to the fact that the questionnaire was shorter and took less time to administer. As part of this study an additional questionnaire was developed specifically for caregiver interviews. According to FARR role players, inconsistency between interviewers was for the most past successfully addressed by the development of this additional questionnaire and the development of an interviewer guideline. Recommendations for future research include the further development and evaluation of the caregiver questionnaire and interviewer guideline. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie is uitgevoer in samewerking met die “Foundation for Alcohol Related Research” (FARR), ‘n nie-regeringsorganisasie met die primêre objektief om Fetale Alkohol Spektrum Afwyking (FASA) voorkomingsprogramme in Suid-Afrika te ontwikkel en te handhaaf. Volgens navorsing is die voorkoms van FASA in Suid-Afrika beduidend hoër as in ander dele van die wêreld. ‘n Drie-delige diagnostiese proses word as deel van FARR se voorkomingsprogramme gebruik, insluitend ‘n onderhoud gefokus op moeders, ‘n dismorfologiese ondersoek, asook ‘n evaluasie van die kind se algehele ontwikkeling. Die moeder-onderhoudsvraelys wat tans deur FARR gebruik word neem gemiddeld twee ure om te voltooi. Alhoewel ‘n onlangse studie aandui dat die voorkomingsprogramme deur FARR oor die potensiaal beskik om die prevalensie van FASA te verlaag, kan korter moeder-onderhoude potensieël daartoe lei dat bronne beter benut word, asook dat FASA voorkomingstudies betekenisvolle inligting versamel vir die ontwikkeling van toekomstige voorkomingsprogramme. Die hoofdoel van die huidge studie was om die moeder-onderhoudsvraelys wat tans deur FARR gebruik word aan te pas, om sodoende die onderhoude met moeders korter te maak terwyl die nodige inligting vir suksesvolle FASA voorkomingsprogramme steeds verkry word. Gedurende hierdie studie is data rakende die toereikendheid van die aangepaste moederonderhousdvraelys versamel en geanaliseer volgens ‘n aksie-navorsingsbenadering in vier opeenvolgende fases. Die navorsingsprosedures het bestaan uit twee afsonderlike fokusgroeponderhoude met vyf van die sleutelrolspelers van FARR. Gedurende die eerste fokusgroeponderhoud is die hoofprobleme met die vraelys geïdentifiseer as (i) die lengte van die vraelys, (ii) die ongeskiktheid van die vraelys om ‘n onderhoud met iemand anders as die biologiese moeder te voer, en (iii) die inkonsekwentheid tussen onderhoudvoerders met die gebruik van die vraelys. Gedurende die tweede fase van die studie is die vraelys aangepas en hersien as deel van ‘n tweede fokusgroeponderhoud. Die onderhoudvoerders, data verwerker en data analis wat die aangepaste vraelys gebruik het as deel van ‘n groter FASA voorkomingsprogram het verskeie aanbevelings gemaak rakende hoe die vraelys verder aangepas kan word om te voldoen aan FARR se behoeftes. Laasgenoemde aanbevelings is aangespreek gedurende die laaste fase van die studie, waarna die aangepaste vraelys gefinaliseer is. Die bevindinge van die studie dui aan dat die geïdentifiseerde probleme met FARR se oorspronklike moeder-onderhoudsvraelys suksesvol deur die aangepaste vraelys aangespreek is, terwyl die objektiewe van ‘n moeder-onderhoud (soos geïdentifiseer deur die deelnemers aan die eerste fokusgroeponderhoud) steeds vervul is. Resultate het bevestig dat meer moeder-onderhoude in dieselfde tydsperiode met behulp van die aangepaste vraelys gevoer kon word as met die oorspronklike vraelys, as gevolg van die feit dat dit korter was en minder tyd geneem het om te voltooi. As deel van die studie is ‘n bykomstige vraelys spesifiek vir sorggewer-onderhoude ontwikkel. Volgens die FARR rolspelers is inkonsekwentheid tussen die onderhoudvoerders grootliks suksesvol aangespreek deur middel van die ontwikkeling van hierdie bykomstige vraelys asook die ontwikkeling van ‘n riglyn vir onderhoudvoerders. Aanbevelings vir verdere navorsing sluit die verdere ontwikkeling en evaluasie van die sorggewer-vraelys en onderhoudvoerder riglyn in.

Thesis (MEdPsych (Educational Psychology)--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is an ongoing problem in the Western Cape. Marginalised and poverty-stricken communities use alcohol as a method of entertainment because it is freely available and relatively inexpensive. Due to a cycle of ongoing poverty and lack of education, many women drink large quantities of alcohol when they are pregnant or before they know they are pregnant. This causes the unborn baby to be severely at risk for FAS. There has been much research done in academic and social environments on the presentation and symptoms of FAS and of behaviour. Less research has been done surrounding the mother's experience of her FAS child, it is therefore my aim to research this gap in the research. This research study investigated the experience of mothers who raised children with FAS. Many mothers of children with prenatal exposure to alcohol feel conflict and guilt regarding their children and I attempted to find out what their general experience surrounding this was. Within this research topic I aimed to investigate the mothers' attitudes, their behaviour towards and their general perceptions of their developing child with FAS. This was viewed from an eco-systemic framework in which the mother is an integral part of different systems impacting and working together, that influence her maternal functioning. Finally, the aim of this research study was to ascertain how best mothers of FAS children could be supported. In this same process, I hoped, the mothers could learn to feel empowered to help and support their child, and in the process attempt to shift ongoing cycles of negative behaviour patterns to more positive outcomes.

M. Tech. Graphic Design / Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is a congenital syndrome cased by excessive consumption of alcohol by the mother during pregnancy, characterized by retardation of mental development and of physical growth. Lack of public information and intervention is one of the reasons why the syndrome persists in townships and rural areas. This study was undertaken in response to the lack of public knowledge within high-risk communities concerning Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. The study hypothesized that embedding persuasive techniques within health communication material would create effective health communication campaigns that would be well received by target audiences.