Beyond sex and cooking: Health education for individuals with intellectual disability

Issues of health education programming for people with intellectual disability are discussed. As environments in which such individuals live become more inclusive, and they are encouraged to make their own choices, the issue of whether current health education is sufficient to enable them to make healthy life choices is considered. More attention should be focused on programs in schools and the community to fulfill this need. Three aspects of health education programming are considered: physical activity, general health knowledge, and social supports for health. Continuity of information is viewed as important in policy development as well as in interprofessional coordination and cooperation to assure that these individuals are not further handicapped by poor health.

Changing student teachers' attitudes towards disability and inclusion

A total of 274 preservice teacher education students were surveyed at the beginning and end of a one-semester unit on Human Development and Education which combined formal instruction with structured fieldwork experiences. The latter included interviewing community members regarding their knowledge of Down syndrome and opinions on inclusive education, and writing an associated report. At the end of semester, not only had student teachers acquired more accurate knowledge of Down syndrome, together with more positive attitudes towards the inclusive education of children with Down syndrome, but their attitudes towards disability in general had also changed, and they reported greater ease when interacting with people with disabilities. The study illustrated the value of combining information-based instruction with structured fieldwork experiences in changing attitudes towards disability and inclusion. It also demonstrated that raising awareness of one disability may lead to changes in attitudes towards disability in general.

The preparation of reach-to-grasp movements in adults, children, and children with movement problems

This study explored the use of advance information in the control of reach-to-grasp movements. The paradigm required participants to reach and grasp illuminated blocks with their right hand. Four target blocks were positioned on a table surface, two each side of the mid-saggital plane. In the complete precue condition, advance information precisely specified target location. In the partial precue condition, advance information indicated target location relative to the midsaggital plane (left or right). In the null condition, the advance information was entirely ambiguous. Participants produced fastest responses in the complete precue condition, intermediate response times in the partial condition, and the slowest responses in the null condition. This result was observed in adults and four groups of children including a group aged 4-6 years. In contrast, children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD, n = 11, aged 7-13 years) showed no advantage of partial precueing. Movement duration was determined by target location but was unaffected by precue condition. Movement duration was a clear function of age apart from children in the DCD group who showed equivalent movement times to those of the youngest children. These findings provide important insights into the control of reach-to-grasp movements and highlight that partial cues are exploited by children as young as 4 years but are not used in situations of abnormal development.

Alterations in the phenotype of neocortical pyramidal cells in the Dyrk1A+/- mouse

The gene encoding the dual-specificity tyrosine-regulated kinase DYRK1A maps to the chromosomal segment HSA21q22.2, which lies within the Down syndrome critical region. The reduction in brain size and behavioral defects observed in mice lacking one copy of the murine homologue Dyrk1A (Dyrk1A+/-) support the idea that this kinase may be involved in monosomy 21 associated mental retardation. However, the structural basis of these behavioral defects remains unclear. In the present work, we have analyzed the microstructure of cortical circuitry in the Dyrk1A+/- mouse and control littermates by intracellular injection of Lucifer Yellow in fixed cortical tissue. We found that labeled pyramidal cells were considerably smaller, less branched and less spinous in the cortex of Dyrk1A+/- mice than in control littermates. These results suggest that Dyrk1A influences the size and complexity of pyramidal cells, and thus their capability to integrate information. (c) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Delayed onset of electromyographic activity of vastus medialis obliquus relative to vastus lateralis in subjects with patellofemoral pain syndrome

Objective: To determine whether electromyographic (EMG) onsets of vastus medialis obliquus (VMO) and vastus lateralis (VL) are altered in the presence of patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) during the functional task of stair stepping. Design: Cross-sectional. Setting: University laboratory. Patients: Thirty-three subjects with PFPS and 33 asymptomatic controls. Interventions: Subjects ascended and descended a set of stairs-2 steps, each 20-cm high-at usual stair-stepping pace. EMG readings of VMO and VL taken on middle stair during step up (concentric contraction) and step down (eccentric contraction). Main Outcome Measures: Relative difference in onset of surface EMG activity of VMO compared with VL during a stair-stepping task. EMG onsets were determined by using a computer algorithm and were verified visually. Results: In the PFPS population, the EMG onset of VL occurred before that of VMO in both the step up and step down phases of the stair-stepping task (p < .05). In contrast, no such differences occurred in the onsets of EMG activity of VMO and VL in either phase of the task for the control subjects. Conclusion: This finding supports the hypothesized relationship between changes in the timings of activity of the vastimuscles and PFPS. This finding provides theoretical rationale to support physiotherapy treatment commonly used in the management of PFPs.

Longitudinal excursion and strain in the median nerve during novel nerve gliding exercises for carpal tunnel syndrome

Nerve and tendon gliding exercises are advocated in the conservative and postoperative management of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). However, traditionally advocated exercises elongate the nerve bedding substantially, which may induce a potentially deleterious strain in the median nerve with the risk of symptom exacerbation in some patients and reduced benefits from nerve gliding. This study aimed to evaluate various nerve gliding exercises, including novel techniques that aim to slide the nerve through the carpal tunnel while minimizing strain (sliding techniques). With these sliding techniques, it is assumed that an increase in nerve strain due to nerve bed elongation at one joint (e.g., wrist extension) is simultaneously counterbalanced by a decrease in nerve bed length at an adjacent joint (e.g., elbow flexion). Excursion and strain in the median nerve at the wrist were measured with a digital calliper and miniature strain gauge in six human cadavers during six mobilization techniques. The sliding technique resulted in an excursion of 12.4 mm, which was 30% larger than any other technique (p 0.0002). Strain also differed between techniques (p 0.00001), with minimal peak values for the sliding technique. Nerve gliding associated with wrist movements can be considerably increased and nerve strain substantially reduced by simultaneously moving neighboring joints. These novel nerve sliding techniques are biologically plausible exercises for CTS that deserve further clinical evaluation. © 2007 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 25:972-980, 2007