Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Early Screening And Identification Of Preschool Children Affected By Serious Emotional Disorders, Cathy Renee Robey-Williams

Theses and Dissertations

Mental illness has surpassed physical health problems as the leading cause for morbidity and mortality in American children. National prevalence of serious emotional disorders in the 0-5 age group has ranged from 9.5% to 14.2%. Of the 15 million children affected by mental illness, less than 20- 25% receive any treatment. Nationwide, early screening, identification, and treatment of preschoolers with emotional or behavioral disorders have become a critical priority in order to reduce the increasing burden of healthcare costs for mental illness and psychiatric care. The purpose of this study was to test the feasibility of a screening process for …

The Effect Of Hearing Impairment On Word Processing Of Infant- And Adult-Directed Speech, Velma Sue Robertson

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Objective. Little is known about how children with hearing loss (CHL) process words. The Emergent Coalition Model (ECM) of early word learning proposes that multiple cues (e.g., perceptual, social, linguistic) are used to facilitate word learning. Because hearing loss influences speech perception, different word learning patterns may emerge in CHL relative to children with normal hearing (CNH). One perceptual cue used by young children to access word learning is infant-directed-speech (IDS). Specifically, twenty-one month-olds can learn words in IDS but not in adult directed speech (ADS); however, by 27 months children can learn words in ADS. Currently, it is unknown …

Nutrition-Related Conditions Among Children Of Migrant And Seasonal Farmworkers In The United States: Causes And Solutions, Rebecca Halvorson

Food Science and Nutrition

The purpose of this literature review is to determine the prevalence of nutrition-related conditions among children of migrant and seasonal farmworkers (MSFW) compared to national averages, as well as effectiveness of strategies for minimizing any health discrepancies. MSFW live under harsh conditions, engage in long hours of physically demanding labor, and receive insufficient income. Compounding demographic characteristics create insurmountable barriers to quality health care and nutrition education resulting in disproportionately unhealthy children within the MSFW population as compared to the greater US population. The prevalence of overweight, obesity, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, and numerous infections is higher among MSFW children. …

Hemoglobin A1c And The Diagnosis Of Diabetes And Prediabetes In Children And Adolescents, Jennifer Mcguire Hitt

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Although the American Diabetes Association (ADA) adopted the use of the glycated hemoglobin (A1C) test as a method of diabetes and prediabetes diagnosis, the ADA has not developed firm guidelines concerning the use of the A1C test in children and adolescents, as research has not validated thresholds in this group. Diabetes and prediabetes are diseases influenced by multiple factors, including race and ethnicity, age, vitamin D deficiency, and body mass index (BMI). The purpose of this study was to determine the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of the A1C test compared to the gold …

Therapeutic Camps And Their Impact On The Family Of Children With Special Health Care Needs: A Mixed Method Study, Brandi Lindsey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Children with a chronic illness or disability can encounter many difficulties throughout their lifetimes. Respite care through therapeutic summer day camps is a service used to relieve the physical and mental strains placed on caregivers while also creating unique opportunities to benefit the child. There are gaps in the literature surrounding therapeutic camps and their benefit for the family and their ability to manage the child’s special health care need. The purpose of this study is to determine how respite care in the form of a therapeutic summer day camp for children with special needs impacts a family’s ability to …

An Exploration Of The Health Experiences Of Youth Who Were Trafficked For Sex, Christine Ann Meister

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This pilot study used photovoice methodology to explore the current health needs of youth who were trafficked for sex and are now living in an alternative family care setting. The goals of this study were to add to the current literature regarding the health needs of victims of domestic minor sex trafficking and to add a qualitative aspect to the evaluation of the Citrus Helping Adolescents Negatively Impacted by Commercial Exploitation (CHANCE) program. Disposable cameras were distributed to a group of adolescent girls enrolled in the program who were then tasked with taking pictures of things that made them feel …

Exploring Communication Apprehension And Its Relationship To Communication Attitude And Socio-Communicative Functioning In Children With Velopharyngeal Insufficiency, Agnieszka Dzioba

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Myriad findings on children with velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI) indicate the potential for this population of children to experience feelings of apprehension specific to communication and the potential for other psychological and social difficulties. The purpose of the present investigation was to explore the construct of communication apprehension (CA) and its potential relationship to social and communicative functioning in a diverse group of children with VPI. Potential linkages between CA and multiple socio-communicative constructs including attitude, speech satisfaction, speech and language skill, social competence, and speech severity were explored in a cohort of children with and without VPI, followed by an …

Underprivileged Children In Port-Au-Prince, Haiti: Hearing And Academic Performance Of Children In Public Schools In Port Au Prince, Talia Meisel

