Use Of External Aids Research Articles

Development Strategies for Africa: Lessons from Asia, Europe, USA and Canada

The study analyzed development strategies for Africa with specific emphasis on lessons from the developed countries of Europe, Asia, the United States of America, and Canada. Development is akin to a sustainable livelihood, hence, the need for a country to devise means for the achievement and maintenance of accelerated improvements in the holistic affairs of the people and their environs. The objectives of the study were to analyze major development strategies suitable for African countries, identify challenges of development strategies in African countries and proffer solutions to ameliorate them. The Economic Theory of Modernization was adopted for the study. The qualitative research methodology which is mainly descriptive was adopted for the study through the use of secondary sources of data like internet sources, textbooks, journals, etc. It was discovered that primary exports and diversification, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI); planned use of external aids, natural resources economics, and domestic resource mobilization, constitutes major development strategies for the underdeveloped and developing countries of Africa. It was also discovered that problems of unorganized vision and plans, corruption, poor funding, ineffective tax administration system and poor plan implementation and evaluation limit the success of development strategies in African countries. It was recommended that special funds for development plans should be independent of the general budget and agencies of implementation and evaluation should be created for any development plan or programme.

How well do online, self-administered measures correspond to in-lab assessments? A preliminary examination of three measures in healthy older adults.

The objective of the present study was to examine the correspondence between previously collected in-lab scores and online scores administered using a fully-automated platform, and identify issues that should be considered for automated testing. We examined correspondence between in-lab and online scores for three types of measures often used as cognitive screeners in studies of older adults: A performance test, a subjective symptom-rating scale, and vocabulary test. Participants were a community sample of healthy older adults (n = 55). Both preregistered and exploratory analyses found only modest correspondence for the performance test (Cronbach's α .604), but relatively good correspondence for the subjective rating (.821) and vocabulary test (.952). Additional analyses identified issues with specific items on the performance test, as well as potential indicators of problematic cases such as the use of external aids on the vocabulary test. Our results identify several pitfalls when adapting tests for online testing, but the relatively strong correspondence for some measures suggests a promising outlook for the validity of online testing once these are resolved. We make suggestions for how the identified pitfalls might be addressed in future studies attempting to adapt performance measures for online testing. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Implementation of the telephone montreal cognitive assessment in a telemedicine based pre-admission testing clinic during COVID-19

IntroductionPostoperative delirium (POD) affects 10-70% of patients 60 years or older and has been linked to increasing length of hospitalization, mortality, and morbidity. Pre-existing cognitive impairment is a predictor of POD. COVID-19 restricted use of in-person cognitive screens. The Telephone Montreal Cognitive Assessment (T-MoCA) can screen for cognitive dysfunction remotely. We evaluated the feasibility of administering T-MoCA in a multiethnic population during pre-operative testing televisits. MethodsPatients scheduled for surgery between July 2020 and August 2020 were asked to participate in the T-MoCA at the end of their preadmission testing (PAT) televisit. A retrospective chart review was conducted to collect patient comorbidities and demographics. Patients were stratified by negative (T-MoCA≥19) or positive (T-MoCA<19) for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and compared using 2-tailed χ2-tests. Univariate logistic regression was used to identify associations between patient characteristics and positive T-MoCA result. ResultsFifty out of 65 (77%) patients who consented to the T-MoCA completed the test. The average time to complete the assessment was 10.5 mins. Twenty two (44%) had a negative score and 28 (56%) had a positive score. Patients who had a positive T-MoCA were older (70.04±7.61 yrs) compared to those with a negative T-MoCA (67.68±4.69 yrs, p=0.007), although the distribution of patients above and below age 65 was not different (p=0.243). The two groups did not vary by gender, race/ethnicity, obesity, surgery type, or medical co-morbidities. When we examined our population for predictors of a positive T-MoCA, we found a trend toward men being less likely to score positive on T-MoCA (OR=0.33, 95% CI: 0.10-1.10, p=0.07) compared to women; and that patients with Hispanic race/ethnicity were more likely to test positive on the T-MoCA (OR=4.13, 95% CI: 0.84-20.28, p=0.08) compared to Non-Hispanic Whites. ConclusionsImplementation of the T-MoCA in a telemedicine-based PAT setting is feasible. In our cohort, most people who consented to the assessment completed it, and more than half scored positively, which may have important implications on the surgical plan and post-operative recovery. There may be limitations in using T-MoCA in certain populations, such as non-English preferred language, hearing difficulties, lack of focus, and use of external aids, which would need to be explored in a larger sample size.

