Early Intervention Procedures Research Articles

Determination of forest fire risk with respect to Marchalina hellenica potential distribution to protect pine honey production sites in Turkey.

Turkey is the leading producer of pine honey worldwide, accounting for 90% of global production, largely due to the presence of Marchalina hellenica populations. However, in recent years, devastating forest fires have caused substantial damage to Pinus brutia forests and M. hellenica populations, leading to a dramatic decline in pine honey production areas. The urgency for early intervention procedures against forest fires and relocation of M. hellenica populations to other P. brutia forests has become apparent. A comprehensive assessment of 25 criteria was conducted to investigate the thresholds and behaviors of each criterion, which play a vital role in the distribution of M. hellenica, using the maximum entropy model (MaxEnt). To evaluate the impact of forest fires on the distribution of M. hellenica, the potential locations of pine honey production areas were determined for 2022. Furthermore, the susceptibility of forest fires was modeled for all pine honey production months. The findings revealed that forest fires have destroyed 384.9 km2 (12.8% of the total pine honey production area), predominantly in August and September, with the most severe damage in Marmaris (156 km2) and significant impacts in Ula, Köyceğiz, and Milas. The analysis facilitates the estimation of new areas suitable for M. hellenica and pine honey production while providing valuable insights into strategies for mitigating forest fires and formulating proactive protection protocols.

Evaluation of Academic and Nonacademic Factors of First-Generation Students Transitioning to a Pharmacy Program

ObjectiveTo evaluate the academic transition of first-generation (FG) students to a Doctor of Pharmacy program and the impact of early intervention/outreach. MethodsThe retrospective study evaluated the first semester performance in three classes of student pharmacists (beginning fall 2020, 2021, 2022) at a public university in the mid-South. Student demographics (age, sex, race, relationship status), nonacademic factors (Grit, impostor syndrome, testing anxiety, perceived stress), and academic factors (grade point average, academic probation, early intervention) were assessed. In fall 2022, a required academic meeting was added to the early intervention process after exam one for high-risk students. The data between FG and non-FG students were compared; Mann-Whitney tests for continuous variables and Chi-square tests with risk estimates for categorical variables. ResultsThere were 152 FG and 274 non-FG students identified over the three classes. A total of 88 (57.9%) FG students represented racial minority groups. More FG students and non-White students were identified for early intervention. First-generation students were more likely to receive two or more grades less than C- and less likely to progress to the spring. No significance was noted with generational status and undergraduate grade point average, academic performance, or nonacademic factors. The required meeting after exam one in fall 2022 resulted in less disparity between FG and non-FG students identified for early intervention for exam two. ConclusionFirst-generation and non-White students were more likely to struggle when transitioning to the Doctor of Pharmacy curriculum. A proactive, individualized approach incorporated into early intervention procedures is needed to promote academic success and belonging.

Effective dispute prevention and resolution through proactive contract design

Research shows that strategic dispute resolution and early intervention reduce direct and indirect costs of conflicts. Minimal costs are involved in preventing and de-escalating disputes, compared with the costs of arbitration and litigation, for example. In this context, the traditional view of contracts as legal documents or reactive enforcement mechanisms is too narrow. Contracts can be used proactively, ex ante, too, enhancing the parties’ chances of success and preventing unnecessary problems. In Europe, this is part of what is known as Proactive Law; in the US, Preventive Law. On both sides of the Atlantic, it can also be framed as practicing proactive contracting or proactive contract design. Well-designed contracting processes and documents can prevent misaligned expectations and disappointments so that unnecessary disputes can be avoided. Early intervention methods of dispute resolution, such as mediation, can be used to de-escalate the dispute and promote cooperation. Along with other crucial elements, contracts can provide pre-agreed procedures and resolution mechanisms if changes, delays, or disturbances occur or a conflict situation arises. Building on our previous work on civil and commercial mediation and a managerial-legal view on contracts and their design we illustrate, with examples, how proactive contract design, combined with early intervention procedures and monitoring systems as well as post-award management processes can be used to better deal with the commercial, legal and human elements of a dispute. With a focus on commercial business-to-business contracts and related conflicts we explore how design methods can be used to address the root causes of legal disputes and to operationalize an effective dispute prevention and resolution system.

Performance of normal hearing preschool children on audiometric ling’s six sound test

Introduction: Ling’s six sound test is a quick and simple test to ascertain access to speech sounds essential for development of optimum listening and speaking skills. However, most of the normative data available for Ling’s six sound test is adult based. Therefore, there is a need to develop normative data for subsequent use with children who are receiving early intervention procedures. This study aims at obtaining the awareness and identification thresholds for Ling’s six sounds for normal hearing preschool children between 3 to 6 years of age. Methods: Each of the six sounds of Ling’s six sound test namely; |a| |i| |u| |s| |sh| |m| were presented in the sound field through an audiometer to fifty 3 to 6-year-old children with normal hearing sensitivity in a sound treated room. Each child was explained the task and was conditioned well before the testing. Both awareness and identification thresholds were obtained. The lowest level at which the child responded was noted as the threshold. Results: The lowest threshold for awareness and identification was obtained for the sound |a| (10.3 dB HL and 15.4 dB HL respectively). whereas the highest threshold was obtained for the sound |s| (18.2 dB HL and 24 dB HL respectively. A significant difference was seen in thresholds across all the sounds for both awareness and identification. Conclusions: The differences seen in thresholds across all the sounds for both awareness and identification are due to several higher order factors as well as the acoustic and spectral features of each of the Ling’s six sounds.

