scholarly journals Things that can be changed in early intervention in childhood

2015 ◽  
Vol 68 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 267-272 ◽  
Author(s):  
Spela Golubovic ◽  
Jasminka Markovic ◽  
Lidija Perovic

Introduction. Early intervention implies a model of support focused on a child, family and a broader community from early childhood. The aim of this study was to analyze the elements of the successful early intervention in childhood, as well as to assess the role of a special educator and rehabilitator and level of their involvement in implementing the program on the territory of Novi Sad. Material and Methods. The study sample included 100 parents of children with disabilities (aged 3-7), who completed the questionnaire designed for the purposes of this research, based on a similar questionnaire design. Results. Speech delay is one of the most common reasons (over 50%) why parents seek professional help. By the end of the first year of life of their child, 43% of parents responded that they had noticed the first problems, that is, a problem was identified in 25% of children of this age group, and the same number was included in the treatment. About 55% of children were involved in organized treatment from 3 years of age onwards. Special educators and rehabilitators are usually involved in treatment when the team consists of three or more professionals. Conclusions. It is necessary to improve early intervention services, to educate staff, and provide conditions which would make it possible to overcome the existing disadvantages in treating children from an early age. In addition, the involvement of special education and rehabilitation professionals in treatment teams since children?s early age is vital.

Author(s):  
F. Matin ◽  
S. Haumann ◽  
W. Roßberg ◽  
D. Mitovska ◽  
T. Lenarz ◽  
...  

Abstract Purpose The objective of this study was to investigate the auditory pathway maturation monitored by auditory brainstem responses (ABR) in infants with hearing loss during the first year of life. ABR were used to estimate hearing thresholds and the effect of early intervention strategies using hearing aids (HA). Methods Click-evoked ABRs were measured in 102 infants aged from 0 to 12 months to determine their individual auditory threshold. Early therapy intervention was recommended before 12 months of age and analyzed. To evaluate the effect of hearing amplification on auditory maturation, different subgroups of infants with moderate hearing loss were analyzed and the auditory pathway maturation was determined based on IPL I–V shortening. Results Overall, 110 ears (54.0% of 204 ears) with mild to profound HL showed threshold changes of 10 dB up to 60 dB in the follow-up ABR testing. HA were prescribed at the age of 3.8 ± 3.9 months. Cochlear implantation (CI) was performed in cases of repeated profound HL at the age of 9.9 months ± 4.5 months. A significant shortening of IPL I–V in all subgroups of infants (with and without risk factors) who received HA was shown and assumed auditory pathway maturation. Conclusion An early intervention using optimally fitted HA influenced auditory pathway maturation and may lead to improvements of hearing thresholds during the first year of life in infants. This study underscores the importance of not only providing HAs to infants, but also controlling for hearing threshold changes ensuring that HAs provide the optimal level of intervention or CI is indicated.


Author(s):  
Alison Body

Following a decade of radical change in policy and funding in children’s early intervention services and with the role of the third sector under increased scrutiny, this timely book assesses the shifting interplay between state provision and voluntary organisations delivering interventions for children, young people and their families. Using one-hundred voices from charities and their partners on the frontline, this book provides vivid accounts of the lived experiences of charitable groups, offering key insights into the impact of recent social policy decisions on their work. Telling the story of how the landscape of children’s early intervention services has changed over the last decade, it provides crucial lessons for future policy whilst demonstrating the immeasurable value of voluntary organisations working in this challenging terrain.


Author(s):  
Alison Body

In chapter 6 we explore the impact of commissioning and policy changes on early intervention and preventative services for children delivered by the charitable sector. The definition of early intervention and preventative services is highly contested and politicised within policy and commissioning processes. This reflects an ongoing debate regarding the shifting paradigm of prevention. As the commissioning narrative has developed, there has been an overall disengagement between the voluntary sector providers and State. As the charitable sector is increasingly exposed to intensifying marketization, polarisation of relationships increases. We identify here three ‘types’ of organisational responses to this ever-changing environments; conformers – those charities who align themselves close to the State and regularly reinterpret their mission to fit State logic; the outliers – those charities which reject State approaches to early intervention and seek to deliver services completely independently of the State; and the intermediaries – those charities which walk between conformity and dissent, working with the State when necessary or too their advantage, and walking away when not. We discuss how these types fundamentally alter children’s charities perspectives and experiences of commissioning and the impact this has on their wider work.


Diagnostics ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Di Mauro ◽  
Ammirabile ◽  
Quercia ◽  
Panza ◽  
Capozza ◽  
...  

