Examining peer support arrangements for students with visual impairment

2020 ◽  
pp. 026461962097215
Author(s):  
Michael Tuttle ◽  
Erik W. Carter

Students with visual impairment (VI) often have limited social interactions in inclusive classroom settings. This study used a multiple-probe-across-participants design to evaluate the impact of peer support arrangements on the social interactions of three students with VI in general education classes. Students experienced higher levels of peer interaction while participating in peer support arrangements while maintaining high levels of academic engagement during the intervention. Most students and teachers reported that peer support arrangements provided positive experiences, resulted in multiple benefits, and could be implemented feasibly and acceptably in inclusive classrooms. We offer recommendations for research and practice aimed at enhancing the quality of inclusive experiences for students with VI.

2021 ◽  
pp. 109830072098754
Author(s):  
Xiaoyi Hu ◽  
Gabrielle T. Lee ◽  
Laci Watkins ◽  
Yitong Jiang

This study evaluated the effects of using preferred activities with peer support on the social interactions of preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their typically developing peers. Two preschool-aged children with ASD and six peers in an inclusive classroom participated in this study. A multiple-probe single case experimental design across three peers was employed. Results indicated that the participants’ social initiations and responses, as well as the percentage of time engaged in social play, increased following the preferred activity. Gains were also demonstrated across social interactions and time engaged in the preferred activity plus peer support condition. Increases in social interaction behaviors in typically developing peers were also observed, and positive intervention gains were maintained during 5-week follow-up sessions. Implications for research and practice for improving interaction between children with and without ASD in inclusive preschool settings are discussed.


2005 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erik W. Carter ◽  
Lisa S. Cushing ◽  
Nitasha M. Clark ◽  
Craig H. Kennedy

Peer support interventions are emerging as an effective alternative to traditional paraprofessional models for assisting students with moderate to severe disabilities to access the general curriculum. To contribute to the refinement of peer support interventions, we evaluated the impact of altering the number of participating peers on the social and academic outcomes of students with and without disabilities. Our findings indicated that changes in the configuration of peer support arrangements differentially affected student outcomes. Specifically, higher levels of social interaction and contact with the general curriculum were observed when students with disabilities worked with two peers relative to one peer. The additive benefits of a second peer provide guidance to educators concerning the implementation of peer support interventions in inclusive classrooms.


Author(s):  
Alicja Szerląg ◽  
Arkadiusz Urbanek ◽  
Kamila Gandecka

Background: The analysis has involved social interactions in a multicultural environment. The social context has been defined by the Vilnius region (Lithuania), where national, religious, and cultural differences exist across generations (multicultural community). The space of “social relationships”, as one of the modules of the WHO quality of life assessment, has been studied. An innovation of the research has been related to the analysis of the phenomenon of community of nationalities and cultures as a predictor of quality of life (QoL). The social motive of the research has been the historical continuity (for centuries) of the construction of the Vilnius cultural borderland. Here, the local community evolves from a group of many cultures to an intercultural community. Interpreting the data, therefore, requires a long perspective (a few generations) to understand the quality of relationships. We see social interactions and strategies for building them as a potential for social QoL in multicultural environments. Methods: The research has been conducted on a sample of 374 respondents, including Poles (172), Lithuanians (133), and Russians (69). A diagnostic poll has been used. The respondents were adolescents (15–16 years). The research answers the question: What variables form the interaction strategies of adolescents in a multicultural environment? The findings relate to interpreting the social interactions of adolescents within the boundaries of their living environment. The description of the social relations of adolescents provides an opportunity to implement the findings for further research on QoL. Results: An innovative outcome of the research is the analysis of 3 interaction strategies (attachment to national identification, intercultural dialogue, and multicultural community building) as a background for interpreting QoL in a multicultural environment. Their understanding is a useful knowledge for QoL researchers. The data analysis has taken into account cultural and generational (historical) sensitivities. Therefore, the team studying the data has consisted of researchers and residents of the Vilnius region. We used the interaction strategies of adolescents to describe the category of “social relationships” in nationally and culturally diverse settings.


