The transition to school of children with developmental disabilities : views of parents and teachers

The transition from early intervention programs to inclusive school settings presents children with developmental disabilities with a range of social challenges. In Queensland, in the year of transition to school, many children with developmental disabilities attend an Early Childhood Development Program for 2 to 3 days each week and also begin attendance in a mainstream program with the latter increasing to full-time attendance during the year. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected by parent interviews and teacher questionnaires for 62 children participating in the Transition to School Project regarding their perceptions of the success of the transition process and the benefits and challenges of inclusion. Both parents and teachers saw a range of benefits to children from their inclusion in ‘regular’ classrooms, with parents noting the helpfulness of teachers and their support for inclusion. Challenges noted by parents included the school’s lack of preparation for their child’s particular developmental needs especially in terms of the physical environment while teachers reported challenges meeting the needs of these children within the context and resources of the classroom. Parents were more likely than teachers to view the transition as easy. Correlational analyses indicated that teachers were more likely to view the transition as easy when they felt that the child was appropriately placed in a ‘regular’ classroom. Findings from this project can inform the development of effective transition-to-school programs in the early school years for children with developmental disabilities.

Principles for use of ball projection machines in elite and developmental sport programmes

Use of ball projection machines in the acquisition of interceptive skill has recently been questioned. The use of projection machines in developmental and elite fast ball sports programmes is not a trivial issue, since they play a crucial role in reducing injury incidence in players and coaches. A compelling challenge for sports science is to provide theoretical principles to guide how and when projection machines might be used for acquisition of ball skills and preparation for competition in developmental and elite sport performance programmes. Here, we propose how principles from an ecological dynamics theoretical framework could be adopted by sports scientists, pedagogues and coaches to underpin the design of interventions, practice and training tasks, including the use of hybrid video-projection technologies. The assessment of representative learning design during practice may provide ways to optimize developmental programmes in fast ball sports and inform the principled use of ball projection machines.

Event-related brain potentials dissociate the developmental time-course of automatic numerical magnitude analysis and cognitive control functions during the first three years of primary school

In this study we set out to dissociate the developmental time course of automatic symbolic number processing and cognitive control functions in grade 1-3 British primary school children. Event-related potential (ERP) and behavioral data were collected in a physical size discrimination numerical Stroop task. Task-irrelevant numerical information was processed automatically already in grade 1. Weakening interference and strengthening facilitation indicated the parallel development of general cognitive control and automatic number processing. Relationships among ERP and behavioral effects suggest that control functions play a larger role in younger children and that automaticity of number processing increases from grade 1 to 3.

A hierarchical evolutionary algorithmic design (HEAD) system for generating and evolving building design models

