Syftet med denna studie är att med fokus på språkstörning och läs- och skrivlärande undersöka hur pedagoger ser på begreppet språkstörning, samt vilka erfarenheter de har vid undervisning av elever med språkstörning. Studien handlar om elevens utveckling när de hamnar i den situationen där en eventuell språkstörning kan bli ett hinder i språk-, läs- och skrivlärandet. Studien har genomförts med hjälp av semistrukturerade gruppintervjuer på fyra olika skolor inom samma kommun. Informanterna har ingått i ett arbetslag som har erfarenhet av elever med språkstörning. De områden som valts att fokusera på är läs- och skrivlärande processen, metoder och arbetssätt och lärmiljön. Som teoretisk utgångspunkt används det sociokulturella perspektivet där kommunikation och språkanvändning är centrala begrepp, dessa begrepp utgör länken mellan barnet och omgivningen. Resultaten är uppdelade under områdena: begreppet språkstörning, metoder och arbetssätt, pedagogers erfarenheter, lärmiljön, pedagogiska utmaningar och framgångsfaktorer. Dessa områden har sedan sammankopplats i diskussionen med den forsknings- och litteraturgenomgång som genomförts. Resultatet visar att begreppet språkstörning innefattar många olika områden och används inte alltid i rätt syfte. Arbetslagen utgår alltid från flera metoder och arbetssätt, de provar sig fram och utgår från elevens behov. Viktiga aspekter i lärmiljön är att använda tydlighet, struktur, ett gemensamt förhållningssätt, fasta rutiner och att alltid ha ett mål att vara flera vuxna i klassrummet. Pedagogiska utmaningar innebär att kartlägga elevens behov för att sätta in rätta åtgärder. En språkstörning hos en elev kan yttra sig på olika vis vilket innebär behov av stöd inom flera områden.

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the use of a constant time delay procedure to teach core content words in braille to a student with a visual impairment. A multiple probe (conditions) across behaviors design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the training and follow-up sessions. The results showed the procedure was effective in teaching core content braille words within a resource setting and the student was able to generalize the information to an inclusive setting.

Introduction: This study investigated hearing aid (HA) satisfaction among adult with hearing impairment (HI) in New Zealand. This study aimed to answer three questions: 1) What are the current HA satisfaction levels amongst adult HA users in New Zealand? 2) How do the satisfaction findings of this study compare with other HA satisfaction data? 3) What client factors are related to HA satisfaction? Method: Participants were recruited prospectively. They completed a questionnaire prior to HA fitting and a questionnaire three months post-fitting. Information was collected on: age, gender, HA experience, HI severity, hearing ability, change in hearing ability, hearing handicap, communication self-efficacy, change in communication self-efficacy, HA self-efficacy, HA usage, and number of appointments. HA satisfaction was measured via the Satisfaction with Amplification in Daily Life questionnaire (SADL; Cox & Alexander, 1999). Results: Data were collected for 47 participants. Of these, 91.5% fell within or above the normative range for global satisfaction established by Cox & Alexander (1999). The mean SADL scores were predominantly high compared to previous research. Satisfaction with negative features of HAs was especially high in this study. However satisfaction with the service and cost of HAs was low compared to other research. SADL scores were found to significantly relate to age, gender, change in hearing ability, hearing handicap, communication self-efficacy, change in communication self-efficacy, and HA self-efficacy. Conclusions: Results differed from previous research indicating that HA satisfaction may differ over time and across countries. Assessing HA satisfaction in a comprehensive standardised way, as opposed to with a single-item measure, can help identify important related factors. Targeting identified variables such as communication and HA self-efficacy may lead to improved treatment efficacy.

