A content analysis of selected recreational therapy journals from 1990 to 1998: The extent to which children and youth are included

This paper presents an analysis of articles involving children and youth in the last 9 years (1990–1998) of professional literature in recreational therapy. A total of 539 articles were analyzed to examine the authors, subjects, methods, and outcomes of therapeutic recreation studies published in three selected journals: Therapeutic Recreation Journal, Leisure Studies , and Leisure Sciences. A central finding was that the literature involving children and youth was very under-represented in the journals. Only 6.5% of the articles targeted children and youth; of this group, approximately two thirds were research-based; the remaining articles were conceptual papers. The findings are discussed in terms of the need for future scholarships in recreational therapy to target children and youth, including those with disabilities. ^

Predictors of developmental gains in children enrolled in an early intervention setting

The purpose of this research was to determine whether initial developmental delay, site of intervention, frequency of intervention, age of the child, socio-economic status (SES), gender and ethnicity significantly predict developmental gains in a group of children enrolled in an early intervention setting. The records of 134 children enrolled in an inner-city program in Miami, Florida were reviewed for inclusion in this study. ^ Demographic variables, site placement and treatment frequencies were collected during a retrospective chart review. Level of delay was expressed using the developmental quotient and developmental gain was calculated using the mean gain on age equivalent scores or developmental tests. A multiple regression analysis was performed to determine which of the above variables significantly predicted developmental gains. Multivariate analysis compared developmental gains for all the developmental domains based on intervention site (center versus home-based) while controlling for developmental delay. ^ Children made greater developmental gains if they had higher developmental quotients and if they were younger at the time services were initiated. Frequency of intervention significantly improved developmental outcomes in children attending center-based programs. Children attending center-based programs also made significantly greater gains in gross motor skills compared to children attending home-based programs. ^ These findings emphasize the importance of early screening and referral of children with developmental delay and adjusting intervention for the child's developmental quotient. Children should receive intense treatment to maximize results. Decisions regarding program placement should be individualized according to the child's unique developmental pattern. Policy and program decisions affecting the curriculum of a child in early intervention need to reflect these multivariate considerations. ^

The effectiveness of explicit individualized phonemic awareness instruction by a speech -language pathologist to preschool children with phonological speech disorders

This study investigated the effects of an explicit individualized phonemic awareness intervention administered by a speech-language pathologist to 4 prekindergarten children with phonological speech sound disorders. Research has demonstrated that children with moderate-severe expressive phonological disorders are at-risk for poor literacy development because they often concurrently exhibit weaknesses in the development of phonological awareness skills (Rvachew, Ohberg, Grawburg, & Heyding, 2003).^ The research design chosen for this study was a single subject multiple probe design across subjects. After stable baseline measures, the participants received explicit instruction in each of the three phases separately and sequentially. Dependent measures included same-day tests for Phase I (Phoneme Identity), Phase II (Phoneme Blending), and Phase III (Phoneme Segmentation), and generalization and maintenance tests for all three phases.^ All 4 participants made substantial progress in all three phases. These skills were maintained during weekly and biweekly maintenance measures. Generalization measures indicated that the participants demonstrated some increases in their mean total number of correct responses in Phase II and Phase III baseline while the participants were in Phase I intervention, and more substantial increases in Phase III baseline while the participants were in Phase II intervention. Increased generalization from Phases II to III could likely be explained due to the response similarities in those two skills (Cooper, Heron, & Heward, 2007).^ Based upon the findings of this study, speech-language pathologists should evaluate phonological awareness in the children in their caseloads prior to kindergarten entry, and should allocate time during speech therapy to enhance phonological awareness and letter knowledge to support the development of both skills concurrently. Also, classroom teachers should collaborate with speech-language pathologists to identify at-risk students in their classrooms and successfully implement evidence-based phonemic awareness instruction. Future research should repeat this study including larger groups of children, children with combined speech and language delays, children of different ages, and ESOL students.^

Consulting Services to Determine the Effectiveness of Vegetation Classification Using WorldView 2 Satellite Data for the Greater Everglades

The purpose of this project was to evaluate the use of remote sensing 1) to detect and map Everglades wetland plant communities at different scales; and 2) to compare map products delineated and resampled at various scales with the intent to quantify and describe the quantitative and qualitative differences between such products. We evaluated data provided by Digital Globe’s WorldView 2 (WV2) sensor with a spatial resolution of 2m and data from Landsat’s Thematic and Enhanced Thematic Mapper (TM and ETM+) sensors with a spatial resolution of 30m. We were also interested in the comparability and scalability of products derived from these data sources. The adequacy of each data set to map wetland plant communities was evaluated utilizing two metrics: 1) model-based accuracy estimates of the classification procedures; and 2) design-based post-classification accuracy estimates of derived maps.