Introduction: Viral bronchiolitis is a common cause of lower respiratory tract infection in the first year of life, considered a health burden because of its morbidity and costs. Its diagnosis is based on history and physical examination and the role of radiographic examination is limited to atypical cases. Thus far, Lung Ultrasound (LUS) is not considered in the diagnostic algorithm for bronchiolitis. Methods: PubMed database was searched for trials reporting on lung ultrasound examination and involving infants with a diagnosis of bronchiolitis. Results: Eight studies were suitable. Conclusions: This review analyzed the current evidence about the potential usefulness of LUS in the clinical management of bronchiolitis. Literature supports a peculiar role of LUS in the evaluation of the affected children, considering it as a reliable imaging test that could benefit the clinical management of bronchiolitis.


2016 ◽  
Vol 86 (3) ◽  
pp. 143-153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carla Bizzarri ◽  
Stefania Pedicelli ◽  
Marco Cappa ◽  
Stefano Cianfarani

2017 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 290-318 ◽  
Author(s):  
STEFANIE RAMACHERS ◽  
SUSANNE BROUWER ◽  
PAULA FIKKERT

AbstractDespite the fact that many of the world's languages use lexical tone, the majority of language acquisition studies has focused on non-tone languages. Research on tone languages has typically investigated well-known tone languages such as Mandarin and Cantonese Chinese. The current study looked at a Limburgian dialect of Dutch that uses lexical pitch differences, albeit in a rather restricted way. Using a visual habituation paradigm, 6- to 12-month-old Limburgian and Dutch infants were tested for their ability to discriminate Limburgian tones. The results showed that both Limburgian and Dutch infants discriminate the Limburgian tones throughout their first year of life. The role of linguistic experience, acoustic salience, and the degree of similarity to the native prosodic system are discussed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gianluca Piccolo ◽  
Giuseppe d'Annunzio ◽  
Elisabetta Amadori ◽  
Antonella Riva ◽  
Paola Borgia ◽  
...  

Wieacker-Wolff syndrome (WWS) is an X-linked Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita (AMC) disorder associated with broad neurodevelopmental impairment. The genetic basis of WWS lies in hemizygous pathogenic variants in ZC4H2, encoding a C4H2 type zinc-finger nuclear factor abundantly expressed in the developing human brain. The main clinical features described in WWS families carrying ZC4H2 pathogenic variants encompass having a short stature, microcephaly, birth respiratory distress, arthrogryposis, hypotonia, distal muscle weakness, and broad neurodevelopmental delay. We hereby report a Sicilian family with a boy clinically diagnosed with WWS and genetically investigated with exome sequencing (ES), leading to the identification of a c.593G>A (p. R198Q) hemizygous pathogenic variant in the ZC4H2 gene. During the first year of life, the onset of central hypoadrenalism led to recurrent hypoglycemic events, which likely contributed to seizure susceptibility. Also, muscle biopsy studies confirmed a pathology of the muscle tissue and revealed peculiar abnormalities of the neuromuscular junction. In conclusion, we expand the phenotypic spectrum of the WWS-related neurodevelopmental disorders and discuss the role of ZC4H2 in the context of the potential neuroendocrinological and neuromuscular features associated with this condition.


2022 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ligia Pereira Castro ◽  
Danilo Batista-Vieira ◽  
Tiago Antonio de Souza ◽  
Ana Rafaela de Souza Timoteo ◽  
Jessica Dayanna Landivar Coutinho ◽  
...  

Xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) is a rare genetic condition in which exposure to sunlight leads to a high tumor incidence due to defective DNA repair machinery. Herein, we investigated seven patients clinically diagnosed with XP living in a small city, Montanhas (Rio Grande do Norte), in the Northeast region of Brazil. We performed high-throughput sequencing and, surprisingly, identified two different mutated genes. Six patients carry a novel homozygote mutation in the POLH/XPV gene, c.672_673insT (p.Leu225Serfs*33), while one patient carries a homozygote mutation in the XPC gene, c.2251-1G>C. This latter mutation was previously described in Southeastern Africa (Comoro Island and Mozambique), Pakistan, and in a high incidence in Brazil. The XP-C patient had the first symptoms before the first year of life with aggressive ophthalmologic tumor progression and a melanoma onset at 7 years of age. The XP-V patients presented a milder phenotype with later onset of the disorder (mean age of 16 years old), and one of the six XP-V patients developed melanoma at 72 years. The photoprotection is minimal among them, mainly for the XP-V patients. The differences in the disease severity between XP-C (more aggressive) and XP-V (milder) patients are obvious and point to the major role of photoprotection in the XPs. We estimate that the incidence of XP patients at Montanhas can be higher, but with no diagnosis, due to poor health assistance. Patients still suffer from the stigmatization of the condition, impairing diagnosis, education for sun protection, and medical care.


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