The Outcome of a Social Cognitive Training for Mainstream Adolescents with Social Communication Deficits in a Chinese Community

The use of cognitive-based strategies for improving social communication behaviours for individuals who have solid language and cognition is an important question. This study investigated the outcome of teaching Social Thinking^®, a framework based in social-cognition, to Chinese adolescents with social communication deficits. Thirty-nine students (33 with Autism Spectrum Disorders and six without), ranging in age from 12 to 15 years with social communication deficits, participated in a 12-week intervention. Students’ pre- and post-intervention social behaviours were measured by six aspects of the Social Thinking-ILAUGH Scale involving 115 familiar raters. Students showed significant improvement in all the six subscales of the Social Thinking-ILAUGH except humour after training. Agreements on ratings among parents and school personnel were satisfactory. A framework based in social cognitive strategies, with appropriate linguistic and cultural adaptations, appears to be a promising tool for Chinese adolescents with social learning issues. Social behaviours improved across school and home settings as noted by groups of raters familiar with the students.     

Relationship Between Psychopathology and Vocational Interests Among School-Going Adolescents in Nigeria

The study examined the relationship between psychopathology and vocational interests among some school-going adolescents in Nigeria. Two hundred and seventy-eight secondary school final year students responded to a psychopathology inventory and the Bakare's Vocational Interest Inventory (VII). Data obtained were analysed using the Discriminant Function Analysis and the students' t-test. Results obtained showed that the students' vocational interests could not significantly differentiate between high and low psychopathology groups at the .05 level. Significant differences were however obtained in the outdoor, mechanical, and musical areas when comparing the VII scores of males with females. The findings support the need to collect both vocational interests and psychopathological/personality data of clients in order to assist them in their vocational problems.     

Ascertaining teachers’ perceptions of working with adolescents diagnosed with attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder

There are few studies that have directly examined teachers’ perceptions of children with ADHD, particularly children in the adolescent age range. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of general‐education ninth through twelfth grade teachers regarding working with adolescent students with ADHD. Sorted responses from a sample of 100 general‐education high school teachers were analysed and then represented visually using a concept‐mapping technique. The final concept map suggests that teachers perceive adolescents with ADHD along two dichotomies of thematic clusters on an orthogonal axis. Clusters at the top area of the concept map suggest perceptions related to high confidence and willingness, while clusters at the bottom suggest perceptions related to uneasiness and frustration. Clusters along the left side of the concept map suggest perceptions related to behaviour issues, while clusters along the right side suggest perceptions related to classroom teaching issues. Central to the vertical and horizontal dichotomies is a solitary central dimension, which highlights training as an important component of teachers’ perceptions of adolescents with ADHD.     

友谊对儿童和青少年社会性发展的影响

友谊影响儿童和青少年社会性发展的许多方面。对友谊重要性的研究从是否拥有朋友一个维度扩展到多个维度,包括儿童和青少年是否拥有朋友,朋友的特征以及友谊的质量等。从友谊与自我、友谊与适应、友谊与社会行为、友谊与情绪调节、友谊与合作性任务、友谊与社会技能六个方面探讨友谊对儿童和青少年社会性发展的影响。     

Development and Initial Validation of the Psychological Needs Satisfaction Scale in Physical Education

The current study presents the development process and initial validation of a measure designed for assessing psychological needs satisfaction in a secondary school physical education context (Psychological Needs Satisfaction Scale in Physical Education, PNSSPE). Junior secondary school (grades 7 to 9) students (N?=?1,258) were invited to participate in three studies. In Study 1, item generation (34 items) and initial content validity of the PNSSPE were achieved. In Study 2, the factorial structure of the PNSSPE was tested using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Internal consistency reliabilities of the subscales were also examined. In Study 3, the reliability and validity of the scores derived from the PNSSPE were further examined in an independent sample. Overall, the PNSSPE demonstrated good content, factorial, discriminant, and nomological validities. It also demonstrated acceptable internal consistency and test–retest reliability. The measurement model was proven invariant across gender and samples. Psychometric evidence from a series of studies suggests that the PNSSPE could be used as a reliable and valid measure to assess Hong Kong secondary school students’ satisfaction of psychological needs in physical education.     

北京市6~15岁儿童与青少年有氧耐力曲线构建及标准划定

探讨北京市义务教育全年龄段学生有氧耐力发展趋势,同时建立相应评价标准。方法:以北京市4658名儿童与青少年为研究对象,以15 m渐进性有氧耐力跑为测试项目,采集其5次有氧耐力成绩,运用“LMS chartmaker”软件构建以15 m PACER为测试项目的北京市义务教育全年龄段学生有氧耐力百分位数曲线和评价常模。结果:运用LMS法拟合的北京市6~15岁学生有氧耐力发展曲线趋势均呈稳步上升-趋于平缓-再上升,男生曲线波动滞后女生1岁,且始终位于女生曲线上方,2条曲线呈“收腰喇叭状”形态;女生相较于男生,群体内部有氧耐力水平分化更为明显。基于上述研究,划定了6~15岁学生15 m PACER成绩的四级评价标准。结论:构建了北京市6~15岁儿童与青少年有氧耐力发展曲线,划定了区分性别和年龄的15 m PACER评价标准,对义务教育阶段儿童与青少年的体质健康和体能的筛查、分析及监测具有实用价值。     

儿童少年脑电活动年龄特征及其速度素质研究

摘要：目的 儿童少年随年龄增长,大脑发育渐趋完善,速度素质也随之提高。脑电图记录到的皮层神经元集群电活动可以反应中枢神经发育成熟情况。本论文旨在研究正常儿童少年随年龄增长脑电变化特征及其速度素质发展,希望找到儿童少年发育过程中的脑电图变化特征及其速度发展的中枢机理。方法 研究对象为四川省广元市620名6-16岁中小学生,采用Nation9128W数字化脑电图仪测试其安静闭目清醒状态下脑电图及其50m速度,分析各脑区导联随年龄增长的分布规律及发展变化以及速度发展中枢机理。结果 1、总体上,6-16岁儿童少年脑电各频段的绝对和相对功率均具有显著的年龄差异。随年龄增长,δ、θ、α1波的绝对和相对功率均减少,α2波的绝对和相对功率均增加,而β波的绝对功率减少,相对功率增加,并且6-11岁和13-15岁是α2波的快速增长期。2、额区和颞区6-16岁一直以δ波为主,中央区6-14岁以δ波为主, 15岁以后形成α波优势;顶区6-10岁以δ波为主,15岁以后形成α波优势;枕区6岁开始一直以α波为主。且6-12岁儿童少年速度素质与θ/β和α2%相关。结论 儿童少年各区脑电图具有明显的年龄阶段特征,其中6-11岁和13-15岁是青少年脑发育快速增长期,中央区和顶区在15岁基本发育成熟,而枕区在6岁时就发育成熟,儿童少年大脑发育成熟顺序为枕区—顶区—中央区—颞区—额区。儿童少年速度素质的增加在12岁之前主要依赖于神经系统的发育完善。