Back to Basics: Exploring gestural habits as cues for anticipating self-injurious episodes in a child with Autism and Deafness

This research project is a longitudinal qualitative case study. It contributes to an understanding of self-injurious behaviour (SIB) by inviting the reader through the narrative of the lived experience of a fifteen year old child-informant and the network of individuals in his life. The value and importance of a case-study is that it focuses on the authenticity of the experience of living with disability. Through the use of detailed field observations, interviews and photo documents, the study thoroughly explores three main areas: quality of movements, potential cues as pre-cursors to episodes of self-injury, and purposeful communication. The research begins with a review of literature on Autism, Deafness and Self-injury, formulates the research design and orientation of Physical Education, Phenomenology and Semiotics, and then systematically explores four distinct phases in the analytical process. The aim was to explore self-injurious episodes in the child informant in hopes to translate the meaning of the behaviour and potentially utilize this to provide more opportunities for adapted physical activity. The findings reveal distinct patterns of movement cues utilized for different purposes. The implications of the findings are self-injurious episodes in the child informant are preceded by distinct patterns of movement that are potentially communicative. Suggested future direction of the research is expanding the scope to other disabilities for which verbal communication is challenging, and standardizing the translating tools to assist in understanding the communication of movement.

La construction interactionnelle de l'identité d'expert : une étude d'un débat télévisé

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal

Discours des plaignantes/victimes : distinction et caractérisation entre les fausses et les vraies allégations de crimes violents

Rapport de stage présenté à la Faculté des arts et des sciences en vue de l’obtention du grade de Maîtrise en criminologie option analyse

La relación terapeuta-paciente en la práctica fisioterapéutica

El estudio de la relación fisioterapeuta-paciente es de gran interés, pues a diferencia de otros profesionales de la salud, el fisioterapeuta tiene un contacto corporal directo con el paciente, lo que no es usual en los servicios de atención en salud. Así que identificar y analizar los mecanismos que hacen posible esta relación, permite avanzar en la comprensión de los mecanismos de interacción, de los elementos de poder presentes y de las posiciones relativas de cada actor, producto del bagaje social y cultural de cada uno de ellos. Se busca propiciar una mirada crítica a la manera de interactuar en la sesión de tratamiento, para redimensionar la práctica profesional del fisioterapeuta desde referentes sociales y culturales. En esta primera fase emergen categorías de estudio alrededor del lenguaje corporal, la comunicación verbal y los factores del ambiente que afectan la relación, como los ejes de análisis para el proceso de interpretación de la segunda fase.

Innovative implementation of iLearn e-Portfolio for Personal Development Planning

iLearn is a Web 2.0 tool developed in Blackboard to help students with Personal Development Planning (PDP). This paper describes a case study on how the innovative use of mobile digital technology in iLearn e-Portfolio for developing reflective portfolios for PDP benefits the students. The e-Portfolio tool benefits students as it enables them to create and share portfolios, record achievements and reflections that support future job applications and promotion. Students find it beneficial because they can make use of iLearn e-Portfolio to keep academic records and achievements, activities and interests, work experience, reflective practice, employer information and some other useful resources, and also to tailor their CV and covering letters including evidence to support their CV, transferable skills and selling points. Useful information for preparing for an interview, reflecting after an event and any thoughts and evaluation can be kept in iLearn e-Portfolio. Keeping assessment and feedback records in iLearn e-Portfolio enables students to know their progress, to identify any gaps they need to fill to develop their study practices and areas for development. The key points from the feedback on the assignments and assessments are beneficial for future improvement. The reflections on the assignments and how students make use of the advice are particularly useful to improve their overall performance. In terms of pedagogical benefits, the “Individual Learner Profile” records and reviews evidence in verbal communication, basic and higher academic skills, time management, numeracy skill and IT skills, students become increasingly aware of their own strengths and any weaker areas that may require development. The e-Portfolio also provides opportunity for students to reflect on the experience and skills they have gained whilst participating in activities outside their studies. As the iLearn e-Portfolio is a reflective practice tool, it is consistent with the principle of Schon's reflective practitioner to reframe problems and to explore the consequences of actions. From the students’ feedback, for those who engage regularly in iLearn, they are better able to set agendas for their Personal Tutorial meetings and provide their Personal Tutor with a unique record of their achievements, skills and attributes which help them writing effective references for them. They make the most of their student experience in general. They also enhance their transferable skills and employability overall. The iLearn e-Portfolio prepares for the workplace and life beyond University including continuing professional development. Students are aware of their transferable skills, evidence of the skills and skill level, including award or accreditation, and their personal reflection on their transferable skills. It is beneficial for students to be aware of their transferable skills, to produce evidence of the skills and skills level such as award and accreditation, and to record their personal reflection on their transferable skills. Finally, the innovative use of mobile digital technology in iLearn e-Portfolio for developing reflective portfolios for PDP will improve their employability.

