Effectiveness of an Occupational Therapy-Led Social Skills Group Using Parent Training: A Pilot Study

Background: Social skills support the development of a positive self-concept and engagement in a variety of life roles, habits, and routines. The Occupational Therapy Practice Framework clearly defines the occupational therapist’s role in working with children with difficulties in social skills; however, little research exists examining the effectiveness of occupational therapy-led group interventions to support social skills development. Incorporating parent training into social skill development can improve overall outcomes and reinforce skill development across contexts. Objective: The purpose of this pilot study was to determine whether an occupational therapy-led social skill group, combined with parent training, was effective in improving social skill outcomes in children with parent-reported social skill delays. Method: Occupational therapists developed collaborative social goals and implemented a social skills group intervention with eight school-aged children presenting with parent-reported social skill delays. In addition, occupational therapists provided parent training to support onsite interventions. Pretest and posttest data was collected and analyzed. Results: The results of this pilot study indicate that 8/8 children demonstrated progress in social skills on outcome measures including the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure and Goal Attainment Scaling. Conclusion: This pilot study supports the premise that occupational therapy-led social skills intervention groups, combined with parent training, are effective in promoting social skills. Occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants have a clear role in designing and implementing group interventions to support social skill development

High throughput dimensional measurements with electro-optics

A dimensional measuring system, the profile monitor, has been developed to measure part dimensions with a standard deviation of 0.0001 inch at a throughput rate of 1200 parts/minute. The monitor is one measurement system on an advanced high speed inspection system designed to monitor the production of cartridge cases. The complete system includes a mechanical handler, measurement instruments (which make five measurements), system monitoring instruments and a dedicated minicomputer. This paper describes the profile monitor and its performance. The profile monitor is an electro-optic system that utilizes fiber optics to project an image of the case onto charged-coupled device image sensors. Measurements are made for five different case dimensions: (1) head thickness, (2) head diameter, (3) extractor groove diameter, (4) gas seal length, and (5) total length. The profile monitor consists of five major elements: the case gauging fixture, the optical system including an illumination source and computer. Electronics consist of the diode array and driver, thresholding circuit, measurement timing logic and data buffers. The square image conduit (six micron fibers) is structured to take the edges of the projected case image and transfer the image to a 0.125 inch linear charge coupled device (CCD) sensor. Logic is employed to detect the shadowed edges of the case and count the number of elements darkened by the shadow

Assessment and control of fetal exposure

The assessment and control of fetal exposure to radiation in the workplace is an issue that is complicated by both biological and political/social ramifications. As a result of the dramatic increase in the number of women employed as radiation workers during the past 10 years, many facilities using radioactive materials have instituted fetal protection programs with special requirements for female radiation workers. It is necessary, however, to ensure that any fetal protection program be developed in such a way as to be nondiscriminatory. A study has been initiated whose purpose is to balance the political/social and the biological ramifications associated with occupational protection of the developing embryo/fetus. Several considerations are involved in properly balancing these factors. These considerations include appropriate methods of declaring the pregnancy, training workers, controlling the dose to the embryo/fetus, measuring and calculating the dose to the embryo/fetus, and recording the pertinent information. Alternative strategies for handling these factors while ensuring maximum protection of the embryo/fetus and the rights and responsibilities of employees and employers are discussed

Reflections on Nursing Leadership [Complete issue: Second quarter 2001, vol. 27, 2]

Publishing History: Print issues of Reflections magazine were published from 1975 to 1999 and its successor, Reflections on Nursing Leadership (RNL) began publication in 2000. RNL migrated to an online format, http://www.reflectionsonnursingleadership.org, in 2006 and continues today. RNL is a member benefit of the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI). The historical print issues have been made openly available. Publishing Frequency: Quarterly until its transition to online. It\u27s now updated virtually every day. Format: Print, 1975 - 2005; Online, 2006 - present Feature Articles in this Issue: Serving the Underserved: An International Imperative Just Like her Mother Disparity Versus Diversity: Meeting the Challenge of Europe\u27s Underserved Populations Universal Access to Health Care: If Not Now, When? When Urban U.S. Means Urban Underserved People in Crisis: Vignettes from the Victorian Order of Nurses Respecting Tradition in Healing Kangaroo Care: Not Just for Stable Preemies Anymore Positive Situational Focusing: Pollyanna or a Powerful Stress Prevention Strategy? This issue of Reflections on Nursing Leadership is fifty-five pages in length and contains information of interest to STTI members

Motion Rail: A Virtual Reality Level Crossing Training Application

This paper presents the development and usability testing of a Virtual Reality (VR) based system named 'Motion Rail' for training children on railway crossing safety. The children are to use a VR head mounted device and a controller to navigate the VR environment to perform a level crossing task and they will receive instant feedback on pass or failure on a display in the VR environment. Five participants consisting of two male and three females were considered for the usability test. The outcomes of the test was promising, as the children were very engaging and will like to adopt this training approach in future safety training

Assistive technology assessment and planning for children with multiple disabilities in educational settings

A number of critical elements have been identified in assistive technology assessment and planning to optimise its integration into the educational environments of children and hence address their functional goals. These elements are as follows: adopting a collaborative think-tank team approach to which all educational team members contribute equally and where technology experts are consulted once the need for specific technical support or training is identified; involving the family by establishing mutual expectations and using effective communication strategies; and conducting in-depth assessment that identifies clear goals, includes task analysis within daily environments, examines the child-device interaction closely and investigates the resources available to implement assistive technology use. With this backdrop, this paper reviews existing assessments and proposes that the Lifespace Access Profile (LAP) (Williams et al 1993) and Lifespace Access Profile (Upper Extension) (LAPUE) (Williams et al 1994) satisfy many of the criteria for effective assessment and planning advocated in the literature