The development of category knowledge is in part a function of one's experiences with the world. The types of errors produced during category generation tasks may reveal the boundaries of these experiences and the ways in which they are organized into lexical networks. Examining the errors made by bilingual children with and without language impairment (LI) and bilingual adults may help to distinguish the effects of ability versus experience on the development and organization of lexical-semantic categories. The purpose of this study was to examine the types of errors made by bilingual (Spanish-English) children with (n=37) and without (n=35) LI and bilingual adults (n=26) on category generation tasks in both their languages and at two category levels: taxonomic and slot-filler. Results revealed a main effect for level (taxonomic vs. slot-filler) and error type (semantic vs. other) and suggest that bilingual seven to nine-year-old children's and adults' proportions and types of errors produced on category generation tasks differ significantly based on ability (i.e., TD or LI) but not on experience (i.e., TD or Adults). / text

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive, irreversible, neurodegenerative disease. The key to understanding AD is to elucidate the pathogenesis of neuron degeneration in specific brain regions.We hypothesize that there is increased DNA oxidation in AD brain compared to age-matched control subjects, especially in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), and that the changes in DNA bases will affect protein expression in mitochondria and contribute to neurodegeneration in AD. To test this hypothesis:1) We quantified multiple oxidized bases in nuclear DNA (nDNA) and mtDNA of frontal, parietal, and temporal lobes and cerebellum from late-stage AD (LAD), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and age-matched control subjects using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry with selective ion monitoring (GC/MS-SIM). Also, we quantified oxidized DNA bases in cortex of APP/PS1 transgenic mice. (a) nDNA and mtDNA were extracted from eight LAD and eight control subjects. We found levels of multiple oxidized bases were significantly higher in frontal, parietal, and temporal lobes and that mtDNA had approximately 10-fold higher levels of oxidized bases than nDNA. Eight-hydroxyguanine was approximately 10-fold higher than other oxidized base adducts in both LAD and control subjects. These results suggest that oxidative damage to mtDNA may contribute to the neurodegeneration of AD. (b) Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), the phase between normal aging and early dementia, is a common problem in the elderly with many subjects going on to develop AD. Results from eight amnestic MCI and six control subjects suggest oxidative damage to DNA occurs in the earliest detectable phase of AD. (c) Analysis of nDNA from the cortex of four groups (3m, 6m, 9m, 12m) of APP/PS1 and wild type mice showed elevations of 8-hydroxyguanine in 12 month old APP/PS1 mice.2) To analyze mitochondrial protein changes in LAD, 2D gels were run to separate proteins and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry was used to identify proteins.Five mitochondrial proteins were significantly decreased in LAD. This proteomic study provides a proteome map of mitochondria in LAD brain and an insight into the pathogenesis of neuron degeneration in Alzheimer's disease.

Research has suggested that the Five Factor Model (FFM) is useful in describing personality pathology as well as personality traits. However, there appears to be disproportionate implications of the five domains for problems in living. Previous empirical research concerning the differential direction and magnitude of the relationship of the FFM domains to problems in living and personality disorder symptomatology has perhaps been limited in part by the use of a measure of the FFM that itself includes a disproportionate representation of maladaptive personality functioning across the domains. The current study also tests the hypothesis that the relationship of the FFM domains to problems in living parallels the definition of personality disorder as provided in the American Psychiatric Association’s (2000) diagnostic manual, concerning social impairment, occupational impairment, and distress. These hypotheses were tested in a sample of 79 persons who were within psychiatric treatment. The current study indicated that problems in living relate to the FFM domains in a meaningful manner and that these relationships correspond to the definition of personality disorder. Implications of the findings for future research are discussed.

Dementia is increasingly recognized as a major and growing threat to public health worldwide, and there is a critical need for prevention and treatment strategies. However, it is necessary that appropriate methodologies are used in the identification of risk factors. The purpose of this dissertation research was to develop further the body of literature featuring Markov chains as an analytic tool for data derived from longitudinal studies of aging and dementia. Data drawn from 649 participants in the University of Kentucky’s Alzheimer’s Disease Center’s (UK ADC) Biologically Resilient Adults in Neurological Studies (BRAiNS) cohort, which was established in 1989 and follows adults age 60 years and older who are cognitively normal at baseline to death, were used to conduct three studies. The first study, “Mild cognitive impairment: Statistical models of transition using longitudinal clinical data,” shows that mild cognitive impairment is a stable clinical entity when a rigorous definition is applied. The second study, “Self-reported head injury and risk of cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s-type pathology in a longitudinal study of aging and dementia,” shows that when the competing risk of death is properly accounted for, self-reported head injury is a clear risk factor for late-life dementia and is associated with increased beta-amyloid deposition in the brain. The third study, “Incorporating prior-state dependence among random effects and beta coefficients improves multistate Markov chain model fit,” shows that the effect of risk factors, like age, may not be constant over time and may be altered based on the subject’s cognitive state and that model fit is significantly improved when this is taken into account.