Innovative use of e-portfolio for personal development

iLearn is a quasi-Web 2.0 tool developed in Blackboard to help users with Personal Development Planning (PDP). This paper describes a case study on how the innovative use of mobile digital technology in iLearn e-Portfolio for developing reflective portfolios for PDP benefits the users, who are training to be professionals in construction management and surveying, The e-Portfolio tool benefits users as it enables them to create and share portfolios, record achievements and reflections that support future job applications and promotion. Users find it beneficial because they can make use of iLearn e-Portfolio to keep academic records and achievements, activities and interests, work experience, reflective practice, employer information and some other useful resources, and also to tailor their CV and covering letters including evidence to support their CV, transferable skills and selling points. Useful information for preparing for an interview, reflecting after an event and any thoughts and evaluation can be kept in iLearn e-Portfolio. Keeping assessment and feedback records in iLearn e-Portfolio enables learners to know their progress, to identify any gaps they need to fill to develop their study practices and areas for development. The key points from the feedback on the assignments and assessments are beneficial for future improvement. The reflections on the tasks and how they make use of the advice are particularly useful to improve their overall performance. In terms of pedagogical benefits, the “Individual Learner Profile” records and reviews evidence in verbal communication, basic and higher academic skills, time management, numeracy skill and IT skills, learners become increasingly aware of their own strengths and any weaker areas that may require development. The e-Portfolio also provides opportunity for them to reflect on the experience and skills they have gained whilst participating in activities outside their studies. As the iLearn e-Portfolio is a reflective practice tool, it is consistent with the principle of Schon's reflective practitioner to reframe problems and to explore the consequences of actions. From the users’ feedback, for those who engage regularly in iLearn, they are better able to set agendas for their supervision meetings and provide their supervisor with a unique record of their achievements, skills and attributes which help them writing effective references for them. They make the most of their learning experience in general. They also enhance their transferable skills and employability overall. The iLearn e-Portfolio prepares them for the workplace including continuing professional development. Users are aware of their transferable skills, evidence of the skills and skill level, including award or accreditation, and their personal reflection on their transferable skills. It is beneficial for them to be aware of their transferable skills, to produce evidence of the skills and skills level such as award and accreditation, and to record their personal reflection on their transferable skills. Finally, the innovative use of mobile digital technology in iLearn e-Portfolio for developing reflective portfolios for PDP will improve their employability.

The co-occurrence of autism and Williams syndrome: a case study report

This paper describes a longitudinal case study detailing the communication profile of one child with both Williams syndrome (WS) and autism. The participant was administered two standardized assessments of language and general cognitive abilities. His parents completed the Pre-Verbal Communication Schedule; and a sample of the child's spontaneous interaction was analyzed. The results show that this child presents with markedly delayed language and communication skills and that his communication profile is the opposite of the assumed 'typical' WS profile. The conclusion is that clinicians need to be aware of the co-occurrence of genetic disorders, such as WS and autism in order to facilitate accurate diagnosis and effective treatment.

