Terms Of Disability Research Articles

AN EXAMINATION OF THE STUDIES CONDUCTED ON THE FIELD OF READING SKILLS OF STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES

The aim of this research is to examine the studies conducted between 2014 and 2020 on the field of reading skills of students with learning disabilities in terms of various variables. For this purpose, a total of 20 studies, 10 master's and 10 doctoral theses, were analyzed by the researchers in the database of the National Thesis Center of the Council of Higher Education. The content analysis method was used to examine the studies conducted in the field of reading skills of students with learning disabilities. All of these studies were obtained by providing direct access to the database of the National Dissertation Center. The studies examined were analyzed in terms of variables such as the thesis advisor, the year of publication of the thesis, the thesis level, the department where the thesis was made, the institute and the university to which it was affiliated, the title of thesis advisor, the participant characteristics of the thesis, the number of participants in the thesis, the thesis data collection tools, the data analysis method of the thesis, the data analysis design of the thesis, number of domestic and foreign bibliography and number of keywords, and studies in the field of reading skills of students with learning disabilities were revealed.
 Keywords: learning disability, reading skill, content analysis.
 

MO058: Do Renal Biopsies Assist Understanding of Loin Pain Hematuria Syndrome?

Abstract BACKGROUND AND AIMS Loin pain-hematuria syndrome (LPHS) first described in 1967 is a complex and poorly understood rare disease, with a prevalence of 0.012%. It predominantly affects young women in their late 20s and early 30s2. Patients with LPHS experience extreme flank (loin) pain that can be unilateral or bilateral, along with gross or microscopic hematuria. In most cases, the pain is so severe that the patients are forced to quit their jobs, become opiate dependent, need antidepressants, require long term disability and a proportion contemplate committing suicide. Due to inadequate understanding of the pathophysiology of LPHS, the goal of management has been limited to symptomatic relief and pain management. As there are still gaps in our understanding of glomerular hematuria, we opted to assess the histopathological features of kidney biopsies of 14 LPHS patients to evaluate the correlation of glomerular basement membrane (GBM) alterations with hematuria and pain. METHOD In this cross-sectional study, 14 patients with LPHS underwent kidney biopsies. Demographic data (sex, age, ethnicity, weight and height), renal biomarkers (urine blood, urine protein and serum creatinine) and comorbidities were obtained prior to the procedure. The kidney biopsies were investigated under light microscopy, immunofluorescence microscopy and electron microscopy. Descriptive statistics were used to report baseline characteristics and histology findings. RESULTS All 14 patients were female, with median age 37 years. About 78.6% of the patients were Caucasian. None of the 14 patients had an abnormal glomerular filtration rate or an elevated albumin creatinine ratio (>3 mg/mmoL). 11/14 patients had macroscopic hematuria with 7/11 reporting gross hematuria with exacerbations of loin pain. 5/14 patients showed evidence of endothelial injury. Of the 14 patients, 1/14 had an insufficient sample, 1/13 had thick glomerular basement membrane, 1/13 had IgA nephropathy and 11/13 had normal GBM (Table 1). Regardless of GBM thickness, most patients had RBC cells ± casts implying glomerular leak. There was no evidence of podocyte injury. The presence of endothelial cell injury by electron microscopy may suggest a role for vascular damage in the pathogenesis of at least a subgroup of LPHS patients. CONCLUSION The array of histological changes identified in our study offers some understanding of the hematuria component but cannot explain pain as most patients did not have histological evidence of interstitial edema. In conclusion, our findings indicate that there is an urgent need for advanced understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying the heterogeneity of this disease. In our next phase of the study, we intend to compare gene signatures of LPHS patients with patients with isolated hematuria (without pain) to help enhance our understanding of unique genetic predisposing factors to this disease.

