Envolvimento dos pais da criança com paralisia cerebral na intervenção terapêutica

Dissertação de mest. em Psicologia da Educação na especialidade Necessidades Educativas Especiais, Faculdade de Ciências Humanas e Sociais, Escola Superior de Educação, Univ. do Algarve, 2002

Estado actual de los planes de mejora en los Centros de Desarrollo Infantil Privados

Dentro de la presente investigación, se realiza un análisis de la situación actual de los centros de desarrollo infantil privados en donde se detalla el plan de mejora. El desarrollo de este trabajo de titulación pretende demostrar la viabilidad del Plan de Mejora en cuanto a fortalecer las debilidades encontradas en cada institución para ofrecerles cuidados y educación de calidad, una infraestructura adecuada, espacios lúdicos con seguridad, involucramiento de los padres en el proceso educativo y resolución de los conflictos con los niños. Esta idea surge de la necesidad de concientizar a las instituciones para un adecuado manejo de las actividades en el desarrollo del aprendizaje, encaminadas alcanzar una enseñanza de excelencia no solo a nivel académico sino en todos los aspectos que rodean al niño; a partir de la matriz del plan de mejora y de encuestas ejecutadas a directoras y docentes de cada centro, como propósito de este trabajo, se hace un análisis con los problemas más sobresalientes y con las acciones que toman para obtener resultados favorables, la factibilidad de la investigación se determinó mediante un enfoque cualitativo por medio del cual se pudo evidenciar la falta de resultados frente a las acciones tomadas dentro de los CDI, con tablas de frecuencia que demuestran claramente esto y a su vez que tanto las directoras como docentes difieren en los tipos de problemas que fueron tratados en cada establecimiento. El plan de mejora de los centros de desarrollo infantil privados consolida a una educación de calidad, siempre y cuando se trabaje conjuntamente entre directivos, docentes y padres de familia para alcanzar un nivel de educación de primera y desarrollar en el niño un rendimiento escolar de acuerdo a la reforma curricular actual.

Giving Voice to Voiceless: Engaging Urban Youth for Possibilities

This symposium will discuss the expansion of The Education Effect – Booker T. Washington, as a university community school partnership designed to engage urban youth for college and career readiness. The partnership is focused on developing collective impact and capacity for academic achievement, social success and college completion. The partnership aligns university expertise, resources and evidenced based strategies to address educational needs through the improvement of teaching and learning; increase graduation rate and parental involvement.

Individual Child Cognitive Behavioral Treatment versus Child-Parent Cognitive Behavioral Treatments for Anxiety Disorders in Children and Adolescents: Comparative Outcomes

Anxiety disorders; such as separation anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, social phobia and specific phobia, are widespread in children and adolescents. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has been shown to be effective in reducing excessive fears and anxieties in children and adolescents. Research has produced equivocal findings that involving parents in treatment of child anxiety enhances effects over individual CBT (ICBT). The present dissertation study examined whether parental involvement can enhance individual treatment effect if the parent conditions are streamlined by targeting specific parental variables. The first parent condition, Parent Reinforcement Skills Training (RFST), involved increasing mothers’ use of positive reinforcement and decreasing use of negative reinforcement. The second parent condition, Parent Relationship Skill Training (RLST), involved increasing maternal child acceptance and decreasing maternal control (or increasing autonomy granting). Results of the present dissertation findings support the use of all three treatment conditions (ICBT, RLST, RFST) for child anxiety; that is, significant reductions in anxiety were found in each of the three treatment conditions. No significant differences were found between treatment conditions with respect to diagnostic recovery rate, clinician rating, and parent rating of child anxiety. Significant differences between conditions were found on child self rating of anxiety, with some evidence to support the superiority of RLST and RFST to ICBT. These findings support the efficacy of individual, as well as parent involved CBT, and provide mixed evidence with respect to the superiority of parent involved CBT over ICBT. The conceptual, empirical, and clinical implications of the findings are discussed.