2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Adweeti Nepal ◽  
Santa Kumar Dangol ◽  
Anke van der Kwaak

Abstract Background The persistent quality gap in maternal health services in Nepal has resulted in poor maternal health outcomes. Accordingly, the Government of Nepal (GoN) has placed emphasis on responsive and accountable maternal health services and initiated social accountability interventions as a strategical approach simultaneously. This review critically explores the social accountability interventions in maternal health services in Nepal and its outcomes by analyzing existing evidence to contribute to the informed policy formulation process. Methods A literature review and desk study undertaken between December 2018 and May 2019. An adapted framework of social accountability by Lodenstein et al. was used for critical analysis of the existing literature between January 2000 and May 2019 from Nepal and other low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs) that have similar operational context to Nepal. The literature was searched and extracted from database such as PubMed and ScienceDirect, and web search engines such as Google Scholar using defined keywords. Results The study found various social accountability interventions that have been initiated by GoN and external development partners in maternal health services in Nepal. Evidence from Nepal and other LMICs showed that the social accountability interventions improved the quality of maternal health services by improving health system responsiveness, enhancing community ownership, addressing inequalities and enabling the community to influence the policy decision-making process. Strong gender norms, caste-hierarchy system, socio-political and economic context and weak enforceability mechanism in the health system are found to be the major contextual factors influencing community engagement in social accountability interventions in Nepal. Conclusions Social accountability interventions have potential to improve the quality of maternal health services in Nepal. The critical factor for successful outcomes in maternal health services is quality implementation of interventions. Similarly, continuous effort is needed from policymakers to strengthen monitoring and regulatory mechanism of the health system and decentralization process, to improve access to the information and to establish proper complaints and feedback system from the community to ensure the effectiveness and sustainability of the interventions. Furthermore, more study needs to be conducted to evaluate the impact of the existing social accountability interventions in improving maternal health services in Nepal.


2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Sibitz ◽  
M. Amering ◽  
A. Unger ◽  
M.E. Seyringer ◽  
A. Bachmann ◽  
...  

Abstract:Objective:The quality of life (QOL) of patients with schizophrenia has been found to be positively correlated with the social network and empowerment, and negatively correlated with stigma and depression. However, little is known about the way these variables impact on the QOL. The study aims to test the hypothesis that the social network, stigma and empowerment directly and indirectly by contributing to depression influence the QOL in patients with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorders.Method:Data were collected on demographic and clinical variables, internalized stigma, perceived devaluation and discrimination, empowerment, control convictions, depression and QOL. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was applied to examine the impact of the above-mentioned constructs on QOL.Results:The influences of the social network, stigma, empowerment and depression on QOL were supported by the SEM. A poor social network contributed to a lack of empowerment and stigma, which resulted in depression and, in turn, in poor QOL. Interestingly, however, the social network and stigma did not show a direct effect on QOL.Conclusions:Following a recovery approach in mental health services by focusing on the improvement of the social network, stigma reduction and especially on the development of personal strength has the potential to reduce depression in patients with psychosis and improving their QOL.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nando Sigona ◽  
Jotaro Kato ◽  
Irina Kuznetsova

AbstractThe article examines the migration infrastructures and pathways through which migrants move into, through and out of irregular status in Japan and the UK and how these infrastructures uniquely shape their migrant experiences of irregularity at key stages of their migration projects.Our analysis brings together two bodies of migration scholarship, namely critical work on the social and legal production of illegality and the impact of legal violence on the lives of immigrants with precarious legal status, and on the role of migration infrastructures in shaping mobility pathways.Drawing upon in-depth qualitative interviews with irregular and precarious migrants in Japan and the UK collected over a ten-year period, this article develops a three-pronged analysis of the infrastructures of irregularity, focusing on infrastructures of entry, settlement and exit, casting a comparative light on the mechanisms that produce precarious and expendable migrant lives in relation to access to labour and labour conditions, access and quality of housing and law enforcement, and how migrants adapt, cope, resist or eventually are overpowered by them.


