Welfare technology dilemmas facing young people with intellectual impairment–some illustrated theoretical explorations

The introduction of new technologies, specifically Welfare Technology, is examined in this article. Illustrative examples and experiences from young adults with intellectual impairments are provided as input to our theoretical discussions. A theoretical examination of dilemmas linked to the development and introduction of WT technology within the welfare society is offered, with challenges and dilemmas linked to inclusion and exclusion. Enhanced inclusion may be supported by WT technology and promote possibilities for self-determination. On the other hand, necessities to provide surveillance may stigmatize a person as someone unlikely to take responsibility for his/her own life. Special attention is offered in this respect to issues of ambiguities and dilemmas regarding the introduction of WT in the areas of health care and social work. Three issues will be explored in relation to this area: Knowledge- and skill requirements, technological challenges and involvement/user participation accompanying control and monitoring purposes.acceptedVersio

A new rhynchocephalian from the late jurassic of Germany with a dentition that is unique amongst tetrapods.

Rhynchocephalians, the sister group of squamates (lizards and snakes), are only represented by the single genus Sphenodon today. This taxon is often considered to represent a very conservative lineage. However, rhynchocephalians were common during the late Triassic to latest Jurassic periods, but rapidly declined afterwards, which is generally attributed to their supposedly adaptive inferiority to squamates and/or Mesozoic mammals, which radiated at that time. New finds of Mesozoic rhynchocephalians can thus provide important new information on the evolutionary history of the group. A new fossil relative of Sphenodon from the latest Jurassic of southern Germany, Oenosaurus muehlheimensis gen. et sp. nov., presents a dentition that is unique amongst tetrapods. The dentition of this taxon consists of massive, continuously growing tooth plates, probably indicating a crushing dentition, thus representing a previously unknown trophic adaptation in rhynchocephalians. The evolution of the extraordinary dentition of Oenosaurus from the already highly specialized Zahnanlage generally present in derived rhynchocephalians demonstrates an unexpected evolutionary plasticity of these animals. Together with other lines of evidence, this seriously casts doubts on the assumption that rhynchocephalians are a conservative and adaptively inferior lineage. Furthermore, the new taxon underlines the high morphological and ecological diversity of rhynchocephalians in the latest Jurassic of Europe, just before the decline of this lineage on this continent. Thus, selection pressure by radiating squamates or Mesozoic mammals alone might not be sufficient to explain the demise of the clade in the Late Mesozoic, and climate change in the course of the fragmentation of the supercontinent of Pangaea might have played a major role

Forståelse for musikkterapi: En kvalitativ studie om erfaringsbasert læring gjennom deltakelse i musikkterapigrupper på et sykehjem

This study investigates how someone with a limited knowledge of music therapy, can experience a greater understanding of the field by participating in music therapy groups in a nursing home. Five first-year music therapy students were used as informants. After their two-day participation in two different music therapy groups, semi-structured interviews were conducted to gain insight into their learning experiences. Through thematic analysis, four main themes emerged: Community and participation, The music therapist’s personal approach, The music’s effects and The project’s learning process. The thesis presents an evaluation of how certain aspects of the learning process contributed to the informants’ learning outcomes. These aspects are then further considered in assessing the study’s generalizability, regarding the specific learning process as a modified future practice and promotional method with people outside the music therapy community. The findings suggest that future participants may, as the informants did, observe aspects of varied care approaches, especially regarding person-centred care, and thus achieve a fundamental learning outcome. Furthermore, increased participation and deep reflection may improve learning outcomes. Essential factors are nonetheless rudimentary in achieving a general learning outcome: Participants must be interested, curious and motivated to learn about music therapy.Masteroppgave i musikkterapiMUTP350MAHF-INMU

Lost in translation i møte med det offentlige

By examining material from a sociological study of face-to-face interaction taking place in social welfare offices in Norway, questions linked to different contextual aspects within these contexts are targeted in this article. Results are compiled from observations of interpreted dialogues between Norwegian social workers and their clients from minority groups of refugees and immigrants. Additionally, the article presents a discussion of two different models of communication in analysing interpreted dialogues