Spinal fusion is a surgical procedure used to correct structural spinal damage or abnormalities. Recovery is painful and consists of a minimum 3-day hospital stay. Specific body positioning is necessary for healing but is difficult to maintain due to physical discomfort. The purpose of this study was to use a single-subject multiple baseline design to compare the current practice of using standard hospital pillows to a body-sized pillow for increasing comfort and decreasing pain in pediatric patients recovering from spinal fusion surgery. Four adolescents who had recently undergone spinal fusion surgery served as participants. Outcome measures included self- and nurse-report, heart rate, and requested medication. Three patients found that the BodyPillow® increased their comfort as they recovered from surgery; the fourth reported that he was less comfortable. No changes in pain were reported with the BodyPillow®. Results should help guide medical care and future research regarding pediatric spinal fusion recovery.

Thesis (Ed. S.)--Miami University, Dept. of Educational Psychology, 2008. / Title from first page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 15-18).

The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which the use of social stories that integrate a child’s particular restricted and repetitive behaviors results in differential social outcomes compared to the use of social stories that do not integrate restricted and repetitive behaviors. A non-concurrent multiple baseline experimental design across participants was used to examine the effects of two Social Story interventions on the frequency of appropriate social behaviors made by participants in a school setting. Field notes were also completed during each day of data collection in order to document the social context, events, activities, moods and behaviors of participants associated with each data collection session. Field notes also included the researcher’s thoughts, observations, and reflections on these variables. Overall, the intervention that included participants’ restricted interests within the Social Story had the effect of increasing participants’ appropriate social behaviors in contrast to the intervention that did not employ restricted interests. This research substantiates the principle that the restricted interests of children with ASD should not be viewed as a form of deficiency that needs to be eliminated. Rather, restricted interests should be viewed as reinforcing agents that increase children’s motivation to pursue activities that involve social initiations and interactions with their peers.

A number of randomization statistical procedures have been developed to analyze the results from single-case multiple-baseline intervention investigations. In a previous simulation study, comparisons of the various procedures revealed distinct differences among them in their ability to detect immediate abrupt intervention effects of moderate size, with some procedures (typically those with randomized intervention start points) exhibiting power that was both respectable and superior to other procedures (typically those with single fixed intervention start points). In Investigation 1 of the present follow-up simulation study, we found that when the same randomization-test procedures were applied to either delayed abrupt or immediate gradual intervention effects: (1) the powers of all of the procedures were severely diminished; and (2) in contrast to the previous study's results, the single fixed intervention start-point procedures generally outperformed those with randomized intervention start points. In Investigation 2 we additionally demonstrated that if researchers are able to successfully anticipate the specific alternative effect types, it is possible for them to formulate adjusted versions of the original randomization-test procedures that can recapture substantial proportions of the lost powers.

Children with intellectual disabilities are often denied exposure to mathematical word-problem solving since it is believed to beyond their intellectual abilities. This study aimed to determine whether children with intellectual disabilities could be taught to solve subtraction word-problems. The underlying premise of this study was that the receptive mathematical language skills of children with intellectual disabilities needed to be enhanced so as to optimize their word-problem solving abilities. This was undertaken through the implementation of a mathematical aided language stimulation programme (MAiLgS). This programme aimed to maximise exposure to and understanding of the mathematical language of word-problems for children with intellectual disabilities through simultaneous exposure to spoken input and visual supports. Two strategies were combined to form the MAiLgS programme. The first strategy referred to Goossens’ (1989) principles of aided language stimulation whereby graphic symbols in the form of Picture Communication Symbols (PCS symbols) (Johnson, 1981) and spoken input were utilized to expound upon and clarify the vocabulary comprising word-problems. Riley, Greeno and Heller’s model of word-problem solving (1983) was used to structure the three types of subtraction word-problems and to provide visual support in calculating the word-problem solutions. Seven children with intellectual disabilities aged between 8;0 and 12;0 were taught to solve the subtraction word-problems in a small group format. A multiple baseline design across behaviours (three types of subtraction word-problems) replicated across seven participants was used. The MAiLgS programme entailed teaching each of the three types of subtraction word-problems over a period of three weeks, with one word-problem type being taught each week. Participants’ subtraction-word problem solving was monitored daily using probe tests. Three maintenance probes were conducted four weeks after intervention stopped. Four of the seven participants demonstrated improved subtraction word-problems solving for the three types of subtraction word-problems. The remaining three participants demonstrated minimal change in their ability to solve the word-problems. The results of this study suggest that a MAiLgS programme may be used in a small group format to teach word-problem solving to children with intellectual disabilities. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2015. / tm2015 / Centre for Augmentative & Alternative Communication (CAAC) / PhD / Unrestricted

