Physical Prompts Research Articles

Much more than a biological phenomenon: A qualitative study of women's experiences of brain fog across their reproductive journey.

Whilst 'brain fog' is mostly considered a biological problem little is understood about an individual's experience. This qualitative study explored women's experiences of brain fog focusing on those at the start (aged 18-25; n = 10) and end (aged 45-60; n = 10) of their reproductive journey. Descriptive thematic analysis described three themes: (i) 'daily disruptions' describing cognitive dysfunctions and the main triggers; (ii) 'the cycle of impact' with a focus on women's emotional experiences and how these can exacerbate brain fog; (iii) 'taking control' highlighting the use of self-care, physical prompts and Hormonal Replacement Therapy (HRT) to manage brain fog. Transcending these themes was the notion of 'crisis of identity' illustrating the negative impact of brain fog on the women's sense of self with some older women describing acceptance and finding it less challenging. Brain fog is much more than a biological phenomenon and has broader implications for a woman's sense of self.

Addressing Prompt Dependency in the Treatment of Challenging Behavior Maintained by Access to Tangible Items.

Prompt dependency is a common concern for individuals with developmental disabilities, particularly autism spectrum disorder. Previous research has shown that different interventions can be used to decrease prompt dependency. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of various treatments to decrease prompt dependency during functional communication training in the treatment of challenging behavior maintained by access to tangible items in a 16-year-old female diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Specifically, we compared the effects of differential reinforcement, vocal prompt fading, extended response intervals, and full physical prompts with a constant prompt delay to increase independent functional communication responses. The results of the study suggest that the prompt dependency treatment evaluation was efficacious in increasing independent functional communication responses and subsequently reducing challenging behavior to zero rates.

Teaching Receptive Vocabulary to Minimally Verbal Preschoolers With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Single-Case Multiple Baseline Design.

The purpose of this multiple probe design was (a) to investigate whether the use of the match-to-sample (MtS) procedure would result in independent identification of objects and (b) to examine whether the participants could generalize to matching objects and nonidentical pictures. Using a nonconcurrent multiple baseline design, three minimally verbal preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder and receptive language impairment were taught to identify common objects using a MtS procedure and physical prompts. Participants were taught to match identical objects to identical pictures. Maintenance checks were completed following mastery of vocabulary for a total of 22 words. Generalization probes were conducted with the objects and nonidentical pictures. Intervention was completed by a speech-language pathologist during typical speech-language pathology sessions. Results illustrated that all of the participants learned to match and generalize the pictures. All were able to independently identify the objects at 1-month follow-up. MtS and prompting appear to be effective procedures for teaching receptive vocabulary and can be easily implemented by education professionals. Learner profiles varied for the participants in this study and are an important aspect when teaching students with autism spectrum disorder and co-occurring receptive language impairment.

Getting the body back on track – Understanding the phenomenon of mobilisation when conscious and mechanically ventilated patients are mobilised in the intensive care unit

ObjectiveTo gain an in-depth understanding of the phenomenon of mobilisation when conscious and mechanically ventilated patients are mobilised in the intensive care unit. DesignA qualitative study with a phenomenological‐hermeneutic approach. Data were generated in three intensive care units from September 2019 to March 2020. Participant observations of twelve conscious mechanically ventilated patients, thirty-five nurses and four physiotherapists were performed. Furthermore, seven semi-structured patient interviews were conducted, both on the ward and after discharge. FindingsMobilisation during mechanical ventilation in the intensive care unit followed a trajectory from a failing body to a growing sense of independence in getting the body back on track. Three themes were revealed: ‘Challenging to move a failing body’, ‘Ambiguity of both resistance and willingness in the process of strengthen the body’, and ‘An ongoing effort in getting the body back on track’. ConclusionsMobilisation when conscious and mechanically ventilated included support of the living body by physical prompts and ongoing bodily guidance. Resistance and willingness regarding mobilisation were found to be a way of coping with bodily reactions of comfort or discomfort, embedded in a need to feel bodily control. The trajectory of mobilisation promoted a sense of agency, as mobilisation activities at different stages during the intensive care unit stay supported the patients in becoming more active collaborators in getting the body back on track. Implications for Clinical PracticeOngoing bodily guidance provided by healthcare professionals can promote bodily control and support conscious and mechanically ventilated patients in active participation in mobilisation. Furthermore, understanding the ambiguity of patients’ reactions caused by loss of bodily control provides a potential to prepare mechanically ventilated patients for and assist them with mobilisation. In particular, the first mobilisation in the intensive care unit seems to influence the success of future mobilisation, as the body remembers negative experiences.

