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Advances in Physiology Education Jun 2024Student engagement while learning a new, unfamiliar vocabulary is challenging in health science courses. A group role-play activity was created to teach students medical...
Student engagement while learning a new, unfamiliar vocabulary is challenging in health science courses. A group role-play activity was created to teach students medical terminology and learn why its correct usage is important. This activity brought engagement and relevance to a topic traditionally taught through lecture and rote memorization and led to the development of an undergraduate and a stand-alone introductory course to teach students medical terminology. The undergraduate course was designed to be a fully online medical terminology course for health science students and a face-to-face course for first-year dental students founded in active learning and group work. The course's centerpiece learning activity focused on using published case studies with role-play. In this group activity, students are challenged to interpret a published patient case study as one of the members of a healthcare team. This course models the group work inherent in modern health care to practice building community and practicing professional skills. This approach gives students the capacity to work asynchronously in a team-based approach using our learning management system's wiki tool and requires students to take responsibility for their learning and group dynamics. Students practice identification, writing, analyzing, and speaking medical terms while rotating through the roles. Students in both classes self-reported a 92% to 99% strong or somewhat agreement using a 5-point Likert scale that the course pedagogy was valued and helpful in their learning of medical terminology. Overall, this method has shown to be an engaging way for students to learn medical terminology.
PubMed: 38841749
DOI: 10.1152/advan.00273.2023 -
Frontiers in Sociology 2024The present study was based on empirical data collected during the first phase (2016) of Study 1000, part of the 13-November Program: a corpus of 934 individual...
The present study was based on empirical data collected during the first phase (2016) of Study 1000, part of the 13-November Program: a corpus of 934 individual interviews conducted 6-11 months after the events. To process this empirical material, the authors used integrated TXM software, which provides several classic textometry tools. They mainly used the lexical specificity analysis tool, which statistically measures the irregularity of the word distribution according to the parts of the corpus. They also analyzed the concordances of certain very specific lexical forms. Analysis revealed the important influence of social roles on the construction of memories and narratives of this event. Application of textometry tools highlighted lexical fields specific to the different social roles played by the interviewees in this , and showed that it was through these specific vocabularies that they remembered and recounted this story. Social roles therefore influence the formation of memories both individual and collective, by modulating the way in which individuals select what to remember and what to forget. The article opens up several interesting avenues for future analyses, mainly a longitudinal perspective (including phases 2 and 3 of Study 1000) for the study of flashbulb memories and the gender issue to fine-tune the analysis of social roles.
PubMed: 38841401
DOI: 10.3389/fsoc.2024.1388380 -
Beyond words: an investigation of fine motor skills and the verbal communication spectrum in autism.Frontiers in Psychiatry 2024This study investigated the associations between fine motor skills and expressive verbal abilities in a group of 97 autistic participants (age 8-17, mean=12.41) and 46...
INTRODUCTION
This study investigated the associations between fine motor skills and expressive verbal abilities in a group of 97 autistic participants (age 8-17, mean=12.41) and 46 typically developing youth (age 8-17, mean=12.48).
METHODS
Participants completed assessments of motor and verbal communication skills, including finger tapping speed, grooved pegboard, grip strength, visual-motor integration tasks, and measures of speech and communication skills. ASD group performance on motor tests was compared to controls. Non-parametric tests were used to analyze group differences and correlations between motor and verbal communication skills. Based on prior research, we hypothesized that individuals on the autism spectrum would exhibit deficits in fine motor speed, dexterity, pencil motor control, but not manual motor strength. Additionally, we expected that impaired fine motor skills would be linked to poorer performance on standardized measures of verbal abilities.
RESULTS
The results indicated that 80% of autistic participants demonstrated an impairment on at least one measure of motor skills, and as a group, they exhibited significantly poorer fine motor performance compared to the non-ASD group in dominant hand finger tapping speed, bilateral fine motor dexterity measured via the grooved pegboard task, and pencil motor coordination and visual-motor integration measured on the Beery-Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration-Sixth Edition. Moreover, impaired fine motor skills were associated with poorer performance on standardized clinical measures of verbal abilities, including articulation errors, receptive and expressive language and vocabulary, rapid naming, oromotor sequencing, and parent reported functional communication skills and social communication symptoms.
DISCUSSION
Overall,our findings suggest there is a high prevalence of fine motor impairments in ASD, and these impairments were associated with a range of verbal abilities. Further research is warranted to better understand the underlying mechanisms of these associations and develop targeted interventions to address both fine motor and verbal impairments in ASD.
PubMed: 38835552
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1379307 -
Global Health Action Dec 2024The use of Emergency Departments (EDs) for non-urgent medical conditions is a global public health concern. (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
The use of Emergency Departments (EDs) for non-urgent medical conditions is a global public health concern.
OBJECTIVES
A systematic review, guided by a registered protocol (PROSPERO: CRD42023398674), was conducted to interpret the association between distance as a measure of healthcare access and the utilization of EDs for non-urgent care in high- and middle-income countries.
