An assessment of autism knowledge in the medical field

Once thought to be rare, pervasive developmental disorders (PDDs) are now recognized as the most common neurological disorders affecting children and one of the most common developmental disabilities (DD) in Canada (Autism Society of Canada, 2006). Recent reports indicate that PDDs currently affect 1 in 150 children (Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, 2007). The purpose of this research was to provide an understanding of medical resident and practicing physicians' basic knowledge regarding PDDs. With a population of children with PDDs who present with varying symptoms, the ability for medical professionals to provide general information, diagnosis, appropriate referrals, and medical care can be quite complex. A basic knowledge of the disorder is only a first step in providing adequate medical care to individuals with autism and their families. An updated version of Stone's (1987) Autism survey was administered to medical residents at four medical schools in Canada and currently practicing physicians at three medical schools and one community health network. As well, a group of professionals specializing in the field ofPDDs, participating in research and clinical practice, were surveyed as an 'expert' group to act as a control measure. Expert responses were consistent with current research in the field. General findings indicated few differences in overall knowledge between residents and physicians, with misconceptions evident in areas such as the nature of the disorder, qualitative characteristics of autism, and effective interventions. Results were also examined by specialty and, while pediatricians demonstrated additional accurate 11 knowledge regarding the nature of the disorder and select qualitative impairments, both residents and practicing physicians demonstrated misconceptions about PDDs. This preliminary study replicated the findings of Stone (1987) and Heidgerken (2005) concerning several misconceptions of PDDs held by residents and practicing physicians. Future research should focus on additional replications with validated measures as well as the gathering of qualitative information, in order to inform the medical profession of the need for education in PDDs at training and professional levels.

Our future in geriatrics : an examination of the knowledge, attitudes and career choices of physical therapy students in Ontario : a pretest-posttest study /

There continues to be a shortage of health professionals interested in providing care for the older adult. Part of the problem seems to stem from the negative perceptions of geriatrics as a clinical speciality. This study examines the knowledge, attitudes and career decisions of physical therapy students in Ontario before and after an educational intervention. Surveys were conducted with 144 physical therapy students from five universities before and after their geriatrics course in order to measure their knowledge, attitudes and interest in working with older adults. The incoming class of physical therapy students (n = 1 86) acted as control subjects for the study. The Revised Palmore Facts On Aging Quiz measured the students' knowledge of aging (Miller & Dodder, 1980). The Revised Tuckman-Lorge (Axelrod & Eisdorfer, 1961) and the Kogan Old People Scales (Kogan, 1961) were used to examine attitude. An environmental scale was developed based on the work of Snape (1986) to measure the impact of the working conditions on the students' career choices. A 10-point Likert-type scale based on the work of Michlelutte & Diseker (1985) was modified and used to measure career interest in working with the elderly. On independent sample t-tests, positive attitudes were related to the demographic characteristic of gender; ethnicity was negatively related; and marital status was found to be unrelated to attitude (fi<.05). Having a relationship with an older adult and taking courses in gerontology were also found to be positively related to attitude (fi<.05). Results on a betweensubjects design which compared students before and after the course found that knowledge scores improved from pretest to posttest (fi<.05). In general, attitude scores improved from T1 to T2 on both measurement tools (b<.05). The environmental and vocational interest scales yielded statistically significant differences between the control and experimental groups during the intervention period (p<.05). The results of this research indicated that knowledge and attitudes improve after an educational intervention; however, there was little impact on the students' overall career decisions. Further research is indicated to examine the complex relationship between attitude and behaviour and its impact on students' career choices. In addition, the impact of geriatric clinical environment on students' attitudes and career decisions needs to be further explored.

An exploration of transformation theory and the western tradition: a critical evaluation of a graduate studies class

This qualitative study is an exploration of transformation theory, the Western tradition, and a critical evaluation of a graduate studies class at a university. It is an exploration of assumptions that are embedded in experience, that influence the experience and provide meaning about the experience. An attempt has been made to identify assumptions that are embedded in Western experience and connect them with assumptions that shape the graduate class experience. The focus is on assumptions that facilitate and impede large group discussions. Jungian psychology of personality type and archetype and developmental psychology is used to analyze the group experience. The pragmatic problem solving model, developed by Knoop, is used to guide thinking about the Western tradition. It is used to guide the analysis, synthesis and writing of the experience of the graduate studies class members. A search through Western history, philosophy. and science revealed assumptions about the nature of truth, reality, and the self. Assumptions embedded in Western thinking about the subject-object relationship, unity and diversity are made explicit. An attempt is made to identify Western tradition assumptions underlying transformation theory. The critical evaluation of the graduate studies class experience focuses upon issues associated with group process, self-directed learning, the educator-learner transaction and the definition of adult education. The advantages of making implicit assumptions explicit is explored.