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Hearing loss is estimated to affect more than 360 million people worldwide, 32% of whom are children. Children with hearing loss tend to develop compromised communicative abilities and also have been found to perform more poorly academically than their normal hearing peers. Because of the lack of medical care, children in third world countries are expected to have more difficulty hearing and learning in a classroom setting than children in first world countries due to higher incidences of conductive pathology. The purpose of this study is to assess the hearing ability of underprivileged children in kindergarten and primary schools in …

Inter-Relationships Of Functional Status In Children With Cerebral Palsy: An Extension, Emily Dyszuk

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The primary aim of this study was to establish functional profiles for children with cerebral palsy (CP), by determining the relationships between three classification systems (the Gross Motor Function Classification System, the Manual Ability Classification System, and the Communication Function Classification System). The secondary aim of this study was to investigate the number and impact of health conditions in the most prevalent clusters. Data were analyzed on 222 children with CP with an average age of 6.1 years, from several locations across North America. A total of 56 out of 125 possible combinations were recorded; four most prevalent cell combinations …

Efficacy Of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy With The Use Of In-Room Coaching, Cassie Shacklett Reeve

Dissertations

One significant consequence of oppositional and defiant behavior is an increase in negative interactions between caregivers and the child exhibiting those behaviors (Greene & Doyle, 1999). Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is an empirically supported treatment that targets the development of a nurturing parent-child relationship along with teaching effective discipline strategies to decrease child noncompliance (Bodiford-McNeil & Hembree-Kigin, 2010). The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of PCIT when modified by utilizing strictly in-room coaching. This type of research would allow for expanded use of this empirically supported treatment into community agencies and clinics which do not …

Young Children's Enjoyment Of Physical Activity, Samantha Renae Hudson

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Young children are currently understudied in the area of physical activity enjoyment. Since young children lack the cognitive skills which motivate many adults to participate in physical activity, they have a unique need for specialized intervention programs. The present study explores how enjoyment of physical activity in young children is related to their actual levels of physical activity. Modified versions of the Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale (PACES) and the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children (PAQ-C) were used to discover if such a relationship exists in kindergarten students from a multi-ethnic, suburban elementary school. While no significant correlation was found …

A Grounded Theory Of Suicidality In Children Ten And Younger, Katherine Angela Heimsch

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

Once every two days in the United States, a child aged 5 to 14 years old dies by suicide (World Health Organization, 2010). When viewed on a spectrum that includes suicidal ideation, verbalizations, behaviors, and attempts, the problem of youth suicidality is actually far greater than the numbers of completed suicides suggest (Cheng, Tao, Riley, Kann, Ye, Tian...Hu, 2009). This study examined suicidality in children ages 10 and younger, and included the characteristics of suicidal children, factors that influence childhood suicidality, and treatment implications. The researcher conducted 12 semi-structured qualitative interviews with experienced treatment providers and performed a content analysis …

Speech Adaptation To Electropalatography In Children's Productions Of /S/ And /ʃ/, Marissa Celaya

Theses and Dissertations

Previous research has investigated adults' ability to adapt their speech when a electropalatographic (EPG) pseudopalate is placed in the oral cavity; however, less is known about how younger speakers who are continuing to develop their motor speech abilities might adapt their speech to the presence of the device. This study examined the effect of an EPG pseudopalate on elementary school-aged children's ability to produce the fricatives /s/ and /ƒ/. Audio recordings of six children were collected at eight time intervals including before placement of the pseudopalate, at 30-minute increments for two hours with the pseudopalate in place, immediately following removal …

Reducing Anxiety And Increasing Social Skills In Children With Asperger's Through Drama And Role-Playing Games, Rachel Magin

Honors Theses

Children with Asperger’s syndrome have higher than typical levels of anxiety; moreover, their level of anxiety is related to their degree of social skills deficits. In non-clinical populations, role-playing and drama techniques have been used successfully to lower anxiety and increase social skills. We held seven sessions of role-playing and theater exercises, conducted in small groups, focused on specific social skills (getting to know people/introducing self, working together/trust/listening, reading emotions/nonverbal cues, self-control/assertiveness, managing stress and anxiety, detecting emotions through the voice, understanding others’ perspectives/cooperation). We examined whether participation in these sessions would lower anxiety and increase social skills in children …

Anxiety In The Classroom Setting: Early Detection Of Signs And Symptoms, Lisa A. Rauch

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

The Surgeon General (2000) estimates that up to 13% of children experience symptoms of anxiety. Since virtually all children attend school, and this environment challenges children in various modalities that are likely to produce anxiety, schools are an excellent environment to detect early signs and symptoms of anxiety. When available, school nurses are well positioned to provide primary and secondary prevention to students identified with signs and symptoms of anxiety.

