<p dir="ltr">The development of feeding skills is essential for infant health, growth, and family well-being. Despite the importance of this skill, relatively little is known about the development of independent solid feeding skills relative to other body systems – like vocalizations – or external factors including caregivers or the feeding environment. The purpose of this preliminary study was to examine the relationship between feeding skills, vocalizations, and caregiver feeding responsiveness at the same point in 6-8-month-old infants. We conducted this study remotely in order to obtain the most accurate assessment of infant skills and include diverse infant feeding experiences within their own home environments. Twenty-five typically developing – low-risk – infants and a pilot group of ten infants at increased risk for feeding and communication disorders completed the study, along with their caregivers. Infants were categorized as “at-risk” if they spent time in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. We collected feeding data through caregiver-recorded videos of typical mealtimes, vocalization measures from daylong audio recordings, and responsiveness assessments from video-conferencing interviews with caregivers and the mealtime feeding videos. In our sample, it was feasible to use these remote data collection methods, and we obtained high inter- and intra-rater reliability for all measures (> 90%). In our preliminary study, we found that infants in the low- and at-risk groups demonstrated different oral motor feeding skills. In hierarchical regression models, the interaction between risk group and utterance duration was the most significant predictor of oral motor feeding skills, while neither vocalization measure was strongly related to eating efficiency. In the opposite direction, feeding skills were not predictive of either normalized child vocalization count or utterance duration. Relative to caregiver feeding responsiveness, we found that caregiver feeding responsivity alone did not predict feeding or vocalization measures. Responsivity in combination with weeks of feeding experience and medical risk group was related to oral motor feeding skill but not related to vocalization measures. Overall, this study provided initial evidence that feeding skills develop as a dynamic system, influenced by multiple within-child and external factors, and future research is warranted on the influence of these factors on feeding and communication skill development.</p>

This paper explores literature on the effects of communication disorders on the social development of children. The paper discusses such topics as the effects of communication disorders on personality development, the ability to make friends and resolve conflict with peers, and academic success. It also discusses the influences of multiculturalism and bilingualism on the diagnosis of communication disorders and reflects on the importance of awareness of cultural differences in communication style to avoid a misdiagnosis. Research shows that without intervention and treatment communication disorders can have irreversible detrimental effects on a child’s ability to develop effect social-communication, to make friends, and to be successful in academic pursuits. Intervention strategies are discussed, such as group and individual therapy, as well as social skills and communication skills treatment. Effective intervention can help children overcome or avoid many of the negative effects of communication disorders and can allow them to reach their developmental potential and achieve success in many areas of life.

Video Interaction Guidance (VIG) or Video Home Training (VHT) was introduced to the Czech Republic in 1993. SPIN is a provider of education, training and supervision, a non- governmental organization dedicated to VIG/VHT in Czech Republic. The method was conceived in the Netherlands in the 80's, the country from where it is still spread to the whole world, especially to Europe. The method's theory is broadly based on developmental psychology theories, ethnology, learning theories and theories of communication. Initially, the VHT was used as an intervention method focused on families with children, later it entered the fields of education and other professional help and was known as VIG. This Diploma Thesis brings essential information about the VHT/VIG Method, its theoretical basis and applications. The thesis also deals with the programmes of primary prevention in the Czech Republic and Europe. The theoretical part concludes with a description of field where VHT/VIG can be used in primary prevention programmes. In the qualitative study, we describe case studies of seven lecturers of primary prevention who undertook the method VHT/VIG. The data were acquired in the process of observation (participative observation and video-analysis), via semi-structured interviews and questionnaires. We attempted...

Advances in neonatology have led to increased numbers of high-risk neonates surviving and intensified interest in the developmental outcomes of this population. In the South African context prematurity and low birth weight are the most common causes of death in the perinatal period and the same risk factors that contribute to infant mortality also contribute to the surviving infants’ increased risk for developmental delays. As a result of the interacting biological and environmental risk factors of prematurity, low birth weight, poverty and HIV and AIDS in the South African context Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) has been developed as best practice to promote infant survival and to facilitate mother-infant attachment. Mother-infant attachment may lead to synchronous interaction patterns between the mother and infant which forms the basis of early communication development. Early communication intervention (ECI) services are recommended as early as possible as high-risk infants are especially at risk for feeding difficulties and communication developmental delays. It is, however, not clear what the content of an ECI programme should be and how it should be implemented according to the changing communication and feeding developmental needs of the infant while receiving KMC. There appears to be a dearth of research on the earliest stages of communication development in high-risk neonates, which should form the foundation of such a programme. A descriptive survey was conducted to describe the development of 25 high-risk infants and their mothers’ changing needs from admission to discharge from a KMC unit. Each participant and mother dyad was followed up over an average of 11 days of data collection with three to four data collection sessions. Data was collected by means of direct observation during routine care-giving activities. The different developmental subsystems of the participants’ feeding, communication, neuro-behavioural organization and mother-neonate interaction were described. The results demonstrated that subtle, but definite changes could be observed in the participants’ development. Development in all the different areas occurred over time as the participants progressed through the three developmental states of the in-turned state, coming-out state and reciprocity state. As the participants progressed during the 11 days of data collection and were increasingly able to attend to their environment, they also developed the ability to regulate and organize their own behaviour in order to develop more complex communication, feeding and interaction skills with their mothers. The functioning of the participants’ sensory systems developed in a specific order namely tactile, auditory and then visual. Although the participants developed consistently throughout their stay in the KMC unit, mother-neonate interaction never reached optimal levels. The importance of an individualized training programme for each mother is reflected in the finding that the neonate’s developmental level and progress needs to be considered when implementing the ECI programme. The need for speech-language therapy involvement in KMC is emphasized in the light of a shortage of practicing speech-language therapists in South Africa. It is therefore imperative that the prevention of communication delays and feeding difficulties in high-risk neonates as well as parent training assume priority. / Dissertation (MCommunication Pathology)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology / unrestricted