Communicating eye gaze across a distance without rooting participants to the spot

Eye gaze is an important conversational resource that until now could only be supported across a distance if people were rooted to the spot. We introduce EyeCVE, the worldpsilas first tele-presence system that allows people in different physical locations to not only see what each other are doing but follow each otherpsilas eyes, even when walking about. Projected into each space are avatar representations of remote participants, that reproduce not only body, head and hand movements, but also those of the eyes. Spatial and temporal alignment of remote spaces allows the focus of gaze as well as activity and gesture to be used as a resource for non-verbal communication. The temporal challenge met was to reproduce eye movements quick enough and often enough to interpret their focus during a multi-way interaction, along with communicating other verbal and non-verbal language. The spatial challenge met was to maintain communicational eye gaze while allowing free movement of participants within a virtually shared common frame of reference. This paper reports on the technical and especially temporal characteristics of the system.

Care homes’ use of medicines study: prevalence, causes and potential harm of medication errors in care homes for older people

Introduction: Care home residents are at particular risk from medication errors, and our objective was to determine the prevalence and potential harm of prescribing, monitoring, dispensing and administration errors in UK care homes, and to identify their causes. Methods: A prospective study of a random sample of residents within a purposive sample of homes in three areas. Errors were identified by patient interview, note review, observation of practice and examination of dispensed items. Causes were understood by observation and from theoretically framed interviews with home staff, doctors and pharmacists. Potential harm from errors was assessed by expert judgement. Results: The 256 residents recruited in 55 homes were taking a mean of 8.0 medicines. One hundred and seventy-eight (69.5%) of residents had one or more errors. The mean number per resident was 1.9 errors. The mean potential harm from prescribing, monitoring, administration and dispensing errors was 2.6, 3.7, 2.1 and 2.0 (0 = no harm, 10 = death), respectively. Contributing factors from the 89 interviews included doctors who were not accessible, did not know the residents and lacked information in homes when prescribing; home staff’s high workload, lack of medicines training and drug round interruptions; lack of team work among home, practice and pharmacy; inefficient ordering systems; inaccurate medicine records and prevalence of verbal communication; and difficult to fill (and check) medication administration systems. Conclusions: That two thirds of residents were exposed to one or more medication errors is of concern. The will to improve exists, but there is a lack of overall responsibility. Action is required from all concerned.

Study of optimization for cooperative motion between two humans in mutual tracking

Verbal communication is essential for human society and human civilization. Non-verbal communication, on the other hand, is more widely used not only by human but also other kind of animals, and the content of information is estimated even larger than the verbal communication. Among the non-verbal communication mutual motion is the simplest and easiest to study experimentally and analytically. We measured the power spectrum of the hand velocity in various conditions and clarified the following points on the feed-back and feed- forward mechanism as basic knowledge to understand the condition of good communication.

Beröring - Ett sätt att få vård. Ett sätt att ge vård. : En systematisk litteraturstudie

Syftet med studien var att belysa faktorer som påverkar äldre, över 65 år, patienters upplevelse av beröring, dess effekter samt belysa sjuksköterskans upplevelse av att ge beröring. Metoden är en systematisk litteraturstudie, baserad på 15 vetenskapliga artiklar sökta via databaserna Cinahl, Cochrane och sökmotorn Elin@dalarna.Resultatet visade att genus, livserfarenhet, yrkeskompetens hos sjuksköterskan, relationer samt vilken del av kroppen som berördes var faktorer som styrde patientens upplevelse av beröring från sjuksköterskan.Sjuksköterskors upplevelse av att ge beröring visades genom en helhetssyn av patienten, ge bekräftelse, vårda med respekt samt kunna beröra på ett naturligt sätt. Beröring visades ha goda effekter både hos den äldre patienten och sjuksköterskan genom att relationsbanden mellan dem styrktes, minskade sömnproblemen samt lindrade smärta, stress och oro hos den äldre patienten.