Management of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder using Picture Exchange Communication System - A Pilot Study

Aim: The aim of the study was to empirically assess the efficacy of Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) in 5 children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study was also intended to report parental feedback on using PECS with their children.Method: Purposive convenient sampling was used for this quasi-experimental study. Five nonverbal children who were diagnosed with mild to moderate autism spectrum disorder with a median age of 4.1 years were selected for the study. All the five participants who exhibited limited or no functional communication skills were recruited for the study. Exclusion criteria included presence of any syndrome or any significant medical conditions such as seizures. The pre-assessment and the post assessments after 24 sessions of PECS training were done using selected communicative function domains. Post therapy parental feedback was obtained concerning five categories which are communication intent, attention, behavioural issues, vocalization and ease of communication. Also frequency of initiation as observed in home settings was obtained by interview method.Results: Current study shows that all the children were able to use PECS spontaneously and independently without any physical prompts. Children were able to generalize PECS at home with ease and were able to initiate communication on their own using the pictures. The mothers of the children reported that they observed a drastic subsidence in children’s challenging behaviours and also improvement in their attention span. The findings from our study showed that PECS training is effective in improving the socio-communication skills in children with ASD who had restricted communication. On analysing the report, mothers stated that they were able to easily incorporate PECS at home with their child as it implements the use of actual pictures for communicative exchange. As PECS training paves the way for expression of the child’s needs, there was also a significant reduction in the children’s behavioural problems such as tantrums and other self-injurious behaviours.Conclusion: From this study, it can be concluded that PECS training is effective in improving various communicative temptations in socio-communication skills in children with ASD who have restricted communication. It was also noted that obtaining parental feedback periodically would help in generalization and it encourages the parents’ involvement in the child’s learning process.

Controlling feeding practices moderate the relationship between emotionality and food fussiness in young children

Emotional child temperament has consistently been found to be related to food fussiness. One factor that may exacerbate or reduce the risk conferred by children's emotionality is parent feeding practices during mealtimes. Specifically, the use of controlling feeding practices aimed at increasing food consumption may particularly affect children with an emotional temperament. The primary aim of this study was to investigate whether the association between child food fussiness and higher emotionality found in previous studies is moderated by maternal use of controlling feeding practices, namely verbal pressure, physical prompts and food rewards. Sixty-seven mother-child dyads were video-recorded during a meal in their home and mothers' use of controlling feeding practices during this meal were coded. Mothers completed a questionnaire assessing child temperament. Moderation analyses revealed that maternal use of verbal pressure and physical prompts moderated the relationship between higher emotionality and food fussiness, but maternal use of food rewards did not. These results indicate that the use of verbal pressure and physical prompts may have a particularly negative influence on fussy eating for children higher in emotionality.

Temperature measurement of babies born in the pre-hospital setting: analysis of ambulance service data and qualitative interviews with paramedics

BackgroundBirth before arrival at hospital (BBA) is associated with unfavourable perinatal outcomes and increased mortality. An important risk factor for mortality following BBA is hypothermia, and emergency medical services (EMS)...

Insight into the Feasibility and Acceptability of a Multi-lifestyle Dementia Risk Intervention

Lifestyle interventions based on behaviour change principles may provide a useful mechanism in reducing dementia risk amongst older adults, however intervention acceptability remains relatively unexplored. We assessed the feasibility and acceptability of BRAIN BOOTCAMP, an Australian initiative aiming to improve dementia literary and reduce dementia risk by delivering a brain health box addressing multiple lifestyle factors through education, physical prompts and an individualised brain health profile. Semi-structured phone interviews were conducted with participants (N=94) at completion of the program (3-months) using a theoretical sampling approach to select a range of participants with varying brain health scores, age, gender, education and locality. Interview topics included participants’ overall experience and suggestions for program improvement. Interviews were transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis. Participants were mostly female (79%), with a mean age of 72.6 years (SD=5.4), from an English-speaking background (89.4%) and resided in metropolitan areas (76.6%). Participants positively perceived the program, resulting in high usability and acceptability. Valuable aspects included building dementia awareness in an innovative way, and having re-assessments which identified areas for personal improvement. Participants further discussed how the program prompted lifestyle change, including setting goals (e.g., physical activity) and facilitated a general awareness of their brain health. Suggested improvements included shorter surveys, regular check-ins, and specific tailoring of the program to be more inclusive for older adults with varying levels of health. Our study demonstrated that a simple, innovative program could be a promising medium for delivering comprehensive educational resources and induce lifestyle change for older adults.