The Effectiveness of Explicit Individualized Phonemic Awareness Instruction By a Speech-Language Pathologist to Preschool Children With Phonological Speech Disorders

This study investigated the effects of an explicit individualized phonemic awareness intervention administered by a speech-language pathologist to 4 prekindergarten children with phonological speech sound disorders. Research has demonstrated that children with moderate-severe expressive phonological disorders are at-risk for poor literacy development because they often concurrently exhibit weaknesses in the development of phonological awareness skills (Rvachew, Ohberg, Grawburg, & Heyding, 2003). The research design chosen for this study was a single subject multiple probe design across subjects. After stable baseline measures, the participants received explicit instruction in each of the three phases separately and sequentially. Dependent measures included same-day tests for Phase I (Phoneme Identity), Phase II (Phoneme Blending), and Phase III (Phoneme Segmentation), and generalization and maintenance tests for all three phases. All 4 participants made substantial progress in all three phases. These skills were maintained during weekly and biweekly maintenance measures. Generalization measures indicated that the participants demonstrated some increases in their mean total number of correct responses in Phase II and Phase III baseline while the participants were in Phase I intervention, and more substantial increases in Phase III baseline while the participants were in Phase II intervention. Increased generalization from Phases II to III could likely be explained due to the response similarities in those two skills (Cooper, Heron, & Heward, 2007). Based upon the findings of this study, speech-language pathologists should evaluate phonological awareness in the children in their caseloads prior to kindergarten entry, and should allocate time during speech therapy to enhance phonological awareness and letter knowledge to support the development of both skills concurrently. Also, classroom teachers should collaborate with speech-language pathologists to identify at-risk students in their classrooms and successfully implement evidence-based phonemic awareness instruction. Future research should repeat this study including larger groups of children, children with combined speech and language delays, children of different ages, and ESOL students

Patterns of diagnostic comorbidity in children and adolescents with anxiety

Comorbidity is defined as the co-occurrence of two or more psychological disorders and has been identified as one of the most pressing issues facing child psychologists today. Unfortunately, research on comorbidity in anxious children is rare. The purpose of this research was to examine how specific comorbid patterns in children and adolescents referred with anxiety disorders affected clinical presentation. In addition, the effects of gender, age and total number of diagnoses were also examined.^ Three hundred fifty-five children and adolescents (145 girls and 210 boys, hereafter referred to as "children") aged 6 to 17 who presented to the Child Anxiety and Phobia Program during the years 1987 through 1996 were assessed through a structured clinical interview administered to both the children and their families. Based on information from both children and parents, children were assigned up to five DSM diagnoses. Global ratings of severity were also obtained. While children were interviewed, parents completed a number of questionnaires pertaining to their child's overall functioning, anxiety, thoughts and behaviors. Similarly, while parents were interviewed, children completed a number of self-report questionnaires concerning their own thoughts, feelings and behaviors.^ In general, children with only anxiety disorders were rated as severe as children who met criteria for both anxiety and externalizing disorders. Children with both anxiety and externalizing disorders were mostly young (i.e. age 6 through 11) and mostly male. These children tended to rate themselves (and be rated by their parents) equally as anxious as children with only anxiety disorders. Global ratings of severity tended to be associated with the type of comorbid pattern versus the number of diagnoses assigned to a child. The theoretical, development and clinical implications of these findings will be discussed. ^

The effects of a family-based educational intervention on the prevention of lead poisoning in children

The effects of lead exposure may endure through one's lifetime and can negatively effect educational performance. While the link between the cause and effects of lead poisoning has been identified, the application of lead health education as the mechanism of disease prevention has not. The purpose of this study was to examine whether caregiver participation in a family-based educational intervention can result in decreased lead exposure in low socioeconomic children. ^ Participants (n = 50) were caregivers of children 12 to 36 months of age. They were randomly selected from an urban clinic and randomly assigned to either a treatment or control group. The experimental design of this study involved two clinic visits. Parents in the treatment group were given the educational intervention during the first clinic visit while those in the control group were given the intervention during the second clinic visit. The intervention was reinforced with a lead education brochure coupled with a video on childhood lead poisoning. One instrument was used to test parental knowledge of lead poisoning both pre- and post-intervention. Blood lead levels in pediatric participants were tested using two blood lead screens approximately three to four months apart determined by well-child check-up schedules. ^ Findings from the analysis of variance showed the interaction between the change in blood lead level between the children's first and second clinic visits and the treatment level. This demonstrated a significant interaction between the differences of first and second clinic visits blood lead levels and the presence or absence of the educational intervention. ^ The findings from an analysis of covariance support that caregivers in the treatment group have significantly higher scores on the second clinic visit scores on the CLKT than the caregivers in the control group. These data suggest that the educational treatment is effective in increasing the knowledge of caregivers about the dangers of lead poisoning and the strategies for lead poisoning prevention. ^ Conclusions indicate that the education of adult caregivers can affect blood lead levels of children, the educational treatment increased the knowledge of caregivers, caregivers were able to carry out procedures taught, and caregivers retained knowledge over time. ^