Perceived health versus perceived disability among individuals with lower limb amputation and its associating factors: evidence from an exploratory study in Mumbai and Kolkata, India

Background: Self-rated health (SRH) has been used to predict the perception of health in objective measures. Understanding the perception of disability goes beyond simple perception of health. Lower limb amputation and locomotors disability has been studied in various aspects, however, measurement of the extent of disability in a single term has hardly been done. This study aims to find the difference between perceived health (SRH) and perceived disability self-rated disability (SRD) and its association with demographic and socio-economic factors.Methods: A primary study has been conducted on 270 adult lower limb amputees in Mumbai and Kolkata following mixed methodology approach. Descriptive statistics, correlations and narration were used to measure the SRH and SRD among individuals with lower limb amputation.Results: The 63% of respondents have achieved good SRH, while only 43% have achieved good SRD. Prosthetics satisfaction, perceived support, perceived body shape, and level of education influence the SRH and SRD. Health components explain SRH, whereas, functional components explain SRD more.Conclusions: SRD can be better in analyzing the coping with the disability status, and promoting the role of health care and rehabilitation programs. It can be used not only for the population having disability, but in a larger population with functional restrictions that can be used to address the health care need.

P263 Autoantibodies in ankylosing spondylitis: a systematic literature review

Abstract Background/Aims Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory arthritis leading to long term disability. It is frequently diagnosed late when irreversible damage has already occurred. Unlike most autoimmune rheumatological diseases, there are no known autoantibodies associated with AS; this can confound the diagnostic challenge as diagnosis depends not only on symptoms but on finding evidence of active inflammation at the time of assessment or damage from previously active disease. Our aim was to determine the extent to which autoantibodies may be pathognomonic of AS. Methods A systematic literature review was conducted to identify all articles reporting on autoantibodies in AS. The protocol was preregistered on PROSPERO. Articles were screened and reviewed independently by two reviewers. Disagreements were solved by consensus. Data were extracted and the MINORS (Methodological Index for Non-Randomised Studies) tool was used to assess and compare the quality of the studies. Data were pooled in a narrative synthesis. Results 743 papers were identified after removal of duplicates. Following review of abstracts, 31 full text articles were assessed for eligibility and 18 were excluded, leaving 13 studies to be included in the final systematic review. 12 articles looked at 14 biomarkers; one article looked at 2 high density nucleic acid protein arrays expressing 3,498 proteins. Samples sizes were small and the papers were found to be of modest quality. AS patients showed a wide-ranging autoantibody response across studies. One study found that 60% of autoantibodies detected were found only in the AS cohort versus the rheumatoid arthritis cohort and heathy controls. Antibodies against HLA-B27, pANCA, CD74, OmpC, collagens, PPM1A, noggin, sclerostin, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Breg cells were found more commonly in AS patients than in controls (both healthy controls and those with other autoimmune diseases). Antibodies to human tTG and anti DFS70 were not found to be associated with AS and there was conflicting evidence regarding the association of antibodies to the cell-wall mannan of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (ASCA) in AS from different papers. Conclusion Although many autoantibodies have been found among persons with AS, there is currently no evidence that any are specifically and independently associated with the disease. We therefore conclude that as yet no autoantibodies can be considered to be pathognomonic for AS. However, some autoantibodies may be clinically significant and combined with other biomarkers, such as HLA-B27, may prove fruitful in reducing the delay to diagnosis. Further work should seek to explore other avenues, in particular autoantibodies in closely related diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease, to try to determine autoantibodies that may aid in the earlier diagnosis of this chronic disease. Disclosure E.J. Davies: None. G.T. Jones: None. R. Sengupta: Honoraria; Received grants, honoraria, and expenses for attendance at advisory board meetings or conferences and for giving lectures from AbbVie, Biogen, Celgene, Lilly, MSD, Novartis, Roche and UCB. Grants/research support; Received grants, honoraria, and expenses for attendance at advisory board meetings or conferences and for giving lectures from AbbVie, Biogen, Celgene, Lilly, MSD, Novartis, Roche and UCB.

Studentu vajadzību izvērtējums iekļaujošas augstākās izglītības nodrošināšanai

Global, European, and Latvian inclusion and education policy documents set out the conditions and recommendations for ensuring inclusive education at all levels. The increase in the number of students with disabilities in higher education and the challenges they face in the educational process highlights the need for inclusive higher education and identification of students' individual needs and the type of support and adaptation required for the implementation of inclusive higher education. The results of the theoretical analysis show that in international policy documents, European and Latvian legislation, as well as in scientific literature, the terms disability, and special educational needs are often used in a similar context. At the same time, different countries in the European Union have different concepts and understandings of disability, and special needs are defined differently in legislation of different countries. For to identify students' special needs/ requirements for inclusive higher education, an evaluation tool was developed in the first phase of the partnership project, which included questions on each of the key elements of an inclusive environment – accessible information environment, accessible physical environment, adapted learning process and inclusive emotional environment. In the evaluation tool development process, based on a universal design for research approach, four principles were taken into account: clear and comprehensible survey instructions, transparent, easy-to-understand framework and simple wording, mainly closed questions, survey completion time (up to 10 minutes), and clear and understandable answer menus. The evaluation tool can be used for collecting research data in the second phase of the partnership project and can be used in higher education and secondary schools to identify the needs of students for providing inclusive education.