This thesis develops a detailed conceptual design method and a system software architecture defined with a parametric and generative evolutionary design system to support an integrated interdisciplinary building design approach. The research recognises the need to shift design efforts toward the earliest phases of the design process to support crucial design decisions that have a substantial cost implication on the overall project budget. The overall motivation of the research is to improve the quality of designs produced at the author's employer, the General Directorate of Major Works (GDMW) of the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces. GDMW produces many buildings that have standard requirements, across a wide range of environmental and social circumstances. A rapid means of customising designs for local circumstances would have significant benefits. The research considers the use of evolutionary genetic algorithms in the design process and the ability to generate and assess a wider range of potential design solutions than a human could manage. This wider ranging assessment, during the early stages of the design process, means that the generated solutions will be more appropriate for the defined design problem. The research work proposes a design method and system that promotes a collaborative relationship between human creativity and the computer capability. The tectonic design approach is adopted as a process oriented design that values the process of design as much as the product. The aim is to connect the evolutionary systems to performance assessment applications, which are used as prioritised fitness functions. This will produce design solutions that respond to their environmental and function requirements. This integrated, interdisciplinary approach to design will produce solutions through a design process that considers and balances the requirements of all aspects of the design. Since this thesis covers a wide area of research material, 'methodological pluralism' approach was used, incorporating both prescriptive and descriptive research methods. Multiple models of research were combined and the overall research was undertaken following three main stages, conceptualisation, developmental and evaluation. The first two stages lay the foundations for the specification of the proposed system where key aspects of the system that have not previously been proven in the literature, were implemented to test the feasibility of the system. As a result of combining the existing knowledge in the area with the newlyverified key aspects of the proposed system, this research can form the base for a future software development project. The evaluation stage, which includes building the prototype system to test and evaluate the system performance based on the criteria defined in the earlier stage, is not within the scope this thesis. The research results in a conceptual design method and a proposed system software architecture. The proposed system is called the 'Hierarchical Evolutionary Algorithmic Design (HEAD) System'. The HEAD system has shown to be feasible through the initial illustrative paper-based simulation. The HEAD system consists of the two main components - 'Design Schema' and the 'Synthesis Algorithms'. The HEAD system reflects the major research contribution in the way it is conceptualised, while secondary contributions are achieved within the system components. The design schema provides constraints on the generation of designs, thus enabling the designer to create a wide range of potential designs that can then be analysed for desirable characteristics. The design schema supports the digital representation of the human creativity of designers into a dynamic design framework that can be encoded and then executed through the use of evolutionary genetic algorithms. The design schema incorporates 2D and 3D geometry and graph theory for space layout planning and building formation using the Lowest Common Design Denominator (LCDD) of a parameterised 2D module and a 3D structural module. This provides a bridge between the standard adjacency requirements and the evolutionary system. The use of graphs as an input to the evolutionary algorithm supports the introduction of constraints in a way that is not supported by standard evolutionary techniques. The process of design synthesis is guided as a higher level description of the building that supports geometrical constraints. The Synthesis Algorithms component analyses designs at four levels, 'Room', 'Layout', 'Building' and 'Optimisation'. At each level multiple fitness functions are embedded into the genetic algorithm to target the specific requirements of the relevant decomposed part of the design problem. Decomposing the design problem to allow for the design requirements of each level to be dealt with separately and then reassembling them in a bottom up approach reduces the generation of non-viable solutions through constraining the options available at the next higher level. The iterative approach, in exploring the range of design solutions through modification of the design schema as the understanding of the design problem improves, assists in identifying conflicts in the design requirements. Additionally, the hierarchical set-up allows the embedding of multiple fitness functions into the genetic algorithm, each relevant to a specific level. This supports an integrated multi-level, multi-disciplinary approach. The HEAD system promotes a collaborative relationship between human creativity and the computer capability. The design schema component, as the input to the procedural algorithms, enables the encoding of certain aspects of the designer's subjective creativity. By focusing on finding solutions for the relevant sub-problems at the appropriate levels of detail, the hierarchical nature of the system assist in the design decision-making process.

Persistent digital hyperthermia over a 48 h period does not induce laminitis in horses

Persistent digital hyperthermia, presumably due to vasodilation, occurs during the developmental and acute stages of insulin-induced laminitis. The objectives of this study were to determine if persistent digital hyperthermia is the principal pathogenic mechanism responsible for the development of laminitis. The potent vasodilator, ATP-MgCl 2 was infused continuously into the distal phalanx of the left forefoot of six Standardbred racehorses for 48h via intra-osseous infusion to promote persistent digital hyperthermia. The right forefoot was infused with saline solution and acted as an internal control. Clinical signs of lameness at the walk were not detected at 0h, 24h or 48h post-infusion. Mean±SE hoof wall temperatures of the left forefoot (29.4±0.25°C) were higher (P<0.05) than those on the right (27.5±0.38°C). Serum insulin (15.0±2.89μIU/mL) and blood glucose (5.4±0.22mM) concentrations remained unchanged during the experiment. Histopathological evidence of laminitis was not detected in any horse. The results demonstrated that digital vasodilation up to 30 °C for a period of 48. h does not trigger laminitis in the absence of hyperinsulinaemia. Thus, although digital hyperthermia may play a role in the pathogenesis of laminitis, it is not the sole mechanism involved.