L’influence de la perte d’un parent et du deuil chez l’élève de niveau primaire sur sa réussite scolaire

La réussite scolaire au primaire est déterminante pour la réussite scolaire future de l’enfant. Certains éléments jouent un rôle important dans cette réussite comme la santé psychologique de l’élève et l’implication parentale. Ces dernières peuvent être ébranlées par certaines situations de la vie telle que le décès d’un parent. Ce mémoire porte sur une recherche qualitative effectuée auprès de trois élèves de niveau primaire régulier ayant perdu un parent au cours des deux dernières années. L’objectif de cette recherche est de connaître l’influence que peuvent avoir la perte parentale et le deuil chez l’élève sur sa réussite scolaire. Il existe peu de recherches qui ont été réalisées sur ce sujet et la plupart se sont principalement intéressées à l’influence des conséquences psychologiques du deuil sur la réussite scolaire. Dans le cadre de ce mémoire, nous avons décidé d’adopter une vision plus globale du développement de l’élève. Le projet de recherche s’intéresse non seulement à l’élève, mais aussi à ses parents et à son environnement scolaire. La recherche s’articule autour de trois concepts : le deuil, la réussite scolaire et l’implication scolaire. La méthodologie utilisée repose sur une approche qualitative exploratoire et une analyse de contenu. Les participants étaient composés de trois élèves endeuillés et non-immigrants, âgés entre 7 et 10 ans, de leurs parents survivants (deux) et de leurs enseignants titulaires (trois). Les données ont été recueillies à travers des entrevues semi-dirigées avec tous les participants, les bulletins scolaires des enfants et les plans d’intervention scolaire. Les résultats indiquent que les conséquences psychologiques du deuil peuvent avoir une influence négative sur la réussite scolaire des élèves du primaire. De plus, la perte parentale semble influer négativement sur le niveau socio-économique de la famille et sur tous les types d’implication parentale, que ce soit la supervision des leçons, la communication école-famille ou la collaboration du parent avec la communauté. Ces éléments peuvent à leur tour avoir une influence négative sur la réussite scolaire.

L’influence de la perte d’un parent et du deuil chez l’élève de niveau primaire sur sa réussite scolaire

La réussite scolaire au primaire est déterminante pour la réussite scolaire future de l’enfant. Certains éléments jouent un rôle important dans cette réussite comme la santé psychologique de l’élève et l’implication parentale. Ces dernières peuvent être ébranlées par certaines situations de la vie telle que le décès d’un parent. Ce mémoire porte sur une recherche qualitative effectuée auprès de trois élèves de niveau primaire régulier ayant perdu un parent au cours des deux dernières années. L’objectif de cette recherche est de connaître l’influence que peuvent avoir la perte parentale et le deuil chez l’élève sur sa réussite scolaire. Il existe peu de recherches qui ont été réalisées sur ce sujet et la plupart se sont principalement intéressées à l’influence des conséquences psychologiques du deuil sur la réussite scolaire. Dans le cadre de ce mémoire, nous avons décidé d’adopter une vision plus globale du développement de l’élève. Le projet de recherche s’intéresse non seulement à l’élève, mais aussi à ses parents et à son environnement scolaire. La recherche s’articule autour de trois concepts : le deuil, la réussite scolaire et l’implication scolaire. La méthodologie utilisée repose sur une approche qualitative exploratoire et une analyse de contenu. Les participants étaient composés de trois élèves endeuillés et non-immigrants, âgés entre 7 et 10 ans, de leurs parents survivants (deux) et de leurs enseignants titulaires (trois). Les données ont été recueillies à travers des entrevues semi-dirigées avec tous les participants, les bulletins scolaires des enfants et les plans d’intervention scolaire. Les résultats indiquent que les conséquences psychologiques du deuil peuvent avoir une influence négative sur la réussite scolaire des élèves du primaire. De plus, la perte parentale semble influer négativement sur le niveau socio-économique de la famille et sur tous les types d’implication parentale, que ce soit la supervision des leçons, la communication école-famille ou la collaboration du parent avec la communauté. Ces éléments peuvent à leur tour avoir une influence négative sur la réussite scolaire.

