No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

A design process developed by Joann Boles was used to develop a therapy garment for three four-year-old boys with sensory integrative dysfunction who participated in occupational therapy using sensory integrative methods. The design process framework has four stages: (a) problem development, (b) needs assessment, (c) prototype development, and (d) evaluation. The problem was developed by observing children with sensory impairments; interviewing parents and professionals involved with sensory impairments; experiencing sensory integrative methods; and reviewing the literature.The needs were assessed for the wearers, the activity, and the environment through four weeks of observations, interviews with the child and significant others, and document reviews. The research design was multiple case studies. The data collection and analyses followed the grounded theory procedures of open and axial coding outlined by Strauss and Corbin (1990).The resulting needs of the wearers, the activities, and the environment were translated into garment specifications and criteria. The four garment specification categories were (a) movement, (b) sensory integration, (c) motor development, and (d) play.Prototypes were generated to meet garment specifications in terms of structure, materials, and assembly. The process included writing ideas, coding and combining ideas, sketching ideas, constructing samples, and constructing a prototype solution. The resulting prototype consisted of a sleeveless pullover top, cape, and weights, and featured a bug superhero theme.The prototype was evaluated against garment specification criteria through observations, interviews, and an evaluation form. The prototype allowed full body movement and provided safety features for full interaction in the environment. The prototype provided proprioceptive input and gross motor opportunities through the elastic band loops and bug weights, and promoted the use of vestibular integrating equipment with the cape. Tactile opportunities were provided through the variety of materials. Fine and perceptual motor skills were promoted by the manipulatives on the cape and the opportunity to store fine motor activities in the cape pockets. Storing activities in the cape promoted smooth transitions, motor planning, organization, follow through, management, and self discipline. The bug theme appealed to the wearers' play interests and promoted imaginative scenarios during therapy, thus aiding in self organization and attention to task. / Ph. D.

This study sought to determine any possible relationships between the extent of development of each of four parental personality traits and the extent of development of the same trait in the parent's child., as well as possible interactions among the traits in the parent-child identification. In addition the investigation sought to determine whether the extent of development were related to (a) a same-sex parent-child identification, (b) an opposite-sex parent-child identification, (c) a mother-child identification, or (d) a father-child identification. The four traits were: achievement, aggression, autonomy, and nurturance. Subjects consisted of fifteen children, enrolled in the University Nursery School at Virginia Polytechnic Institute, and their parents. The extent of parental development of the four traits was measured by the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule. The extent of the development of children's traits was measured by (a) Virginia Polytechnic Institute students of child development who observed randomized groups composed of five children per group and ranked the fifteen children according to their composite impressions of each child's possession of each of the four traits. Results of rho computations indicated: (a) Opposite-sex children of aggressive parents tended to be non-aggressive. (b) Children of highly nurturant parents tended to be non-nurturant. (c) Children of highly autonomous fathers tended to lack the achievement motive. (d) Children of achieving parents of the same sex tended to possess the achievement motive. / Master of Science

It is believed that one of the best ways to study the personality adequacy of children is through their behavior in situations. / Master of Science

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between temperament and styles of coping with daily hassles. Parents of 86 four-year-old children attending preschools and child care centers located in Southwest Virginia completed measures of temperament and coping. The Behavioral Style Questionnaire (BSQ), designed by Carey and McDevitt, was used to assess each child's temperament. Responses were used to categorize children as having easy, difficult, slow-to-warm-up, or intermediate temperaments. The Coping Styles Inventory for Preschool Children (CSIPC) was developed by the researcher to provide a profile of each child's coping style among the techniques of feeling, thinking, acting, and reacting. Once the data were collected, numerous statistical procedures were performed. These included Pearson Product Moment Correlations, Analyses of Variance, and Chi-squares. The findings indicated that children with difficult temperaments employed cognitive, or thinking, styles of coping when confronted with daily hassles. A better understanding of how children with different temperaments cope with hassles, and stress in general, should enable parents, child care workers, and all those working closely with children to communicate with them more effectively. New and improved methods for instructing children on effective coping techniques can be developed and implemented when professionals have a more accurate perception of the predominant methods currently used by these children. / Master of Science / incomplete_metadata

In view of the findings of this study, it is concluded that of all the factors studied, only the education of the mother, the income of the family, and the behavior of the mother while feeding the child were associated significantly with the adequacy of the performance of the child during eating. / Master of Science