Motivating Emergency Preparedness Behaviors: The Differential Effects of Guilt Appeals and Actually Anticipating Guilty Feelings

The continuing threat of terrorist attacks and natural disasters presents a unique challenge for communication scholars and practitioners. One way to increase motivation is through the use of guilt appeals; yet, message designers must be aware of the potential negative consequences of employing messages that induce too much guilt. In a field experiment, researchers investigate the use of guilt appeals within the context of disaster preparedness with a nationally representative sample to enhance perceived importance of emergency preparedness, increase risk perceptions, and motivate behavioral intentions to prepare.     

Introducing emergency preparedness in childbirth education classes

In the wake of recent natural and man-made disasters and emergency situations, pregnant women are especially vulnerable. The authors of this column encourage childbirth educators to include disaster preparedness instruction and emergency childbirth techniques in their class content.     

Katrina and the Schools of Mississippi: An Examination of Emergency and Disaster Preparedness

Faculty members from the University of Southern Mississippi conducted extensive research into emergency planning and disaster preparedness in P–12 schools in Mississippi before and after Hurricane Katrina. Findings disclosed that although few schools had no crisis management plans, a significant number that had emergency plans did not include provisions for large-scale disasters. Many schools had outdated plans. Respondents rated the effectiveness of crisis management plans in relation to Hurricane Katrina. The most highly rated features included the roles played by school leaders, the effectiveness of the administrative “chain of command,” and interpreting the storm's impact to the media. The most frequently cited areas of inadequacy included communication channels for administration, staff, and parents; dealing with electrical, fuel, and other energy needs; and the inability to operate independently for a sustained period of time in the wake of the storm. Study participants made policy and action recommendations to strengthen emergency planning and disaster preparation that were analyzed and reported by the researchers.     

加强卫生专业学生应对恐怖活动、自然灾难和突发性公共卫生事件的训练

近年来日益增多的恐怖威胁,与始终存在的自然灾难及公共卫生突发事件所造成的危险,明确支持了把防止生物恐怖训练纳入卫生专业课程计划。作者简要分析了生物恐怖教育的需求与美国近年来针对生物恐怖等突发事件对卫生行业从业人员进行继续教育的现状,介绍了哥伦比亚大学生物恐怖教育课程建设的运作过程,提出了在校卫生专业学生所应具备的应对生物恐怖及其他突发事件的核心能力。     

关于上海市辅读学校自闭症儿童就学现状的调查

本文主要采用访谈的方式围绕上海市十所辅读学校自闭症儿童的就学现状展开调查。调查从自闭症学生人数、学校师资(质量)、编班情况、教师态度、教学情况以及教学效果六个方面来探析上海市辅读学校自闭症儿童就学的现状。调查结果显示,辅读学校中自闭症儿童的人数在逐年提高,师资质量在不断提高,教师对自闭症儿童的关注程度以及教育情况在不断发展,对自闭症儿童的教学效果也取得了进步。但是自闭症儿童的就学还存在着一些欠缺的地方,师资配备还不是很完善,个别化教育计划的制订还没有做得很好。     

Standardizing chaos: a neo‐institutional analysis of the INEE Minimum Standards for Education in Emergencies,Chronic Crises and Early Reconstruction

Violent conflict and humanitarian disasters such as floods, famines, or tsunamis, have existed since the start of human history. However, it is only recently that education in these emergency situations has emerged as a visible organizational field. We aim to use a unique theoretical application of sociological neo‐institutionalism to explain the rapid and recent rise of emergency education as a professional field, focusing specifically on the creation of global standards called the INEE Minimum Standards for Education in Emergencies, Chronic Crises and Early Reconstruction. We argue that international standards in emergency education arise due to the institutionalization of education as a human right and rationalization of approaches to solving social problems. A key implication of our argument is that decoupling between formal standards and on‐the‐ground practice is likely to be endemic, lessening the day‐to‐day utility of the standards. However, the creation of international standards and an organizational field of emergency education professionals may provide long‐term benefits by contributing to the re‐definition of humanitarian intervention to include education.     

Changes in reports and incidence of child abuse following natural disasters

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this research was to investigate if there is a higher incidence of child abuse following major natural disasters. METHODOLOGY: Child abuse reports and substantiations were analyzed, by county, for 1 year before and after Hurricane Hugo, the Loma Prieta Earthquake. and Hurricane Andrew. Counties were included if damage was widespread, the county was part of a presidential disaster declaration, and if there was a stable data collection system in place. RESULTS: Based on analyses of numbers, rates, and proportions, child abuse reports were disproportionately higher in the quarter and half year following two of the three disaster events (Hurricane Hugo and Loma Prieta Earthquake). CONCLUSIONS: Most, but not all, of the evidence presented indicates that child abuse escalates after major disasters. Conceptual and methodological issues need to be resolved to more conclusively answer the question about whether or not child abuse increases in the wake of natural disasters. Replications of this research are needed based on more recent disaster events.     