Family mealtime behaviors in children who are tube fed and preparing to transition to oral eating: A comparison to other pediatric populations.

This study examined differences in observed mealtime behaviors between children preparing to transition to oral feeding and children with various other chronic illnesses using a standardized measure of mealtime beaviors. The parent-child mealtime relationship can become strained due to problematic mealtime behaviors that limit food intake, as well as inadvertent reinforcement of disruptive behavior by caregivers. Frequency/rate of behaviors were compared between children with tube feeding (CwTF) and from previous studies of children with chronic illnesses using the Dyadic Interactive Nomenclature for Eating (DINE). Parents of CwTF used more coaxing, physical prompts, and reinforcement during meals, while parents of children with chronic illnesses used more direct commands and engaged in more parent talk. Findings support differences in parent-child mealtime interactions and eating behaviors across pediatric illness subgroups.

Cufflinks, photos and YouTube: the benefits of third object prompts when researching race and discrimination in elite higher education

Research suggests that interviews, unaided by additional methods, may be an ineffective way to explore young people’s experiences with sensitive issues. Researching minority youth’s experiences on personal or emotionally charged issues requires research techniques that enable young people to reflect on issues in a way that reduces the potential discomfort involved in such discourse. This article discusses the methodological approach of incorporating interviews with ‘third objects’ via photos, cufflinks and video in a study aimed at facilitating conversations with black British university men about the significance of their parents guidance during their formative and adolescent years, and their experiences with racism during their higher education studies. The overarching message of this article is that when exploring personal and sometimes emotional topics, the implementation of third object visual and physical prompts with semi-structured interviews can contribute to the depth of findings by unearthing the seldom heard counter-narratives of marginalised ‘others’.

The Acquisition of Peer Manding Using a Speech-Generating Device in Naturalistic Classroom Routines

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of an interrupted chain procedure and a time delay with full physical prompts, in the establishment of peer manding, within a naturally occurring classroom routine. The participants included three preschool aged children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), who used a tablet-based speech-generating device to communicate. Using a multiple baseline across subjects design, the participants were instructed to complete an arts and crafts activity, with an item needed to complete the activity in possession of the peer listener. Training included a three-second time delay with full physical prompts, which was used to evoke correct responding. Participants were exposed to this paradigm until responding reached a mastery criterion of 80% independent peer manding across three consecutive sessions. All three participants acquired the ability to mand from the peer using the training procedures, two of the three participants demonstrated maintenance of the acquired skill. Limitations and considerations for future investigations are also discussed.

Establishing Peer Manding in Young Children with Autism Using a Speech-Generating Device

Impairment in social communication is a hallmark characteristic for individuals with a diagnosis of autism. As such, specific instructional strategies that incorporate the use of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) system, such as an iPad® based speech-generating device (SGD) is often indicated. This study evaluated the use of the interrupted chain procedure in the establishment of peer manding for three young children with a diagnosis of autism. The procedures involved the presentation of a task related activity (i.e., puzzle) and the neuro-typical peer interrupted the behavioral chain of task completing by withholding the final piece needed to complete the task. An iPad® based SGD was used as an AAC for the participants to mand for the missing item needed to complete the task related activity from the peer. Additionally, a five-second-time delay with full physical prompts was used for instructional purposes. The results indicated that all three participants acquired the ability to mand for the missing item from the peer, and this skill was also found to maintain following training.

