Loretta Sheppard

An Investigation of Bilateral Isokinematic Training and Neurodevelopmental Therapy in Improving Use of the Affected Hand in Children with Hemiplegia.

Motor impairment in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy leads to a predominance of use of the unaffected hand. This impedes development of bimanual skills and deprives the affected side of the stimulus needed for normal growth. Occupational therapists aim to improve use of the affected hand, traditionally using Neurodevelopmental Therapy. Empirical evidence is needed to support this treatment choice. Studies examining interlimb coupling in children with hemiplegia and other studies in adult stroke support a bilateral treatment approach. These single-case time-series experiments examined the effects of Neurode-Loretta Sheppard, MOT, BAppSc(OT), is Occupational Therapist at Ballarat Specialist School. velopmental Therapy and Bilateral Isokinematic Training on hand use in three children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy. Two of the three subjects displayed positive changes in use and movement of the affected hand in some tasks with Bilateral Isokinematic Training. Bilateral Isokinematic Training might be a potentially useful means of increasing frequency of use of the affected hand in some children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy.

An intervention to improve social participation for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder: Pilot study

Abstract Objective: To increase flexible thinking, self-regulation and empathy for adolescents with ASD. Method: Five adolescents (M = 13.5 years; SD = 0.84 years; four males) were assessed pre and post intervention for flexible thinking and social competence (as measured by the SSIS). Parents rated their adolescent’s social competence pre and post intervention. Results: A large decrease was found in parent rating of their child’s level of hyperactivity (12.8, SD = 2.3; 11, SD = 2.2) (p = 0.034) (Cohen’s d = 0.95). Parents increased their rating of their child’s cooperation and empathy (Cohen’s d = 0.71 and 0.56, respectively). A medium effect for flexible thinking was observed in three items (Cohen’s d = 0.5 to 0.62) and a large effect for one item (Cohen’s d = 1.35). Adolescents decreased self-scoring on the social scale post intervention. Conclusion: Improvements were observed in adolescents’ flexible thinking and social insights, and parent’s perception of their child’s self-regulation.

Uncomfortable Curricula? A Survey of Academic Practices and Attitudes to Delivering Indigenous Content in Health Professional Degrees.

ABSTRACT Unacceptable inequity in health status between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians remains despite much work in the area. The imperative for graduating health professionals capable and ready to work with urban and rural Indigenous communities has led to a focus on curriculum development, but less focus has thus far been applied to academic staff capability to deliver the content. We surveyed academic staff at a large multi-campus Australian university on their practices and attitudes towards teaching Indigenous content in health professional programs. Indigenous and non-Indigenous academic staff were surveyed online about whether Indigenous content was included in the curricula they taught; whether they felt confident and capable of delivering curricula related to Indigenous issues; what challenges they found in including Indigenous content; and what, if any, supports and resources they felt were needed. Sixty-three per cent of respondents said that they included Indigenous content in their curricula, but 43% said that they did not access Indigenous resources; 60% reported feeling awkward, unsure or avoided teaching Indigenous content; most (74%) were comfortable teaching discipline-specific content to Indigenous students but only 26% felt comfortable teaching Indigenous content to Indigenous students. The findings reflect a level of discomfort experienced by some academic staff when teaching Indigenous content in health professional degrees. Reasons for this include being worried they would make mistakes, not knowing what to teach and finding it ‘too hard’. We suggest that three levels of action are required within universities to address this discomfort in academic staff: (i) provide a rationale (‘why’ teach Indigenous content); (ii) develop a plan (‘where’ and ‘what’ Indigenous content to teach) and (iii) develop capability in academic staff regarding ‘how’ to teach Indigenous content.

The Effectiveness of a Multidisciplinary Intervention to Improve School Readiness in Children with Developmental Concerns : Children's Skill Development and Parent Perspective

A multidisciplinary intervention to improve school readiness in pre-school children with developmental concerns was examined. Seventeen children attending the “School Ready” program, their parents, and pre-school teachers participated in this quasi-experimental study with two data collections points. Results indicated decreased social disruption as assessed by the Penn Interactive Peer Play Scale, increased motor and process skills as assessed by the School Assessment of Motor and Process Skills, improved language skills as assessed by the Pre-School Language Scales–4 (raw scores), and improved parent perception of readiness for school as assessed by a questionnaire developed for the purpose. This article can inform future practice and research in this area.

The Effectiveness of a Multidisciplinary Intervention to Improve School Readiness in Children with Developmental Concerns: Children's Skill Development and Parent Perspective

A multidisciplinary intervention to improve school readiness in pre-school children with developmental concerns was examined. Seventeen children attending the “School Ready” program, their parents, and pre-school teachers participated in this quasi-experimental study with two data collections points. Results indicated decreased social disruption as assessed by the Penn Interactive Peer Play Scale, increased motor and process skills as assessed by the School Assessment of Motor and Process Skills, improved language skills as assessed by the Pre-School Language Scales–4 (raw scores), and improved parent perception of readiness for school as assessed by a questionnaire developed for the purpose. This article can inform future practice and research in this area.