Representational dynamics in the domain of iterated mental paper folding

Successful problem solving relies on the availability of suitable mental representations of the task domain. Especially for more complex problems, there might be a wide variety of possible problem representations, and it might even be beneficial to change them during problem solving. In a first part, we argue that investigating the dynamics of understanding in terms of dynamically changing problem representations is an underexplored aspect of problem solving research, and that most classic tasks even preclude the opportunity of such dynamics to occur. Continuing this theoretical discussion, as an illustrative example of a task designed for the exploration of such representational dynamics, the second part of the paper discusses a novel, complex spatial transformation and problem solving task. In this task, one is asked to repeatedly mentally cross-fold a sheet of paper, and to predict the resulting sheet geometry without the use of external aids. Through its deliberate openness and difficulty, this task requires finding new and more efficient representations – ranging from kinaesthetic and visuospatial imagery to symbolic notions. We present an overview of the task domain and discuss various ways of representing the domain as well as potential dynamics between them.

Risk Factors for Daytime or Combined Incontinence in Children with Cerebral Palsy

We identify risk factors for daytime or combined urinary incontinence in children with cerebral palsy. A cross-sectional case-control study was conducted including children with cerebral palsy with or without daytime or combined urinary incontinence from the CP-Reference Center at Ghent University Hospital and 2 associated special education schools. Factors were subdivided in 3 clusters of demographic and general medical data, cerebral palsy classification, and bladder and bowel dysfunction. Data were obtained using uroflowmetry with electromyography testing, a nonvalidated questionnaire and bladder diaries. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed for variables and clusters, respectively. A final associative logistic model including all clusters was developed. The study included 34 incontinent children and 45 continent children. Daytime or combined urinary incontinence was associated with intellectual disability (OR 7.69), swallowing problems (OR 15.11), use of external aids (OR 27.50) and use of laxatives (OR 13.31). Daytime or combined urinary incontinence was positively associated with dyskinesia (OR 5.67) or combined spasticity and dystonia (OR 4.78), bilateral involvement (OR 4.25), Gross Motor Function Classification System level IV (OR 10.63) and V (OR 34.00), and severe impairment in manual (OR 24.27) or communication skills (OR 14.38). Lower maximum voided volume (OR 0.97) and oral fluid intake (OR 0.96) influenced daytime or combined urinary incontinence negatively. Pathological uroflow curves were not significantly associated with incontinence. The final model defined functional impairment, intellectual disability and oral fluid intake as predictive factors for daytime or combined urinary incontinence. Risk analysis revealed functional impairment, intellectual disability and fluid intake as important factors influencing continence in a child with cerebral palsy.

Students’ Metacomprehension Knowledge: Components that Predict Comprehension Performance

In the present study, we assessed students’ metacomprehension knowledge and examined the components of knowledge most related to comprehension of expository texts. We used the Revised Metacomprehension Scale (RMCS) to investigate the relations between students’ metacomprehension knowledge and comprehension performance. Students who evaluated and regulated their understanding by using explanatory strategies (adjusting to difficult material and identifying and making connections across main points) performed better on a comprehension test than those who relied on the use of external aids. Use of explanatory strategies was positively related to comprehension performance, particularly for students with poorer evaluation and regulation skills. Results suggest that the RMCS is effective at assessing students’ ability to both evaluate and regulate their understanding and can help identify effective strategies for increasing comprehension performance.