Individuals with brain injury are in need of speech and language therapy to improve impaired cognitive-communicative skills. Including significant communication partners (e.g., caregivers, spouses or parents) in intervention encourages carryover of skills practiced in therapy to natural communication contexts. Additionally, unimpaired partners benefit from training on how to communicate more effectively and and support the partner’s use of compensatory strategies for impaired cognitive skills. The objective of this multiple single case study was to evaluate the outcomes of a training program delivered to two dyads (Dyad B. and Dyad W.) composed of an adult with brain injury and an everyday communication partner. Participant dyads were recruited from a local brain injury support group. Training consisted of a four-week program during which participants received brain injury education, developed and monitored progress on goals, received instruction on communication strategies, and engaged in self-evaluation and role-play activities. Dependent variables were progress on individual goals, analysis of discourse variables, and the LaTrobe Communication Questionnaire. Treatment effects included a decrease in the amount of overlapping speech and an increase in the proportion of obliges and responses relative to comments for Dyad B., and increased deficit awareness and decreased conversation dominance on the part of the participant with brain injury for Dyad W. Results of the study showed that communication dyads affected by brain injury benefit from short-term training provided to both partners. / text

Sammanfattning   Bakgrund: Efter införandet av IFRS standarder i Sverige har andelen redovisad goodwill ökat allt mer bland börsbolagen. Detta har resulterat i att allt fler investerare fäster större vikt vid goodwill och där en nedskrivning förmedlar väsentlig ny information till marknaden. Ett problem är dock att en nedskrivningsprövning innehåller flertalet komplexa bedömningar såsom identifiering av kassagenererande enheter och tillämpning av diskonteringsränta. Om företagen inte har den expertis som krävs kan det leda till orimliga värderingar. Det finns både interna och externa indikationer på när goodwillvärdet försvagas och då klientföretagen har en djupare intern information försvåras revisorns möjligheter vid granskning, vilket kan anses vara en stor börda för revisorn. Att goodwill ökat i omfattning och allt större fokus riktas mot posten, leder till att även granskningen av goodwill bör öka i betydelse för revisorer. Deras roll är att inge förtroende åt klientföretagens finansiella rapporter och motsvara samhällets normer och etiska synsätt. Därmed tilltar intresset att veta hur revisorer praktiskt går tillväga då de granskar en goodwillpost upprättad enligt IFRS regler. Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att beskriva revisorns arbetsgång vid en granskning av goodwill upprättad enligt IFRS samt diskutera hur revisorns arbete påverkas av omständigheter i dess närhet. Målet är att studien ska kunna bidra till att intressenter av finansiella rapporter kan få en bättre förståelse för hur revisorn granskar goodwillposter. Metod: För att uppfylla studiens syfte valde vi att tillämpa en kvalitativ metod för att få en så djup förståelse för revisorers tillvägagångssätt som möjligt. Vi började med att undersöka vilka revisorer som granskat börsbolag med stora goodwillposter i förhållande till eget kapital. På detta sätt kunde vi avgöra vilka revisorer och revisionsbyråer som har stor erfarenhet av väsentliga goodwillposter. Sedan har intervjuer genomförts där revisorerna fått återge sitt tillvägagångssätt vid granskning av goodwill och dennes personliga uppfattningar kring ämnet. Slutsats: Theory of Practice har fungerat i syfte att hjälpa oss analysera den individuella revisorns praktiska tillvägagångssätt på ett djupare plan. Goodwillgranskning kan anses vara en problematisk situation där revisorn ständigt behöver utveckla sin kunskap för att kunna upprätthålla den viktiga roll revisorn har i företagsvärlden och samhället i stort. Studien visar att revisorerna högst motsägelsefullt tenderar att uppfatta goodwill som en komplex redovisningspost, samtidigt anser de att den