The rheumatoid hand: a predictable disease with unpredictable surgical practice patterns.

To evaluate variation in fusion, arthroplasty, and tenosynovectomy rates among rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients across states; to evaluate associations between surgery rates and the density of hand surgeons; and to evaluate differences in treatment by sex of the patient. Data were obtained from the 1996 and 1997 Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project database. The procedure codes for fusion, arthroplasty, and tenosynovectomy were matched to patients with the diagnostic code of RA, which provided the total number of procedures performed in each state. The smoothed estimates of the RA population for each state were derived from age/sex strata in the 1995 US census using age/sex-adjusted RA prevalence data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The number of hand surgeons was from the 1996 American Society for Surgery of the Hand. Procedure rates across states varied from 9-fold to 12-fold for all 3 procedures. The rates of the reconstructive procedures-fusion and arthroplasty-were highly correlated in each state, but these 2 procedures were only moderately correlated with tenosynovectomy. Surgeon density and procedure rates were minimally correlated. Procedure rates differed by patient sex, with significantly more arthroplasty and fusion procedures performed in women. More tenosynovectomy procedures were performed in men, and they were also performed at a younger age in men. Significant large area variations are present in the surgical management of the rheumatoid hand, but the correlations between reconstructive and early intervention procedures are modest. These rate differences are not explained by the number of hand surgeons, disease prevalence, or demographic composition of the states. However, men are more likely to receive more aggressive early surgical interventions, and women are more likely to receive end-stage reconstructive surgery.

Choosing a treatment procedure for early stuttering: issues and future directions.

The new responsibility of speech-language pathologists to provide direct, early intervention for stuttering creates a further responsibility for them to choose justifiable treatment procedures for that intervention. This paper has two purposes. The first is to encourage clinicians to evaluate the conceptual and practical aspects of the treatments they use for early stuttering. The second purpose of the paper is to overview available early intervention procedures and consider the advantages, disadvantages, and prominent issues associated with each. The procedures considered are environment manipulation, prolonged speech, and response-contingent stimulation. It is concluded that clinicians have no cause to be satisfied with any currently available early intervention procedure. Further, it is concluded that (a) although anticipatory struggle theories have made a useful contribution to scholarship, their line of theoretical reasoning is questionable for clinical practice; (b) although theoretically sound for the purpose, variants of prolonged speech pose prohibitive conceptual and practical shortcomings if they are used to treat very young stuttering children; (c) despite its disadvantages, response contingent stimulation is the most conceptually and practically justifiable method for early intervention with stuttering.

Promoting changes in attitudes and understanding of conflict resolution among child witnesses of family violence.

Promoting changes in attitudes and understanding of conflict resolution among child witnesses of family violence.

Recognition of the familiar words of nursery rhymes by handicapped and non-handicapped infants.

Nine infants with Down's syndrome (mean MA, 9.1 months), seven non-handicapped infants (mean MA, 9.6 months) and one severely handicapped infant (MA, 9.5 months) were given the choice of listening to familiar nursery rhymes or to the same rhymes with each word reversed such that the rhythms, intonation and stress patterns were kept intact but the words were nonsense. Six infants with Down's syndrome, five non-handicapped infants and the severely handicapped infant had significant preferences for the familiar rhymes, and the strength of this preference increased with increasing mental age. The results suggest that both handicapped and non-handicapped infants are beginning to recognise familial words of nursery rhymes at this age. The relevance of the results for early intervention procedures is discussed.

DEVELOPMENTAL DELAY: INTERVENTION PROCEDURES

ABSTRACTThis article examines developmental delay and the implications of such disorders. Firstly, developmental delay is defined and the normal developmental process is briefly described. The types of problems which ensue if this process is interrupted or disturbed are then viewed. The need and importance of early intervention procedures are substantiated by experimental evidence, and the present tendency for late diagnosis, and the reasons for it, are also considered. Finally, Occupational Therapy as a discipline, it is argued, has a role to play in the treatment of children with developmental delay as well as providing support for parents.

The interaction of emotional stress and language development: Case studies of three visually impaired children

The diagnostic assessment of speech and language function in the first 6 years of life is an important clinical procedure. Although scales measuring verbal and communication skills, and articulatory competence, exist, their value as predictive instruments has not been generally accepted by clinicians. We assume that this is due to the wide individual differences in rate of acquisition of language, and the vulnerability to stress of any function in the process of development. These factors, the child’s rate of acquisition and response to stress and stimulation, are part of the diagnostic assessment. We view stress and stimulation as having a nonspecific cause and effect relationship. For example, one child may respond to separation from the maternal figure by deviation in pronunciation, another by mutism, and still another by behavioral symptoms, while there are other children who would show no observable consequence to such trauma. Likewise, the stimulation of an intervention program may be responded to in different ways. These assumptions have been used as guidelines in the Pre-School Program for Visually Handicapped Children at the New York Association for the Blind, where longitudinal as well as cross-sectional studies are used for the full evaluation of language function. The visually impaired child relies to an even greater extent than the sighted child on verbal language. For him in particular, the ability to develop language will determine the extent of his successful adaptation to life. Attention to early development of language and the design of early intervention procedures are of central importance to our work with preschool children. There are three groups of children in which language and speech may not develop adequately or at all. The first are those who have impaired auditory functions. The second are those who have central nervous system dysfunctions, and the third are those who have experienced serious emotional deprivation or trauma. When language development is deficient, the child’s intellectual and emotional growth may be seriously affected.