Specific Disabilities Research Articles

Evaluating Disability Inclusivity in Accreditation Standards for Exercise Science-Related Programs: A Scoping Review.

Kubiak, SM, Starns, EA, Wehler, RJ, Church, LA, and Roberts, JC. Evaluating disability inclusivity in accreditation standards for exercise science-related programs: a scoping review. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2024-The purpose of this scoping review was to determine the level of inclusivity for disability-related language within accreditation standards for exercise science-related bachelor and graduate education programs. Standards from 4 U.S. exercise science-related programmatic accrediting organizations were included in this study. Using the World Health Organization's International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) framework, each standard (N = 1,043) was classified as either containing disability-related language or not based on the 8 ICF function and structure categories. Owing to the broad ICF disability framework, standards were further analyzed using open coding. Frequencies and percentages of exercise science-related accreditation standards that included or lacked disability language and to what extent were reported. Of the 1,043 standards, 417 were classified as including language related to at least 1 of the 8 ICF categories. Using a more specific disability definition from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, standards were further analyzed and coded as "knowledge of" disability (n = 281; 27%), "application of" knowledge (n = 64; 6%), 21 standards were classified as both (2%), and 677 (65%) were classified as having no disability language. "Knowledge of" and "application of" coded standards were further organized according to subcodes (disability, risk factors, both disability and risk factors, and basic life support or emergency care). The lack of inclusive language identified revealed a critical need to reexamine the inclusivity of disability in accreditation standards to ensure educational curricula equip future fitness professionals with the education and experience needed to confidently and effectively serve persons with disabilities.

Patient-Reported Outcomes in RLBP1 Retinal Dystrophy: Longitudinal Assessment in a Prospective Natural History Study.

To evaluate the performance of two non-disease-specific patient-reported outcome (PRO) instruments, the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire-25 (VFQ-25) and the Low Luminance Questionnaire (LLQ), in patients with retinaldehyde-binding protein 1 retinal dystrophy (RLBP1 RD). PROs were assessed using the VFQ-25 and LLQ. Rasch analysis was conducted to estimate person and item measures of the VFQ-25 and LLQ questionnaires to determine the association between the two PROs. In addition, the association between these two instruments and their correlations to weighted measures of visual function and disease progression were analyzed in this three-year PRO-focused sub-study of a five-year prospective natural history study. Forty-two patients participated, with most of them having completed at least two PRO follow-up visits at least one year apart. The mean VFQ-25 scores were lowest for distance activities (39.2-49.0) and peripheral vision (37.5-52.4), with mean LLQ subscale scores generally low (<41), except for the emotional distress subscale. Using Rasch analysis, calibrated item and person measures along with their standard errors were estimated for both ePROs. This indicated that the distribution of the VFQ-25 and LLQ item measures well covered the distribution of person function in this group. This suggests that the item difficulties well cover the person-level performance in this population. As well, the two PROs showed a strong and significant correlation at all assessed time points as assessed with Pearson correlation coefficient (0.81, 0.91, 0.81 and 0.87 at baseline, 1/1.5, 2/2.5 (P < 0.001) and 3/3.5 years (P = 0.002)). The composite scores of both PRO questionnaires strongly correlated with clinical measures of visual function. At 2 to 2.5 years of follow-up, meaningful statistically significant declines in peripheral vision (both VFQ-25 and LLQ), distance vision (VFQ-25), and extreme lighting in dark and bright light (LLQ) subscales were noted. This study demonstrated a strong association between VFQ-25 and LLQ scores and their association with clinical measures of visual function. PRO instruments can provide insights into the specific disabilities of this unique patient population and help to guide appropriate outcome measures for future clinical trials.