inte är särskilt svår att hantera. Studien visade även att trots splittrade personliga åsikter om IFRS regler så agerar revisorerna på ett relativt enhetligt sätt då en goodwillpost granskas. Revisorns agerande påverkas av sina kollegors förväntningar men även klientföretagets förtroende. Den främsta förklaringen till dessa slutsatser är att revisionsbyråerna skapat kontroll över revisorernas tillvägagångssätt genom en uppbyggd organisationsstruktur med flera kunskapsintensiva stödfunktioner. Genom att bidra revisorerna med dessa resurser kan byråerna styra utvecklingen av ett gemensamt synsätt på hur ett problem ska lösas. Revisorerna ser stödfunktionerna som en kunskapskälla vilket inger en känsla av trygghet. Denna effektiva strategi leder till att kunskap sprids och underlättar revisorns granskningsarbete. Nyckelord: goodwill, IFRS, nedskrivning, revision, revisor, granskning, Theory of practice. / Abstract   Background: Following the introduction of IFRS standards in Sweden, the amount of goodwill has soared among listed companies. This makes investors pay more attention to goodwill and impairment gives substantial new information to the market. One problem is that impairment test contains several intricate assessments, such as the identification of cash generating units and the application of discount rate. If the companies don’t have the required expertise, it may lead to unreasonable valuations. There are both internal and external indications of goodwill impairment, where clients have access to more internal information than the auditor. This can be considered as a great burden for the auditor to overcome. Since goodwill, as an asset, has become more important this implies that review of goodwill should increase in importance for auditors. Their role is to increase trust in financial reporting and meet societal norms and ethics. Thereby, there is an increasing interest to understand how auditors review goodwill according to IFRS. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to describe the auditor´s review procedures related to goodwill according to IFRS and to discuss how the auditor´s work is influenced by the circumstances in its vicinity. The objective of the study is to contribute with an increased understanding among stakeholders about the auditor´s review of goodwill. Method: In order to fulfill the purpose of this study, we chose a qualitative method to get as deep understanding of an auditors' approach as possible. We began by examining the auditors who audited the listed companies with large goodwill relative to shareholders’ equity. In this way, we could determine which auditors and audit firms that have best experience of goodwill items. After narrowing down the list we ask auditors to reproduce their approach and personal views of goodwill auditing through interviews. Conclusion: Theory of Practice has worked in order to help us analyze the individual auditor's practical approach on a deeper level. Goodwill review can be considered a problematic situation where the auditor continuously improve their knowledge in order to maintain the important task of the auditor have in the corporate world and society in general. Contradictory the study shows that auditors tend to recognize goodwill as a complex accounting item, but at the same time they do not consider that it is particularly difficult to manage. The study also shows that despite the fragmented personal views on IFRS rules the auditors acting in a relatively uniform manner as goodwill are reviewed. Auditor's behavior is influenced by their colleagues' expectations as well as the client company’s confidence in them. But the main explanation for these findings is that audit firms create control over the auditors approach through organization structure with a number of knowledge-intensive support functions. By contributing resources to the auditors, the audit firms are able to develop a common approach to how a problem should be solved. The auditors find the support functions as a knowledge source which inspires a sense of security. This determinacy leading to that knowledge distributes and facilitates the auditor's review. Keyword: goodwill, IFRS, impairment, accounting, audit, auditor, Theory of Practice

