The effect of handwashing education given to children with intellectual disabilities on handwashing skills

To improve students’ self-regulation skills toward accomplishing science-related tasks and workloads, this study was designed to determine the effect of a science learning coach as an intervention program on student self-regulation skills. This quasi-experimental study determined the mean pre-test and post-test performance of Grade 10 students under the Special Science Curriculum. This research used a non-random purposive sampling procedure to select the respondents. The research instrument used in this study was a 35-item test questionnaire aimed at measuring the self-regulation skills of the respondents. The data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) using t-test for independent samples to compare the pre-test and post-test mean scores before and after the implementation of the intervention program, respectively, and using paired samples t-test to determine the difference between the pre-test and post-test mean scores of the experimental group. Also, an analysis of covariance was used to determine and evaluate whether the means of the dependent variable are equal across levels of a categorical independent variable. This research study revealed a significant difference in terms of pre-test and post-test mean scores before and after the implementation of the intervention program using t-test for independent samples. This also showed no significant difference in the experimental group's pre-test and post-test mean scores using a t-test for paired samples. However, using pre-test mean scores as covariates, it was revealed that there is a significant difference in the post-test results of tests between subjects.

Menarche is the first menstruation experienced by teenage girls. This period is a transitional period marked by various physical, emotional and psychosocial changes. Efforts to prevent the negative impact on menarche require knowledge about menstruation, one of which is using animated video media and snakes and ladders games. The aim of this research is to identify the influence of health education using the media game Snakes and Ladders and animated videos on the readiness of young women to face menarche. This type of research is quasi-experimental with pre and post test control group design. The research sample consisted of 40 female students using probability sampling with simple random sampling technique. Data analysis used the Paired T-Test and Independent T-Test. The results of the univariate test showed that the pre-test and post-test mean scores in the intervention group were 47.60 and 69.90 and the pre-test and post-test mean scores in the control group were 47.65 and 59.95. Bivariate analysis using the Paired T-Test in the intervention group and control group obtained a result of 0.000 where the p-value <0.05, meaning that there was an influence of health education using snakes and ladders game media and animated videos as well as powerpoint and leaflet media on the readiness of young women in facing menarche. The Independent T-Test showed a result of 0.000 where the p-value <0.05, meaning that there was a significant difference between the mean value of young women's readiness to face menarche in the intervention and control groups. The conclusion that can be drawn is that health education using the media game snakes and ladders and animated videos has an effect on the readiness of young women to face menarche. Animated video media and snakes and ladders games are more effective than PowerPoint and leaflet media in increasing the readiness of young women to face menarche.

BackgroundAlmost one-third of children under 5 years old in Indonesia suffer from stunting. Stunting can be prevented optimally during pregnancy as the initial phase of the first 1000 days of life. This study aims to determine the effect of nutrition and reproductive health education of pregnant women in Bogor Regency, Indonesia.MethodsA quasi-experimental study was conducted among 194 pregnant women from August to November 2019. The pregnant women were randomly selected from four different villages in Bogor Regency. The intervention group (n = 97) received 2 h of nutrition and reproductive health education in small groups (four or five mothers per group) every 2 weeks for 3 consecutive months. This interactive education was given by facilitators using techniques such as lectures, role-playing, simulation, and games. The control group (n = 97) received regular health care services. A structured questionnaire was applied to collect data consisting of maternal characteristics, nutritional and reproductive health knowledge, attitudes, and practices in the intervention and control groups. Data were analysed using t-test and chi-square analysis.ResultsPregnant women in the intervention group indicated a significant increase in knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding nutrition and reproductive health after receiving education. The pre-test and post-test mean scores in the intervention group were 55.1 and 83.1 for overall knowledge, 40.2 and 49.0 for attitudes, and 36.2 and 40.2 for practices, respectively. In the control group, there was no significant difference between the pre-test and post-test mean scores for these three variables. There was a significant difference (P < 0.001) in the post-test mean between the intervention group and the control group, but the difference was not significant (P > 0.05) in the pre-test.ConclusionProviding nutrition and reproductive health education through small groups with interactive methods improves the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of pregnant women. This intervention has the potential to be replicated and developed for large-scale implementation by optimising collaboration between government, non-governmental organizations, and maternal and child health service providers.