Efficacy of a cognitive intervention program in patients with mild cognitive impairment

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a transitional state between normal aging and dementia. Identifying this condition would allow early interventions that may reduce the rate of progression to Alzheimer's disease (AD). We examined the efficacy of a six-month cognitive intervention program (CIP) in patients with MCI and to assess patients' condition at one-year follow-up. Forty-six MCI participants assessed with neuropsychological, neurological, neuropsychiatry, and functional procedures were included in this study and followed up during a year. The sample was randomized into two subgroups: 24 participants (the "trained group") underwent the CIP during six months while 22 (control group) received no treatment. Sixteen participants dropped out of the study. The intervention focused on teaching cognitive strategies, cognitive training, and use of external aids, in sessions of two hours, twice per week for six months. Cognitive and functional measures were used as primary outcome and all were followed up at one year. The intervention effect (mean change from baseline) was significant (p < 0.05) on the Mini-Mental State Examination (1.74), the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale (0.14), the Boston Naming Test (2.92), block design (-13.66), matrix reasoning (-3.07), and semantic fluency (-3.071) tasks. Four patients (one trained and three controls) progressed to dementia after one year of follow-up. These results suggest that persons with MCI can improve their performance on cognitive and functional measures when provided with early cognitive training and it could persist in a long-term follow-up.

The effect of cognitive function and the use of external aids for prospective memory

The effect of cognitive function and the use of external aids for prospective memory

Ajudas externas à memória na intervenção em pessoas idosas com comprometimento mnésico

As estratégias de compensação são intervenções neuropsicológicas que reorganizam as funções psicológicas, incluindo as ajudas internas e externas e adaptações ambientais. As ajudas externas à memória atribuem importância a objectos externos ou ao ambiente, em prol de intervenções cognitivas ou comportamentais. O objectivo deste trabalho é analisar a eficácia e as condicionantes bio-psico-sociais inerentes à utilização das ajudas externas, por pessoas idosas com comprometimento mnésico. Procedeu-se à recolha bibliográfica de artigos científicos, maioritariamente em inglês, com critério de inclusão a intervenção em pessoas idosas, com comprometimento mnésico, e exclusão, jovens ou crianças e avaliação de outras estratégias de compensação. Os resultados sugerem que são os mecanismos compensatórios mais usados com a idade, diminuindo na demência. Devem inserir-se em sistemas de treino, ajustados às incapacidades mnésicas, potenciando a estimulação e manutenção da memória e independência.

Participation-Centered Treatment for Elderly with Mild Cognitive Deficits: A “Book Club” Group Case Study

ABSTRACTMild cognitive deficits in the elderly are associated with emotional and functional difficulties, including lower participation and quality of life. The objective of this article was to operationalize a theoretically driven, participation-centered treatment protocol for this population. The underlying bio-psycho–social mechanisms that impede participation defined the major components of a Participation-Centered treatment for Elderly (PC-E) with mild cognitive deficits to enable successful adaptation. Occupational therapy cognitive and group practice models delineated the treatment methods that address the functional, cognitive, emotional, and social components. A group case study utilizing a “book club” setting was conducted to examine the preliminary effects of the PC-E. Five participants with mild cognitive deficits and significant occupational limitations were treated in a group setting. Participants regularly attended and expressed satisfaction with the treatment. They demonstrated use of external aids and reported attainment of occupational goals in daily lives. Less consistent results were found for acquisition of internal strategies and modification of negative beliefs. These preliminary findings demonstrate the potential utility of the PC-E for elderly with mild cognitive deficits in enabling them to engage in occupations and improve overall well-being. Systematic research to examine PC-E efficacy is required.

Modeling change in memory performance and memory perceptions: Findings from the ACTIVE study.

Within the context of the ACTIVE study, the current investigation explored the relationships between objective memory and two components of subjective memory (frequency of forgetting and use of external aids) over a five-year period. Relationships were assessed using parallel process latent growth curve models. Results indicated that changes in objective memory were associated with changes in perceived frequency of forgetting, but not with use of external aids (calendars, reminder notes) over time. Findings suggest that memory complaints may accurately reflect decline in objective memory performance, but that these memory changes are not necessarily related to compensatory behaviors.