1992 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 578-584 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Pruzinsky

This paper discusses the social and psychological experiences of patients with the most severe forms of craniofacial deformity. The paper concludes that individuals with the most severe forms of craniofacial deformities are at risk for experiencing social and psychological stress and for having their quality of life negatively impacted by the experience of having a facial deformity. Much of the stress experienced by these individuals is the result of the negative social response to their facial deformity. It is emphasized that many patients will not develop psychopathology, because of intervening personality and family factors that may ameliorate these negative social stressors. The excellent progress made in assessing, preventing, and treating the negative psychosocial impact of facial deformity is noted. Finally, in attempting to understand the impact of facial deformity on quality of life, emphasis is placed on the subjective evaluation of these factors by each individual patient and family.


Author(s):  
Phillip D. Stevenson ◽  
Christopher A. Mattson ◽  
Kenneth M. Bryden ◽  
Nordica A. MacCarty

More than ever before, engineers are creating products for developing countries. One of the purposes of these products is to improve the consumer’s quality of life. Currently, there is no established method of measuring the social impact of these types of products. As a result, engineers have used their own metrics to assess their product’s impact, if at all. Some of the common metrics used include products sold and revenue, which measure the financial success of a product without recognizing the social successes or failures it might have. In this paper we introduce a potential metric, the Product Impact Metric (PIM), which quantifies the impact a product has on impoverished individuals — especially those living in developing countries. It measures social impact broadly in five dimensions: health, education, standard of living, employment quality, and security. The PIM is inspired by the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) created by the United Nations Development Programme. The MPI measures how the depth of poverty within a nation changes year after year, and the PIM measures how an individual’s quality of life changes after being affected by an engineered product. The Product Impact Metric can be used to predict social impacts (using personas that represent real individuals) or measure social impacts (using specific data from products introduced into the market).


2014 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 288-300
Author(s):  
Naoki Ohshima ◽  
Yuta Yamaguchi ◽  
P. Ravindra S. De Silva ◽  
Michio Okada

2013 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anita E. Dundu

Abstract: Besides psychotic symptoms, schizophrenic patients also show alterations in cognitive function, verbal information, and emotional response, due to disturbances of interpersonal interaction. The impact of all of these is the disturbance in social function. Treatment of schizophrenic patients with psychopharmacotherapy can only suppress the symptoms, but it can not overcome the functional deficit. For this reason, combination of psychopharmacotherapy, psychotherapy, and social rehabilitationin is introduced to obtain a better result in schizophrenic management. Social skill training is a part of the social rehabilitation that is very useful in improving the patients’ quality of life in preparing them to be functional in their society. Key words: schizophrenia, social rehabilitation, social skill training.  Abstrak: Pada penyandang skizofrenia selain gejala-gejala psikotik juga terdapat perubahan dalam fungsi kognisi, informasi verbal dan respon emosi akibat terganggunya interaksi interpersonal, yang berdampak gangguan dalam fungsi sosial. Pengobatan skizofrenia dengan menggunakan psikofarmaka hanya dapat menekan gejala-gejala penyakit ini tetapi tidak dapat mengatasi defisit fungsional. Untuk hal ini, pada pengobatan skizofrenia terkini digunakan kombinasi psikofarmaka, psikoterapi dan rehabilitasi sosial. Social skill training merupakan salah satu bagian dari rehabilitasi sosial yang bermanfaat meningkatkan kwalitas hidup dalam mempersiapkan penyandang skizofrenia  untuk dapat berfungsi kembali dalam masyarakat. Kata kunci: skizofrenia, rehabilitasi sosial, social skill training.


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