The Effect of Listening to Music Presurgery on the Anxiety Level of Individuals who are Planned for Urological Surgery: Randomized Controlled Study

The effect of text message reminders on nausea, vomiting and quality of life in children with cancer receiving cisplatin

Ninth grade students in a rural South Carolina school were pretested about sexuality information, completed a 12-unit reproductive health course in eight months, and were posttested. A control group received the same pretest and posttest. Both groups were retested after the 10th and 11th grades and mean scores were calculated and compared. The difference between the experimental group's pretest and posttest mean scores was 8.49 (p less than .001); the difference between the control group's pretest and posttest mean scores was 1.0 (p = .003). The experimental group's mean score remained at least 5.2 points higher (p less than .001) than the control group's score on the same test one and two years after the course. Comparison of the mean gain between the pretest and posttest scores, and between the pretest and fourth test scores, confirmed the results obtained by mean test scores. The test scores indicated that the knowledge of the experimental students increased significantly and was sustained for two years. Their scores remained significantly higher than those of the control group on the posttest, and on tests one and two years later.

BackgroundIt can be challenging for people with intellectual disabilities to convey their thoughts and opinions because of cognitive, speech and language impairments. Consequently, facilitating their ability to communicate using augmentative and alternative communication methods is essential. The picture‐based framework Talking Mats has been applied in many studies and has been shown to be successful in facilitating communication and soliciting views from individuals with intellectual disabilities and communication difficulties. The aim of this study was to describe the views of students with intellectual disabilities and communication difficulties on speech and reading activities and to examine whether valence scores (from negative to positive) on these views were associated with performance on tests of their corresponding abilities.MethodsThis is a cross‐sectional quantitative survey study. A group of 111 students with intellectual disabilities and communication difficulties aged 7–21 were interviewed about their speech and reading activities using the visual framework Talking Mats. Their answers were scored on a three‐grade like‐dislike continuum and were correlated with their results on adapted tests of the corresponding abilities.FindingsThe students expressed their views on speech and reading activities. The scored views on speech were positively associated with speech production, and the scored views on reading activities were positively related to reading ability. This suggests that their opinions as expressed through Talking Mats were consistent and reliable.ConclusionsMost students with intellectual disabilities and communicative difficulties can reliably express their own opinions of their abilities when they are provided with a clear visual structure and pictorial support, such as Talking Mats. In this study, this was seen for students with a mild intellectual disability from age seven and onwards and for students with a more severe intellectual disability from 12 years of age and onwards.