Kommunikation bortom orden : En etnografisk studie om hur lärares actio och ickeverbala kommunikation påverkar elevers motivation

Syftet med detta examensarbete är att få insikt i hur lärarens ickeverbala kommunikation och actio påverkar elevers motivation. Utifrån en etnografisk arbetsmetod observerades en svensklärare på en gymnasieskola under fyra lektionstimmar för att undersöka hur läraren kommunicerade med sina elever ickeverbalt. Parallellt med observationerna intervjuades både läraren och eleverna som deltog i undersökningen. Undersökningen visade att lärares ickeverbala kommunikation och actio har en stor påverkan på elevernas motivation, att denna påverkan sker omedelbart och att den kan förändras under en pågående lektion. När en lärare medvetandegör hur hon eller han kommunicerar med sina elever ickeverbalt kan aspekter som oavsiktlig och intuitiv kommunikation få en mindre påverkan på undervisningen. Detta bidrar i sin tur till att utveckla lärarens ickeverbala kompetens och på så sätt sin förmåga att motivera sina elever under hela lektionen.

A estética da Commedia dell Arte: contribuições para o ensino das Artes Cênicas

Theatrical phenomenon borned in the Italy the Comedy dell Art concerned to it climax in the XVI century and spreading itself by the word than can be sight like the theatre base modern. Lasting parallel the conventional theatre since the three hundred years, this gender influenced significativly the making theatrical in the Europe graces the popular character of its simulation turned for the improvise. In spite of treat a theatric manifestation no more existing in the present time, we understand that the Comedy dell Art was constituted in one artistic language whose esthetics centralized in the popular fanciful and in the improvise permitted a rich possibility of verbal and not-verbal communication that today can to be taken again in contemporary productions theatricals. Departing of an approach of esthetics, this work has with purpose concentrate the references esthetics that configure that one artistic manifestation such that one references can contribute for the Arts teaches in the present times. We appeal the text and image of Comedy dell Art, such this historical reference that in context, with fountain investigated that mean and if complementary in one esthetic reflection for the creation of meaning diverse and news interpretations for the purpose investigated if having with base some analysis categories such as: the actor s body, the actuations spaces and the esthetics categories such the ugly, the comic and the absurd. To investigate the Comedy dell Art esthetic in the ambit of the teach of Arts Scenics is a manner of be understand the artistic universe of three century behind that can be meant, revived, in the marking possibilities of an art teach able to incentive the critical, the appreciation, the discussion and the transgression of instituted true. Having investigated the exhibition Comedy dell Art esthetic we rebound four stich that we judge significative for we think the Arts Scenics teach, they are: the articulation between actor s body, the text and the space actuation in the play; statement what it is given between actor s body and the on-looker and the every gesture that did share of scene in a popular scenic space; a conception actor s body that transgress with the true duty socially that is capable the to admit its dimension Dionysian, creative and ambiguous in the to do theatrical; the text conception that get beyond the ambit the word writing by the dramatist and talked by actors, if spreading the other elements significance in the scene like gesture, the parody, the recent news, the gags and the word used in the day-to-day; the scenic space like a statement symbolic between actors and on-looker that make a quality of amusement pact supported by the scenic true of artist that actuate in not usual spaces bid at an auctioning degrees of participation in the building the scenic phenomenon; and the importance of esthetics categories such as the ugly, the comic and the absurd, those categories that foundation like a do scenic transgressor make a possible exchange mutual between actor and appreciator. The statement of esthetics categories in joint continuous between the body, the text and the scenic space evident themselves in doing theatrical and in the its appreciation. We believe that the reflection esthetic about the Comedy dell Art in the arts class, consider the stich detached, can favor possibilities of to share discovery, ideas, feelings and attitudes, and can permit the observation of different stich of view, establishing the statement of individual with the group in a participative and democratic form

Slogans políticos em campanhas eleitorais no Rio Grande do Norte: a mídia na disputa ideológica.