The thesis deals with the communication development in deaf children after cochlear implantation, which have at the same time diagnosed autism spectrum disorder. The theoretical part is divided into three chapters. First two chapters deal with specifics of hearing impairment, or rather autism spectrum disorder, and its effects on the overall development of the child with an emphasis on communication ability. There are briefly introduced the classification of hearing impairments and compensation aids related to the topic of the work - hearing aids and cochlear implants. There is also space devoted to the characteristics of particular autism spectrum disorders. The third chapter describes the most common communication systems or aids used by persons with hearing disabilities, more precisely with the autism spectrum disorder, and the possibility of communication of people with a combination of these two disabilities. The practical part of the thesis is devoted to qualitative research, which main objective was to find out how obtaining a cochlear implant may influence the development of communication of a deaf child with autism spectrum disorder. As part of the research, interviews with parents of these children were conducted. These interviews were supplemented by open-ended questionnaires addressed...

Denna studies syfte är att bidra med kunskap om några pedagogers erfarenheter av att stötta kommunikativ utveckling hos elever som läser ämnesområden inom grundsärskolan. De frågeställningar som legat till grund för studien är: Vad betraktar pedagogerna som möjligheter respektive hinder för elevernas kommunikationsutveckling? Hur beskrivs elevernas roll i processen med kommunikationsutveckling? Hur kan pedagogers erfarenheter förstås utifrån specialpedagogiska perspektiv? Digitala semistrukturerade intervjuer genomfördes med åtta pedagoger verksamma i grundsärskolan. Materialet transkriberades och tematisk innehållsanalys genomfördes samt analys utifrån följande specialpedagogiska perspektiv: ett relationellt perspektiv, ett kategoriskt perspektiv, ett kritiskt perspektiv och ett dilemmaperspektiv. Vårt resultat visar att pedagoger betraktar AKK-verktyg som den främsta möjligheten för elevers kommunikationsutveckling. Pedagogerna beskriver att de har erfarenheter av att använda bland annat bildstöd i form av till exempel pekkartor, scheman och digitala kommunikationsverktyg samt tecken som stöd i undervisningen. Det framkommer även att det är viktigt att ha en fungerande samverkan med vårdnadshavare och andra insatser kring eleven för att kunna skapa de bästa kommunikativa miljöerna för eleverna. Av resultatet framgår också vikten av utbildning och kompetens hos pedagoger inom kommunikation vilket återspeglar mycket av tidigare forskning. Brist på utbildning och kompetens leder till hinder för pedagoger att anpassa undervisningen utifrån elevers kommunikativa behov. I resultatet framkommer att elevernas roll i processen med kommunikationsutveckling främst beskrivs som behövande och att pedagogerna ser det som sin uppgift att kompensera för elevernas kommunikativa svårigheter med olika stödinsatser där AKK är den främsta insatsen. I vår analys ser vi att ett relationellt perspektiv är det mest framträdande perspektivet bland annat genom att relationen mellan pedagog och elev lyfts fram av pedagogerna som avgörande för elevernas kommunikationsutveckling. / The purpose of this study is to contribute knowledge about some pedagogues experiences of supporting communicative development in students with moderate or severe intellectual disability. The questions that formed the basis of the study are: What do pedagogues consider opportunities and obstacles for students' communication development? How is the students' role described in the process of communication development? How can pedagogues experiences be understood from a special education perspective?Digital semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight pedagogues active in the elementary special school. The material was transcribed, and thematic content analysis was carried out, as well as analysis from the following special education perspective: a relationship-based perspective, a categorical perspective, a critical perspective as well as a dilemma perspective. Our results show that pedagogues regard augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) tools as the main opportunity for students' communication development. The pedagogues describe that they have experience of using, among other things, visual support in the form of, for example, point maps, schedules and digital communication tools as well as sign language as support in teaching. It also appears that it is important to have a functioning collaboration with guardians and other efforts around the student in order to create the best communicative environments for the students. The results also show the importance of education and competence of pedagogues in communication, which reflects much of previous research. Lack of education and competence leads to obstacles for pedagogues to adapt teaching based on students' communicative needs.The results show that the students' role in the process of communication development is mainly described as needy and that the pedagogues see it as their task to compensate for the students' communicative difficulties with various support efforts, where AAC is the main effort. In our analysis, we see that a relationship-based perspective is the most prominent perspective in that the relationship between pedagogues and student plays a large role in students' communication development.