Mapping gaps and exploring impairment and disability prevalence in South Asian (SAARC) countries: a scoping review

Despite the considerable health and economic burden of disability in the South Asian (SA) region, there is limited evidence of impairments and disabilities prevalence and the need for Assistive Technologies (ATs). This scoping review aims to synthesise the evidence of the impairments and disabilities in SA countries. This review followed Arksey and O’Malley’s methodological framework. EBSCOhost, EMBASE, PubMed, and Web of Science databases were searched for original research articles from SA countries. In this study, impairment and disability refer to functional limitations restricting individuals from performing activities, including visual, hearing, speaking, cognitive, mobility, and self-care difficulties. The review included full-text, English-language articles addressing any impairment and disability, without restrictions on publication date. This review identified 105 articles distributed over the six impairment and disability domains: visual, hearing, mobility, self-care, speaking, and cognitive. Most evidence originated from India (50.5%) and focused on visual impairments (53.3%). The review identified that heterogeneity in methodologies, case identification definitions, and study settings contributed to variations in prevalence estimation and restricted the comparability within and across countries. Besides, the uneven distribution of studies across countries suggests varying inclinations of countries toward specific impairment and disability domains. The review identified variations in prevalence due to differences in methodologies, definitions, and contexts. The review also identified the uneven distribution of studies, limited evidence on ATs, reliance on self-reported data, and lack of nationally representative research. Future research should use standardised case identification and evidence-based approaches to enhance comparability and minimise response biases.

Effectiveness of Robotic Devices for Medical Rehabilitation: An Umbrella Review.

Background/Objectives: Clinical trials have investigated the efficacy of rehabilitation robotics for various pathological conditions, but the overall impact on rehabilitation practice remains unclear. We comprehensively examined and analyzed systematic reviews (SRs) of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating rehabilitative interventions with robotic devices. Methods: Four databases were searched using term combinations of keywords related to robotic devices, rehabilitation, and SRs. The SR meta-analyses were categorized into "convincing", "highly suggestive", "suggestive", "weak", or "non-significant" depending on evidence strength and validity. Results: Overall, 62 SRs of 341 RCTs involving 14,522 participants were identified. Stroke was most frequently reported (40 SRs), followed by spinal cord injury (eight SRs), multiple sclerosis (four SRs), cerebral palsy (four SRs), Parkinson's disease (three SRs), and neurological disease (any disease causing limited upper- and lower-limb functioning; three SRs). Furthermore, 38, 21, and 3 SRs focused on lower-limb devices, upper-limb devices, and both upper- and lower-limb devices, respectively. Quantitative synthesis of robotic intervention effects was performed by 51 of 62 SRs. Robot-assisted training was effective for various outcome measures per disease. Meta-analyses offering suggestive evidence were limited to studies on stroke. Upper-limb devices were effective for motor control and activities of daily living, and lower-limb devices for walking independence in stroke. Conclusions: Robotic devices are useful for improving impairments and disabilities in several diseases. Further high-quality SRs including RCTs with large sample sizes and meta-analyses of these RCTs, particularly on non-stroke-related diseases, are required. Further research should also ascertain which type of robotic device is the most effective for improving each specific impairment or disability.

Exploring the Impact of Students’ Number of Disabilities on Parent Expectations for Postsecondary Education

ABSTRACT Parents’ expectations predict the educational attainment of their children regardless of the children’s disability status. Prior research shows specific disability labels impact parents’ postsecondary educational expectations of their children with disabilities. However, researchers have not investigated how the number of co-occurring disabilities (that is zero, one, two, or three or more disabilities) influence parents’ postsecondary educational expectations for their children. We report the results of multiple linear regression analyses examining the relationship between children’s number of disabilities and parental expectations using parent responses from the United States 2012 National Household Education Survey. A negative correlation exists between students’ disability count and parents’ educational expectations, even when controlling for potentially confounding factors. Regardless of children’s disability count, parents from higher income households maintain higher educational attainment expectations. Increases in family household income mitigate the negative relationship between disability count and parental expectations. Implications for parents, educators, and transition team members are presented.