ANALISIS KINERJA GURU PAI DALAM PENERAPAN METODE PROMPTS PADA PENYANDANG DISABILITAS DI SLB A YAPTI MAKASSAR

This study is aim to determine the ability and skills of Islamic education teachers in applying prompts methods for students with disabilities A or blind students.The specific purpose is to find out the performance of the Islamic education teacher in applying thetypes of prompts in the form ofverbal prompts, gestural prompts, modeling prompts and physical prompts, beside that this study is determine too the factors that influence the performance of Islamic education teachers in applying the prompts method to students with disabilities A in SLB A YAPTI Makassar especiallyfor the subject Thaharah, Prayer and Read and write the Qur'an.The research method used is field research with descriptive qualitative and quantitative analysis. In this study, the data collection methods used are observation, interviews, and documentation. The collected data will be analyzed usingan interactive model of Mile and Huberman which includes data reduction, data presentation, verification and conclusion drawing. The type of qualitative data will be analiyzed by deductive-inductive conclusions and quantitative data analyzed using descriptive quantitative in the form of percentages and performance scoring based on the performance scoring table.The research results obtained areThe teacher's performance level are at varying levels. namely moderate, high and very high. NH teachers have a performance at a score of 4 or very high level which means applying all types of prompts in Islamic learning process. RM teachers have a performance at a score of 3 or high level that applies 3 prompts while the KS teacher is on a score of 2 or medium level which only applies two types of prompts namely verbal and physical prompts only. Differences The use of types and indicators applied by Islamic education teachers is different due to material factor, student and teacher characteristics factors.

The Effect of Music on Exercise Intensity among Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Pilot Study.

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are at risk for obesity, commonly have sleep disorders, and exhibit stereotypic behaviors that disrupt their learning. Vigorous levels of exercise have been shown to ameliorate these issues in children with ASD, but little research exists to provide techniques for motivating children with ASD to engage in exercise. The present study examined the effect of music on exercise intensity in a group of 13 elementary school students with ASD. Data were collected across six days during structured (e.g., verbal and physical prompts) and unstructured (e.g., minimal prompting) exercise periods. During these exercise periods, three music conditions were randomized: no music, slow-tempo music, and fast-tempo music. Exercise intensity, measured in Metabolic Equivalent of Tasks by triaxial accelerometers, was greatest during the structured exercise periods and during the slow music condition. Student characteristics moderated the impact of music condition on exercise intensity, such that students with high levels of adaptive behavior or lower levels of maladaptive behavior displayed greater exercise intensity during the fast music condition.

Acquisition of Tacting Using a Speech-Generating Device in Group Learning Environments for Preschoolers with Autism

Skinner (1957) described the tact as the most important verbal operant; however, there remains a disproportionate amount of research evaluating mand training compared to tact training for young children with autism. The current study sought to alleviate some of this disparity by evaluating the effectiveness of the iPad® and application Proloquo2Go™ as a speech-generating device, using a multiple baseline design, on the acquisition of a tact repertoire in three preschool aged children with autism. The procedures employed a time delay with full physical prompts, during a “circle time” routine. During the circle time routine, the classroom teacher would read the lift-the-flap children’s book “Where’s Spot?” and pause for five-seconds upon reaching the targeted animal for each respective student. During this time delay if the student independently selected the picture that corresponded to the animal, evoking the SGD’s digitized output, the teacher provided verbal praise. If the child did not respond or responded incorrectly, a full physical prompt was used to evoke the tact of the animal. Results indicated that all three participants acquired the ability to tact at least one animal at 100% independence, across three consecutive sessions, after an average of four training sessions. This skill was also found to maintain for those two participants for whom maintenance data were taken. These results extend the evidence base on the use of the iPad® and application Proloquo2Go™ as a SGD, as well as, the research based on tacting acquisition.

Intervention to Develop Social Skills in a Child with Autism with Lower Degrees of Impairment

There is a need to design interventions for children with Autism and lower degrees of developmental impairment, in India. These children have been traditionally grouped under „high functioning? Autism i.e. Autism and an intelligence quotient of more than 65-70. However, measuring intelligence in children younger than five years is practical in western contexts due to the availability of relevant normed scales, which are absent in India. The following case study explains a tailored intervention strategy adopted by a multidisciplinary team to improve social skills of a child (4 year 2 months, male) with Autism but relatively lower impairment. Within the multidisciplinary framework and the embedded Reciprocal Imitation Therapy (RIT), the following factors led to therapeutic improvement: 1) increase in sitting-tolerance i.e. he was able to sit for 30 minutes with a task of his choice, and five minutes with any assigned task; 2) he could make eye-contact during entire conversations; 3) the child?s potential to use imitation skills (stronger non-verbal than verbal) substantially improved, accompanied by improvement in receptive and expressive language; and 4) tthe child's interest in letters and numbers helped the intervention strategies. Within RIT, successful strategies included: modelling of appropriate behaviour; using physical prompts; giving actions as cues to elicit desired verbal responses; coupling actions with verbal responses; multiple repetitions and positive reinforcement. Findings in this study, particularly the improvements in speech and language, are supported by studies stressing on imitation as one of the predictors for development of communication in young children with Autism.