This thesis reviews trends and developments concerning national information policy both internationally and nationally and inform the understanding of the situation in South Africa. Three research questions are investigated in this study, namely: (a) what are the main trends relevant to national information policy development worldwide, based on relevant literature, (b) what are the main trends and developments in other countries, and (c) what are the implications of the current global and national developments regarding national information policy for South Africa, based on the findings of the study? The methodology for this study involved a qualitative textual analysis, addressing these three research questions, and the selection of theoretical frameworks to define the scope of the research. The study discussed the main aspects of concern regarding the following information-related issues: access to information; access to government information; literacy levels; computer literacy levels; levels of education and skills; information society development; the North-South Divide (including the digital divide); information content and industrial competitiveness; other issues such as e-commerce; telecommunication issues; copyright issues; industrial property rights; freedom of speech; censorship; information ownership; library services and archives; the value of information and the flow of information in the public domain in South Africa. The multiplicity of issues reviewed demonstrated the complexity regarding access to information and related issues in the country. The study concludes with a situational analysis of developments relevant to national information policy for South Africa. The findings indicate that the South African government needs to take into account the unevenness of past developments and the challenges created by the emergent global information policy regime. The Government needs to develop a national information policy to address and balance two realities, namely: (a) the technocratic and capitalist values of globalisation pushing global information policy development from outside the country, and (b) national economic, social and cultural developmental needs inside the country. Both these realities are relevant and need to be addressed in a national information policy, as the Government needs to take into account the unevenness of past developments and the challenges created by the emergent global information policy regime. / Information Science / D. Litt. et Phil. (Information Science)

This thesis reviews trends and developments concerning national information policy both internationally and nationally and inform the understanding of the situation in South Africa. Three research questions are investigated in this study, namely: (a) what are the main trends relevant to national information policy development worldwide, based on relevant literature, (b) what are the main trends and developments in other countries, and (c) what are the implications of the current global and national developments regarding national information policy for South Africa, based on the findings of the study? The methodology for this study involved a qualitative textual analysis, addressing these three research questions, and the selection of theoretical frameworks to define the scope of the research. The study discussed the main aspects of concern regarding the following information-related issues: access to information; access to government information; literacy levels; computer literacy levels; levels of education and skills; information society development; the North-South Divide (including the digital divide); information content and industrial competitiveness; other issues such as e-commerce; telecommunication issues; copyright issues; industrial property rights; freedom of speech; censorship; information ownership; library services and archives; the value of information and the flow of information in the public domain in South Africa. The multiplicity of issues reviewed demonstrated the complexity regarding access to information and related issues in the country. The study concludes with a situational analysis of developments relevant to national information policy for South Africa. The findings indicate that the South African government needs to take into account the unevenness of past developments and the challenges created by the emergent global information policy regime. The Government needs to develop a national information policy to address and balance two realities, namely: (a) the technocratic and capitalist values of globalisation pushing global information policy development from outside the country, and (b) national economic, social and cultural developmental needs inside the country. Both these realities are relevant and need to be addressed in a national information policy, as the Government needs to take into account the unevenness of past developments and the challenges created by the emergent global information policy regime. / Information Science / D. Litt. et Phil. (Information Science)

Housing delivery has been in a state of crisis long before the realisation of democracy in South Africa and still remains a point of contention for the poor. Issues of service delivery, particularly housing delivery, have consistently made newspaper headlines in post-apartheid South Africa. Between 2004 and 2012, service delivery protests increased from 34% in 2005 to 173% in 2012. The City Press, a weekly newspaper, focused on the coverage of issues of development in South Africa, emerging as an important voice in reporting on citizen action related to service delivery in the country during this time. Therefore, the principal objective of this study was to investigate the City Press representation of citizen action on housing delivery in South Africa between 2005 and 2015. With a view to providing insight into the role of the media in development, this study employed qualitative research methodology. Qualitative content analysis was utilised in studying the City Press editorials and the City Press individual journalist’ opinion pieces and the newspaper news reports. In addition, past and present City Press journalists identified with reporting on developmental issues were interviewed. The development communication theory was explored as an appropriate theoretical framework for this study, The investigation of the City Press representation of citizen action on housing delivery found that there were several complex issues and processes that negatively impacted the process of housing delivery during the second decade of South African democracy, including a scourge of corruption driven by inefficiencies administration of the housing delivery process. In that respect the study revealed that housing delivery has been hindered by many aspects, resulting in tensions and a strained relationship between the government and the poor citizens of South Africa. Furthermore, the study established that the City Press individual journalists played a significant role in the representation of citizen action through portraying housing delivery protests at key moments when these happened. / Communication Science / D. Litt. et Phil. (Communication)