The aim of this project is to identify if increasing teacher’s knowledge results in and increased ability to recognize early signs and symptoms of anxiety, and report concerns more rapidly, …

Electrodermal Activity As An Indicator Of Sensory Processing In Typically Developing Children And Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Barbara Schupak

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Objective: The purpose of this study was to test the reliability of the Sensory Challenge Protocol (SCP), a laboratory procedural tool that has been used to discriminate differences in sensory processing between typically developing (TD) children and children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Method: Electrodermal activity (EDA) during rest and in response to

sensation was measured using skin conductance. Skin conductance

measures were used to calculate ICC (Intraclass Correlation Coefficient)

reliability in 14 children with ASD and 18 TD children.

Results: ICC reliability during rest phase (tonic) for both groups was good to moderate (.65 - .73). ICC reliability during …

Little Emperors And An Army Of Orphans: The Government’S Control Over The Idea Of Family In An Overpopulated World, Corinna L. Miller

Honors College Theses

This research elaborates on the connection between governmental policies for population control and the psychological effects felt by its citizens. Governments enact laws to form and shape their country, but when plans to benefit society as a whole overspill into the personal rights of families, there can be unforeseen consequences that span across cultural, economic and physiological wellbeing. These side effects can have debilitating outcomes for countless generations to come, even after the policy has been abolished. In an age where exponential population growth is a severe problem, this study attempts to understand what happens when governmental policies influence the …

Impulsive Choice In Unmedicated And Medicated Children Diagnosed With Adhd: Examining The Variables Of Reward Type And Adhd Subtype, Nicole Henriksen

Dissertations

Developmentally inappropriate and impairing impulsive behaviors are often seen in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). One method for objectively assessing impulsivity is the Choice-Delay Task (C-DT) which presents repeated opportunities to choose between a smaller, sooner (SS) or larger, later (LL) reward. A preference for the SS reward that results in less total reward is considered impulsive. Many studies have found that participants diagnosed with ADHD choose the SS reward more than typical controls. However, less is known about the effects of different types of rewards, or the comparative performance of certain subgroups, such as children diagnosed with ADHD Predominantly Inattentive Type …

Sensory Integration Interventions Used By Pediatric Occupational Therapists For Children Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review, Teddie Buchner, Jennifer Fortuna, Natalie Lindsay

Pediatrics

Objective: To identify sensory based interventions used by pediatric occupational therapists treating children diagnosed with ASD.

Design: Systematic Review

Methods: Researchers searched four scholarly databases to obtain articles identifying sensory integration interventions used by pediatric occupational therapists. The four key terms used to filter the resulting articles include: “occupational therapy,” “autism,” “sensory,” and “interventions.” Articles were eliminated based on inclusion/exclusion criteria.

Results: A total of 11 articles were chosen to identify sensory integration interventions used by pediatric occupational therapists treating children diagnosed with ASD.

Conclusions: The sensory based interventions most commonly used by pediatric occupational therapists treating children diagnosed with …

"Mais, You Talk Like Me? /Ju Ra:/": Kindergarteners' Use Of Five Cajun English Phonological Features, Hannah Joy Smitherman

LSU Master's Theses

Cajun English (CE) is an understudied dialect that is spoken in and around the Acadian triangle of Louisiana. Of the studies that exist, almost all have been completed with adults. The purpose of the current study was to determine if children whose parents have identified their family as Cajun use five phonological features of CE (/t, d/ for /θ, ð/, nonaspirated /p, t, k/, heavy vowel nasalization, monophthongization, and glide weakening on vowels) more frequently than those identified as non-Cajun. The participants were 11 kindergarteners who were identified as Cajun or non-Cajun and who resided in Assumption Parish in rural …

Play In Children With Motor Disabilities, Suzanne Martin

Theses and Dissertations--Rehabilitation Sciences

The purpose of this research was to explore and describe the relationship among the child, family, home environment, and pretend play of children with motor disabilities. The environment is a powerful force in early child development. This research is based on Bronfennbrenner’s ecological theory of development and the ubiquitous role of play in all domains of development. Children with motor disabilities may lack exploration of the environment and as a consequence demonstrate deficits in play. Play was measured in 32 children with motor disabilities aged 24.8 to 61.3 months with a mean age of 33.7 (SD 9.3) months. Children demonstrated …

An Exploratory Examination Of Families Engaged In An Adventure Running Kids Program, Heather Isnor

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Academics and practitioners have only just begun to delve into the health benefits of outdoor activities in the last few years. In general, the forested settings of these activities have been documented to decrease stress levels, increase recovery rates from disease, and lessen the symptoms of mental illnesses (Kuo & Faber Taylor, 2004). It is believed that the natural environment acts as a setting where humans can engage in physical activity, aesthetic experiences, and social interactions that, in turn, release stress and lead to improved well-being (Bird, 2012). Currently, however, children are experiencing limited exposure to nature and which has …