Therapeutic exercise in the management of lateral elbow tendinopathy

Lateral elbow tendinopathy is the most common cause of pain in this joint.Although it is also widely known as ‘tennis elbow’ as it affects 50% of tennis players, especially beginners who learn the one-handed backhand, LET often develops as a work-related condition and therefore constitutes a serious public health problem: only 10% of all affected patients play tennis.The typical clinical presentation is characterized by pain and reduction of strength and function with considerable repercussions on daily activities. Although signs and symptoms of LET are clear, as well as the definition of the diagnosis, to date no ideal treatment has yet emerged; clinicians advocate a conservative approach as the first choice of management and physiotherapy, with its wide range of treatments, is commonly recommended: therapeutic exercise has shown good clinical results and the goal of this review is to evaluate its effectiveness in the management of the aforementioned clinical picture.For the realization of this revision was made reference to the guidelines for reporting systematic reviews PRISMA Statement (PRISMA-P checklist).Randomized clinical trials were identified using strings, which were specifically constituted on each used database: MEDLINE, Cochrane Library and PEDro. After the elimination of repeated articles from the search in the various databases and studies that did not meet the inclusion criteria, the selection took place by reading the title, abstract and full text. Subsequently, the evaluation of the internal validity of the studies was carried out with the Rob 2.0 of the Cochrane Collaboration.The strings produced a total of 1418 items. After reading the title, abstract and full text, only 12 works were really relevant to the research question and containing the pre-established inclusion criteria.Therapeutic exercise has been found to be the safest, cheapest and most effective means in the management of lateral elbow tendinopathy; all the included trials have precisely outlined the dosage, type and principle of application in different populations without restrictions of the time of onset of symptoms. Unsupervised isometric exercise demonstrated a considerable reduction in pain and disability in the short term. Eccentric exercise, the most contemplated type, was effective in reducing the painful symptom and increasing the grip strength. Stretching, a valid therapeutic strategy often associated with other modes of intervention, has recorded significant benefits related to painless grip strength, function and VAS, overlapping with the results obtained in the comparison groups.However, the heterogeneity of the trials included for the type administered, the size of the samples examined and the type of outcomes considered, makes it difficult to extract an objective and clear answer to the clinical question. Better targeting clinical practice in LET management is the goal of future research, defining exercise programs with statistically and/or clinically significant superiority.

Therapeutic exercise in the management of lateral elbow tendinopathy

Lateral elbow tendinopathy is the most common cause of pain in this joint. Although it is also widely known as 'tennis elbow' as it affects 50% of tennis players, especially beginners who learn the one-handed backhand, LET often develops as a work-related condition and therefore constitutes a serious public health problem: only 10% of all affected patients play tennis. The typical clinical presentation is characterized by pain and reduction of strength and function with considerable repercussions on daily activities. Although signs and symptoms of LET are clear, as well as the definition of the diagnosis, to date no ideal treatment has yet emerged; clinicians advocate a conservative approach as the first choice of management and physiotherapy, with its wide range of treatments, is commonly recommended: therapeutic exercise has shown good clinical results and the goal of this review is to evaluate its effectiveness in the management of the aforementioned clinical picture. for the realization of this revision was made reference to the guidelines for reporting systematic reviews PRISMA Statement (PRISMA-P checklist). Randomized clinical trials were identified using strings, which were specifically constituted on each used database: MEDLINE, Cochrane Library and PEDro. After the elimination of repeated articles from the search in the various databases and studies that did not meet the inclusion criteria, the selection took place by reading the title, abstract and full text. Subsequently, the evaluation of the internal validity of the studies was carried out with the Rob 2.0 of the Cochrane Collaboration. The strings produced a total of 1418 items. After reading the title, abstract and full text, only 12 works were really relevant to the research question and containing the pre-established inclusion criteria. Therapeutic exercise has been found to be the safest, cheapest and most effective means in the management of lateral elbow tendinopathy; all the included trials have precisely outlined the dosage, type and principle of application in different populations without restrictions of the time of onset of symptoms. Unsupervised isometric exercise demonstrated a considerable reduction in pain and disability in the short term. Eccentric exercise, the most contemplated type, was effective in reducing the painful symptom and increasing the grip strength. Stretching, a valid therapeutic strategy often associated with other modes of intervention, has recorded significant benefits related to painless grip strength, function and VAS, overlapping with the results obtained in the comparison groups. However, the heterogeneity of the trials included for the type administered, the size of the samples examined and the type of outcomes considered, makes it difficult to extract an objective and clear answer to the clinical question. Better targeting clinical practice in LET management is the goal of future research, defining exercise programs with statistically and/or clinically significant superiority.

