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Particular Difficulties (particular + difficulty)
Selected AbstractsThe dyslexic student and mathematics in higher educationDYSLEXIA, Issue 3 2007Glynis Perkin Abstract Difficulties that are encountered by dyslexic undergraduates with their learning and understanding of mathematics are explored. Specific consideration is given to issues arising through mathematical content, its delivery, the procedures and processes of ,doing' mathematics, and its assessment. Particular difficulties, which have emerged through exploratory and explanatory multiple-case studies, and witnessed through the provision of one-to-one support to a dyslexic and dyspraxic engineering undergraduate, are detailed. Recommendations for the provision of mathematical support to dyslexic students and proposals for future research are given. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Dyslexia and music: measuring musical timing skillsDYSLEXIA, Issue 1 2003Katie Overy Abstract Over the last few decades, a growing amount of research has suggested that dyslexics have particular difficulties with skills involving accurate or rapid timing, including musical timing skills. It has been hypothesised that music training may be able to remediate such timing difficulties, and have a positive effect on fundamental perceptual skills that are important in the development of language and literacy skills (Overy, 2000). In order to explore this hypothesis further, the nature and extent of dyslexics' musical difficulties need to be examined in more detail. In the present study, a collection of musical aptitude tests (MATs) were designed specifically for dyslexic children, in order to distinguish between a variety of musical skills and sub-skills. 15 dyslexic children (age 7,11, mean age 9.0) and 11 control children (age 7,10, mean age 8.9) were tested on the MATs, and their scores were compared. Results showed that the dyslexic group scored higher than the control group on 3 tests of pitch skills (possibly attributable to slightly greater musical experience), but lower than the control group on 7 out of 9 tests of timing skills. Particular difficulties were noted on one of the tests involving rapid temporal processing, in which a subgroup of 5 of the dyslexic children (33%) (mean age 8.4) was found to account for all the significant error. Also, an interesting correlation was found between spelling ability and the skill of tapping out the rhythm of a song, which both involve the skill of syllable segmentation. These results support suggestions that timing is a difficulty area for dyslexic children, and suggest that rhythm skills and rapid skills may need particular attention in any form of musical training with dyslexics. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Developmental dyslexia in Norwegian: evidence from single-case studiesDYSLEXIA, Issue 1 2006Trude Nergård-Nilssen Abstract This study provides detailed descriptions of the reading impairments in four 10-year-old Norwegian children with dyslexia. In all four cases reading comprehension was well in advance of the children's slow and inaccurate word-recognition skills. Phonological decoding (as assessed by pseudohomophone and nonword reading) appeared relatively unimpaired in three of the dyslexic cases, both in terms of speed and accuracy. However, reading errors showed that these children had particular difficulties with both phoneme length and phoneme quality awareness in reading. A ,phonemic identification deficit' account for developmental dyslexia in Norwegian children is suggested. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Dyslexia and music: measuring musical timing skillsDYSLEXIA, Issue 1 2003Katie Overy Abstract Over the last few decades, a growing amount of research has suggested that dyslexics have particular difficulties with skills involving accurate or rapid timing, including musical timing skills. It has been hypothesised that music training may be able to remediate such timing difficulties, and have a positive effect on fundamental perceptual skills that are important in the development of language and literacy skills (Overy, 2000). In order to explore this hypothesis further, the nature and extent of dyslexics' musical difficulties need to be examined in more detail. In the present study, a collection of musical aptitude tests (MATs) were designed specifically for dyslexic children, in order to distinguish between a variety of musical skills and sub-skills. 15 dyslexic children (age 7,11, mean age 9.0) and 11 control children (age 7,10, mean age 8.9) were tested on the MATs, and their scores were compared. Results showed that the dyslexic group scored higher than the control group on 3 tests of pitch skills (possibly attributable to slightly greater musical experience), but lower than the control group on 7 out of 9 tests of timing skills. Particular difficulties were noted on one of the tests involving rapid temporal processing, in which a subgroup of 5 of the dyslexic children (33%) (mean age 8.4) was found to account for all the significant error. Also, an interesting correlation was found between spelling ability and the skill of tapping out the rhythm of a song, which both involve the skill of syllable segmentation. These results support suggestions that timing is a difficulty area for dyslexic children, and suggest that rhythm skills and rapid skills may need particular attention in any form of musical training with dyslexics. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] What, if anything, is specific about having a rare disorder?HEALTH EXPECTATIONS, Issue 4 2009Patients' judgements on being ill, being rare Abstract Background, Growing efforts are made to improve the situation of persons with rare diseases, but the specific nature of these disorders remains unclear. Objectives, To establish (1) to what extent people with rare disorders think that their disease's rarity causes particular difficulties, (2) to what extent these difficulties relate to other causes than rarity (i.e. other characteristics of the disease or other components of the illness experience), (3) to what extent the rarity of the disease may relate to components of patients' experience other than those that are traditionally addressed (i.e. personal or daily life aspects). Methods, Semi-structured interviews with 29 patients and 15 parents of children with one of six rare diseases (cystic fibrosis, fragile X syndrome, Wilson's disease, mastocytosis, locked-in syndrome and a sixth syndrome). The interviews were conducted in France. The analysis draws on French pragmatic sociology and focuses on the participants' judgements of their experience. Findings, The participants considered as normal and acceptable a range of situations that are often viewed as specific to rare disorders and unfair. This rather positive evaluation was conditional on some specific moral criteria being met. The participants attributed the cause of their difficulties to the failure of health professionals to meet these criteria. In the participants' experience, disease-related associations play a key role and rarity seems to contribute to making them especially important. Conclusions, Patients' experience would be considerably improved if health professionals more often fulfilled their moral expectations, especially regarding diagnosis disclosure and information. (250 words) [source] Employer responses to union organising: patterns and effectsHUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT JOURNAL, Issue 1 2010Edmund Heery This article presents original research on employer responses to trade union organising campaigns in the United Kingdom. The evidence indicates that there is no single response, with employers in some cases seeking to block and in others support union activity. These different patterns are strongly path dependent and reflect the prior degree of exposure to trade unionism of workplaces targeted for organising. Another finding is that employer responses co-vary with union approaches to organising, such that when the employer adopts adversarial tactics so does the union. The militancy of both parties, it seems, is mutually reinforcing. Finally, the evidence points to substantial influence of employer responses over the outcomes of organising. When employers are supportive then campaigns tend to be more successful, measured on a range of criteria. When the employer is hostile unions find it difficult to make progress and encounter particular difficulties in securing recognition. [source] Reducing admission times in the endoscopy unitINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NURSING PRACTICE, Issue 4 2006Deborah Dobree-Carey RGN Pre-procedural admission of outpatients to a day-case endoscopy facility is time-consuming. Collecting and recording routine but necessary information distracts nurses from spending time that could be used to counsel patients. This study assessed whether patients can record some pre-procedural details and whether such self-recording quickens nurse admission times. A new admission document was devised and posted to patients. Patients completed personal/administrative details and information about drugs and allergies and brought the document with them when attending for outpatient endoscopy. Endoscopy nurses anonymously timed 100 admissions, 50 using the new admission form and 50 using the old admission form. Overall, the median (range) time to admit using the old form was 6 (3,15.5) min. Using the new form, the median time to admit was lower at 4 (0.5,10) min. No patient completing the new form reported any particular difficulties. An admission document that patients partially complete at home leads to a faster pre-procedural admission in the endoscopy unit. This allows more nursing time to discuss patients' anxieties and answer patient queries, helps to prevent delays and facilitates increased capacity in the endoscopy unit. [source] Barriers to Caregiver Compliance with Eating and Drinking Recommendations for Adults with Intellectual Disabilities and DysphagiaJOURNAL OF APPLIED RESEARCH IN INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES, Issue 2 2006Darren D. Chadwick Background, There is scant research on the subject of dysphagia and people with intellectual disabilities. This study explores the barriers which caregivers believe make following Speech and Language Therapists' (SLTs) dysphagia management strategies more difficult. Method, Semi-structured open-ended