The role of ICT as LT in shaping inclusive and special education – a systematic review for 2012–2023

PurposeDigital inequalities are pressing concerns, especially for students in need of special educational support. In recent years, numerous reviews have been published on the use of learning technologies (LT) in inclusive and special education. They mostly provide findings for specific groups, technologies, and countries. This systematic review aims to identify changes in the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) as LT that evolved globally in inclusive and special education over the last 12 years.Design/methodology/approachWeb of Science, Scopus, and EBSCOhost were systematically searched for publications for 2012 to 2023. Only peer-reviewed English publications were included to ensure a comprehensive review. The findings of the 421 included papers were then analysed, reflecting diverse perspectives at the technology, learners, teachers, and institutional levels.FindingsThe most used devices were computers, iPads/tablets, and specifically designed apps. More studies were conducted in separate settings than in inclusive ones. The primary participant groups were students on the autism spectrum. More than half the research publications were related to technology use. Technology development was the most common research objective, with approximately 40% of test hypotheses based on standardised tests or observations.Research limitations/implicationsBy shifting the focus from specific disabilities to a more usability-based approach, we can envision a future in which the quality of education for all students is substantially improved.Practical implicationsLT have the potential to significantly contribute to creating the least restrictive learning environment for students in need of special educational support. One step for practitioners is to consider the interdependencies between the different dimensions of heterogeneity relevant to digital inclusion. In order to solve these complex pedagogical tasks appropriately, multidisciplinary cooperation is necessary, involving experts in technical, pedagogical, didactic and inclusive education in digitalised societies.Originality/valueAll data were meticulously collected and analysed to ensure credibility and originality.

Diagnosing Dyslexia in Early School-Aged Children Using the LSTM Network and Eye Tracking Technology

Dyslexia, often referred to as a specific reading disability, affects many students around the world. It is a neurological disorder that affects the ability to recognise words, and it causes difficulties in writing and reading comprehension. Previous computer-based methods for the automatic detection of dyslexia in children have had low efficiency due to the complexity of the test administration process and the low measurement reliability of the attention measures used. This paper proposes the use of a student’s mobile device to record the spatio-temporal trajectory of attention, which is then analysed by deep neural network long short-term memory (LSTM). The study involved 145 participants (66 girls and 79 boys), all of whom were children aged 9 years. The input signal for the neural network consisted of recorded observation sessions, which were packets containing the child’s spatio-temporal attention trajectories generated during task performance. The training set was developed using stimuli from Benton tests and an expert opinion from a specialist in early childhood psychology. The coefficients of determination of R2∼0.992 were obtained for the proposed model, giving an accuracy of 97.7% for the test set. The ease of implementation of this approach in school settings and its non-stressful nature make it suitable for use with children of different ages and developmental stages, including those who have not yet learned to read. This enables early intervention, which is essential for effective educational and emotional support for children with dyslexia.

S11-4: Reaching people with a disability in a small town–a practice perspective

Abstract Purpose It is well documented that people living with a disability often have restricted opportunities to participate in physical activity and may face significant barriers. This presentation provides a practice perspective on reaching, and providing inclusive, meaningful physical activity opportunities for children and adults living with disability in Ireland. Project or policy description While significant efforts have been made in Ireland and elsewhere to facilitate access, this presentation will provide insights from a Sports Inclusion Development Officer, working in a town in Ireland, on how providing facilitators (funding streams and a varied programme of activities) does not necessarily remove barriers for people with disability to access physical activity and participate. Conclusions There are problems in areas with low population density – small numbers of people with specific disabilities leading to no specific activities for specific disabilities. Clubs are providing options, in some instances, but they are often not easy to implement as the volunteer base has declined and many sports clubs focus on performance rather than participation. Sometimes they are difficult for those with disabilities to access and participate. Often, the policy and willingness for change is there at organisational level but at intervention level there are difficulties in implementation.