A study of the relationship between parental self-efficacy and indicators of school involvement exhibited by Hispanic parents of elementary school children

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between Hispanic parents' sense of self-efficacy at various degrees of acculturation to the United States and specific indicators of school involvement in their elementary school children's education. It assessed the effects of acculturation on the level of parental self-efficacy and their degree of school involvement. The theoretical framework guiding this investigation was Bandura's theory of self-efficacy which advocates that the amount of effort a person devotes to the accomplishment of a specific outcome is related to a person's beliefs in their capabilities regardless of actual competencies.^ The research method involved a correlational design measuring levels of parental self-efficacy, acculturation, degree of school involvement and related demographic characteristics. Multiple regression analysis was performed to determine the degree of relationships existing between the predictor variables of self-efficacy and level of acculturation, and level of school involvement. The data was subjected to a path analysis to test the validity of the causal model advanced in this study specifying a positive relationship between the constructs of acculturation, parental self-efficacy and level of school involvement.^ A total of 109 Hispanic parents of students enrolled in five elementary public schools in Dade County, Florida, were selected for participation in the study. Results revealed a significant positive correlation r =.23, p $<$.05 between level of parental self-efficacy and number of hours parents spent helping their children with homework. A statistically significant positive correlation was found between acculturation and level of self-efficacy r =.21, p $<$.05. Statistically significant positive correlations were also found between acculturation and such indicators of parental school involvement as participation in parent-teacher conferences r =.20, p $<$.05, volunteering at school, r =.22, p $<$.05, attendance at school sponsored sports activities r =.26, p $<$.01, and volunteering in field-trips r =.28, p $<$.01.^ The multiple regression analysis equation predicting level of homework assistance provided by parents and self-efficacy was statistically significant, F(2,106) = 3.59, p $<$.03. The beta weights revealed that self-efficacy contributed the most to the prediction of homework assistance by parents, B =.258, p $<$.009. In turn, the variable of acculturation was the most significant predictor of number of school based parent involvement activities, B =.281, p $<$.05 level. The path analysis confirmed the results obtained in the multiple regression analyses, establishing self-efficacy as having a direct effect on the level of homework assistance provided by parents. Conversely, the variable of acculturation had a direct effect on the number of school based parent involvement activities. ^

The effects of parental nurturance and involvement on peer relationships and psychosocial functioning of young adults

This study examined peer relationships and psychosocial functioning as a function of maternal and paternal involvement and nurturance along with the moderating effects of gender, family form, and ethnicity. Prior research has shown the influence of mother’s involvement on peer relationship quality but not of fathers. Further, previous studies did not examine moderation by family form, gender, or ethnicity. The sample consisted of 1359 students who identified their biological mother and father as the most influential parental figures in their lives. Their ages ranged from 18 to 26; Sixty-one percent of the sample was Hispanic, 13% non-Hispanic Black, 25% non-Hispanic White; 76% female and 70% from intact families. The analytical strategy included using bivariate correlations and structural equation modeling to examine these relationships. ^ All dimensions of maternal and paternal nurturing and involvement were positively related to positive characteristics of peer relationships, self-esteem and life satisfaction consistent with the multicultural findings of PARTheory (Rohner, Khalique, & Cournoyer, 2005). A structural model was developed that was able to adequately account for the relationship between parental influence, peer relationships, and psychosocial functioning. These effects of both maternal and paternal influence were strongly moderated by culture, family form, and gender. Finally, a differential effect was found among parental influence with fathers having a greater influence on friendship quality and importance than mothers, despite greater maternal involvement. ^ These findings have theoretical, clinical, and social implications as they call for a socially based theoretical perspective within which to study these relationships. Such a perspective would better inform clinicians when using impaired social functioning as indicative of axial diagnosis, and for the implementation of social policy to encourage paternal involvement. ^

Parental Criminal Justice Involvement and Children's Involvement With Child Protective Services: Do Adult Drug Treatment Courts Prevent Child Maltreatment?

