Do pediatric chief residents recognize details of prepubertal female genital anatomy: a national survey

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate how well a group of recently trained pediatric chief residents could label anatomic structures on two different photographs of female prepubertal genitalia. Additionally, the study sought to explore aspects of pediatric training in sexual abuse and clinical practice issues surrounding the routine genital examination. METHOD: A 38-item questionnaire was mailed to pediatric chief residents at all of the officially listed pediatric residency-training programs in the continental US. Comparisons were made between this study and the responses to two previous surveys, which asked a more heterogeneous group of physicians to label one of the photographs used in the study. The second photograph was added because of its improved clarity of each anatomic structure when compared to the first photograph used in the previous studies. The study also asked about clinical practice issues surrounding the prepubertal genital examination. RESULTS: An overall response rate of 73% was achieved and analysis was done on 139 respondents. One-half of chief residents thought that their training during residency on sexual abuse was inadequate for practice. Sixty-four percent of chief residents correctly labeled the hymen on the photograph used in the previous studies, which was not significantly different from the 62% and 59% of physicians who correctly labeled the hymen in the previous surveys. In the second photograph, which more clearly displayed the various anatomic structures, 71% correctly labeled the hymen. CONCLUSION: Pediatric chief residents reported variable amounts of training on issues pertaining to child sexual abuse during residency, think that this time was inadequate, and, while doing slightly better than a more diverse group of previously studied physicians, did not achieve 100% accuracy in identifying basic genital structures correctly on two different photographs.     

The viability of pediatric hospices: a case study

This paper identifies the special characteristics needed by hospices caring for terminally ill children. It is based on a feasibility study conducted in 1979 for a pediatric hospital in New York City. From the analysis of statistical data and confidential interviews with health care professionals in the hospital and in the community, the study concludes that the needs of terminally ill children and their families are not being met currently and that the hospice is as appropriate for children as for adults. Three major differences in emphasis are noted, however. First, support of the family suffering the death of a child is of prime importance, because the grief is devastating and long lasting and because the number of family members affected is usually large. Second, the hospice emphasis on home care is even more imperative for children than for adults as it more significantly benefits both child and family; home care can be facilitated through supplementary care components such as day care. Third, there is a major need for both professional and public education in caring for terminally ill children and their families and in coping with childhood death. The author concludes that further research is needed in all aspects of pediatric terminal care.     

Managing emotion in a maltreating context: a pilot study examining child neglect

OBJECTIVE: The primary goal of this pilot study was to examine emotion management skills (i.e., emotional understanding, emotion regulation) in children who had experienced neglect and a control group to determine the ways that neglect may interfere with children's emotional development. METHOD: Participants included children 6--12 years of age and their mothers (neglect group, N=24; control, N=24). Participants completed questionnaires and an interview that assessed children's emotional understanding and emotion regulation. RESULTS: Findings indicated that neglected children, compared to their non-maltreated peers, demonstrated lower understanding of negative emotions (i.e., anger, sadness) and fewer adaptive emotion regulation skills. Further, neglected children expected less support and more conflict from mothers in response to displays of negative emotion and reported that they were more likely to attempt to inhibit the expression of negative emotion. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that neglect may interfere with the normal acquisition of emotional understanding and emotion regulation skills, highlighting the importance of addressing these skills in the context of clinical intervention with neglected children.     

Teachers' Opinions about Inclusion: A pilot study in a Palestinian context

The present study explored teachers' opinions about the inclusion of students with disabilities and special needs in regular primary schools in a Palestinian context, and factors that influenced such opinions. The sample consisted of 90 teachers at six schools. Eighty-seven (97%) of them had students with disabilities or special needs in their classes. Fifty-four (60%) of the teachers were of the opinion that students with disabilities and special needs should have an opportunity to attend public schools. Opinion-related factors were identified and compared to results of previous studies. Eighty-one (90%) of the teachers expressed a need for changes in the public schools in order to meet the needs of students with disabilities and special needs. Their focus of interest for building their own competence was on knowledge and skills that could empower them as teachers, not on knowledge about the students' disabling impairments.     

The effectiveness of Irlen filters for improving reading performance: a pilot study

The objectives of this pilot study were to investigate the effectiveness of Irlen filters for improving comfort and reading performance and to determine whether traditional optometric intervention would be effective in relieving the symptoms commonly reported by people seeking help through the use of Irlen filters. Thirty subjects were included in the study: 12 males and 18 females. The ages of the subjects ranged from 9 to 51 (mean = 23.6). They were randomly placed in either an Irlen filter treatment group (n = 11), a vision therapy treatment group (n = 11), or a control group (n = 8). Pre- and posttesting on all subjects included a vision evaluation, reading and intelligence testing, the Irlen scotopic sensitivity screening test, and a symptom questionnaire. Results revealed that subjects in both treatment groups were more comfortable after treatment, although only the vision therapy group showed improvement in vision functioning. The subjects in the Irlen filter group did not show any significant gains in reading rate, word recognition in context, or comprehension.     