As the climate changes: Intergenerational action-based learning in relation to flood education

It is a concern that children represent an under-researched group in flood education and preparedness because as adults they are more likely to experience flooding as the climate changes, and because it suggests their potential today, as agents of change, is being undervalued. Using action-based, participatory methodology with seven to nine-year-old children, a creative and inclusive flood education resource was developed as a stimulus for learning. Evaluation revealed that young children can learn about flooding and preparedness, and that intergenerational learning from child to parent can also occur, with children transferring the messages learned in school to home. However, thematic analysis suggests key factors such as family relationships (empowerment of children) and the parents’ disconnection and dissociation from risk limit the success of intergenerational learning. The implications of these in relation to flood education, flood preparedness, and household resilience levels are explored.     

Inclusion Means Everyone! The Role of the Early Childhood Educator when Including Young Children with Autism in the Classroom

The impact of the emphasis on inclusion in special education has resulted in a higher frequency of young children with autism being included in early childhood programs with typically developing peers. Many early childhood educators have risen to face the challenge, and this has resulted in enhanced learning for young children with autism in the regular classroom. This article focuses on the multiple roles of early childhood educators as they work with the diverse needs of young children with autism in their classrooms.     

Foundations for self-awareness: An exploration through autism

Developmental psychopathology holds promise for elucidating the structure of self-awareness. Here we studied social emotions in matched groups of children and adolescents with and without autism. Our aims were to determine whether there are potentially dissociable aspects of self-awareness, and to reconsider how the qualities of young children's engagement with other persons influences the development of their sense of self. Parent interviews yielded evidence that children with autism are limited in social-relational and emotional domains of self-awareness; for example, few were reported to show guilt, embarrassment, or shame. Yet according to parent report, most were affected by the moods of others, showed some degree of pity and concern, and manifested jealousy. When presented with videotaped scenes, participants with autism were similar to those without autism in identifying pride, guilt, and shame, and they were able to describe their own experiences of pride and, more rarely, guilt. In situations designed to elicit emotions, participants with autism were rated as showing pride, but they manifested lesser degrees and atypical qualities of guilt and coyness. Relatively few showed personal forms of self-consciousness when asked to pose for a photograph. We argue that in order for children to achieve depth in self-awareness, and to relate to themselves as occupying a distinctive stance within a framework of mutual self-other relatedness, they need to identify with the attitudes of other people. We interpret the present studies in terms of dissociations among three forms of social emotion: "person-centered" qualities of relational self-awareness that require identification and are specifically limited among children with autism, more diffuse modes of relational self-consciousness, and a third group of social emotions, epitomized by jealousy, situated in a separate developmental line. We propose a rebalancing of emotion theory that gives greater prominence to children's developing forms of interpersonal and intra-psychic relatedness.     

江西省75例孤独症儿童的现状调查

本研究对75例江西籍孤独症儿童进行调查,分析其在基本信息与家庭情况、求医诊断、治疗康复、生活学习等方面的现状,调查结果表明:(1)本次调查的孤独症儿童城镇比例大、男童远多于女童,父母职业较稳定,文化程度相对较高,家庭收入情况多数不佳。(2)孤独症儿童家长自身建设待加强,康复训练的及时性与持续性不足。(3)教育系统配套措施与满足孤独症儿童入学需求尚存差距。(4)社会支持系统对孤独症问题介入不足。对此提出普及孤独症及相关发育障碍知识、提高家长自身素质、将孤独症教育落到实处、为成年孤独症人士建立社区精神康复机构、构建完善的社会支持系统等建议。     

`Emergency Education': The Missing Dimension in Education Policy

Large numbers of children regularly experience educational disruption because of natural disasters. Donor and rehabilitation agencies, using an ‘emergency education’ framework, have usually addressed the immediate needs of such children and longer-term educational reconstruction. However, the imperative of continuous educational access to all children, and the need for resource and curricular policies to deal with frequent disruption, call for the inclusion of an emergency education dimension in traditional educational policy. This article outlines the features of such a dimension by drawing on the experiences of an earthquake rehabilitation effort in India (2001-02). Policies that target an improved post-crisis educational system create an opportunity to redress past disadvantages. Helping local educational institutions build capacities in curriculum development and continuing education of emergency personnel is crucial. Some new features highlighted include tracking local demographic shifts with the help of local leaders and the use of innovative teachers to handle children’s immediate recreational needs. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

‘It’s the most important thing – I mean,the schooling’: father involvement in the education of children with autism

Father involvement in education has been shown to result in a range of positive outcomes for typically developing children. However, the nature of paternal involvement in the education of children with disabilities and especially autism has been under-researched and is little understood. This study aimed to explore the nature of the involvement of 25 UK fathers in the education and their children with autism, aged up to 19 years through the use of semistructured interviews. Findings showed that fathers were highly engaged both directly and indirectly across several dimensions of their children’s education and schooling. Key areas of indirect engagement were involvement in administrative processes necessary for securing an appropriate educational placement; facilitating daily access to school and general support of children’s progress through attendance at school-based meetings and events. Direct support for learning occurred through homework assistance and working on school-related goal. Findings are discussed in relation to diversity and generative models of fatherhood. Implications for greater father inclusion in the education of children with autism are explored with reference to a gender-differentiated approach.     

