Community Living Skills Research Articles

Cognition, Symptomatology, and Community Living Skills in Schizophrenia

Background: Independence in community living is an important aspect of rehabilitation in schizophrenia. Previous studies investigating relationships of coginitive, symptomatic, and demographic factors in community living ability of schizophrenia showed inconsistent findings. These findings may be due to variations in functional measures used or a heterogenous sample of participants recruited. Aim: To investigate the relationships of cognitive, symptomatic and demographic factors with community living skills for people with schizophrenia living in supported living facilities. Method: This is a cross-sectional study. Thirty-seven adults with schizophrenia and 32 matched healthy controls were recruited. Both groups completed the Verbal Fluency Test, subtests of Cognistat, and the Color Trail Test. Additional assessments (i.e., Chinese version of St. Louis Inventory of Community Living Skills – SLICLS-C and Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale – PANSS) were used to evaluate participants with schizophrenia. Cognitive profile was compared between the two groups. Correlation analysis was used to explore the relationships of cognitive abilities, symptomatology, and demographic factors with community living skills in schizophrenia. Results: Results showed that participants with schizophrenia performed worse than the control group in verbal fluency, visual memory, immediate memory, delayed memory, and executive function tests. Significant moderate correlations between SLICLS-C score and participants’ years of education, positive symptoms, general psychopathology, and PANSS total score were identified. Discussions and conclusion: Results indicated cognitive impairments are persistent in schizophrenia who are in remission and have been partially integrated back into the community. Cognitive deficits that people with schizophrenia experience might be stable over most of the course of the illness. Participants’ years of education, positive symptoms, general psychopathology, and PANSS total score might be important moderating variables to include in future investigations related to predicting community living performance in schizophrenia.

Participant Outcomes and Facilitator Experiences Following a Community Living Skills Program for Adult Mental Health Consumers

Outcomes from participating in a six-week small-group living skills program, periodically implemented over two years with twelve adult mental health consumers, are reported as a case study. Occupational therapy and recovery-oriented approaches underpinned the development and implementation of the program thus it was important that outcome measures aligned with these perspectives. Data were gathered pre and post program using the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) and the Life Skills Profile-16 (LSP-16) in each iteration of the program. Two occupational therapy program facilitators were interviewed about their experience of running the program and using these measurement tools. COPM occupational performance (p = 0.001) and COPM satisfaction (p = 0.004) scores indicated significant change at post-program whereas the LSP-16 total and subscale scores did not (p = 0.132 for total scores). Facilitator insights into the experience of implementing the living skills program and the perceived alignment of the COPM and LSP-16 with recovery-oriented practice are reported.

Adaptive Behaviour Empowerment of Children with Disabilities in Pertubuhan Pemulihan Dalam Komuniti (PPDK)

Adaptive behaviour is a conceptual, practical, and social skill that each individual uses in daily life. This study focuses on the empowerment of adaptive behaviour among children with disabilities in the Pertubuhan Pemulihan Dalam Komuniti (PPDK) or Community Rehabilitation Organisation in the district of Kubang Pasu, Kedah, Malaysia. The objective of the study is to examine the differences in the adaptive skills of children with disabilities based on the category of People with Disabilities (PWDs). This is a quantitative study using a survey method that involves parents or guardians of children at PPDK. A total of 95 respondents were involved in this study from the total population of 137 disabled trainees. The questionnaire was based on and modified from the Inventory for Client and Agency Planning (ICAP) which covered adaptive behaviours based on motor skills, social and communication skills, personal life skills, and community life skills. The analysis found that motor skills, communication and social skills, and personal life skills are different for all categories of PWDs. Only community life skills are similar for all categories of PWDs. Overall, this study found that PPDK can enable the adaptive behaviour of children with disabilities for participating in formal education.

INNOVATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION: SERVICE LEARNING

The article is dedicated to service learning – a popular and innovative method of teaching and learning that aims at bridging the academic and non-academic environments, introducing students to real-life challenges faced by local community, enhancing students’ social responsibility, empathy, leadership etc. Service learning is a comprehensive holistic approach that mixes traditional academic learning with community engagement, research, civic education, value-based and life skills learning, nurturing inclusion and diversity. Community service is distinctly linked to the curriculum and the subject area of the study programme; theoretical learning is complemented by service that augments students’ specific and general (transversal) competences. Service should be genuine, meet the real needs of a community, merge learning with practical activity and target personal development of service beneficiaries who are actively engaged. Students, though they work under guidance and coordination of their teachers, are expected to play an active role in service learning planning, delivery, monitoring and evaluation; they should demonstrate leadership and agency during service learning. Service learning is a flexible and allowing for variability teaching and learning method, which precipitates its effectiveness and attractiveness. Implementation of service learning in Ukrainian universities seems rational and essential as it can provide impetus for revision and modernization of study programmes, complement cognitive learning with social-emotional learning, augment links with stakeholders, involve students into real-life problem-solving, influence their outlook and encourage students to change the world for the better.

Can community service grants foster social and economic integration for youth? A randomized trial in Kazakhstan

Integrating youth into communities and labor markets is a major challenge for developing countries, and incentives for community service are an increasingly popular tool to achieve this goal. We use a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the Kazakhstan Youth Corps (KYC), a program comprising cash grants for community service projects and life skills training, on social capital for a sample of youth aged 18–29. We find little evidence that engaging youth in civic service and training has any positive effects one year post-intervention; there is no shift in attitudinal indices of social capital and no reported increase in volunteering or donations. Moreover, there is no effect of the intervention on secondary outcomes (life skills and human capital), and some evidence of a negative effect of the training-only intervention on the probability of reporting any income-earning activity.

HIV-sensitive social protection services in mitigating the challenges and vulnerability of the children affected by HIV/AIDS in Bangladesh: a qualitative study

ABSTRACT Children are particularly vulnerable to the consequences of HIV/AIDS. This paper reports on the challenges faced by children due to their or their parents’ HIV/AIDS status and the role of HIV-sensitive social protection in mitigating these challenges. We conducted 32 semi-structured in-depth interviews – 15 with children affected by HIV/AIDS (aged 13–18 years) and 17 with parents of children aged 10–12 years. We found children face significant challenges associated with poverty, gender norms, stigma, and lack of social support which affect their rights to education, shelter, treatment, and food. HIV-sensitive social protection packages such as conditional cash transfer, counselling, and community sensitization help continuation of education, facilitate access to treatment and social protection services, reduce stigma in the community and improve wellbeing of children. Children’s accessibility to these services was limited due to distance, transport expenses, poor health conditions of the parents, gender issues, and stigma. HIV-sensitive social protection is effective in improving children’s wellbeing. Continuation and expansion of HIV-sensitive social protection packages including conditional cash transfer, psychosocial counselling, and community sensitization and life skills training to facilitate HIV/AIDS affected children’s wellbeing and inclusion is recommended.

Factors associated with post-college success for foster care alumni college graduates

A college education can provide many benefits, including a pathway out of poverty, for young people with foster care experience (also known as foster care alumni). However, there is an incomplete understanding about (a) how best to support foster care alumni and what works in campus-based support programs and related postsecondary support services, (b) how they are doing after completing a postsecondary program, and (c) how experiences and supports during college are related to post-graduation student outcomes. This cross-sectional survey study examines during-college factors associated with better employment, financial, and mental health-related outcomes for 262 college graduates who are foster care alumni and participants in the Casey Family Scholarship Program or the Foster Care to Success’s national scholarship program in the United States. It does so through the lens of the seven life domains identified in the It’s My Life framework for youth transitioning from foster care to successful adulthood. The during-college life domains that were found to have the most associations with post-college outcomes were (a) Supportive Relationships and Community Connections and (b) Life Skills, followed by (c) Physical and Mental Health. In addition, race/ethnicity was found to be associated with every post-college life domain, with Black participants in particular reporting more negative outcomes than white participants. Study findings provide a better understanding of which life domains during college are more strongly associated with post-college success, which can be used to strengthen postsecondary support programs and other transition support programming for youth aging out of care during their postsecondary tenure. Additionally, efforts must continue to address systemic racism in an ongoing pursuit of racial equity.

