Motorcycle exhaust burns in children

Objectives: To document and describe motorbike exhaust burns on children. Design, Patients and Setting: Departmental database and case note review of all children with motorbike exhaust burns seen at the Stuart Pegg Paediatric Burns Centre, Brisbane between January 1996 and October 2001. Main outcome measures: Number and age of children burned, circumstances of the injury, burns sustained, treatment required and long-term sequelae. Results: Twenty-four children, median age 8 years, sustained thermal burns, most commonly to the right lower leg. Thirteen children required surgery, and 17 required chronic scar management. Conclusions: We have identified motorbike exhausts as a cause of burns in children. The injuries received resulted in significant morbidity to these children and warrants a campaign airned at reducing the incidence of such injuries. (C) 2002 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. and ISBI.

The effectiveness of splinting as perceived by the parents of children with Juvenile Ideopathic Arthritis

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is an important disease of childhood with farreaching effects on the child and family. Splinting is a major treatment modality used by occupational therapists for children with JIA. Parents play a central role in whether, when and how splints are used with their children on a daily basis. This paper describes a qualitative research project, which was undertaken to evaluate an occupational therapy service for children with JIA whose treatment had involved splinting. Using semi-structured interviews, the study investigated five mothers' perceptions of the effectiveness of splinting for their children. The interviews revealed five major points. First, the informants generally believed the splinting to be effective. Secondly, the children involved generally resisted wearing splints because they were physically uncomfortable and made them feel different to other children. Thirdly, the mothers used a variety of strategies to ensure that their children wore the splints. Fourthly, the perception of having a positive and supportive relationship with the therapist enhanced the mothers' ability to adhere to splinting. Lastly, the mothers' grief at having a child with JIA influenced their ability to understand and attend to information about specific interventions such as splinting. Practical responses to these findings are outlined.

Transient evoked otoacoustic emissions in children studying in special schools

Objectives: The present study aimed to investigate the feasibility and practicalities or testing children in special school settings using transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAE) and tympanometry. Children studying in special schools, particularly those with intellectual impairment, may be highly susceptible to hearing pathologies and can be difficult to assess using traditional test batteries. Researchers have recently suggested the possible applicability of TEOAE testing. in lieu of conventional behavioral methods, as a hearing screening device for persons with intellectual impairment. However, to date. few publications have detailed the particulars and results of such testing. Methods: A total of 489 children, with a mean age of 9.6 years, were tested in 15 special schools. Case information was obtained regarding birth history, medical history and type,degree of impairment, for later comparison with screening results. TEOAEs were collected using Quickscreen mode of the ILO292 Otodynamics Analyzer, whilst tympanometry was performed utilizing a Madsen Zodiac 901 Middle Ear Analyzer. Results: In total, 80% of students were able to be tested using TEOAEs. Average test time per ear was 2 min. However, a large proportion (40 of those able to be tested) failed TEOAE testing in at least one ear. No significant effects were found between could-not-test (CNT) cases and case history factors, A significant difference in TEOAE failure rates was found across history of neonatal special care nursery residency and history of parental concern regarding possible hearing impairment. Failure rates were higher for those who indicated positive histories. A total of 74% of subjects could be tested using tympanometry, with 25% of those able to be tested failing in at least one ear. Notably, neither type nor degree of impairment had any significant bearing on CNT or failure rates for tympanometry or TEOAE screening. Conclusions: Findings of the present investigation lend support to the review of hearing screening programs for children in special schools. with TEOAEs presenting as a potential alternative procedure. Further examination of the performance measures of protocols incorporating TEOAEs would now be advantageous. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Seasonal Effects on Transient Evoked Otoacoustic Emission Screening Outcomes in Infants versus 6-Year-Old Children

The purpose of this study was to compare transient evoked otoacoustic emission (TEOAE) screening outcomes (pass/fail) across the seasons (spring, autumn, and winter) between infants and schoolchildren. A total of 526 infants (275 boys, 251 girls) with a mean age of 2.0 months (SD = 0.38 months) and 975 schoolchildren (513 boys, 462 girls) with a mean age of 6.2 years (SD = 0.36 years) were screened using the ILO Otodynamics Quickscreen program. The same TEOAE pass/fail criterion was applied to the two groups. The results indicated a significant difference in pass rates between infants (91.2% of 1052 ears) and schoolchildren (86.0% of 1950 ears). A seasonal effect was found only for schoolchildren, with a significantly lower pass rate in winter than in spring or autumn. There was no difference in pass rates between spring and autumn. Implications for the seasonal effect on TEOAE screening outcomes for infants and schoolchildren are discussed.

Handedness effects in transient evoked otoacoustic emissions in school children

Handedness, as a potentially influencing, nonpathologic factor, has not been investigated in relation to transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs). The present study aimed to examine the effects of handedness on the TEOAE spectrum in entry-level schoolchildren, with attention also to possible ear asymmetry. A total of 228 subjects (114 males, 114 females, mean age = 6.3 years) were tested using the ILO292 Otodynamics Analyzer (Quickscreen mode) in quiet rooms in 22 schools. For statistical analysis, subjects were matched for factors such as handedness, gender, age, and history of recent ear infection. The results from subjects with passing TEOAE, pure-tone screening, and tympanometry revealed no significant handedness effect overall, although a significant ear asymmetry effect on the measurement parameters of AB difference, noise level, response level, whole-wave reproducibility, band reproducibility, and signal-to-noise ratios was found.

Hand positioning sense in children with spina bifida myelomeningocele

This study was undertaken to establish whether children with myelomeningocele have abnormal kinaesthesia of the hands. Twenty-one children with myelomeningocele and 21 control children, aged between six and 12 years, were involved in the study. The level of kinaesthetic awareness in the hands was measured by examining the child's ability to copy hand positions, using visual cueing and kinaesthetic cueing. Both accuracy and speed of copying hand gestures were assessed. Children with spina bifida were significantly less accurate in achieving hand positions than the control group (chi((1))(2) 22.60, p < 0.001), with 73% of the children with spina bifida achieving accurate replications compared with 87% in the control group. Furthermore, children with myelomeningocele were shown to be slower than the controls (F-(1,F-2810) = 15.49, p < 0.001). The impaired kinaesthetic awareness found in this study is considered to be one of the factors behind the poor hand function observed in children with myelomeningocele.

Sticks and stones will break my bones -- and words will harm too: Australia's provision of education for asylum seeker children in detention

No abstract

Who supports? The providers of social support to dual-parent families caring for young children

Previous research points to the importance of both kin and non-kin ties within social networks as sources of social support. This study examines the kin and non-kin providers of specific types of support to dual-parent low-income Australian families caring for young children. The study highlights the importance of family and friends as support providers. Study Participants tended to rely on family, including parents, siblings and other family members, and friends for emotional and information support. Parents also tended to provide material and practical support. While neighbors and community agencies offered some emotional and information support, overall, these sources were minimal. (C) 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.