An evaluation of functional impairment among children with anxiety disorders

Despite a considerable progress in developing and testing psychosocial treatments to reduce youth anxiety disorders, much remains to learn about the relation between anxiety symptom reduction and change in youth functional impairment. The specific aims of this dissertation thus were to examine: (1) the relation between different levels of anxiety and youth functional impairment ratings; (2) incremental validity of the Children Global Assessment Scale (CGAS); (3) the mediating role of anxiety symptom reduction on youth functional impairment ratings; (4) the directionality of change between anxiety symptom reduction and youth functional impairment; (5) the moderating effects of youth age, sex, and ethnicity on the mediated relation between youth anxiety symptom reduction and change in functional impairment; and (6) an agreement (or lack thereof) between youths and their parents in their views of change in youth functional impairment vis-à-vis anxiety symptom reduction. ^ The results were analyzed using archival data set acquired from 183 youths and their mothers. Research questions were tested using SPSS and structural equation modeling techniques in Mplus. ^ The results supported the efficacy of psychosocial treatments to reduce the severity of youth anxiety symptoms and its associated functional impairment. Moreover, the results revealed that at posttreatment, youths who scored either low or medium on anxiety levels scored significantly lower on impairment, than youths who scored high on anxiety levels. Incremental validity of the CGAS was also revealed across all assessment points and informants in my sample. In addition, the results indicated the mediating role of anxiety symptom reduction with respect to change in youth functional impairment at posttest, regardless of the youth’s age, sex, and ethnicity. No significant findings were observed with regard to the bidirectionality and an informant disagreement vis-à-vis the relation between anxiety symptom reduction and change in functional impairment. ^ The study’s main contributions and potential implications on theoretical, empirical, and clinical levels are further discussed. The emphasis is on the need to enhance existing evidence-based treatments and develop innovative treatment models that will not only reduce youth’s symptoms (such anxiety) but also evoke genuine and palpable improvements in lives of youths and their families.^

The Effects of a Family-Based Educational Intervention on the Prevention of Lead Poisoning in Children

Parents completed a survey measuring their knowledge of lead poisoning. Children, 24 to 36 months old received two blood lead level screens. Parents in the treatment group showed significantly higher scores on the posttest, and their children showed greater decreased blood lead levels than participants in the control group.

The Importance of the Humanities for Children

David Lawrence, President of the Early Childhood Initiative Foundation, speaks about the importance of the humanities to children. Event held at the Green Library, Modesto Maidique Campus, Florida International University on February 8, 2012.

The phonological analysis of bilingual Creole/English children living in South Florida

The purpose of this study was to gather normative data regarding the phonological system of bilingual Creole-English children ages three and five and to compare performance to norms for English speaking children. The forty participants lived in Miami and represented low socio-economic groups. Participants were assessed using the Goldman-Fristoe Test of Articulation-2 and a Haitian Creole Picture Naming Assessment. The results indicated that the percentage of correct phonemes in Creole (M=91.6) were not significantly different when compared to the correct production of the same phonemes in English (M=92.8). Further analysis revealed that the accuracy of all phonemes was higher for the five-year (M= 90.8) as compared to the three-year-olds (M= 85) in Creole. In English, the five-year-olds performed better than the three-year-olds participants. These findings revealed patterns of phonological development in bilingual Creole/English Children similar to patterns reported in other bilingual children. This information is essential in the evaluation and treatment of this population.

The sexual division of labor : the impact of organizational change upon group cohesion and the creation of occupational identity

The purpose of this research is to identify the impact of recent organizational change upon the culture of firefighting. The experiences of female firefighters were utilized as a measure of cultural change. A purposive sample of twenty-seven male and female firefighters were interviewed in a semi-structured format about their experiences in the fire service. This research found that the culture of firefighting has adjusted to the presence of previously excluded groups by forging a division among the identities and roles of male and female firefighters. The white, male firefighters, who have traditionally constituted a majority of the workforce, have continued to identify with traditional firefighter roles and reported high levels of cohesion. In contrast, the female firefighters showed a greater variance in their identification with traditional roles and decreased levels of cohesion with the main body of the group.

Teaching Music to Cuban Children

This flyer promotes a lecture by Eurydice Losada called "Teaching Music to Cuban Children", which discusses the results of research on the development of musical skills among Cuban children from 8 to 11 years old. Losada is a Cuban pianist, choir director and academic. This lecture was held in Spanish at the FIU Modesto A. Maidique Campus, DM 445 on September 29,2015.