METHODS
The search was conducted on 22 August 2023 across five databases using controlled vocabulary and natural language keywords. Eligibility criteria included studies that examined non-urgent care, and featured concepts of emergency departments, non-urgent health services and distance, reported in English. Articles and abstracts where patients were transported by ambulance/paramedic services, referred/transferred from another hospital to an ED, or those that measured distance to an ED from another health facility were excluded. The Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations (GRADE) framework informed the quality of evidence.
RESULTS
Fifteen articles met the inclusion criteria. All studies demonstrated satisfactory quality with regard to study design, conduct, analysis and presentation of results. Eight (53.3%) of the studies (1 paediatric, 4 all ages/adult, 3 ecological) found a moderate level of evidence of an inverse association between distance and ED visit volume or utilization for non-urgent medical conditions, while the remaining studies reported very low or low evidence.
CONCLUSIONS
Half of the studies reported non-urgent ED use to be associated with shortest distance traveled or transportation time. This finding bears implications for healthcare policies aiming to reduce ED use for non-urgent care.
Topics: Emergency Service, Hospital; Humans; Health Services Accessibility; Patient Acceptance of Health Care
PubMed: 38828477
DOI: 10.1080/16549716.2024.2353994 -
PloS One 2024Since the early 2000's, digital reading applications have enhanced the language and literacy skills of typically hearing young children; however, no digital storybook...
Since the early 2000's, digital reading applications have enhanced the language and literacy skills of typically hearing young children; however, no digital storybook intervention currently exists to scaffold the early language and literacy skills of their peers who are deaf or hard of hearing. To address this gap, our research team developed a novel digital storybook intervention called Hear Me Read with the aim of enhancing the therapeutic, language, and literacy benefits of speech-language therapy. This prospective clinical trial (registered at clinicaltrials.gov, NCT#: 05245799) aims to determine the efficacy of adding Hear Me Read to in-person speech-language therapy for children aged three to five years who are deaf or hard of hearing. Fifty caregivers, their child, and their child's treating speech-language pathologist participate in the trial for 12 months. In the first six months, children attend standard-of-care speech-language therapy sessions. In the second six months, children continue to attend standard-of-care speech-language therapy sessions and use the Hear Me Read application, via a study supplied iPad. The primary outcome of this trial is that, compared to in-person speech-language therapy alone, in-person speech-language therapy with Hear Me Read will improve vocabulary, speech, and language outcomes in children aged three to five years who are deaf or hard of hearing. The secondary outcome is that, compared to in-person speech-language therapy alone, in-person speech-language therapy with Hear Me Read will improve literacy outcomes in children aged three to five years who are deaf or hard of hearing. The goal of this intervention is to help children who are deaf or hard of hearing achieve their vocabulary, speech, language, and literacy goals through interactive digital storybook reading.
Topics: Child, Preschool; Female; Humans; Male; Deafness; Hearing Loss; Language Therapy; Literacy; Prospective Studies; Reading; Speech Therapy; Clinical Trials as Topic
PubMed: 38820413
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0302734 -
Frontiers in Psychology 2024Children with autism spectrum disorder may show delays in vocabulary development. Technology-based interventions could facilitate the teaching of different vocabulary...
INTRODUCTION
Children with autism spectrum disorder may show delays in vocabulary development. Technology-based interventions could facilitate the teaching of different vocabulary skills; however, it is still not clear whether technology represents an added value.
METHODS
The current review preregistered in PROSPERO evaluates the efficacy of technology-based interventions in vocabulary learning for children with autism spectrum disorder. We selected articles published in the period 2006-2022 from five databases.
RESULTS
The results identified two group studies, one within subject design, nine single-case studies and one randomized controlled design in participants aged 0-16 years who had used technological devices to learn vocabulary. Overall, five of the 13 studies showed positive results of using technology-assisted intervention, six described mixed results, one described negative result, and one described no differences in technology-assisted intervention. The studies are divided into the categories of efficacy of technology and comparison between technology and non-technology.
DISCUSSION
In summary, technology, such as tablets and computers, might be useful tools to improve vocabulary skills in certain children with ASD. However, the various degrees of impact found in the studies we reviewed indicate that personalized assessments, acknowledgment of previous experiences, and awareness of the context of usage are essential. The contrast with nontechnological approaches highlights the necessity for more detailed studies to pinpoint the precise conditions under which technology-based interventions can offer the most advantages.
SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION
[https://clinicaltrials.gov/], identifier [CRD42021238758].
PubMed: 38817831
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1370965 -
NPJ Science of Learning May 2024Young children's linguistic and communicative abilities are foundational for their academic achievement and overall well-being. We present the positive outcomes of a...