Factors associated with high physical exertion during healthcare work: Cross-sectional study among healthcare workers.

High physical exertion during healthcare work is a documented risk factor for musculoskeletal pain, long term sickness absence and disability pension. Understanding the underlying factors of physical exertion is important to make the necessary preventive efforts in the working environment. This study investigates factors associated with high physical exertion during healthcare work. A total of 2047 Danish health care workers replied to a questionnaire about work and health. Associations (odds ratios; OR) of physical exertion (outcome variable) with the number of patients and self-reliant patients, frequency and type of assistive device use, BMI, leisure time activity, smoking, and age were modelled using mutually adjusted binary logistic regression. Factors associated with high physical exertion (OR and 95% CI) were high frequency of daily patient transfers 1.35 (1.23 - 1.48), less self-reliant patients 0.74 (0.62 - 0.89), less frequent use of necessary assistive devices 1.82 (1.50 - 2.21), as well as more frequent use of sliding pieces 1.23 (1.04 - 1.46), wheelchairs 1.23 (1.02 - 1.49), bed adjustments 0.88 (0.77 - 1.00) and intelligent beds 0.83 (0.71 - 0.95) during patient transfer. Age and lifestyle factors (BMI, smoking, and leisure time physical activity) were not associated with high physical exertion. The character of patient transfer specific healthcare work is associated with increased odds for high physical exertion whereas life-style factors are not. Thus, proper use of specific assistive devices and avoiding uneven distribution of difficult patients through appropriate planning may be protective strategies for lowering physical exertion during healthcare work.

Percepcja wzrokowa uczniów z lekką niepełnosprawnością intelektualną

Introduction: Visual perception is an important cognitive ability, which influences other skills, including the mastery of school techniques by students with mild intellectual disabilities. An important goal of supporting of childhood education is to develop visual perception in all its aspects. Developing aspects such as hand-eye coordination, perception of figures and background, perception stability, spatial position and perception of spatial relationships has a positive effect on the math skills and writing and reading of early schoolchildren. Research Aim : The aim of the research was to learn about the functioning of students with mild intellectual disability in terms of 5 aspects of visual perception: visual and motor coordination, perception of the figure and background, perception of the constancy of shape, figure position and spatial relations, and to develop practical implications for developing this function. Method: The research used the method of diagnostic survey. The observation technique and the tool of M. Frostig and D. Horne “Visual Perception Test” were used to collect the data. Results: The level of functioning of the examined students with mild intellectual disability in terms of visual perception is below the norm. In all the subjects, a decrease in the level of visual perception was found in 3 of the examined areas; perception of the figure and background, shape and position of the figure. In terms of eye-hand coordination and the perception of spatial relations, the dominant students are those with the tested feature below their age norm. Conclusions : On the basis of the obtained results, guidelines for working with students were formulated in order to improve their functioning in the field of visual perception in all examined aspects.

Experimental Models for Testing the Efficacy of Pharmacological Treatments for Neonatal Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy.