BACKGROUND: In light of evidence showing reduced criminal recidivism and cost savings, adult drug treatment courts have grown in popularity. However, the potential spillover benefits to family members are understudied. OBJECTIVES: To examine: (1) the overlap between parents who were convicted of a substance-related offense and their children's involvement with child protective services (CPS); and (2) whether parental participation in an adult drug treatment court program reduces children's risk for CPS involvement. METHODS: Administrative data from North Carolina courts, birth records, and social services were linked at the child level. First, children of parents convicted of a substance-related offense were matched to (a) children of parents convicted of a nonsubstance-related offense and (b) those not convicted of any offense. Second, we compared children of parents who completed a DTC program with children of parents who were referred but did not enroll, who enrolled for <90 days but did not complete, and who enrolled for 90+ days but did not complete. Multivariate logistic regression was used to model group differences in the odds of being reported to CPS in the 1 to 3 years following parental criminal conviction or, alternatively, being referred to a DTC program. RESULTS: Children of parents convicted of a substance-related offense were at greater risk of CPS involvement than children whose parents were not convicted of any charge, but DTC participation did not mitigate this risk. Conclusion/Importance: The role of specialty courts as a strategy for reducing children's risk of maltreatment should be further explored.

Students’ Involvement in School and Parental Support: Contributions to the Socio-Educational Intervention

Student involvement in the school and the perception of parental support are core variables in the context of studies on personal and school adjustment of children and adolescents and should be considered in the context of socio-educational intervention. In this study, we formulated the following objectives: i) to understand the differences in students’ involvement in school and the perception of parental support, according to several socio- demographic and school variables, ii) to analyse the relationship between involvement and the perception of parental support iii) to outline socio-educational intervention strategies in the contexts of children’s lives. This is a non-experimental, correlational and cross-sectional study by means of a non-probabilistic convenience sample consisting of 150 children, aged between 10 and 16 years, attending the 2nd and 3rd cycles basic education [5th – 9th years of schooling] attending a school in the central region of Portugal. The data collection instruments were “Students’ Engagement in School: a Four-Dimensional Scale – SES-4DS” (Veiga 2013, 2016), the “Perceived Parental Support Scale” (Veiga, 2011) and a part with socio-demographic and school questions was added. We found significant differences in overall (and partial) amounts of student involvement and the perception of parental support, depending on the age, gender (in agency and behaviour subscales), school difficulties/retentions and methods of study (time, a place to study and a study schedule). We also found positive and significant relationships between student involvement and perception of parental support. The results are in line with the scientific literature in the field, which highlights the key role of the variables, student involvement and perception of parental support in the academic and psychosocial adjustment of young people. These should be considered in the context of socio-educational intervention. Given the above, we present areas and action strategies promoting parent and student involvement in the educational process.

Do Phenotypic Characteristics, Parental Psychopathology, Family Functioning, and Environmental Stressors Have a Role in the Response to Methylphenidate in Children With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder? A Naturalistic Study From a Developing Country

Little is known about the effect of clinical characteristics, parental psychopathology, family functioning, and environmental stressors in the response to methylphenidate in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) followed up in a naturalistic setting. Data from cultures outside the United States are extremely scarce. This is a longitudinal study using a nonrandom assignment, quasi-experimental design. One hundred twenty-five children with ADHD were treated with methylphenidate according to standard clinical procedures, and followed up for 6 months. The severity of ADHD symptoms was assessed by the Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham rating scale. In the final multivariate model, ADHD combined subtype (P < 0.001) and comorbidity with oppositional defiant disorder (P = 0.03) were both predictors of a worse clinical response. In addition, the levels of maternal ADHD symptoms were also associated with worse prognosis (P < 0.001). In the context of several adverse psychosocial factors assessed, only undesired pregnancy was associated with poorer response to methylphenidate in the final comprehensive-model (P = 0.02). Our study provides evidence for the involvement of clinical characteristics, maternal psychopathology, and environmental stressors in the response to methylphenidate. Clinicians may consider adjuvant strategies when negative predictors are present to increase the chances of success with methylphenidate treatment.

Why do educated mothers matter? A model of parental help

The paper investigates the role of mothers in affecting childrens' performance at school. It develops a theoretical model in which household is treated as an individual, whose utility depends on the performance at school of the student and on consumption. The model focuses on the possibilities through which mother’s help may affect pupil's performance in terms of time devoted to supervision and spillover effects. Empirical evidence, using Italian PISA 2006, shows that highly educated mothers have a positive impact on students' score only when they are highly qualified in the job market.