Responsiveness of the Oswestry Disability Index and Zurich Claudication Questionnaire in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis: evaluation of surgically treated patients from the NORDSTEN study

PurposeTo evaluate the responsiveness of the original low back pain specific Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and the spinal stenosis specific Zürich Claudication Questionnaire (ZCQ), and to investigate cut-off values for clinical “success” for ODI and ZCQ in surgically treated patients with lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS).MethodsWe included 601 LSS patients (218 with, 383 without degenerative spondylolisthesis) from the NORDSTEN trials. Outcome measures included ODI and ZCQ (symptom severity and physical function scales) with three alternative response parameters: scores at follow-up, absolute and relative changes from baseline to two-year follow-up. Effect size and standardised response mean evaluated internal responsiveness. External responsiveness was assessed by the Spearman rank correlation between patient-reported global perceived effect scale (GPE) and ODI and ZCQ, and receiver operating characteristics (ROC). We evaluated which cut-off values could maximise the percentage of correctly classified patients according to the GPE-anchor “completely recovered” / “much improved” for each parameter.ResultsInternal and external responsiveness were high for all three indices with effect sizes, standardized response means, ROC and corresponding area under the curve > 0.8. Correlations with GPE responses were moderate (> 0.50) for absolute change and strong (> 0.67) for relative change and follow-up scores. The 30% ODI relative change cut-off correctly classified 81% of patients to “success”, within a range of accurate cut-offs according to the GPE-anchor.ConclusionODI and ZCQ demonstrate comparable responsiveness in evaluating outcomes for surgically treated LSS patients. The 30% ODI threshold was consistent with treatment “success” in NORDSTEN trials.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov; NCT02007083 10/12/2013, NCT02051374 31/01/2014 and NCT03562936 20/06/2018.

Trends in Disability and Limitations among U.S. Adults Age 18-44, 2000-2018.

Understanding disability trends is critical for health care and social policy. Although trends in disability and limitations have been studied extensively among older and middle-aged adults, little is known about trends in younger Americans, despite their importance for current and future population health. We present the first comprehensive evidence on disability trends among U.S. adults age 18-44. We analyze 20 measures of disability and limitations collected in the nationally representative National Health Interview Survey 2000-2018 (N=261,505). Robust Poisson models estimate age- and sex-adjusted trends and their covariates. Over one quarter (27.4%) reported at least one disability or limitation; the age-adjusted prevalence increased by 5% from 2000 to 2018. However, trends for specific disabilities and limitations varied tremendously. ADL and IADL limitations, cognitive, and social disabilities increased steeply (by 65-89% over the study period). Mobility limitations were generally unchanged or increased modestly. Hearing and 'other' limitations decreased significantly (25-48% decrease). The trends are only partly explained by education, health behaviors, chronic conditions, and other covariates. Disability trends research must not be limited to older adults. Researchers and policy makers interested in health care policy, planning, and caregiving should pay attention to disability trends among young adults in the United States.

Can you know before you go? Information about disability accommodations on UShospital websites.

People with disability (PWD) face challenges accessing healthcare. Websites are a public-facing resource that can help PWD determine if a hospital can accommodate their needs, yet few studies have described whether hospital websites contain adequate accommodation information. To characterize the extent to which information about disability accommodations is available on UShospital websites. We manually reviewed hospital websites using a structured extraction form. We used the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services'Hospital General Information Data set to identify a stratified random sample of 600 nonspecialty hospitals in the United States. We excluded hospitals that shared a website with a previously reviewed hospital for a final sample of 445. We recorded(1) content about specific disability accommodations (in 11 predetermined categories); (2) descriptions of hospital policy mentioning disability; and (3) the point of contact to obtain more information about accommodations. About two-thirds (65.6%) of sampled hospitals were acute care hospitals (vs34.4% critical access); 53.5% had 26-299 beds. Overall, 73.7% websites had information about accommodations; of these, 36.3% had information solely within hospital policies. Of the 47.0% websites with accommodation information beyond hospital policies, the mean number of accommodations listed (excluding policy statements) was 2.37 (of 11 possible). Hospitals with 300+ beds had higher odds of listing any nonpolicy accommodations than those with 1-26 beds (odds ratio = 2.768, p = .02). Less than half (40.5%) hospitals listed a contact person. Information about disability accommodations is sparse on hospital websites. Comprehensive and actionable communication about accommodations is needed to better protect PWD's rights to accessible healthcare.

Best Practices and Lessons Learned From the Public Health Disability Specialists Program: Addressing the Needs of People With Disabilities During COVID-19.