Autistic children without intellectual disability will likely experience higher level language and communication difficulties. These may appear subtle, in that they are not immediately evident to those who do not know the child well and may not manifest in all environments. Because of this, the impact of such difficulties may be underestimated. This phenomenon has similarly attracted little research attention, meaning the extent to which subtle language and communication difficulties contribute to the needs of autistic individuals without intellectual disability may be underspecified in clinical services. To offer a detailed exploration of how relatively subtle language and communication difficulties impact on autistic children without intellectual disability and what strategies parents recognize can mediate those negative effects. Twelve parents of autistic children from the target group (aged 8-14 years, attending mainstream school) were interviewed about how subtle language and communication difficulties impact their autistic child. Rich accounts were derived then analysed using thematic analysis. Eight of the children discussed had previously been interviewed independently in a parallel study. Comparisons are discussed in this paper. Parents reported heterogeneous but pervasive higher level language and communication difficulties which universally impacted key areas of the children's function: peer relationships, developing independence and performance in education. Communication difficulties were also universally associated with negative emotional responses, social withdrawal and/or negative self-perceptions. While parents identified a range of ad hoc strategies and naturally occurring opportunities that improved outcomes, there was little mention of the means to address primary language and communication difficulties. The current study showed a number of parallels with child accounts, demonstrating the benefits of collecting data from both sources in clinical and research investigations. However, parents were more concerned about longer term implications of language and communication difficulties and highlighted their impact on the child developing functional independence. Subtle language and communication difficulties, typically identified in this higher ability autistic group, can impact significantly on key areas of childhood function. Support strategies seem to be parent generated and inconsistently applied across individuals, without the benefit of coherent specialist services. Dedicated provision and resources targeting areas of functional need may be beneficial to the group. In addition, the commonly reported association between subtle language and communication difficulties and emotional well-being indicates the need for greater exploration using empirical methods, and joined-up clinical working between speech and language therapy and mental health services. What is already known on the subject There is now a wide understanding of how language and communication difficulties can impact the individual. However, where those difficulties are relatively subtle, for example, in children without intellectual disability and where difficulties are not immediately evident, less is known. Research has often speculated on how identified differences in higher level structural language and pragmatic difficulties might impact on the function of autistic children. However, to date dedicated exploration of this phenomenon is limited. The current author group explored first-hand accounts of children. Corroborative evidence from parents of the same children would add further weight to understanding this phenomenon. What this paper adds to the existing knowledge This study provides a detailed exploration of parents' perspective relating to the impact of language and communication difficulties on autistic children without intellectual disability. It provides corroborative detail that support child accounts of the same phenomenon, indicating the impact on peer relationships, school outcomes and emotional well-being. Parents also report functional concerns around the child's ability to develop independence and this paper demonstrates how parents and children might deviate in their accounts, with parents reporting increased concerns around the longer term implications of early language and communication difficulties. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? Relatively subtle language and communication difficulties can have a significant impact on the lives of autistic children without intellectual disability. Greater service provision for this group is therefore indicated. Interventions could focus on areas of functional concern where language is implicated, for example, peer relationships, developing independence and school success. Additionally, the relationship between language and emotional well-being points to further integration between speech and language therapy and mental health services. Differences found between parental and child reports highlight the need to collect data from both parties during clinical investigations. Parental strategies may offer benefits for the wider population.

The persistently high prevalence of dental caries among elementary school children in Indonesia requires serious attention from various stakeholders to enhance their knowledge and awareness in maintaining healthy teeth. Innovative and enjoyable learning media are needed to engage children in learning how to care for their dental health. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of quartet cards in improving dental health knowledge among fourth-grade elementary school students. A quasi-experimental method was employed, with purposive sampling used for participant selection. A total of 62 students participated, comprising 31 students in the experimental group and 31 in the control group. The research instrument consisted of a pretest and posttest questionnaire with 15 validated items using point biserial correlation and Cronbach’s Alpha for reliability testing. Both groups received a lecture on dental health, followed by a quartet card game intervention in the experimental group only. Data analysis included descriptive statistics to determine the mean pretest and posttest scores, followed by a Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test to assess the mean differences. The results indicated a greater increase in mean scores in the experimental group compared to the control group. The experimental group’s mean pretest score was 11.19, and the posttest score was 12.42, while the control group had a mean pretest score of 10.90 and a posttest score of 11.94. The Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test showed a significant increase in knowledge in the experimental group (p = 0.002), whereas the control group did not show a statistically significant improvement (p = 0.145). Playing the dental health quartet card game was found to be effective in enhancing dental health knowledge among elementary school children.