The Neurological Predictor Scale Predicts Adaptive Functioning via Executive Dysfunction in Young Adult Survivors of Childhood Brain Tumor.

Survivors of childhood brain tumors experience neurological sequelae that disrupt everyday adaptive functioning (AF) skills. The Neurological Predictor Scale (NPS), a cumulative measure of tumor treatments and sequelae, predicts cognitive outcomes, but findings on its relation to informant-reported executive dysfunction (ED) and AF are mixed. Given known effects of frontal-subcortical system disruptions on AF, this study assessed the NPS' relationship with AF as mediated by frontal systems dysfunction, measured by the Frontal Systems Behavior Scale (FrSBe). 75 participants (Mage = 23.5, SDage = 4.5) were young adult survivors of childhood brain tumors at least 5 years past diagnosis. FrSBe and Scales of Independent Behavior-Revised (SIB-R), a measure of AF, were administered to informants. Parallel multiple mediator models included Apathy and ED as mediators, and age at diagnosis and time between diagnosis and assessment as covariates. More complex treatment and sequelae were correlated with poorer functioning. Mediation models were significant for all subscales: Motor Skills (MS), p=.0001; Social Communication (SC), p=.002; Personal Living (PL), p=.004; Community Living (CL), p=.007. The indirect effect of ED on SC and CL was significant; the indirect effect of Apathy was not significant for any subscales. More complex tumor treatment and sequelae were associated with poorer long-term AF via increased ED. Cognitive rehabilitation programs may focus on the role of executive function and initiation that contribute to AF, particularly SC and CL skills, to help survivors achieve comparable levels of independence in everyday function as their peers.

Exploring forensic service users’ experience of participating in a community life skills and work-readiness programme

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide insight into the experiences of individuals with a criminal history of participating in a community life skills and work-readiness programme.Design/methodology/approachSemi-structured interviews were conducted with seven individuals that have a criminal history who were participating, or had previously participated, in a community life skills and work-readiness programme. This data was analysed by interpretative phenomenological analysis.FindingsFour superordinate themes emerged, these were: “need to change”, “changing identity”, “giving back to the community” and “a sense of belonging”. These themes are discussed in relation to desistance literature and the Good Lives Model.Practical implicationsThis research identifies through the participants’ narratives that engaging with the programme appeared to facilitate the desistance process. The importance of community programmes that provide participants skills and social integration must be acknowledged.Originality/valueThere is limited research on the experiences of forensic services users’ experiences of community programmes, especially those that are not aimed specifically at ex-offenders. The results of this research can be used to enhance services and identify further research areas.

Functional basic reading skills in Williams syndrome

ABSTRACTThis study investigated whether individuals with Williams syndrome (WS) can attain a functional level of basic reading skills. The Study also investigated broader cognitive factors associated with reading ability in individuals with WS. Thirty individuals with WS participated in this study (mean chronological age 21 years and mean mental age 7 years 7 months). The results supported our hypotheses that: firstly, reading abilities would be heterogeneous in WS; secondly, at least some WS individuals are capable of achieving a functional basic reading level; and thirdly, on average, WS individuals would find reading of nonwords more difficult than reading of regular and irregular words. Moreover, higher reading ability was found to be associated with increased outcomes in adaptive functioning, in particular, Written and Expressive Communication skills and Community Living skills, highlighting the potential benefits of developing reading abilities in WS. Although Intelligence Quotient (IQ) was related to overall basic reading ability generally, it was not found to be a determining factor in reading subtypes. Several cognitive skills known to be related to reading ability in typically developing individuals were found to be associated with reading performance and reading subtypes. Implications for appropriate reading instruction are discussed.