The Relative Importance of Suboperations of Prospective Memory

An event-based and a time-based prospective memory (PM) task, a script generation task, several working memory tasks, an incidental retrospective memory task, and a screen clock were implemented on the computer in one integrated procedure lasting between one and two hours. The procedure was designed to simulate four working days and four nights for a white-collar employee. Sixty-eight normal participants completed the task. Time-based prospective memory (self-injecting and going to bed at preordained times of day) shared unique variance with clock checking, but hardly at all with incidental retrospective memory. On the other hand, event-based prospective memory (answering a faint telephone cue as quickly as possible) shared unique variance with incidental retrospective memory of formally task irrelevant context and less with clock checking. The latter correlational dissociation of event-based versus time-based PM by retrospective memory reached significance, inspiring the idea that administrative versus clerical work might each impose its own type of PM demands. In both types of PM, low-level abilities (use of external aids and incidental encoding of context, respectively) seem to be critical for good performance, more so than for high-order executive functions. Our software is offered to the readership to explicitate these findings further or for other research pursuits.

Managing Memory and Metamemory Impairments in Individuals with Traumatic Brain Injury

Managing Memory and Metamemory Impairments in Individuals with Traumatic Brain Injury

Neuropsychological rehabilitation of memory deficits and activities of daily living in patients with Alzheimer's disease: a pilot study

Patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) gradually lose their cognitive competence, particularly memory, and the ability to perform daily life tasks. Neuropsychological rehabilitation is used to improve cognitive functions by facilitating memory performance through the use of external aids and internal strategies. The effect of neuropsychological rehabilitation through memory training - motor movements, verbal association, and categorization - and activities of daily living (ADL) training was tested in a sample of 5 elderly out-patients (mean age: 77.4 +/- 2.88 years), with mild AD (Mini-Mental State Examination score: 22.20 +/- 2.17) and their caregivers. All patients had been taking rivastigmine (6-12 mg/day) for at least 3 months before being assigned to the rehabilitation sessions, and they continued to take the medication during the whole program. Just before and after the 14-week neuropsychological rehabilitation program all patients were assessed by interviewers that did not participate in the cognitive training, using the Mini-Mental State Examination, Montgomery-Alsberg Depression Rating Scale, Hamilton Anxiety Scale, Interview to Determine Deterioration in Functioning in Dementia, Functional Test, Memory Questionnaire of Daily Living for patient and caregiver, Quality of Life Questionnaire for patient and caregiver, and a neuropsychological battery. The results showed a statistically significant improvement in ADL measured by Functional Test (P = 0.04), and only a small improvement in memory and psychiatric symptoms. Our results support the view that weekly stimulation of memory and training of ADL is believed to be of great value in AD treatment, not only delaying the progress of the disease, but also improving some cognitive functions and ADL, even though AD is a progressively degenerative disease.

A comparison of training strategies to enhance use of external aids by persons with dementia

The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of two training approaches, Spaced Retrieval (SR) and a modified Cueing Hierarchy (CH), for teaching persons with dementia a strategy goal involving an external memory aid. Twenty-five persons with dementia living in either community or nursing home settings received training on two individual-specific strategy goals, one with each training approach. Results revealed that significantly more goals were attained using SR procedures than CH, but that a majority of participants learned to use external aids using both strategies. There were no significant differences in the number of sessions required to master goals in either condition; however, significantly more SR goals were maintained at both 1-week and 4-months post-training compared to CH goals. Mental status was not significantly correlated with goal mastery, suggesting the potential benefits of strategy training beyond the early stages of dementia. Learning outcomes As a result of this activity, the reader will be able to (1) identify ways to enable persons with dementia to make effective use of external memory aids; (2) describe a method, Spaced Retrieval, by which persons with dementia can learn and retain information; and (3) describe two approaches to working with persons with dementia to train a strategy learning goal.