Promise and feasibility of teaching expository text structure: a primary grade pilot study

Research to guide text structure interventions for the primary grades is very limited, yet as early as in kindergarten, many state standards increasingly emphasize exposure to challenging expository texts. The purpose of the present study was to provide preliminary evidence of the feasibility and promise (or the effects) of three brief text structure interventions for kindergarten, first, and second graders who had average to low-average comprehension and relatively weak vocabulary skills. A total of 172 students participated (with 52, 62, and 58 in kindergarten, first and second grades, respectively). Students were randomly assigned within classrooms to one of three conditions: sequencing, compare and contrast, or cause and effect. Interventionists provided the interventions for four weeks to small groups of students. The findings demonstrated significant growth for all conditions on the taught text structure items of a researcher-made measure; significant growth was also reported on standardized measures of comprehension and oral language measures in the compare and contrast and cause and effect conditions, but not for sequencing.     

Opinions on computers, and efficacy of a computer-based learning: A pilot study

It is commonly believed that positive opinions of students and teachers on the possibilities entailed by computer use would increase the efficacy of computer-based educational processes. In turn, this amounts to postulate a relationship between measures of such opinions and well-defined patterns of interaction with computer-based educational tools. In this regard, this paper reports on an investigation performed in a primary school, designed to test whether expectations and opinions on computers, both of students and teachers, detected through suitable questionnaires, might be related to the effectiveness of computer use within a particular educational context. Our findings, contrarily to what expected, do not appear to support the hypothesis that a positive opinion on computers can lead per se to higher learning efficacy in a computer-based educational environment, as compared with a traditional educational setting.     

Reading against all odds: a pilot study of two deaf students with dyslexia

Learning to read and write is a challenge for most deaf children due to their limited experiences with, and access to, spoken language. In the case of deaf students who have difficulty processing visual print, literacy becomes an even greater challenge. The study piloted an intervention procedure that incorporated the principles of automaticity, repetition, functional vocabulary, and a positive teacher-student relationship as recommended in programs for struggling readers and adapted them to the needs of two deaf high school students with dyslexia in an American Sign Language-English bilingual program. The findings reveal gains in reading ability on the formal measures, though not more than would be expected over a 6-month period simply due to development. The real improvements were noted in the students' attitudes toward literacy, improved social interaction, and increased self-confidence.     

Parents of abused children in Greece: Psychiatric and psychological characteristics: Results of a pilot study

The psychological and psychiatric characteristics of the parents of 15 abused children were studied by means of clinical psychiatric evaluation and psychological tests (MMPI, Hostility and Direction of Hostility Questionnaire, Navran's Dependency Scale, Rosenweig's Picture Frustration Test, WAIS). It was found that almost all the parents were suffering from some type of personality disorder ranging from mild to severe with some features of anxiety and reactive depression. Three of the parents (two mothers and one father) were psychotic. The psychological assessment further demonstrated that most of the parents had low IQ scores, were immature, impulsive with strong dependency needs, low tolerance to frustration and high hostility scores. Most of the parents were coming from the lower socioeconomic groups, had poor education, were deprived in their childhood and their own families were broken and chaotic. The findings and the significance of the study are presented in the light of the absence of previous research in this field in Greece.     

Dyslexia and learning musical notation: A pilot study

Both the alphabet and our system of musical notation are largely based on arbitrary conventions and associations. Conforming to the Dyslexic Automatization Deficit Hypothesis, children suffering from dyslexia are supposed to have difficulty in automating these types of conventions and/or associations. Scientific research into the relation between dyslexia and learning musical notation is rare. Therefore, we developed a new intervention paradigm on learning musical notation. This program was followed by five dyslexic children and four children without dyslexia, in order to study and compare the learning processes of both groups. The program consisted of instruction, practice in the skills and knowledge related to musical notation, and test assignments. During each session, the problem-solving process of the individual child was observed and the amount of time required to complete each assignment in the program was recorded. In addition we analyzed the errors made by the two groups of children in each session. A pretest-posttest comparison revealed that dyslexic children needed more time to learn musical notation than did children without dyslexia. Dyslexic children also made more mistakes and produced more ‘third transpositions’. The implications for teaching musical notation are outlined.     