The elderly : reminiscing, coping with loss, accepting death

This study investigated loss, death and dying, reminiscing, coping and the process of adaptation from the sUbjective perspective. A number of theories and models of death and dying were reviewed in the background literature search with the focus on reminiscing as a coping phenomenon. The format of the study was audio-taped interviews with ten sUbjects and the recording of their memories and reminiscing of life stories. The sUbjects were required to complete an initial questionnaire in a demographic data collection process. Two separate interviews consisted of a primary data collecting interview and a verification interview four to eight weeks later. An independent chart review completed the data collecting process. Data analysis was by the examination of the emerging themes in the subjects' personal narratives which revealed the sUb-categories of reminiscing, loss (including death and dying), acceptance, hope, love, despair and belief. Belief was shown to be the foundation and the base for living and reminiscing. Reminiscing was found to be a coping phenomenon, within the foundation of a belief system. Both living and reminiscing revealed the existence of a central belief or value with a great deal of importance attached to it. Whether the belief was of a spiritual nature, a value of marriage, tradition, a work ethic or belief in an abstract value such as fate,it gave support and control to the individuals' living and reminiscing process. That which caused despair or allowed acceptance indicated the sUbjects' basic belief and was identified in the story narrations. The findings were significant to health care in terms of education, increased dignity for the elderly and better understanding by society. The profiles represented an average age of 86.3 years with age showing no bearing on the life experiences associated with the emerging themes. Overwhelmingly, belief was shown to be the foundation in reminiscing. A Judeo-Christian cultural value base supported the belief in 90% of the sUbjects; however, different beliefs were clearly shown indicating that belief is central to all thinking beings, in everyday life and in reminiscing. Belief was not necessarily spiritual or a practised or verbalized religion. It was shown to be a way of understanding, a fundamental and single thread tying the individual's life and stories together. The benefits were the outcomes, in that knowledge of an individual's belief can optimize care planning for any age group, and/or setting. The strength of the study was the open question format and the feedback process of data verification. The unrestricted outcomes and non-specificity were significant in a world where dying is everybody's business.

Detectives and Superheroes: A Pilot Study Teaching Flexible Thinking in Social Situations to a Child with High Functioning Autism

Complex social-cognitive deficits are common in individuals diagnosed with high functioning autism and Asperger syndrome. Research on effective and evidence-based social interventions is needed for this population. This study focused specifically on the challenges these individuals face with respect to flexible thinking and related flexible behaviour in social situations. Madrigal and Winner's (2008) Superflex curriculum - targets social flexibility, however at the time of this study no published research had been conducted to determine the effectiveness of this approach. This study was a pilot study, which sought to examine the impact of the Superflex curriculum within a 10-week training program in teaching one individual with high functioning autism how to think and behave flexibly in social situations. Multiple measurement tools were utilized, and analyses within and across the measures revealed inconsistencies, especially with respect to generalization. Although preliminary, this study provided valuable information for subsequent research.

Sustainability, Fashion Design, and Consumerism: Undergraduate Entry Level Fashion Students' Knowledge, Attitudes, and Habits

This qualitative inquiry explored 7 undergraduate students' attitudes, habits, and knowledge of consumerism, fashion design, and sustainability. The postmodern study employed crystallization as its methodological framework to gain insight into how participants' knowledge is manifested in their daily habits, and used 4 methods of data gathering: semistructured interviews, visual exercises, journal entries, and the researcher's own reflections. Four major themes emerged: Knowledge-Concepts Linked and Fragmented; Dissonance Between Knowledge Versus Attitudes and Consumer Habits; Surrendering to the Unsustainable Structures; Design Process and Caring Attitude. Findings indicate that participants possessed some knowledge of sustainability but lacked a well-rounded understanding of environmental and humanitarian implications of Western consumer society. Findings also reveal a dissonance between participants' knowledge and attitudes-affecting how their knowledge influences their behaviour-and how reflection, creative thinking, and drawing initiate change in participants' underlying attitudes. Recommendations are made to merge a variety of theoretical frameworks into the educational system in order to create curricula that offer a holistic overview and unique insights into sustainability challenges, particularly in specialized areas of the fashion industry.

Automatic Inference of Graph Models for Complex Networks with Genetic Programming

Complex networks can arise naturally and spontaneously from all things that act as a part of a larger system. From the patterns of socialization between people to the way biological systems organize themselves, complex networks are ubiquitous, but are currently poorly understood. A number of algorithms, designed by humans, have been proposed to describe the organizational behaviour of real-world networks. Consequently, breakthroughs in genetics, medicine, epidemiology, neuroscience, telecommunications and the social sciences have recently resulted. The algorithms, called graph models, represent significant human effort. Deriving accurate graph models is non-trivial, time-intensive, challenging and may only yield useful results for very specific phenomena. An automated approach can greatly reduce the human effort required and if effective, provide a valuable tool for understanding the large decentralized systems of interrelated things around us. To the best of the author's knowledge this thesis proposes the first method for the automatic inference of graph models for complex networks with varied properties, with and without community structure. Furthermore, to the best of the author's knowledge it is the first application of genetic programming for the automatic inference of graph models. The system and methodology was tested against benchmark data, and was shown to be capable of reproducing close approximations to well-known algorithms designed by humans. Furthermore, when used to infer a model for real biological data the resulting model was more representative than models currently used in the literature.

Object-Oriented Genetic Programming for the Automatic Inference of Graph Models for Complex Networks

Complex networks are systems of entities that are interconnected through meaningful relationships. The result of the relations between entities forms a structure that has a statistical complexity that is not formed by random chance. In the study of complex networks, many graph models have been proposed to model the behaviours observed. However, constructing graph models manually is tedious and problematic. Many of the models proposed in the literature have been cited as having inaccuracies with respect to the complex networks they represent. However, recently, an approach that automates the inference of graph models was proposed by Bailey [10] The proposed methodology employs genetic programming (GP) to produce graph models that approximate various properties of an exemplary graph of a targeted complex network. However, there is a great deal already known about complex networks, in general, and often specific knowledge is held about the network being modelled. The knowledge, albeit incomplete, is important in constructing a graph model. However it is difficult to incorporate such knowledge using existing GP techniques. Thus, this thesis proposes a novel GP system which can incorporate incomplete expert knowledge that assists in the evolution of a graph model. Inspired by existing graph models, an abstract graph model was developed to serve as an embryo for inferring graph models of some complex networks. The GP system and abstract model were used to reproduce well-known graph models. The results indicated that the system was able to evolve models that produced networks that had structural similarities to the networks generated by the respective target models.