Young children's linguistic and communicative abilities are foundational for their academic achievement and overall well-being. We present the positive outcomes of a brief tablet-based intervention aimed at teaching toddlers and preschoolers new word-object and letter-sound associations. We conducted two experiments, one involving toddlers ( ~ 24 months old, n = 101) and the other with preschoolers ( ~ 42 months old, n = 152). Using a pre-post equivalent group design, we measured the children's improvements in language and communication skills resulting from the intervention. Our results showed that the intervention benefited toddlers' verbal communication and preschoolers' speech comprehension. Additionally, it encouraged vocalizations in preschoolers and enhanced long-term memory for the associations taught in the study for all participants. In summary, our study demonstrates that the use of a ludic tablet-based intervention for teaching new vocabulary and pre-reading skills can improve young children's linguistic and communicative abilities, which are essential for future development.
PubMed: 38816493
DOI: 10.1038/s41539-024-00249-3 -
Journal of Medical Internet Research May 2024Remote patient monitoring (RPM) enables clinicians to maintain and adjust their patients' plan of care by using remotely gathered data, such as vital signs, to...
Remote patient monitoring (RPM) enables clinicians to maintain and adjust their patients' plan of care by using remotely gathered data, such as vital signs, to proactively make medical decisions about a patient's care. RPM interventions have been touted as a means to improve patient care and well-being while reducing costs and resource needs within the health care ecosystem. However, multiple interworking components must be successfully implemented for an RPM intervention to yield the desired outcomes, and the design and key driver of each component can vary depending on the medical context. This viewpoint and perspective paper presents a 4-component RPM infrastructure framework based on a synthesis of existing literature and practice related to RPM. Specifically, these components are identified and considered: (1) data collection, (2) data transmission and storage, (3) data analysis, and (4) information presentation. Interaction points to consider between components include transmission, interoperability, accessibility, workflow integration, and transparency. Within each of the 4 components, questions affecting research and practice emerge that can affect the outcomes of RPM interventions. This framework provides a holistic perspective of the technologies involved in RPM interventions and how these core elements interact to provide an appropriate infrastructure for deploying RPM in health systems. Further, it provides a common vocabulary to compare and contrast RPM solutions across health contexts and may stimulate new research and intervention opportunities.
Topics: Humans; Monitoring, Physiologic; Telemedicine
PubMed: 38815263
DOI: 10.2196/51234 -
Proceedings of the National Academy of... Jun 2024Theories of language development-informed largely by studies of Western, middleclass infants-have highlighted the language that caregivers direct to children as a key...
Theories of language development-informed largely by studies of Western, middleclass infants-have highlighted the language that caregivers direct to children as a key driver of language learning. However, some have argued that language development unfolds similarly across environmental contexts, including those in which childdirected language is scarce. This raises the possibility that children are able to learn from other sources of language in their environments, particularly the language directed to others in their environment. We explore this hypothesis with infants in an indigenous Tseltal-speaking community in Southern Mexico who are rarely spoken to, yet have the opportunity to overhear a great deal of other-directed language by virtue of being carried on their mothers' backs. Adapting a previously established gaze-tracking method for detecting early word knowledge to our field setting, we find that Tseltal infants exhibit implicit knowledge of common nouns (Exp. 1), analogous to their US peers who are frequently spoken to. Moreover, they exhibit comprehension of Tseltal honorific terms that are exclusively used to greet adults in the community (Exp. 2), representing language that could only have been learned through overhearing. In so doing, Tseltal infants demonstrate an ability to discriminate words with similar meanings and perceptually similar referents at an earlier age than has been shown among Western children. Together, these results suggest that for some infants, learning from overhearing may be an important path toward developing language.
Topics: Humans; Infant; Language Development; Female; Male; Comprehension; Mexico; Language; Vocabulary
PubMed: 38814865
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2311425121 -
Frontiers in Psychology 2024Peer relationships play an indispensable role in the social, emotional, and cognitive development of children. However, children exhibiting social withdrawal, such as...
Peer relationships play an indispensable role in the social, emotional, and cognitive development of children. However, children exhibiting social withdrawal, such as unsociability, may face challenges in social adjustment. In collectivistic cultures like China, unsociability may be perceived negatively, aligning poorly with collective norms. The objective of the present investigation was to examine the associations between unsociability, receptive vocabulary, and indicators of social adjustment in a cohort of young migrant children residing in urban regions of mainland China. The study mainly aimed to investigate the potential moderating influence of receptive language on these associations. The study involved 148 young children (82 boys, 66 girls, = 62.32 months, = 6.76) enrolled in preschools or kindergartens in Shanghai, People's Republic of China. Multiple sources of assessment were utilized, encompassing evaluations from mothers (about child unsociability), teacher (assessing social adjustment), and standardized tests (measuring receptive vocabulary). The results indicated that the relations between unsociability and peer exclusion were more positive among children with lower levels of receptive vocabulary but not significant for children with higher levels of receptive vocabulary. Similarly, the relations between unsociability and peer exclusion were more negative among children with lower levels of receptive vocabulary but not significant for children with higher levels of receptive vocabulary. Thus, this study informs us about how receptive vocabulary is jointly associated with unsociable children's development. As well, the findings highlight the importance of considering the meaning and implication of unsociability in Chinese culture.
PubMed: 38813559
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1259975