The developmental and acute phases of insulin-induced laminitis involve minimal metalloproteinase activity

Metalloproteinases have been implicated in the pathogenesis of equine laminitis and other inflammatory conditions, through their role in the degradation and remodelling of the extracellular matrix environment. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their inhibitors are present in normal equine lamellae, with increased secretion and activation of some metalloproteinases reported in horses with laminitis associated with systemic inflammation. It is unknown whether these enzymes are involved in insulin-induced laminitis, which occurs without overt systemic inflammation. In this study, gene expression of MMP-2, MMP-9, MT1-MMP, ADAMTS-4 and TIMP-3 was determined in the lamellar tissue of normal control horses (n = 4) and horses that developed laminitis after 48 h of induced hyperinsulinaemia (n = 4), using quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR). Protein concentrations of MMP-2 and MMP-9 were also examined using gelatin zymography in horses subject to prolonged hyperinsulinaemia for 6 h (n = 4), 12 h (n = 4), 24 h (n = 4) and 48 h (n = 4), and in normal control horses (n = 4). The only change in gene expression observed was an upregulation of MMP-9 (p < 0.05) in horses that developed insulin-induced laminitis (48 h). Zymographical analysis showed an increase (p < 0.05) in pro MMP-9 during the acute phase of laminitis (48 h), whereas pro MMP-2 was present in similar concentration in the tissue of all horses. Thus, MMP-2, MT1-MMP, TIMP-3 and ADAMTS-4 do not appear to play a significant role in the pathogenesis of insulin-induced laminitis. The increased expression of MMP-9 may be associated with the infiltration of inflammatory leukocytes, or may be a direct result of hyperinsulinaemia. The exact role of MMP-9 in basement membrane degradation in laminitis is uncertain as it appears to be present largely in the inactive form.

Food insecurity among Australian children : potential determinants, health and developmental consequences

Children in food-insecure households may be at risk of poor health, developmental or behavioural problems. This study investigated the associations between food insecurity, potential determinants and health and developmental outcomes among children. Data on household food security, socio-demographic characteristics and children’s weight, health and behaviour were collected from households with children aged 3–17 years in socioeconomically disadvantaged suburbs by mail survey using proxy-parental reports (185 households). Data were analysed using logistic regression. Approximately one-in-three households (34%) were food insecure. Low household income was associated with an increased risk of food insecurity [odds ratio (OR), 16.20; 95% confidence interval (CI), 3.52–74.47]. Children with a parent born outside of Australia were less likely to experience food insecurity (OR, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.19–0.93). Children in food-insecure households were more likely to miss days from school or activities (OR, 3.52; 95% CI, 1.46–8.54) and were more likely to have borderline or atypical emotional symptoms (OR, 2.44; 95% CI, 1.11–5.38) or behavioural difficulties (OR, 2.35; 95% CI, 1.04–5.33). Food insecurity may be prevalent among socioeconomically disadvantaged households with children. The potential developmental consequences of food insecurity during childhood may result in serious adverse health and social implications.

The developmental consequences of rare chromosome disorders : two case reports

Aim: As molecular and cytogenetic testing becomes increasingly sophisticated, more individuals are being diagnosed with rare chromosome disorders. Yet despite a burgeoning knowledge about biomedical aspects, little is known about implications for psychosocial development. The scant literature gives a general impression of deficits and adverse developmental outcomes. Method: Developmental data were obtained from two 16 year olds diagnosed with a rare chromosome disorder – a girl with 8p23.1 and a boy with 16q11.2q12.1. Measures of intellectual ability, academic achievement, and other aspects of functioning were administered at multiple time points from early childhood to adolescence. Results: Both adolescents experienced initial delays in motor and language development. Although the girl’s intelligence is assessed as being in the average range, she experiences difficulties with motor planning, spelling and writing. The boy has been diagnosed with a mild intellectual disability and demonstrates mild autistic features. Conclusions: The two case descriptions are in marked contrast to the published literature about these two chromosome anomalies. Both adolescents are developing much more positively than would be expected on the basis of the grim predictions of their paediatricians and the negative reports in the literature. It is concluded that, for most rare chromosome disorders, the range of possible developmental outcomes is currently unknown.