Loneliness and friendship in high-functioning children with autism

Loneliness and friendship were examined in 22 high-functioning children with autism and 19 typically developing children equated with the autistic children for IQ, CA, gender, mother's education, and ethnicity. Children between the ages of 8 and 14 were asked to report on both their understanding and feelings of loneliness and the quality of their friendship. Compared to typically developing children, children with autism were both lonelier and had less complete understandings of loneliness. Although all children with autism reported having at least one friend, the quality of their friendships was poorer in terms of companionship, security, and help. Fewer associations were found between loneliness and friendship for the autistic than for the non-autistic children, suggesting less understanding of the relation between loneliness and friendship. Implications of these results are discussed for conceptualizing the social deficits in autism.     

Outdoor play in early childhood education settings: Is it safe and healthy for children?

Outdoor play is an important and integral part of a high-quality early childhood education curriculum. Outdoor play environments should have equipment that is safe and developmentally appropriate for the children served. The appropriate adult-child ratio should be maintained to prevent unnecessary accidents as well as provide the interaction needed to assist children in developing outdoor physical, social, and language skills. Each facility should have teachers with up-to-date CPR and first-aid training to take care of emergency situations.     

Automatic attention cueing through eye movement in 2-year-old children with autism

Automatic attention cueing by perceived changes in gaze direction was studied in 2-year-old children with autism and typically developing (TD) controls using a visual attention cueing paradigm. In Experiments 1 and 2 the cue consisted of an eye movement (Eyes) and a nonbiological movement (SimEyes), respectively. The results suggest that visual attention in children with autism and their TD counterparts is cued by perceived eye movement. Thus, although in naturalistic situations toddlers with autism do not follow the gaze of others, they are sensitive to directional cues inherent in eye movement. Cue-specific differences in performance related to the level of engagement and cue-processing time may suggest reliance on different underlying strategies for gaze processing in autism.     

“He Is Intelligent but Different”: Stakeholders’ Perspectives on Children on the Autism Spectrum in an Urban Indian School Context

This article explores stakeholders’ awareness of autism and their perspectives on children with autism, in an urban Indian school context. Using an interpretive framework, the article draws on interview data from a study conducted in Kolkata. Findings indicated varying but limited awareness of autism among school staff. Teachers instead described the child as “different” from peers. Further, there was variation in stakeholders’ view on the challenges faced by the child. In contrast to parents and private specialists, school staff gave no importance to social development and perceived behaviour and personality differences as inherent in the child. Nevertheless, there was a consensus among stakeholders on school responsibility as limited to academic input. Challenging school staff's beliefs about child development and purpose of education, along with re-assessing special educator courses and developing collaboration between parents and school, needs to be addressed to meet the educational needs and ensure successful participation of these children.     

Neurocognitive function and joint attention ability in young children with autism spectrum disorder versus developmental delay

Studies have shown that young children with autism are not impaired on prefrontal tasks relative to what would be expected for their mental age, raising questions about the executive dysfunction hypothesis of autism. These studies did not include ventromedial prefrontal tasks, however. The present study examined whether young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are impaired on ventromedial prefrontal tasks, and whether performance on such tasks is correlated with a core autism symptom, joint attention ability. Seventy-two 3- to 4-year-old children with ASD, 34 3- to 4-year-old developmentally delayed children, and 39 12- to 46-month-old typically developing children, matched on mental age, were administered ventromedial and dorsolateral prefrontal tasks and joint attention tasks. Children with ASD performed similarly to comparison groups on all executive function tasks, indicating that at this early age, there is no autism-specific pattern of executive dysfunction. Ventromedial, but not dorsolateral, prefrontal task performance was strongly correlated with joint attention ability, however. The ventromedial prefrontal cortex is hypothesized to play a role in the development of joint attention and possibly some aspects of the autistic syndrome.     

Executive functions and pragmatics in children with high-functioning autism

Children with deficits in executive functions (EFs) and impairments in pragmatic language have a range of cognitive and language difficulties that affect their literacy and educational achievements. As deficits in EFs and pragmatic impairments are characteristics of autism spectrum disorders, this study examined the associations between EFs and pragmatic skills in children with high-functioning autism (HFA). Fifteen children with HFA (5–9 years; M?=?7.44, SD 1.21), matched to 15 typically developing peers on age, gender, and non-verbal intelligence participated in the study. Children completed a pragmatic language assessment protocol, and a rating scale of EFs was administered to parents. Our results point to two main findings: children with HFA presented pragmatic difficulties and EFs impairments when compared with typically developing peers; and, as shown by a significant indirect effect of group on pragmatics via EFs, the poor pragmatics skills of HFA children were associated with their EFs difficulties. These findings may be of clinical relevance for children with pragmatic impairments, such as autism spectrum disorders. Future studies are crucial to further investigate the relationship between impaired pragmatics and EFs.