interviews were conducted with 46 caregivers who supported 40 intellectually disabled adults with dysphagia. Results, Caregivers perceived particular difficulties in modifying food and drinks to safe consistencies, achieving the agreed positioning during mealtimes, and in using support and prompting strategies. Problematic support and prompting strategies included difficulties with pacing correctly; facilitating people to adequately relax and concentrate; observing and prompting people to pace suitably and take safe amounts of food and drink in each mouthful. Additional barriers identified included time pressures, staff turnover and insufficient reviewing of SLT management strategies by caregivers. Conclusions, Findings suggest that additional training and monitoring is required to ensure caregivers are aware of their role and responsibility in promoting safe oral intake for adults with dysphagia and intellectual disabilities. Ongoing support is suggested for people with intellectual disabilities and dysphagia to help them understand the reasoning behind management strategies. [source] A survey-based exploration of the impact of dyslexia on career progression of UK registered nursesJOURNAL OF NURSING MANAGEMENT, Issue 1 2007DAVID MORRIS MSc RGN RCNT RNT DipN CertEd Aim, To explore the effects of dyslexia on the practice and career progression of UK registered nurses (RN). Background, Literature suggests dyslexia can have a negative impact in the workplace and may pose particular difficulties for nurses, where accuracy in information processing activities is essential for practice. Methods, A questionnaire was used to survey RNs with dyslexia (n = 116) and results analysed using content analysis. Findings, Dyslexia provided a challenge to the everyday work of RNs, which was often met successfully using a range of individualized strategies. Career progression was achievable but compared with peers, was perceived to take longer. Disclosure of dyslexia to work-colleagues was selective and dependent on the perceived benefits. Informal support mechanisms were commonly utilized with formal management support less well defined. Conclusion, Dyslexia appears to have a negative impact on working practices and career progression, but remains a poorly understood and often hidden disability. [source] Cognitively impaired older adults exhibit comparable difficulties on naturalistic and laboratory prospective memory tasksAPPLIED COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 6 2009Christine M. Will Prospective memory, or remembering future intentions, is critical for independent living for all ages, but especially older adults. Previous laboratory research has found that cognitively impaired older adults may have particular difficulties with prospective memory, but previous studies have not examined whether these difficulties occur in everyday life. In normal ageing, a dissociation between settings has been observed, with older adults selectively impaired in laboratory (but not naturalistic) contexts. Consequently, in the present study 15 cognitively impaired older adults were compared to demographically matched controls on laboratory and naturalistic measures of prospective memory. The results indicated that the cognitively impaired group performed more poorly on both measures, with the magnitude of the deficit comparable across setting. These results indicate that for older adults who present with cognitive impairment prospective memory deficits observed in laboratory settings may be a valid indicator of difficulties experienced executing delayed intentions in everyday life. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Insulin treatment in children and adolescentsACTA PAEDIATRICA, Issue 4 2004RM Williams The management of diabetes in children presents a number of challenges. The ideal is to achieve optimal glycaemic control using an insulin regimen that is acceptable to the child and family, which improves glycaemic control, whilst avoiding hypoglycaemia. The paediatric population differ from their adult counterparts in several ways, such as variability of exercise and eating patterns, and the hormonal influences of puberty, which means that the insulin regimen must be tailored to suit an individual child and their family. Conclusion: This review will focus on the particular difficulties of managing diabetes in children and, in particular, the problem of avoiding hypoglycaemia while maintaining adequate glycaemic control. [source] The characteristics of young and adult dyslexics readers on reading and reading related cognitive tasks as compared to normal readersDYSLEXIA, Issue 2 2005Shelley Miller-Shaul Abstract Most of the research into dyslexia has been carried out among children and has raised the question whether the characteristics of young dyslexics are similar to those of adult dyslexics. The aim of this research was, therefore, to confirm whether the cognitive deficits, which appear among young dyslexics on reading and reading related tasks, are similar among adult dyslexics. Four groups of subjects were tested in this study: two groups of fourth graders, dyslexic and normal readers, and two groups of students, compensated dyslexics and normal readers. A comparison of the differences in research measures between the young dyslexics and their control group, and between the adult dyslexics and their control group, clearly indicates that the difference between regular readers and dyslexics is significantly smaller in the adult group on orthographic tasks, and this difference increases in adults on phonological tasks. The findings of this study reinforce the assumption that dyslexics have particular difficulty with the phonological-auditory channel. Another main finding is the slow speed of processing in verbal and non-verbal tasks. It can be assumed that these problems start at a young age and persist in compensated adult dyslexics. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Cognitive,Emotional,Behavioural Therapy for the eating disorders: working with beliefs about emotionsEUROPEAN EATING DISORDERS REVIEW, Issue 6 2006Emma Corstorphine Abstract A subgroup of eating-disordered patients have particular difficulty in tolerating negative mood states and existing interventions seem to be less effective when working with such cases. This clinical practice paper outlines a Cognitive,Emotional,Behavioural Therapy (CEBT). This intervention is aimed at enabling patients to challenge the basis of their emotional distress, and thus to reduce the need for the function of the associated eating behaviours. The intervention draws on range of models and techniques, including cognitive behavioural therapy, dialectical behavioural therapy, mindfulness training and experiential exercises. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association. [source] Fell-Muir Lecture: Cartilage 2010 , The Known UnknownsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL PATHOLOGY, Issue 3 2010Timothy E. Hardingham Summary Over the past 40 years there have been giant steps forward in our understanding of cellular and molecular biology that have given us the framework by which to understand tissue organization and tissue function on a range of scales. However, although the progress has been great, the more we have discovered, the more we are aware of what we don't yet know. In this article, I would like to flag up some issues of cartilage biology, function and pathology where we still have significant ignorance. As scientists we all provide contributions to add to the greater understanding of science and progress is on a broad front, but gaps are left where particular difficulty is encountered and in life sciences it is no different. Progress is fast where new knowledge and techniques pave the way, but where study is complex and relevant techniques poorly developed the gaps are left behind. In cartilage research and matrix biology, the gaps can particularly be seen at interfaces between disciplines and where technology development has lagged behind and in the particular challenges of understanding how molecular properties can explain tissue macro properties. [source] Graphic Organizers Applied to Secondary Algebra Instruction for Students with Learning DisordersLEARNING DISABILITIES RESEARCH & PRACTICE, Issue 2 2007Bob Ives Students who have particular difficulty in mathematics are a growing concern for educators. Graphic organizers have been shown to improve reading comprehension and may be applied to upper level secondary mathematics content. In two systematic replications, one randomly assigned group was taught to solve systems of linear equations through direct instruction and strategy instruction. The other group was taught with the same methods with the addition of a graphic organizer. Students who received instruction with the graphic organizers outperformed those who received instruction without the organizers. They also better understood the related concepts as measured by immediate posttests in both replications. The difference in understanding concepts was maintained on a 2,3 week posttest. [source] The recognition of facial expressions of emotion in Alzheimer's disease: a review of findingsACTA NEUROPSYCHIATRICA, Issue 5 2008Tracey McLellan Objective:, To provide a selective review of the literature on the recognition of facial expressions of emotion in Alzheimer's disease (AD), to evaluate whether these patients show variation in their ability to recognise different emotions and whether any such impairments are instead because of a general decline in cognition. Methods:, A narrative review based on relevant articles identified from PubMed and PsycInfo searches from 1987 to 2007 using keywords ,Alzheimer's', ,facial expression recognition', ,dementia' and ,emotion processing'. Conclusion:, Although the literature is as yet limited, with several methodological inconsistencies, AD patients show poorer recognition of facial expressions, with particular difficulty with sad expressions. It is unclear whether poorer performance reflects the general cognitive decline and/or verbal or spatial deficits associated with AD or whether the deficits reflect specific neuropathology. This under-represented field of study may help to extend our understanding of social functioning in AD. Future work requires more detailed analyses of ancillary cognitive measures, more ecologically valid facial displays of emotion and a reference situation that more closely approximates an actual social interaction. [source] |