Development and initial validation of the Parental PELICAN Questionnaire (PaPEQu) - an instrument to assess parental experiences and needs during their child's end-of-life care.

AIM: To develop and test the Parental PELICAN Questionnaire, an instrument to retrospectively assess parental experiences and needs during their child's end-of-life care. BACKGROUND: To offer appropriate care for dying children, healthcare professionals need to understand the illness experience from the family perspective. A questionnaire specific to the end-of-life experiences and needs of parents losing a child is needed to evaluate the perceived quality of paediatric end-of-life care. DESIGN: This is an instrument development study applying mixed methods based on recommendations for questionnaire design and validation. METHOD: The Parental PELICAN Questionnaire was developed in four phases between August 2012-March 2014: phase 1: item generation; phase 2: validity testing; phase 3: translation; phase 4: pilot testing. Psychometric properties were assessed after applying the Parental PELICAN Questionnaire in a sample of 224 bereaved parents in April 2014. Validity testing covered the evidence based on tests of content, internal structure and relations to other variables. RESULTS: The Parental PELICAN Questionnaire consists of approximately 90 items in four slightly different versions accounting for particularities of the four diagnostic groups. The questionnaire's items were structured according to six quality domains described in the literature. Evidence of initial validity and reliability could be demonstrated with the involvement of healthcare professionals and bereaved parents. CONCLUSION: The Parental PELICAN Questionnaire holds promise as a measure to assess parental experiences and needs and is applicable to a broad range of paediatric specialties and settings. Future validation is needed to evaluate its suitability in different cultures.

Involvement of miR-30c in resistance to doxorubicin by regulating YWHAZ in breast cancer cells

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small RNA molecules that modulate gene expression implicated in cancer, which play crucial roles in diverse biological processes, such as development, differentiation, apoptosis, and proliferation. The aim of this study was to investigate whether miR-30c mediated the resistance of breast cancer cells to the chemotherapeutic agent doxorubicin (ADR) by targeting tyrosine 3-monooxygenase/tryptophan 5-monooxygenase activation protein zeta (YWHAZ). miR-30c was downregulated in the doxorubicin-resistant human breast cancer cell lines MCF-7/ADR and MDA-MB-231/ADR compared with their parental MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines, respectively. Furthermore, we observed that transfection of an miR-30c mimic significantly suppressed the ability of MCF-7/ADR to resist doxorubicin. Moreover, the anti-apoptotic gene YWHAZ was confirmed as a target of miR-30c by luciferase reporter assay, and further studies indicated that the mechanism for miR-30c on the sensitivity of breast cancer cells involved YWHAZ and its downstream p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38MAPK) pathway. Together, our findings provided evidence that miR-30c was one of the important miRNAs in doxorubicin resistance by regulating YWHAZ in the breast cancer cell line MCF-7/ADR.

Parents of the Gifted in Ontario: An Investigation of Parental Satisfaction with the Education of their Gifted Children

The opinions of parents in relation to the education of their gifted child were examined, with particular attention paid to their satisfaction and the type and amount of programming their child is receiving. This study employed a mixed methods research design that focused on parents’ experiences with gifted education programming and their perceptions and level of satisfaction with these programs. A survey was used to gather the perceptions and opinions of parents of gifted children in Ontario. The data were quantified and used to make observations in relation to differences in parental satisfaction and to provide a more thorough understanding of the experiences of parents in Ontario in regards to the education of gifted children. Information was also gathered regarding the recommendations that parents have for the improvement of education for their gifted child. The results of the study found that parents of gifted children were satisfied with the connections their child made within a gifted placement with like-minded peers and with opportunities for their children to learn in a more individualized and in-depth manner. However, parents expressed dissatisfaction with the timing of the initial gifted identification and the lack of knowledge that teachers, in both regular and specialized classrooms, have about gifted children and the types of programming best suited to these children. The results of the study also showed parental dissatisfaction with the lack of funding allocated to gifted education programs by district school boards and the lack of involvement they were allowed with respect to the education of their child.