Medical students' perceptions of the body donor as a first patient or teacher: a pilot study

University of Michigan Medical School (UMMS) students attending a seminar on the history and ethics of anatomical dissection were fascinated by a report on the dissection room experience in Thailand that relates the body donor's status as a teacher. The students felt that they had naturally adopted the body as teacher approach in their dissection course, rather than the body as first patient approach that is encouraged by faculty. It was decided to explore the question whether other medical students shared these perceptions. A questionnaire was sent out to all UMMS students who had finished the anatomical dissection course. One hundred twenty-eight responses from a population of 500 students were received. Results indicate that students believe the body as teacher approach is more effective in engendering respect and empathy towards the body and towards future patients, and in facilitating students' emotional development. Students also reported wanting a more personal relationship with their donors. Eighty four percent of students preferred the body as teacher approach to the currently taught body as first patient approach. The results support the hypothesis that students' desired closer personal relationship with donors might be better facilitated by the body as teacher approach, and that this closer relationship engenders empathy and respect towards the donor and future patients. A new model for anatomy programs could introduce the donor first as a teacher and later transition into viewing the donor as a patient.     

Healthcare career intervention with youth in a predominantly Latinx rural community: a pilot study of a creative approach

International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance - The present study discusses a pilot intervention for youth in a predominantly Latinx rural community in the U.S. The intervention...     

Evaluation of a numeracy intervention program focusing on basic numerical knowledge and conceptual knowledge: a pilot study

The preliminary results of this study suggested that children with developmental dyscalculia benefit from a numeracy intervention program that focuses on basic numerical knowledge and conceptual knowledge. All children in the experimental group showed considerable and partly significant performance increases on all calculation components. Six children with developmental dyscalculia were trained individually and in small-group settings for a relatively short duration (one school semester). We argue that the positive intervention effects to a large extent are attributable to the explicit teaching of numerical domains that often have been found to be neglected in school mathematics.     

Determining young aboriginal children's scientific understandings: A pilot study

Conclusion The pilot study provided a range of useful data for analysis. In all areas except the children's recall of traditional stories, richly contextualized data was collected. It was felt that the children's young age and not the questions themselves about traditional stories was the limiting factor. The age factor variable is yet to be examined closely. Children older than eight will be interviewed using the story book on night and day to determine if it will successfully reveal any traditional stories they know, and this data will be analysed to see if the stories influence their scientific understandings of night and day. Overall the study aimed to develop a research design and instruments that would readily tap into young Aboriginal children's scientific understandings in a relevant and cross-culturally sensitive way. The richness of the data collected would indicate that this aim has been met. The next step will be to determine the significance of the data collected and whether data should be collected from a larger sample of young Aboriginal children in each of the community contexts described by the NAEC (1985): Traditional, Rural, Urban Dispersed and Urban. Specializations: early childhood science education.     

Attitudes of Turkish parents, pediatric residents, and medical students toward child disciplinary practices

OBJECTIVE: The aims of the study were to: determine the attitudes of parents, pediatric residents, and medical students from a Turkish population toward childhood disciplinary methods; ascertain the association of participants' abusive childhood history with their attitudes toward discipline; and assess their attitudes about disciplinary actions, which should be reported as abuse. METHOD: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Ankara University School of Medicine, Department of Social Pediatrics. Sixty-five parents, 39 pediatric residents, and 106 medical students completed a questionnaire (Survey of Standards of Discipline). This questionnaire was designed to measure sociodemographic characteristics, attitudes toward childhood disciplinary practices, and abusive childhood experiences. There were 43 different disciplinary acts in this questionnaire. The participants were expected to give responses to these acts in three categories: (a) acceptable as discipline; (b) unacceptable as discipline; and (c) unacceptable as discipline-would report to authorities as child abuse. Based on the responses to this questionnaire, we developed the Severity Scale. Using this scale, physical severity scores, verbal severity scores, and total severity scores were measured for each participant. RESULTS: None of the participants accepted life-threatening practices as discipline, but some declared certain abusive disciplinary practices as acceptable. Some forceful disciplinary methods were not considered as reportable by participants. All severity scores of both residents and students were found to be higher than those of the parents (for verbal severity scores p=.042). Also, both verbal and physical severity scores of parents with one child were higher than those of parents with two children (for verbal severity scores p=.044). Ninety-one participants (43.3%) indicated that beating was an acceptable form of discipline. Of parents, 66.9% reported abusive childhood history by their own criteria. Of medical students with an abusive childhood experience, 56.5% accepted beating as appropriate (p=.001). Both verbal and physical severity scores were found to be higher in participants with abusive childhood history. CONCLUSIONS: Abusive childhood history and lack of education regarding appropriate discipline techniques are linked to the acceptance of certain physical discipline practices. Turkey's cultural and traditional norms may be associated with the use of physical punishment, and in some cases, physical abuse. The lack of awareness of abusive discipline methods among physicians constitutes problems for child protection and must be addressed. Thus, educational programs on child disciplinary practices are required to provide an increased awareness of child abuse among health professional trainees and parents in Turkey.