The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) and the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) applied funding issued by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to implement the Public Health Disability Specialists Program, part of a project to address the needs of people with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Disability specialists (subject matter experts) were embedded within state, territorial, and city/county health departments to help ensure disability inclusion in emergency planning, mitigation, and recovery efforts. To evaluate the success of the Disability Specialists Program in improving emergency response planning, mitigation, and recovery efforts for people with disabilities within participating jurisdictions. Disability specialists worked with their assigned jurisdictions to conduct standardized baseline health department needs assessments to identify existing gaps and inform development and implementation of improvement plans. CDC, ASTHO, and NACCHO implemented a mixed methods framework to evaluate specialists' success. State, territorial, and local health departments across 28 jurisdictions between January 2021 and July 2022. Average number of categories of gaps addressed and qualitative documentation of strategies, barriers, and promising practices. Specialists identified 1010 gaps (approximately 36 per jurisdiction) across eight needs assessment categories, most related to mitigation, recovery, resilience, and sustainability efforts (n=213) and communication (n=193). Specialists addressed an average of three categories of gaps identified; common focus areas included equitable COVID-19 vaccine distribution and accessible communications. Specialists commonly mentioned barriers related to limited health agency capacity (eg, resources) and community mistrust. Promising practices to address barriers included sharing best practices through peer-to-peer networks and building and strengthening partnerships between health departments and the disability community. Embedding disability specialists within state, territorial, and local health departments improved jurisdictional ability to meet evolving public health needs for the entire community, including people with disabilities.

Heatwave frequency and disability status: Thermal inequities in the U.S. South

BackgroundAlthough extreme heat has been found to be disproportionately distributed with respect to socially disadvantaged and marginalized groups, persons with disabilities have received limited attention in previous research on heat exposure disparities. ObjectiveThis gap is addressed by analyzing the relationship between local heatwave frequency and the percentages of people with a disability and specific disability types in the U.S. South—a region characterized by extremely high summer temperatures and greater disability prevalence. MethodsCensus tract level values of heatwave annualized frequency from the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index are linked to relevant disability variables from the latest American Community Survey five-year estimates. Statistical analyses are based on bivariate correlations and multivariable generalized estimating equations that consider spatial clustering of tracts based on climate zone and county. ResultsThe overall percentage of civilian noninstitutionalized persons with a disability and more than one disability are significantly greater (p < 0.001) in census tracts with higher heatwave frequency, after controlling for clustering, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, older age, population density, and metropolitan status. Heatwave frequency is also positively and significantly associated (p < 0.01) with the percentages of people with hearing, vision, cognitive, ambulatory, self-care, and independent living difficulties. ConclusionsThese heat-related distributive injustices in the U.S. South demonstrate an urgent need to: (1) include disability status in future research on social disparities in heatwave exposure; (2) conduct more detailed investigations in other regions, states, and nations; and (3) develop disability-inclusive policies and interventions that provide equitable protection during extreme weather events.

The application of directional preference for chronic non-specific knee pain: A pragmatic, controlled, randomized clinical trial

Functional disability and chronic knee pain are frequent in combats sports participants. The McKenzie Method of Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy (MDT) is a system for specific function examination and intervention for spinal and extremity musculoskeletal disorder. This clinical trial aimed to investigate the effectiveness of MDT, through Directional Preference, for specific function disability in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners (BJJPs) experiencing chronic non-specific knee pain. MethodsSixty-five BJJPs with chronic non-specific knee pain were evaluated and classified according to the MDT system. Following classification, 28 BJJPs were randomized pairwise into intervention (IG) and control (CG) groups. The procedures were consistent with the principles of DP and the intervention period was 6 weeks and follow up was included. The primary outcome was specific functional disability evaluated using the Patient Specific Function Scale (PSFS) and the secondary outcomes were pain intensity and fear-avoidance in utilizing the symptomatic limb. Data were analyzed with a two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and repeated measures for the outcome factor were performed (p < 0.05). ResultsFor the specific functional disability, ANOVA revealed significant differences between groups based on group interaction and treatment factors (F (2, 52): 162,015; p < 0.001; η2: 0.208). The BJJPs allocated to the IG achieved significant improvements in specific functional disability, a mean difference of −4.36 (−5.01 to −3.72) post-interventional and −4.80 (−6.07 to −3.53) follow-up in the PSFS. Improvements in pain intensity and fear-avoidance were also achieved post-intervention and follow-up. ConclusionIntervention in accordance with DP promoted resulted in favorable outcomes for clinical effects on specific functional disability pain intensity, and symmetry index of the lower limbs. These findings suggest that intervention based on DP may be effective in the management of chronic knee pain in BJJPs.