Acquisition of sentence frame discrimination using the iPad™ as a speech generating device in young children with developmental disabilities

This study evaluated the use of the iPad™ and application Proloqu2Go as a speech generating device (SGD) for the acquisition of a tact (labeling) repertoire in three preschool aged children with Autism Spectrum Disorder or developmental delay. Additionally, discrimination between picture icons and sentence frames were investigated. Using a five second time delay, with full physical prompts, participants were taught to label four items using the carrier phrases “I see” and “I have”. Following the acquisition of those frames in isolation, training on discriminating between those frames was introduced. The results indicate that the training procedures were effective for this purpose, thus contributing to the already existing literature on the use of handheld computing devices as SGD.

Behavior of hearing or vision impaired and normal hearing and vision dogs (Canis lupis familiaris): Not the same, but not that different

The article compared behavioral characteristics of dogs (Canis lupis familiaris) labeled as hearing and/or vision impaired by their owners with cohort dogs labeled as having normal hearing and vision (NHV) by their owners. The Canine Behavioral Assessment and Research Questionnaire, developed by Hsu and Serpell (2003), was used to survey owners. Four hundred sixty-one dog owners completed the online survey, with 183 of these being owners of hearing and/or vision impaired (HVI) dogs. Data analysis revealed that HVI dogs were reported by owners to show less aggression, less excitement, and were less likely to engage in behaviors, such as chasing of rabbits and rolling in feces than their normally hearing/seeing (NHV) cohorts. HVI dogs, however, were reported to be more likely to chew inappropriate objects, consume feces, bark excessively, and engage in greater licking behavior. When owners were surveyed about the type of training method used, owners of HVI dogs were found to be more likely to use hand signs, physical prompts, or combination of these training methods. Owners of NHV dogs reported being more likely than owners of HVI dogs to use gestures or report no formal training with their dogs. The data provide evidence that HVI dogs are as trainable as NHV dogs, can make excellent pets, and show behavior that is well within the parameters of NHV dog behavior. Still, because of their sensory limitations, specialized training methods and adaptations should be implemented with these dogs. This may limit HVI dogs to owners who are motivated, understand the sensory deficits, and are willing to engage in the modified training.

How do parents of adolescent patients with anorexia nervosa interact with their child at mealtimes? A study of parental strategies used in the family meal session of family‐based treatment

To examine the range and frequency of parental mealtime strategies used during the family meal session of Family-Based Treatment (FBT) for adolescent anorexia nervosa, and to explore the relationships between parental mealtime strategies, mealtime emotional tone and parental 'success' at encouraging adolescent food consumption. Participants were 21 families with a child aged between 12 and 18 years receiving FBT for adolescent anorexia nervosa. Video recordings of the family meal session (FBT session two) were coded using the Family Mealtime Coding System adapted in this study for use with adolescents (FMCS-A) to identify frequency of parental strategies, emotional tone of the meal (measured by adolescent positive and negative vocalisations) and frequency of prompted mouthfuls consumed by the adolescent (measured by the number of mouthfuls consumed by the adolescent immediately following parental interactions). A range of parental mealtime strategies were in use. Those used repeatedly included direct eating prompts, non-direct eating prompts, physical prompts, and providing information or food-related choices. Several parental mealtime strategies (direct and non-direct eating prompts) were found to be consistently associated with the tone of adolescents' vocalisations and the number of mouthfuls consumed in response to a parental prompt. Despite associations with negativity from the adolescent, the use of food-related prompts (both verbal and physical) seems to be associated with increased eating. This indicates the potentially important role of parental control of eating. Following replication, these findings might provide a focus for therapists when supporting and coaching parents during the family meal session.

Effective training of manual signs without physical prompts and the potential for overgeneralization of mands across reinforcers for challenging behavior

This review provides a summary and appraisal commentary on the treatment review by Falcomata, T. S., Wacker, D. P., Ringdahl, J. E., Vinquist, K., & Dutt, A. (2013). An evaluation of generalization of mands during functional communication training. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 46, 444–454.Source of funding and disclosure of interests. No source of funding was indicated, nor were any interests declared.