The effectiveness of assertiveness training for school-aged children on bullying and assertiveness level

According to the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, intellectual disability (ID) is defined as disability characterized by significant limitations both in intellectual functioning (reasoning, learning, problem solving) and in adaptive behavior, which covers a range of everyday social and practical skills. This disability originates before the age of 18 (American Association on Intellectual and Development Disabilities, 2012). Due to changes in healthcare in the past 40-70 years, life expectancy has increased for almost all people, including persons with intellectual disabilities. Deinstitutionalization and the civil rights movement of the 1960s and 1970s led to better treatment of persons with ID; less restrictive environments and inclusion in school, work, and living arrangements; and protection from harm that often occurred in large institutions (Doka & Lavin, 2003; World Health Organization, 2000). In 1930, the life expectancy of persons with ID was 18.5 years, and the expected age has increased by over 350% since that time (McCallion & Nickle, 2008). The longer people live, the more opportunities they have to form meaningful relationships and, in turn, experience significant losses.Grief, Loss, and Adults with Intellectual DisabilitiesThe experience of loss is often associated with, but not limited to, the death of a loved one. Treatment of individuals with ID experiencing bereavement may include counseling, changes in environment, and social work techniques (Dowling, Hubert, White, & Hollins, 2006; LoConto & JonesPruett, 2008; Stoddart, Burke, & Temple, 2002; Summers & Witts, 2003). For nearly all people, the experience of a significant loss creates feelings of sadness, grief, and guilt and may seem devastating and unbearable. Although persons with ID experience grief, they may grieve in atypical ways and have difficulty expressing their feelings due to communication impairments. Persons with ID are often well aware of the loss and can experience grief to the same extent as someone without ID, but may not be able to communicate that experience in the same way as the typically developed adult (Kauffman, 1994). This difficulty in communication may contribute to negative behaviors and subsequent frustration for, or misdiagnosis by, caregivers and therapists (Clements, Focht-New, & Faulkner, 2004; MacHale & Carey, 2002). Moreover, persons with ID have limited close relationships and thus fewer identities on which to rely when one of those relationships is ended (LoConto & Jones-Pruett, 2008).In the event of a death, the person with ID may be given incorrect information and/or may not be involved in the funeral process. The explanations for why people leave are often minimized or misrepresented to the person with ID for fear the person with ID would not understand the situation (Clements, Focht-New, & Faulkner, 2004) or because people are often hesitant to give people with ID information that might upset them (Brickell & Munir, 2008, p. 6). This may lead to ineffective or delayed grieving (Clements, Focht-New, & Faulkner, 2004). Clements, Focht-New, and Faulkner suggested that persons with ID may benefit from straightforward explanations when experiencing loss. Persons with ID are sometimes excluded from bereavement rituals due to concerns that they will behave inappropriately, display too much emotion, or interfere with the rituals. A study of funeral directors revealed a lack of knowledge and experience of inclusion of persons with ID in funeral rituals (Raji, Hollins, & Drennan, 2003).Treatment of Bereaved Individuals with Intellectual DisabilitiesResearchers and clinicians have recently begun to explore and understand the implications of grief and bereavement on individuals with ID (Dowling, Hubert, White, & Hollins, 2006; LoConto & jones-Pruett, 2008; Stoddart, Burke, & Temple, 2002; Summers & Witts, 2003). …

Background: A training course on burn infection and care is one of the courses that medical students take during their internship. This training course has not yet been taught through e-learning in medical schools in Iran. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the effects of two methods: traditional lecturing and employing a vid-cast with interactive electronic content, on the knowledge of interns in a training course on burns. Methods: This quasi-experimental study with a pre-post non-equivalent group design was conducted among medical interns taking burn rotation training courses at the Motahari burn hospital, affiliated with the Iran University of Medical Sciences. The two groups were given a pre-test at the beginning of the course. One group was given in-person lectures, and the other was given the same content in the form of a vid-cast with interactive electronic files. At the end of the rotation course, a post-test was administered on the planned content, and scores of both groups were compared. Results: The pre-test mean scores in the lecture group before and after the training intervention were 8 and 14.2, respectively; this difference was significant (P&lt;0.001). The difference between the pre-test and post-test mean scores in the vid-cast group was also significant (P&lt;0.001).The mean of post-test scores in the lecture group was 14.92 and 17.24 in the e-learning group; this difference was also significant (P&lt;0.001). Conclusion: Post-test scores in the e-learning group were higher with a significant statistical difference, suggesting that the e-learning outperformed their counterparts in the traditional lecture model. It is recommended that e-learning be used either as a supplementary or the main method of training in burn infection and care for interns.