Representing an important cause of long–term disability, term neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) urgently needs further research aimed at repurposing existing drug as well as developing new therapeutics. Since various experimental in vitro and in vivo models of HIE have been developed with distinct characteristics, it becomes important to select the appropriate preclinical screening cascade for testing the efficacy of novel pharmacological treatments. As therapeutic hypothermia is already a routine therapy for neonatal encephalopathy, it is essential that hypothermia be administered to the experimental model selected to allow translational testing of novel or repurposed drugs on top of the standard of care. Moreover, a translational approach requires that therapeutic interventions must be initiated after the induction of the insult, and the time window for intervention should be evaluated to translate to real world clinical practice. Hippocampal organotypic slice cultures, in particular, are an invaluable intermediate between simpler cell lines and in vivo models, as they largely maintain structural complexity of the original tissue and can be subjected to transient oxygen–glucose deprivation (OGD) and subsequent reoxygenation to simulate ischemic neuronal injury and reperfusion. Progressing to in vivo models, generally, rodent (mouse and rat) models could offer more flexibility and be more cost-effective for testing the efficacy of pharmacological agents with a dose–response approach. Large animal models, including piglets, sheep, and non-human primates, may be utilized as a third step for more focused and accurate translational studies, including also pharmacokinetic and safety pharmacology assessments. Thus, a preclinical proof of concept of efficacy of an emerging pharmacological treatment should be obtained firstly in vitro, including organotypic models, and, subsequently, in at least two different animal models, also in combination with hypothermia, before initiating clinical trials.

The Relationship Between Smoking and Multiple Sclerosis Severity in Saudi Arabia.

IntroductionMultiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease that can be disabling to patients. Smoking has been proposed to be a risk factor for MS and to increase the risk of progression of the disease and its severity. However, it is still not clear how smoking affects people with MS (PwMS) regarding disease phenotype, symptoms, relapses, course, and disability. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of smoking on PwMS in Saudi Arabia.MethodsThis is an online questionnaire-based cross-sectional study. PwMS were randomly contacted through different MS societies and associations to participate in the study. The questionnaire inquired about demographics, MS phenotype and severity, and smoking status of the participants. Data were collected between May 30, 2021, and July 5, 2021.ResultsFour hundred twenty-nine PwMS participated in the study. The mean age was 33.7, with a mean disease duration of 8.1 years. About 61.1% of the participants were female. About 62.2% did not know the specific MS phenotype they have. About 35.7% were current or previous smokers, with a mean smoking duration of 13.9 years. Smoking was significantly associated with the presence of multiple MS symptoms (p-value = 0.009) and their number (p-value = 0.050). In addition, there was a significant positive correlation between pack-years smoking and the number of MS symptoms with a Pearson's r value of 0.165 (p-value = 0.001). No significant associations were found between smoking and recent relapses and disease progression, disability in terms of walking, needing a cane, or needing a wheelchair.ConclusionSmoking was shown to have a significant effect on the number of symptoms experienced by PwMS. Higher pack-years of smoking correlates positively and significantly with a higher number of MS symptoms. Further studies to examine these relations are hence warranted.

How do students with intellectual disabilities tell stories? An investigation of narrative macrostructure and microstructure.

Individuals with intellectual disability may have limited narrative skills. The novelty of this study lies in the examination of strengths and weaknesses which may enable a more facilitative approach to narrative and other storytelling‐based methodologies among adults with intellectual disability who study in an academic enrichment program in comparison to typical students with the same chronological age. Seventeen adult students with intellectual disability and 16 typically developing students, produced narratives which were examined for microstructure (e.g., length, lexis, grammaticality, and complexity) macrostructure (e.g., goals, attempts, and outcomes) and Internal state terms (ISTs). The findings indicate that in spite of weakness of adults with intellectual disability in terms of coherence, syntactic complexity, and grammatical sentences, they exhibit strengths in narrative macrostructure story scheme and use IST. With increasing age, narratives performance of adults with intellectual disability continues to advance possibly due to maturity, life experience and indirect exposure to the environment.

TESTING THE ACCESSIBILITY OF WEB-APPLICATIONS

The constant growth of digital information and online services highlights the need to protect the rights of people with disabilities in terms of web accessibility. Despite EU regulations aimed at harmonizing this process, some problems still remain unsolved. This article sheds light on legal documents protecting the rights of people with disabilities regarding web accessibility. The conducted profound analysis of abundant research and applied papers showed the lack of systematization of accessibility testing standards. The authors disclosed modern approaches to testing the accessibility of web applications depending on the special needs of users and elaborated the checklist for testing the accessibility of web-applications.