To the observe the periods of electoral campaigns, we can realize sharply the abundance of political propaganda that announces the candidates, their campaign record, their proposed and everything that can carry them to the victory in the urns. The propaganda is today an essential tool in the votes dispute, in consequence of this, there is, in Brazil, the increasing participation of the Politics Parties in seminars of electoral marketing. They are varied strategies of the media used in the divulging of the candidacies, among them the slogan. Instigated by the explicit relation media/political, this work intends to investigate the ideologies (values) announced by the slogans of political propaganda that circulated in electoral periods. Thus, we base on the theory of the Circle of Bakhtin, who considers the statement as unit of the verbal communication, and that conceives the language as phenomenon dialogical, and, too, in the conceptions of alien words, social voices and dialogical relations formulated by the referred theory. We use, for better to comprehend, the slogan as strategy mediatic, of the classical study done by Olivier Reboul concerning the slogan; and, like starting point of a conception about ideology, studied John Thompson to comprehends the ideological phenomenon. Our corpus it constitutes of 14 political slogans announced in the campaigns for mayor of the cities in Natal and Mossoró, both located in Rio Grande do Norte s state, Brazil, in 1996, 2000 and 2004. For the analysis of these slogans, we consider the social-historical context in which were announced, being contemplated the linguistic and discursive aspect, according to the following methodological order: the identification of alien words (interdiscours); the social voices and the kinds dialogical relations established; and, finally, the ideology announced by the statement. This way, we can arrive to the conclusion that in the electoral context occurs a true ideologies war , in other words, in the political game of an electoral campaign, the slogans announces different values, which vary in several factors function, for example, the historicity, the subject that enunciates, the discursive positionings.

O jogo das identidades como fator de mobilização político-eleitoral nas campanhas de Dilma Rousseff e Rosalba Ciarlini em 2010

Starting from the premise that we live in the society of spectacle, as proclaimed by Guy Debbord, and, in this context, the media feeds itself off of this spectacularization and constructs a culture of images and production of goods, providing templates from which the subject can identify himself/herself as being male or female, successful or unsuccessful, powerful or powerless. In other words, the culture conveyed by the media produces material for the creation of identities through which individuals insert and recognize themselves in contemporary society. Observing the election campaigns, we can see clearly that this profusion of identities is fairly explored in the advertising propaganda used by the candidates, particularly in the propaganda broadcasted on the Free Electoral Time on TV. Instigated by the explicit relation between the media and politics within the society of the spectacle, this study aims to investigate the main identities that emerge in the discursive practices of the media in the election campaigns of 2010 for president of the Republic and governor of the State of Rio Grande do Norte that had as protagonists the candidates at that moment Dilma Rousseff (PT) for president and Rosalba Ciarline (DEM) for governor. To do so, we based ourselves on the theory of Bakhtin Circle, which considers the statement as a unit of verbal communication and conceives language as a dialogical phenomena and a discursive practice and also in the conceptions of dialogical relationships, social voices and chronotope formulated by the previous mentioned theory. Still in the theoretical field, we have established an interconnection with the theories coming from the Cultural Studies (Hall, Woodward) about the identity, which conceives it as multiple, fragmented, non-fixed, so that, the subject assumes different identities, not always coherent, at different times, depending on the context in which they are approached. The research is situated in the frames of Applied Linguistics, which considers language as the center of its studies and settles on the border of an open number of areas of knowledge expanding its possibilities of investigation by means of the interdisciplinary. Our corpus consists in 20 electoral propaganda videos aired on TV during the Free Election Time in 2010 campaign; among these, 14 videos are Dilma Rousseff s propaganda and 06 videos are Rosalba Ciarline s propaganda. We seek for the purpose of the analysis to identify the identities which emerge from the discourses about the candidates in propaganda videos broadcasted in the referred campaign, as well as realize the dialogical relations established in these discourses and even if the identity construction of these subjects is located in the same axiological axis. The corpus analysis revealed that the multiple cultural identities of the candidates campaigning emerge in the discourses circulating in the electoral propaganda aired on TV such as: the identities of pioneer woman, competent, sensitive, mother, grandmother, religious. And, yet, those are changeable as the electoral demands, in other words, the need to obtain support and votes, outline a fluid identity construction about the candidate to the position in question