Depression in persons with disabilities: a scoping review.

Individuals with disabilities are more vulnerable to depression development than the general population. This study sought to map the evidence on current knowledge of depression, intervention strategies, and assessment tools among people with disabilities. This review was conducted following Arksey and O'Malley's scoping review methodology framework. An electronic search was performed on four English databases: PubMed, Cochrane Library, PsycINFO, and Web of Science. The original search returned 1802 results, with 1,116 from Web of Science, 626 from PubMed, 25 from Cochrane, and 35 from PsycINFO. After removing duplicates, 786 articles were chosen for the title and abstract screening processes. Finally, 112 full-text publications were deemed eligible, with 41 papers being included in this scoping review for analysis. A large proportion (32; 78.04%) of the studies chosen were cross-sectional, 14 (34.14%) of them reported general disability, 12 (29.26%) used a patient health questionnaire (PHQ-9) to measure depression, and 14 (34.14%) had interventions, including cognitive behavioral therapy, psychological counseling, social support, and physical activity. All interventions successfully reduced the severity of the depression. Cognitive behavioral therapies and psychological counseling were widely used interventions that had a significant impact on reducing depression. More randomized controlled trials are required, and they should focus on individuals with specific disabilities to provide disability-specific care that can improve the quality of life for disabled individuals.

Development of a Comprehensive Tool for Assessing Cardiorespiratory, Muscular Strength, and Endurance Function in People With Intellectual Disabilities

Background and Aims Accurate assessment of cardiorespiratory function, muscular strength, and endurance seems necessary to be aware of, provide exercise interventions, and prevent subsequent diseases. Therefore, the current research aimed to develop a comprehensive tool for assessing cardiorespiratory, muscular strength, and endurance function in people with intellectual disabilities. Methods The current research is fundamental and practical in terms of purpose. In this study, the psychometrics of 51 specific intellectual disability tests were used to develop a tool for measuring cardiorespiratory function, muscular strength, and endurance. The face validity of the instrument through a 51-test questionnaire by 15 experts and 15 intellectually disabled educators, the content validity through a 51-test questionnaire by 15 experts, and the construct validity through a 19-test questionnaire by 243 intellectually disabled educators were examined. The tool’s reliability was checked through internal, intra-rater, and inter-rater consistency. Internal consistency was estimated by calculating the Cronbach alpha. The intra-rater and inter-rater reliabilities were also checked through the implementation of the tests by 18 people with intellectual disability in three time points and with three raters through the internal correlation index (ICC), confidence interval (CI), and standard error of measurement (SEM). Data analysis was done through exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis with AMOS version 26 and SPSS software, version 22. Results Based on the content validity ratio (CVR) estimation, 19 out of 51 tests had a content validity ratio higher than 0.49, and the rest were excluded. Regarding construct validity, 10 out of 19 tests were removed, and the final 9 tests were approved for evaluating cardiorespiratory function, muscular strength, and endurance. Exploratory factor analysis extracted three latent factors that explained 46.21% of the total variance. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the final construct model. The factor analysis results included KMO=0.829 and BT=4706.93 (P&lt;0.0001). Conclusion The current study provided a special set of tests for people with intellectual disability regarding cardiorespiratory assessment (one test), strength (four tests), and muscular endurance (four tests) after psychometry of 51 specific tests. By using this set of tests, it is possible to make an accurate assessment of the physical fitness of the health of people with intellectual disability.