The Effects of Young Children’s Socio-Demographic Variables and Pro-Social Behaviors on Community Living Skills in Early Childhood Educational Settings

The Effects of Young Children’s Socio-Demographic Variables and Pro-Social Behaviors on Community Living Skills in Early Childhood Educational Settings

The impacts of mothers’ attitudes toward communication with early childhood teachers and community life skills on mother-teacher collaboration

The impacts of mothers’ attitudes toward communication with early childhood teachers and community life skills on mother-teacher collaboration

Using Growth Curve Analysis to Examine Challenges in Instrumentation in Longitudinal Measurement in Home Visiting

Home visitation programs aim to decrease child maltreatment, yet limited longitudinal data exists concerning their screening and assessment instruments. “At risk” families (N = 2,054) were screened using the Family Stress Checklist and referred to Healthy Families Indiana. The Home Observation Measurement of the Environment Scale (HOME) and Community Life Skills Scale (CLS) were administered at multiple intervals. Growth curve analyses indicate families with lower HOME and CLS scores received more home visits and visits between assessments. However, these instruments may have “ceiling effects” and may be unsuitable for longitudinal assessment and program evaluation. Programmatic changes were made based on evaluation results.

Adaptive behaviour in Angelman syndrome: its profile and relationship to age

Angelman syndrome (AS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder usually caused by an anomaly in the maternally inherited chromosome 15. The main features are severe intellectual disability, speech impairment, ataxia, epilepsy, sleep disorder and a behavioural phenotype that reportedly includes happy disposition, attraction to/fascination with water and hypermotoric behaviour. We studied the level of adaptive behaviour and the adaptive behavioural profile in the areas of 'motor skills', 'language and communication', 'personal life skills' and 'community life skills' in a group of 25 individuals with genetically confirmed AS, to determine whether there is a specific adaptive behaviour profile. None of the individuals, whatever their chronological age, had reached a developmental age of 3 years. A specific adaptive behaviour profile was found, with 'personal life skills' emerging as relative strengths and 'social and communication skills' as weaknesses.

Aboriginal Children and Their Caregivers Living with Low Income: Outcomes from a Two-Generation Preschool Program

The development of preschool children of Aboriginal heritage is jeopardized by the inter-generational transmission of risk that has created, and continues to create, social disadvantage. Early intervention programs are intended to mitigate the impact of social disadvantage. Yet, evidence of the effectiveness of these programs for children of Aboriginal heritage is limited. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a two-generation, multi-cultural preschool program on 45 children of Aboriginal heritage and their caregivers. We used a single-group, pretest (program intake)/posttest (program exit) design with follow-up when the children were 7 years old. We used an observational measure of child receptive language (Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test–III) and caregiver-reported measures of child development (Nipissing District Developmental Screen), risk for child maltreatment (Adult-Adolescent Parenting Inventory; AAPI), parenting stress (Parenting Stress Index; PSI), self-esteem (Rosenberg Self-Esteem scale; RSE), and life skills (Community Life Skills scale; CLS). Using paired t-tests we found statistically significant increases in child receptive language scores between intake and exit, and repeated-measures ANOVA showed that these improvements were maintained up to age 7 years. For caregivers, Pearson’s correlations demonstrated that risk for child maltreatment, parenting stress, self-esteem, and life skills were stable over time. Results of this study suggest that children of Aboriginal heritage can benefit from participation in a two-generation, multi-cultural preschool program. Their caregivers may have received greater benefit if issues of intergenerational transmission of the negative influences of residential schools were addressed as part of programming.

Measuring Participation as Defined by the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health: An Evaluation of Existing Measures

Resnik L, Plow M. Measuring participation as defined by the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health: an evaluation of existing measures. Objectives The content and theoretic underpinning of measures designed to assess participation, disability, and handicap vary widely, and few authors have attempted to compare the content of existing measures. The objectives of this study were to use the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) taxonomy to (1) evaluate the participation content of measures and (2) identify the most comprehensive measures. Design We searched PubMed, Cumulated Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and Health and Psychosocial Instruments databases to identify appropriate measures. Content analysis was conducted by classifying participation-related items of each measure into 1 or more of the 9 activities and participation chapters of the ICF taxonomy. Setting Not applicable. Participants We evaluated 40 generic and condition-specific self-report measures that met study inclusion criteria. Interventions Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures The most comprehensive measures were identified and coded by using second- and third-level ICF codes. Results Five measures containing participation items linked to all 9 chapters were the Community Living Skills Scale, the Assessment of Life Habits, Mayo-Portland Adaptability Inventory, the participation measure for postacute care, and the Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness Scale. The breadth and coverage of these 5 measures were compared. Conclusions We identified 5 measures that had items that were linkable to all 9 chapters of activities and participation; however, these measures differed in specifics of coverage and the approach to assessing participation. These findings can be used by clinicians and researchers to select the most comprehensive participation outcome measure for their populations.