Determining The Barriers to Access Dental Services For People With A Disability: A qualitative study

Aim: To determine the perceptions of carers of people with a disability in terms of the problems they face in accessing dental care. Method: The survey was based on the modified Penchansky’s 5A classification. It focused on members of a local disability support agency and was completed as part of their ongoing quality improvement processes. Result: A total of 169 carers took part, with a quarter indicating that the person they cared for did not have a regular dentist. Nearly 25% of the participants found it extremely difficult to obtain appropriate oral health care. Amongst the participants 10% had to abandon dental treatment due to difficulties, while 13% have yet to receive any sort of dental care. Amongst school-aged children, 64.5% were unable to receive dental care from the school dental service. Conclusion: The study was conducted to obtain an insight and understanding of how people with a disability and their primary caregivers experience dental care. Several concerns were identified, with most related to the process of providing care (patient-professional interaction factors) and the structure of the dental health system and its operation (factors related to access, affordability and information systems.) Targeted strategies aimed at providing affordable and appropriate services to people with disabilities should be prioritised.So What? The study showed emerging concerns among the participants relating to providing information regarding dental care options, as well as concerns regarding the availability and accessibility of the services. Further research will be conducted using the standardized tool the Measure of Processes of Care, and findings will translate to help initiate a program with the help of Developmental Disability Western Australia to provide information.

Daily physical activity in Finnish adolescents with long term illnesses or disabilities: psychosocial associations with participation in sports club


 Background:
 Physical activity (PA) in adolescence with long term illnesses or disabilities (LTID) is a public health concern. One way of increasing PA is through participation in sports clubs. Since sports clubs are organised and regular, there are expected to be differences in motivation for physical activity between adolescents that are members and non-members. The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of psychosocial factors on sports club membership and daily PA.
 Methods:
 Finnish adolescents with self-reported LTID (n=1006) took part in the WHO collaborative Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study in 2002 and 2010. Daily self-reported moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA) was the outcome variable. Psychosocial variables included intention for future PA, self-perceptions, and educational aspirations. Age and sports club membership was included in binary logistic regression analyses Analyses were done separately for boys and girls. 
 Results:
 Adolescents with LTID who were sports club members were two times more likely to be active daily than non-members. However, for girls, there was no significant difference between members and non-members. Moreover, definite intention for future PA, higher self-perceptions, and educational aspirations to other education or training than general upper secondary school were significant predictors.
 Conclusions:
 Adolescents with LTID need encouragement to be active daily. One possible way to achieve this is through sports club participation. Implementing adaptive motivating techniques in sports clubs is especially important for girls in clubs. More research is needed on the associations of daily MVPA with different educational aspirations for adolescents with LTID.

First Do No Harm: Suggestions Regarding Respectful Autism Language.

Nationally and internationally, efforts are ongoing to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in healthcare and other fields. These efforts require consideration of ways in which language and assumptions impact individuals and communities. The autism and disability spheres are no exception. Indeed, the mental health of autistic people is predicted by the degree to which they feel society accepts them as autistic.1 Thus, we believe discourse that disparages autism could be harmful to autistic people’s well-being. Autistic individuals who face further stigma and discrimination due to other intersectional identities might be particularly vulnerable. Unfortunately, autism research and practice have traditionally used disparaging language grounded in the medical model.Some might object that alternatives to traditional medical model terms are subjective or unscientific. However, we believe traditional terminology is heavily laden with subjective value judgements. For example, the traditional term “disorder” has a decidedly negative connotation. It also implies that individuals’ own characteristics are responsible for their challenges, and it suggests a need to eliminate this disorder. In contrast, the more nuanced word “disability” allows both individual characteristics and societal or contextual barriers to contribute to challenges. The term disability thus appears to be both more scientifically appropriate and less stigmatizing toward a vulnerable population than disorder.In Table 1, we list various traditional terms and concepts that we believe are problematic, along with suggested replacements. We also suggest that practitioners and researchers balance a focus on autistic individuals' challenges with discussion of their strengths and potential. This balanced approach may be especially important for families of young children whose futures may be unclear and a source of considerable anxiety to caregivers.Furthermore, researchers and practitioners should be aware of an ongoing debate between supporters of identity-first (“autistic person”) and person-first (“person with autism”) language. Many autistic individuals support identity-first language2,3 and some fear that person-first language reflects negative attitudes toward autism.4 However, others endorse person-first language.2,3 The term “person on the autism spectrum” is often the most preferred term among autistic individuals and other stakeholder groups,2,3 and this verbiage is typically found to be acceptable by proponents of both person-first and identity-first language. Practitioners should ask about and respect the language preferences of individuals “on the spectrum” who can articulate their views.Overall, in light of concerns that typically-developing people struggle to understand autistic perspectives,5 we urge practitioners and researchers to strive to have empathy for how their language sounds to autistic people. We also suggest it can often be helpful to ask oneself if one would use similar phrasing with other marginalized communities. We feel that there needs to be a shift toward “cultural humility” and willingness to learn from autistic people about autistic identities and how to promote autistic well-being.Practitioners and researchers interested in a more detailed discussion of appropriate autism terminology should refer to Bottema-Beutel and colleagues.6 We provide definitions of neurodiversity terminology (eg, neurodiverse, neurodivergent) in Supplemental Table 2.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR INCLUSIVE EDUCATION DURING THE PANDEMIC