Scoping Review of Music Interventions Aimed at Improving Reading Skills in Children with Specific Learning Disorders in Reading.

An emerging body of research utilizes music in the treatment of children with specific learning disorders in reading. However, greater understanding of music interventions is necessary for efficient application of music to address children's specific reading needs. Therefore, this scoping review aimed to identify the key musical concepts used to improve reading skills. Intervention studies were identified through online searches of databases and hand searching of primary journals in music therapy, and 12 studies met the inclusion criteria. For the 12 studies, auditory processing, phonological processing, and temporal processing were the underlying mechanisms identified in the interventions. Most of the interventions presented rhythmic activities for the purpose of improving reading accuracy. The results of this study highlight the lack of specific descriptions for the musical elements used within music interventions targeting reading skills. In addition, due to the diversity of the terms used to describe the music interventions, it was difficult to compare the effectiveness of these interventions on reading accuracy, comprehension skills, and fluency. Therefore, future studies are needed to articulate clear rationales for how musical elements can be used in music interventions to treat specific reading disabilities in children.

Assessment of a novel Ehlers-Danlos syndromes disability index.

The Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS) are a group of inherited connective tissue disorders characterized by disruptions in collagen synthesis and processing. These disorders lead to various symptoms, including hypermobility, musculoskeletal conditions, and chronic pain that can significantly limit patients' daily living. In the absence of a curative treatment, an EDS specific disability index that tracks changes in patient-reported outcomes can facilitate the investigation of new treatment options and enhance the quality of life for EDS patients. An EDS-specific disability index was created using survey data and input from clinicians. A total of 222 EDS patients in a multidisciplinary clinical program completed the index during their initial visit. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to determine the index's factor solution and assess its goodness-of-fit. Paired t-tests were performed with follow-up visit data collected over the course of one year. The exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses indicated a two-factor solution, accounting for 42.40% of the variance. The index demonstrated adequate fit to the data, supported by Tucker and Lewis's index (0.85) and root mean square error of approximation (0.1). Data from follow-up visits showed significant improvement in three symptom related variables and one function related variable in addition to the total score and the symptom subscale score when compared to the initial visit. The development of an EDS-specific disability index is a crucial step in creating a clinical tool that enables healthcare professionals to gain a deeper understanding of the impact EDS has on patients' lives and potentially identify new therapeutic interventions.

Mr. Gilbert's World Tour: Rethinking Disabled Veterans Across British Imperial Spaces.

This article provides a comparative analysis of the treatment of disabled First World War veterans in 1920s Britain and the simultaneous care of Imperial Pensioners residing in Australia and South Africa via the detailed administrative reports of a British civil servant, G.F. Gilbert. Imperial Pensioners were disabled veteran migrants of the British Army residing overseas. A study of these veteran populations in Australia and South Africa provides two primary insights into the broader historiography of disabled veterans. Firstly, a comparative case study helps to show the way in which cultural notions of disability were part of broader ideas of nation-building overseas. Secondly, the specific disability diagnosis category chosen as a more in-depth case study can further complicate and contradict broader assessments of national responses. This article attempts to build upon recent transnational histories of veterans by transcending national boundaries and homogenous veteran profiles with an extension in methodological scope by providing an intra-national case study via the Imperial Pensioner.

Examining the Intersection of Disability Status, Sexual Identity, Gender Identity, and Victimization Among College Students

ABSTRACT Research often finds persons with a disability, persons who are transgender non-conforming (TGNC), or who are sexual minorities experience increased victimization risk. Less research has examined how these identities intersect to impact victimization risk. Thus, our study adds to the literature by examining how these identities intersect to influence risk of violent, sexual, and intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization among a national-level sample of college students. In doing so, we explore the interactions between having any disability and being TGNC and being a sexual minority on victimization risk. In addition, specific disability types are explored for their potential interactive effects. Findings show increased risk of sexual victimization and IPV victimization among those who identify as TGNC and have a disability. Specific disability types, speech and mobility, interacted with gender identity to impact risk. Our findings suggest the need for universities to implement inclusive and culturally competent prevention and intervention efforts.