Health monitoring of buildings during construction and service stages using vibration characteristics

Columns and walls in buildings are subjected to a number of load increments during the construction and service stages. The combination of these load increments and poor quality construction can cause defects in these structural components. In addition, defects can also occur due to accidental or deliberate actions by users of the building during construction and service stages. Such defects should be detected early so that remedial measures can be taken to improve life time serviceability and performance of the building. This paper uses micro and macro model upgrading methods during construction and service stages of a building based on the mass and stiffness changes to develop a comprehensive procedure for locating and detecting defects in columns and walls of buildings. Capabilities of the procedure are illustrated through examples.

Risk taking by motorcyclists : rider training and stages of change

Motorcyclists in Australia have been found to be 30 times more likely to be killed per kilometre travelled than car occupants and 40 times more likely to be seriously injured. One approach to preventing motorcycle-related injury is through training and education. While there is traditionally a major focus on developing riding skills during training for motorcyclists, there is also a need for training to promote safe riding to reduce subsequent risk taking. The Transtheoretical Model, commonly known as the ‘Stages of Change’ model, provides a rationale to support incremental behaviour change for risky riding that may be facilitated through motorcycle rider training and education. A sample of 438 learner motorcyclists attended a rider training program in Queensland, Australia, with the stages of change to adopt a safe riding mindset and safe riding practices being measured upon commencement of the course (Time 1) and then again upon completion (Time 2). A small subset of the original sample (n=45) responded at follow up 24 months post training (Time 3). Consistent with the aims of training, results showed a significant shift from the contemplation stage to the subsequent stages of change for participants between Time 1 and Time 2. Progression to the later stages in the model was found for the subset of participants that responded at the Time 3 follow up. Issues of questionnaire design and the utility of the Transtheoretical Model for motorcycle rider training are discussed.

Child, Adolescent and Family Development [3rd ed.]

"This book explores the foundations of modern developmental thought, incorporating the latest in international research set within a cultural and historical context. Richly illustrated and enhanced by a range of practical teaching resources, this clear and engaging text is intended to reach students across a range of teaching, psychology, social science and health science disciplines. By employing a thematic approach within the chronologically ordered chapters, this text offers a systematic and intuitive structure for both learning and teaching. This new edition features a set of fully updated case studies that consider current trends and issues in developmental theory and practice, as well as end-of-chapter sections that address important stages in the family life cycle."--publisher website

Studies of assisted reproduction in the spotted grass frog Limnodynastes tasmaniensis: ovulation, early development and microinjection (ICSI)

Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) offer a wide range of techniques that have the potential to augment efforts to conserve and manage endangered amphibians and improve wild and captive population numbers. Gametes and tissues of species nearing endangered or extinct status can be cryopreserved and stored in gene banks, to provide material that can be utilised in the future as ART methods are refined. The Spotted Grass Frog, Limnodynastes tasmaniensis, is an abundant amphibian species in South-Eastern Australia of the family Myobatrachidae, that is suitable for the development of ART systems that can be applied to the threatened and endangered myobatrachid and other amphibian species native to Australia. The aim of this study was to advance the understanding of ovulation, fertilisation and embryo nic development of Lim. tasmaniensis and in vitro manipulations of reproduction and development for use in the development of advanced ART procedures such as intracytoplasmic spermatozoon injection (ICSI), androgenesis and nuclear transfer. Ovulation in amphibians can be induced by protocols utilising natural or synthetic hormones. All protocols tested on Lim. tasmaniensis in this study required two injections and the most effective protocols continued to require a first injection of pituitary extracts to induce ovulation. The second injection was, however, successfully replaced by synthetic chorionic gonadotrophin at a threshold dosage of 100 iu and halved the number of cane toads required to source the pituitaries. A combination of LHRH and Pimozide offered a less effective protocol, that did not require the use of pituitary extracts, and avoided the risk of pathogen transfer associated with unsterilised pituitary extracts. Unfertilised eggs of Lim. tasmaniensis were exposed to media of various osmolalities to determine media effects on eggs and their surrounding jelly layers that might impact on egg viability and fertilisability. Osmolality had no effect upon the egg diameter, however, rapid swelling of the jelly layers occurred within 15 minutes of exposure to various media treatments and plateaued from 30-90 minutes without further expansion. Swelling of the jelly layers was increased in hypotonic media (2.5% SAR, H2O) and minimised in the isotonic media (100% SAR). The optimal conditions for the culture of Lim. tasmaniensis eggs were identified as a holding media of 100% SAR, followed by a medium change to 2.5% SAR at insemination. This sequence of media minimised the rate of swelling of the jelly layers prior to contact with the spermatozoa, and maximised the activation of spermatozoa and eggs throughout fertilisation and embryonic development. Embryos of Lim. tasmaniensis were cultured at four temperatures (13 C, 17 C, 23 C and 29 C), to determine the effect of temperature on cleavage and embryonic development rates. Embryonic development progressed through a sequence of stages that were not altered by changes in temperature. However cleavage rates were affected by changes in temperature as compared with normal embryonic growth at 23 C. Embryonic development was suspended at the lowest temperature (13 C) while embryonic viability was maintained. A moderate decrease in temperature (17 C) slowed cleavage, while the highest temperature (29 C) increased the cleavage rate, but decreased the embryo survival. Rates of embryonic development can be manipulated by changes in temperature and this method can be used to source blastomeres of a specific size/stage at a predetermined age or halt cleavage at specific stages for embryos or embryo derived cells to be included in ART procedures. This study produced the first report of the application of Intracytoplasmic Spermatozoon Injection (ICSI) in an Australian amphibian. Eggs that were activated by microinjection with a single spermatozoon (n=50) formed more deep, but abnormal, cleavage furrows post-injection (18/50, 36%), than surface changes (12/50, 24%). This result is in contrast to eggs injected without a spermatozoon (n=42), where the majority of eggs displayed limited surface changes (36/42, 86%), and few deep, abnormal furrows (3/42, 7%). Three advanced embryos (3/50, 6%) were produced by ICSI that developed to various stages within the culture system. Technical difficulties were encountered that prevented the generation of any metamorphs from ICSI tadpoles. Nevertheless, when these blocks to ICSI are overcome, the ICSI procedure will be both directly useful as an ART procedure in its own right, and the associated refinement of micromanipulation procedures will assist in the development of other ART procedures in Lim. tasmaniensis. A greater understanding of basic reproductive and developmental biology in Lim. tasmaniensis would greatly facilitate refinement of fertilisation by ICSI. Assisted Reproductive Technologies, in conjunction with gene banks may in the future regenerate extinct amphibian species, and assist in the recovery of declining amphibian populations nationally and worldwide.

Review: "Transfigured Stages : Major Practitioners and Theatre Aesthetics in Australia" by Margaret Hamilton

In Transfigured Stages: Major Practitioners and Theatre Aesthetics in Australia, Margaret Hamilton traces the emergence of a postdramatic performance aesthetic in Australian theatre in the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s through what she characterizes as an ‘analysis’ (p. 15) or ‘critique’ (p. 16)of a series of pivotal productions. For Hamilton, the transfigured aesthetic in the spotlight here is one typified by a focus on memory, imagination, desire, fear or disgust as facets of the human condition; by a visual, televisual or interactive dramaturgy; and, most critically, by a metatheatrical tendency to make tensions in the theatre-making process part and parcel of the tensions in the performance itself (pp.18–20)...

Developmental components of resting ventilation among high- and low-altitude Andean children and adults

This paper evaluates the age-associated changes of resting ventilation of 115 high- and low-altitude Aymara subjects, of whom 61 were from the rural Aymara village of Ventilla situated at an average altitude of 4,200 m and 54 from the rural village of Caranavi situated at an average altitude of 900 m. Comparison of the age patterns of resting ventilation suggests the following conclusions: 1) the resting ventilation (ml/kg/min) of high-altitude natives is markedly higher than that of low-altitude natives; 2) the age decline of ventilation is similar in both lowlanders and highlanders, but the starting point and therefore the age decline are much higher at high altitude; 3) the resting ventilation that characterizes high-altitude Andean natives is developmentally expressed in the same manner as it is at low altitude; and 4) the resting ventilation (ml/kg/min) of Aymara high-altitude natives is between 40–80% lower than that of Tibetans. Am J Phys Anthropol 109:295–301, 1999. © 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.