Introduction The global surge in mental health issues, particularly among the youth, is evident. Despite the proliferation of digital mental health services, their adoption remains limited, hindered by various barriers. To address this issue, an evidence-based, validated digital mental health intervention is necessary. Although much research has explored the effectiveness of such interventions, there was limited evidence supporting those within the youth population. The objective of this research is to assess the effects of aninterventional module on depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms among youths. Methods The EduMind online mental health intervention contents were developed from a needs assessment and a scoping review of effective psychotherapies, achieving a high content validation index (CVI) of 0.96. The contents were integrated into a web application to assess its effectiveness among the target population which consisted of university students of a local institution. A quasi-experimental study compared the intervention group (n=264) to a waitlist-control group (n=200), evaluating changes in mental health status with the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale 21 (DASS-21) questionnaire using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) to analyse mean differences. Results Participants in the intervention group indicated a significant decrease (p< 0.001) in depression, anxiety, and stress. The pre-test and post-test mean scores in the intervention group were 15.81 and 8.97 for depression, 11.46 and 7.02 for anxiety and 14.64 and 6.33 for stress, respectively. In the control group, there was no significant difference between the pre-test and post-test mean scores for depression. However, there was a slight significant reduction for anxiety with pre- and post-test scores of13.31 and 12.95. Stress mean scores exhibited a slight increase, rising from 13.55 to 14.24. The final phase revealed significant improvements in mental health status between groups, with significant effect sizes for stress (ƞp2= 0.57, p < 0.001), depression (ƞp2= 0.71, p < 0.001), and anxiety (ƞp2= 0.27, p < 0.001). Conclusion The findings contribute to the advancement of technology-assisted health services, facilitating greater uptake among the population.This study utilized a comprehensive module development framework and demonstrated the effectiveness of the expert-guided mental health intervention module.Furthermore, the study suggests potential integration with the National Strategic Plan for Mental Health 2020-2025 and the National Mental Health Policy, proposing the web application as a potential compulsory student screening tool administered by universities. The information gathered by this application could inform future research directions, propelling technological-assisted mental health services to new heights.

Learning disabilities: Interventions and clinical issues

True experimental pretest-posttest control group research design was conducted in the antenatal clinic of the host institution among 60 postpartum caesarean mothers. All 60 samples were randomly assigned to either the intervention group or the placebo group by using the lottery method, 30 in the interventional group and 30 in the placebo group. For the interventional group, On Day 1, demographic and clinical data were collected from the study participants, followed by that, they were instructed to consume 10 palm dates per day for about 28 days. For the placebo group- On Day 1 routine hospital care was initiated for about 28 days. On Day- 29, study participants were re-assessed for the volume of breast milk secretion using an electronic breast pump, breast milk secretion checklist and newborn feeding adequacy checklist in both interventional and placebo groups. The study results concluded that the pretest and posttest mean scores of breast milk secretion in the interventional group were 6.26±1.63 and 68.36±23.24. The mean difference score was 23.21. The calculated paired ‘t’ test value of t = 14.650 was statistically significant at p&lt;0.001 level. The pretest and posttest mean scores of newborn feeding adequacy in the interventional group were 2.23±0.67 and 7.73±1.70. The mean difference score was 5.50. The calculated paired ‘t’ test value of t = 17.544 was statistically significant at p&lt;0.001 level. There was a significant effect of consuming palm dates that enhanced the volume of breast milk secretion, during postpartum caesarean section.