多數人仰賴視覺做為探索世界的管道，連帶的視覺性符號或語言用法也成為人際互動最主要的溝通方式。視障者佔全台灣總人口數約千分之二的比例，在視覺型態的社會中，他們的生活經驗為何？如何看待自身的定位與外在社會環境？這些都是值得討論的問題。 基於此，本研究旨在探討台灣重度視覺障礙者個人的生涯發展，內容涵蓋重度視障者本身的自我概念、教育過程、就業過程等層面及其影響，此外，外在環境如社會態度、重要他人與相關就業政策等，亦是本研究所欲探討的主要範疇。 本研究係採質性研究方法，其中透過深度訪談了解視障個案之生命經驗、想法與感受，經由參與觀察實際接觸視障個案的生活，輔以相關文件做為參考，做為探討重度視障者生涯發展之基礎。根據上述資料彙整並描述五位視障個案的生命故事，簡潔言之，得到下列發現： 一、自我概念於視障者個人生涯中扮演的角色： 1.自我概念發展與社會互動有關，與生理障礙未必有直接相關；2.視障者亦有個別差異，不應以偏蓋全而加諸刻板印象；3.自我概念型態影響個人的生涯決定與發展方向。 二、教育和視障者個人生涯之關係： 1.學校的課程安排影響未來就業，其中缺少生涯輔導相關課程；2.視障者本身強調走讀教育與啟明學校的影響有所差異。 三、視障者求職就業的現況： 1.部分機構以刻板印象先行否定其就業能力；2.職業訓練經常是就業的前提；3.不同社會文化對於按摩工作的評價差異兩極。 四、外在社會環境和視障者個人生涯發展之關係： 1.外在世界由明眼人所支配，包括溝通之符號與言語用法皆以視覺做為基礎；2.與社會大眾之間缺乏相互理解而產生鴻溝；3.真正的需求和政策間存有落差；4.建設無障礙環境需以同理心為前提，兼顧視障者與非視障者的需求。 依據研究結果提供以下建議： 一、實務建議：1.進用視障者應由政府機構與教育單位先行做起；2.教育機構安排一般生體驗視障生活，增進對視障者的了解；3.透過廣播電台讓社會大眾重視視障者的需求；4.透過替代役的方式恢復視協員的制度；5.志工可依個人專長加以訓練。 二、對未來研究之建議：1.探討走讀與啟明不同教育背景對於視障者的生涯發展影響；2.探討不同城鄉地區視障者的生涯發展；3.探討從事不同職類之視障者的生涯發展；4.比較國內外重度視障者的生涯發展；5.攝影器材可以作為參與觀察之工具。 / Most people rely on their vision as the medium to explore the world; therefore, visual symbols or linguistic usages soon become the main communication way of human-to-human interaction. Whereas individuals with visual impairment in Taiwan represent approximately 0.2% of the total population, we would like to know what lives the visually impaired have experienced in this visual-type society? How they position themselves and what their perspectives are on the external society? These are issues worth discussing. Based on the foregoing, this research mainly discusses the career development of individuals with severe visual impairment, including various dimensions and influences such as their self-concepts, education processes, employment courses, and so on. Moreover, the public attitude, significant others and relevant employment policies related to the external society are also main points in this study. The study adopts qualitative research by conducting in-depth interviews with the visually impaired individuals to realize their life experiences, thoughts and feelings. Via not only participant observation and practical contact toward these cases, the researcher also applies related documents as the reference to be the foundation of discussing the career development of people with severe visual impairment. According to the collected information mentioned above and life narratives of five visually impaired cases, the main findings of study are summarized as followed: (1) The role self-concept plays in visually impaired individuals’ careers: 1. Self-concept of an individual with visual disabilities has concern with social interaction, but not necessarily directly relates to the physiological handicap. 2. The visual impaired also have individual differences so that we should avoid the so-called stereotype that may divide them into only a few categories. 3. Their own conceptual models about themselves do affect their decision of career and the direction they choose to develop. (2) The relationship between education and visually impaired individuals’ own careers: 1. Curriculum designs in school influence the future career, however, there is a lack of related career guidance. 2. Individuals with visual impairment themselves emphasize that the influence of inclusive education differs from that of school for the blind. (3) The recent employment status of people with visual disabilities: 1. Some institutions even deny the working ability of visually impaired people based on the fixed stereotype. 2. Job training is usually the prerequisite for them to obtain a job. 3. Different societies or cultures tend to see the massage job with extremely opposing opinions. (4) The connection between external society and personal career development of the visually impaired people: 1. People with vision dominate the outward world, so that symbols we communicate with each other and languages we use in daily life are all based on the “ sight ”. 2. Gaps appear between visually impaired individuals and the public due to the shortage of mutually understandings. 3. What people with visual impairment practically demand differs from our policies. 4. The barrier-free environment should be constructed under the prerequisite of empathy that look after both the visible and the invisible. Below are suggestions based on the results of this research: (1) For the practice: 1. Government apparatus and education institutes should lead the way to hire the visually impaired people. 2. Education institutes arrange normal people to experience invisible life to be acquainted with these visually disabled people more. 3. Arousing people to pay much attention to needs of this visually impaired individuals through the broadcaster. 4. By way of substituted soldiers we may bring the system of guide people back. 5. Volunteers can be trained according to their professional specialties. (2) For the oncoming research: 1.To explore how the two different educational backgrounds of inclusive education and school for the blind affect the career development of people with visual impairment. 2. To compare their career developments of towns and countries. 3. To enquire their career developments of various positions. 4. To compare the native career developments of visually disabled people with overseas. 5. To use photographic equipments can be used as tools for participant observation.