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京都大学 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(教育学) / 甲第24353号 / 教博第283号 / 新制||教||214(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院教育学研究科教育科学専攻 / (主査)教授 MANALO Emmanuel, 教授 楠見 孝, 准教授 野村 理朗 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Philosophy (Education) / Kyoto University / DGAM

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:31:44Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2010-12-17Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T20:42:34Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 oliveira_jp_dr_mar.pdf: 2386033 bytes, checksum: ed83e648ce11c670163bbd98efa1c112 (MD5) / O gênero textual narrativo ou de histórias encontra-se entre aqueles mais utilizados, no período de alfabetização. Esse tipo de texto é um dos que facilita a formação do leitor reflexivo, pois o mesmo se apoia fundamentalmente na narrativa oral, tão comum durante o processo de desenvolvimento infantil. Dentre as principais preocupações das pesquisas que envolvem a produção de textos, estão as maneiras que a favorecem, principalmente quando se trata de escolares com dificuldades de aprendizagem. Nosso estudo teve como objetivo verificar os efeitos de um programa de intervenção metatextual, na elaboração de histórias escritas de escolares com dificuldades de aprendizagem. Fizeram parte de nossa amostra quatro escolares, de ambos os gêneros, com faixa etária variando entre oito anos e quatro meses e dez anos e dois meses de idade. O programa foi aplicado nas escolas dos participantes, utilizando-se um delineamento de linha de base múltipla intrassujeitos, com duas condições: linha de base e intervenção. A base para a intervenção consistiu no uso de leitura e de gravuras em sequência para formar uma história. A intervenção teve duas fases, e a diferença entre elas foi o uso de instruções dirigidas, num primeiro momento (fase A), e de uma estratégia de autorregulação, em seguida (fase B). A análise de dados foi baseada na classificação das histórias produzidas pelos escolares. Foi aplicado ainda o teste de Mann-Whitney, para analisar se houve mudanças significativas nas produções dos escolares, após a introdução da variável independente. O desempenho na produção textual, apresentado pelos escolares, após aplicação do programa, indicou que o ensino dos elementos que organizam a história modificou positivamente a elaboração das mesmas, em relação aos aspectos linguísticos e de textualidade. Em relação às categorias de histórias... / The narrative or stories text type is one of the most utilized techniques in the alphabetizing process. This text type is one those that facilitates the formation of the reflexive reader, because it stands mainly on the verbal narrative, so common during the child development process. Amongst the main concerns about the research involving text productions, is the search of ways to promote it, mainly in students with learning difficulties. The purpose of this study was to verify the effects of a metatextual intervention program on the production of written stories from students with learning difficulties. The subjects were four students, from both genders, with ages varying from 8,4 to 10,2 years. The study was performed in their own schools and the program applied was consisted of two stages: baseline and intervention. A Single-subject research design was used and the base for the intervention consisted on the utilization of pictures in sequence to produce a story and reading. The intervention had two phases and the difference between them was the use of guided instructions at a first moment (phase A) and strategy of self-regulation after that (phase B). Data analysis was based on the classification of stories produced by the students. Test Mann-Whitney was applied to analyzing the effects of the independent variable in the narratives of the students. The results showed a significant improvement in the quality of stories writing with the students. The stories produced by the students, after the application of the program, indicated that metatextual teaching to modifing of this elaboration. On the structural categories of stories, the results indicated it had improvement in the elaboration of all students. The initial narratives it had production of the 33%, with a predominance of descriptions of action. The last ones it had production of the 77%, with a better structure: adequate sequency... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)