Developing audience awareness in writing

Beginning writers need to consider their audience; but this is only possible when the writer has reached a certain stage of cognitive development, as it is necessary to consider an absent reality (e.g. an audience reading the piece at a later point). Adapting the text to the audience is only possible when the physical task of writing becomes automatic and the writer is no longer absorbed by it. Then the writer is free to pay attention to other aspects of the task without overloading cognitive processes. Procedural facilitation involves the use of external aids to support a simplified version of the processes used by expert writers. It may function as a way of enabling beginning writers to adapt what they write for their audiences. At the same time, as this task becomes automatic, it may be seen as a way of promoting writing development. A quasi–experimental study is described in which a procedural facilitation strategy is used to promote writing skills, in particular, the skill of suiting the text to the communicative context. The study was with fifth and ninth grade Portuguese students. The results of the post–test show significant progress for the experimental groups in contrast to the control groups.

Improving Attention and Managing Attentional Problems

Research and clinical experience in the field of brain injury rehabilitation have focused quite extensively on the need and potential to retrain attentional skills that are commonly affected by acquired brain injury. Four approaches to managing attention impairments that have emerged from this literature include attention process training, training use of strategies and environmental support, training use of external aids, and the provision of psychosocial support. Most often, several of these will be used in combination. For example, a therapy regimen might include attention process training emphasizing specific components of attention (e.g., sustained attention), in conjunction with training in pacing techniques, and psychosocial support, where the client keeps behavioral logs and discusses insights gained from tracking attention successes and attention lapses. Although there are as yet little data with regard to the effectiveness of these approaches in adults with developmental disorders of attention, there is a growing literature suggesting they may be effective in children and adolescents with ADHD. Further investigation of the application of such techniques in adults with a wide variety of attention disorders, including developmental disorders, would be valuable.

Walking While Memorizing: Age-Related Differences in Compensatory Behavior

This study investigated predictions of the life-span theory of selection, optimization, and compensation, focusing on different patterns of task priority during dual-task performance in younger and older adults. Cognitive (memorizing) and sensorimotor (walking a narrow track) performance were measured singly, concurrently, and when task difficulty was manipulated. Use of external aids was measured to provide another index of task priority. Before dual-task testing, participants received extensive training with each component task and external aid. Age differences in dual-task costs were greater in memory performance than walking, suggesting that older adults prioritized walking over memory. Further, when given a choice of compensatory external aids to use, older adults optimized walking, whereas younger adults optimized memory performance. The results have broad implications for systemic theories of cognitive and sensorimotor aging, and the costs and benefits of assistive devices and environmental support for older populations.

LASERS IN HEALTHCARE: FOCUS ON CORNEAL REFRACTIVE SURGERY

Refractive surgery techniques allow people with vision defects to see without the use of external aids. The authors provide a comprehensive picture of state-of-the-art, corneal surgery.

Conceptual Frame Work On Self-Reliance in Community Development in Zimbabwe

[Development theory and policy have been the subject of discussion in both the developed and the under-developed countries. The implementation of these policies have varied from one country to another. The central and critical question that is often raised is whether there is development among and within the poorest sections of society. The new trend in development process particularly in the third world countries, is that, citizens should be involved in decision making, planning and implementation of programmes of action. This paper provides a critical analysis of various theories of development and shows through examples, how they have failed in third world countries. An alternative self-reliant development strategy is examined and recommended within the economic, political and social conditions prevailing in Zimbabwe. Community Development is suggested as an important instrument of facilitating and accelerating the development process. The use of external aid is not encouraged because it does not trickle down to the poor section of society. Further, aid does not help to bring about fundamental structural changes within society. Inequality between regions and more importantly between men and women is not tackled very effectively and meaningfully by external aid. Aid, like technology may not be neutral and may reflect the political ideals and economic interests of the donor countries. Self-reliance inevitably implies the formation of self-help organisations through which development projects can be implemented and realised. For self-help organiza tions to be successful, certain political, economic and social conditions have to be met. Human and financial resources need to be committed by the Central Government to build the social infrastructure that will facilitate the development process. The question of who participates in decision-making is discussed and recommenda tion is made that the beneficiaries or the direct consumers of the service should be involved in the identification of problems and implementation of projects. On the whole, emphasis is placed on qualitative rather than quantitative aspect of development. This is very pertinent in community development which aims at the promotion of the quality of life of the majority of people in the country.]