The current study examined anxiety and its observable correlates in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) across a broad range of levels of cognitive functioning that in the past have not been accurately explored. I sought to challenge the assumption that there is a positive linear relationship between anxiety and level of cognitive functioning by including individuals across a broad range of cognitive functioning in my analyses, and by developing a measure (The Somatic Anxiety Scale) appropriate for assessing anxiety symptoms in children with little to no communicative functioning. Sixty-seven parents of children with ASD aged 5 to 12 completed a battery of measures in an online study assessing their child’s anxiety, repetitive behaviours, sensory processing issues, and adaptive functioning. The Somatic Anxiety Scale was significantly correlated with an existing measure of anxiety designed for verbal children (when only highly verbal children were assessed), suggesting that it may provide a foundation to develop a measure of anxiety symptoms in non-verbal individuals. No clear predictive relationship was observed between level of cognitive functioning and anxiety. Both lower and higher-order repetitive behaviours predicted anxiety, although higher-order behaviours were more predictive. Finally, a cluster analysis indicated three patterns of anxious behaviour divided across three categorizations of level of functioning. I suggest that previous assumptions about the relationship between level of cognitive functioning and anxiety may be underestimating the complexity of the relationship and suggest future research to study this relationship further. / Thesis (Master, Psychology) -- Queen's University, 2013-10-30 10:25:56.049

Two interviews were conducted with 20 participants from a Mental Health and Mental Retardation (MHMR) crisis house. Subjects were classified as good or poor premorbid level of functioning using a case history form and information from their social history charts. The study employed a self-narrative method to direct self disclosure. In the first interview, participants were asked to describe themselves. In the second interview they were asked to identify what they would change about their histories and to describe how this would make a difference in how their lives turned out. Support was not found for the hypothesis that those with the higher premorbid functioning would be better able to shift perspectives and use more positive self constructs. Methodological, theoretical and future research areas are discussed.

Mobilisation in the acute stages of stroke is a complex subject where the nurse must considerseveral confounding variables. There is an insufficient state of evidence around when andhow the first mobilisation should occur after stroke, and there is often uncertainty in thedecision making. The aim was to describe how early mobilisation in the acute stages of stroke affects thepatient’s level of functioning. The method used was a general literature review with an integrated analysis. Results: 17 articles analysing the effect of early mobilisation on nursing-related outcomemeasures, published between 2015–2019, were included in the literature review. Sample,interventions and outcome measures varied between the different articles. Three of the articlesshowed results suggesting that early mobilisation could be negative for the patient’sfunctional outcome after stroke. Among the remaining articles there was an even distributionof positive effects of early mobilisation and results not showing any effect on functionaloutcome. The results of this literature review imply that early mobilisation to some extentmay contribute to improved basic functions as in managing the toilet, dressing and also moreinstrumental features as cooking and driving. Early mobilisation appears to be a safe nursingintervention in most cases, as long as the patient is considered medically stable. The conclusion to be drawn from this literature review is that nurses, through their mainresponsibility for nursing care can influence the patient’s functional outcome through the decisions made regarding the first mobilisation in patients hit by acute stroke. / Mobilisering i akutskedet efter stroke är ett komplext ämne där sjuksköterskan måste ta ställning till ett flertal samverkande faktorer. Evidensläget kring när och hur den första mobiliseringen bör ske efter stroke är otillräckligt, och ofta uppstår en osäkerhet i beslutsfattandet. Syftet var att beskriva hur tidig mobilisering i akutskedet efter stroke påverkar patientens funktionsnivå. Metoden som användes var en allmän litteraturöversikt med integrerad analys. Resultat: 17 artiklar som analyserat effekten av tidig mobilisering på omvårdnadsrelaterade utfallsmått, publicerade från 2015–2019, inkluderades i litteraturöversikten. Urval, interventioner och utfallsmått varierade mellan de olika artiklarna. Tre av artiklarna visade på resultat som talar för att tidig mobilisering skulle kunna vara negativt för patientens funktionsutfall efter stroke. Bland övriga artiklar sågs en jämn fördelning bland positiv effekt av tidig mobilisering och resultat som inte visat någon påverkan på funktionsutfallet. Resultatet i denna litteraturöversikt tyder på att tidig mobilisering i viss mån kan bidra till förbättrade basala funktioner såsom att klara av toalettbesök, på- och avklädning och även mer instrumentella funktioner som att laga mat och köra bil. Tidig mobilisering ter sig vara en säker omvårdnadsåtgärd i de flesta fall, så länge patienten bedöms som medicinskt stabil. Slutsatsen som kan dras av litteraturöversikten är att sjuksköterskan genom sitt huvudansvar för omvårdnad kan påverka patientens funktionsutfall genom de beslut som fattas kring den första mobiliseringen av patienter som drabbats av akut stroke. Ytterligare forskning avseende tidpunkt och mobiliseringens intensitet behövs för att kunna avgöra när och hur den första mobiliseringen skall påbörjas efter att en patient drabbats av stroke.