Relations between Emotion Regulation and Adaptive Functioning in Children and Adolescents with Williams Syndrome

Relations between Emotion Regulation and Adaptive Functioning in Children and Adolescents with Williams Syndrome

Children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders: A Descriptive Profile of Adaptive Function

Children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) demonstrate neurobehavioral impairments that affect function and participation. Adaptive behavior deficits have been documented; however, specific functional profiles are less well described. This study compared caregiver-reported adaptive and maladaptive behaviors between a clinic-referred sample of 25 five- through eight-year-old children with FASD and a sample of 23 children with typical development. Children with FASD were rated significantly lower on the Scales of Independent Behavior-Revised in social interaction and communication, personal-living skills, and community-living skills and significantly higher on maladaptive behavior scales. Exploratory contrasts revealed strengths and needs within specific functional domains, along with the need for more support and supervision than peers with typical development to perform day-to-day adaptive skills and manage behavior. Children with FASD and their caregivers need support for daily activities involving personal and social performance. Awareness of specific strengths and needs can guide interventions that promote function and participation.

Adaptive functioning and depressive symptoms in school‐aged children

This paper is a report of a secondary data analysis to the hypothesis that a child's resourcefulness moderates the relationships between the primary female caregiver's variables (depressive symptoms and learned resourcefulness) and the child's outcomes (depressive symptoms and adaptive functioning). School-aged children between 10 and 12 years of age are at an important stage of development characterized by dramatic biological and psychosocial challenges. Maladaptive functioning and depressive symptoms increase markedly in this stage. To prevent long-term effects of depressive symptoms and impaired adaptive functioning, identifying moderators of the relationship between stress and these mental health indicators is critical. A secondary analysis was conducted in 2004 using the data obtained in 2000 from a community-based sample of 122 school students aged 10-12 years and their primary female caregivers in four suburban public schools in Northeastern Ohio. Instruments included the Self-Control Schedule, Beck Depression Inventory, the Children's version of the Self-Control Schedule, the Children's Community Living Skills Scale, and the Children's Depression Inventory. Children's resourcefulness significantly moderated the relationship between their female caregiver's depressive symptoms and their own adaptive functioning (P<0.01). Children's resourcefulness had a statistically significant impact on depressive symptoms and adaptive functioning (P<0.001). The key to reducing depressive symptoms and enhancing adaptive functioning among middle school children is to build their resourcefulness skills, especially in children whose female caregivers are depressed. This is an important role for school nurses.

The Behavioral Assessment Scale: A Measure of Community Living Skills

This study reports the development of a community living skills measure of long-term care AIDS residents. Community living skills impact numbers and types of care providers needed. The Behavioral Assessment Scale (BAS) used multiple sources of validity evidence to ensure community living skills construct representation. The BAS was piloted in four diverse long-term care facilities. Nurses rated residents using the BAS and the Nurse Perception Scale (NPS)-another community living skills measure. Researchers rated residents' community living skills through medical record notations (Interdisciplinary Notation Scale [INS]). Reliability coefficients over .6 (p < .001) were reported for the BAS in both the total sample and the individual samples. Evidence-based validity of the BAS was obtained via coefficients from the total sample (.422 [BAS and INS] and .526 [BAS and NPS], with p < .001 for both relationships), Cronbach's alpha (.851 for all community living skills tools), analysis of variance, and regression results. The BAS was substantiated for long-term care practice with AIDS residents.