Equalizing opportunities for everyone to make progress in learning continues to be a challenge worldwide. Pandemic conditions exacerbated attention to the difficulties in organizing an inclusive space, actualized with the forced transition to distance and online learning. The article shows the main difficulties and possibilities of introducing distance education technologies in the education system of students with disabilities in terms of creating conditions for improving the quality of education and further socialization. The article is based on theoretical review and analyses of the situation based on the standards and regulations existing at the moment since the pandemic has spread worldwide.

Children living with disabilities are neglected in severe malnutrition protocols: a guideline review

PurposeChildren living with disabilities are at high risk of malnutrition but have long been marginalised in malnutrition treatment programmes and research. The 2013 WHO guidelines for severe acute malnutrition (SAM)...

Biopsychosocial risk factors for pain and pain-related disability 1year after surgery for breast cancer.

Knowledge regarding risk factors for pain in the long term after surgery for breast cancer may be of great value in preventing this prevalent and debilitating side effect. Despite the biopsychosocial nature of pain, the predictive value of both pre- and postoperative biopsychosocial functioning for long-term pain intensity and pain-related disability has not yet been studied. One hundred sixty-six women planned for unilateral breast cancer surgery were included in this prospective cohort study. Pre- and postoperative outcomes related to pain, psychosocial, and somatosensory functioning (questionnaires and quantitative sensory testing) were evaluated as risk factors for pain intensity (visual analog scale) and pain-related disability (pain disability index) 1year after surgery for breast cancer. Both bivariable and stepwise linear regression analyses were performed. The most consistent biopsychosocial risk factors were symptoms related to altered central somatosensory functioning (central sensitization inventory), psychological symptoms, and social support (psychological symptoms and support subscale of McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire). Results also showed that a pre- and postoperative disturbed functioning of the somatosensory nervous system in the surgical area could provide additional information regarding pain intensity or pain-related disability in the long term after surgery for breast cancer. This study revealed several biopsychosocial characteristics that might be used to identify women more vulnerable to have pain and pain-related disability in the long term after surgery for breast cancer, allowing for more effective pain management and prevention.

A Theoretical Model for the Implementation of Social Sustainability in the Synthesis of Tourism, Disability Studies, and Special-Needs Education

This paper deals with the study of disability science, special-needs education, and psychology of special needs in the context of tourism. It is rare to find a link between these research areas in the literature. Accessible tourism has attracted widespread research interest in recent decades, but the number of studies focusing on tourism in the fields of disability studies, special-needs education, and psychology of special needs is very limited. Although there is growing literature on accessible tourism and related topics, the development of the research field is uneven, as most research focuses on specific subareas without considering the context of the whole spectrum of the topic. The interdisciplinary research aims to explore the situations of people with disabilities in terms of their participation in tourism. The data collected will be used to analyse the supply and demand side of tourism from a specific perspective. Among the external environmental impacts, the issue of sustainability will be highlighted, which will be addressed from a societal perspective by analysing the sustainable development goals (SDGs) related to the topic. The study includes a theoretical analysis through the processing of secondary sources, linking the fields of tourism, disability studies, special-needs education, and psychology of special needs, with the potential of social sustainability and the achievement of the SDGs. The paper presents a new model that illustrates the potential for achieving social sustainability from the supply and demand side of tourism. The model can be valuable, not only for those who want to extend their research into this new field, but also for tourism policy makers. The study also identifies key research questions on this topic that merit theoretical and empirical exploration in the future.