3RT INTERVENTION ON COGNITIVE DISTORSIONS REGARDING THE JUSTIFICATION OF SEXUAL OFFENDERS

Mean-making is a very complex process, involving social, moral and psychological aspects. When it comes to trauma or crimes, the ability to “make sense” of the events and to find meaning in the midst of chaos is associated with greater psychological resilience (Chan et al., 2006). However, when it comes to sexual offenders, the existence of a usual stuck-point in mean-making. Specifically, given the many levels of the crime the offender is usually not able to access all these levels, as some are deeper than their awareness. At that moment, the talk therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy for developing adaptive skills are crucial, as they have to create a safe context, in which the person can think freely and explore their inner world.

An Overview on Issues Among Individuals With Intellectual Disability in India

Intelligence is the general mental capacity that involves reasoning, planning, solving problems, thinking abstractly, comprehending complex ideas, learning efficiently, and learning from experience. Intellectual disability (previously termed “mental retardation”) shows significant cognitive deficits (IQ score of below 70, i.e., two standard deviations below the mean of 100 in the population) and also significant deficits in functional and adaptive skills. Individuals with intellectual disability meet with various challenges in every span of life. The chapter tries to highlight some of the areas that are related to the concerns for the people with intellectual disability.

Development of a Social Communication Questionnaire (QSC-ID) for People With Intellectual Disability in a Deaf Sample: A Pilot and Feasibility Study

Background: Social communication (SC) includes the use and interpretation of verbal and non-verbal messages within a social context and thus requires more than knowledge of language. Social communication skills are essential for connecting and engaging with others, and SC deficits are often associated with emotional and behavioral problems. There is a lack of feasible instruments for assessing SC skills in individuals with intellectual disability (ID).Methods: A questionnaire on social communication in adults with ID (QSC-ID) comprising 20 Likert-scaled items was developed and completed on behalf of participants (n = 52) from three Austrian therapeutic living communities for people with ID and deafness by their living- and working-facility key caregivers. The sample of adults with hearing loss was considered ideal for the development of a measure of SC that is not restricted to a specific communication mode or overly related with language skills.Results: The preliminary results showed high construct validity. Correlations were high between SC and language, social skills, and severity of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), moderate between SC and adaptive skills, and non-verbal intelligence and, as expected, low between SC and motor skills. Interrater reliability was found to be good or at least acceptable for all items. Total raw scores were well-distributed over the whole range—Cut-offs based on the 10th and 20th percentile are suggested to identify atypical and borderline SC skills. Caregiver feedback and completeness of data suggest that the questionnaire is highly feasible.Conclusion: Questionnaire on social communication in adults with ID is an easy-to-use caregiver-reported questionnaire for use with individuals with mild to severe forms of ID. Initial testing of validity looks promising. Further validation in populations with typical hearing is required. Due to substantial correlations between SC and structural language skills the calculation of specific SC cut-offs for different levels of linguistic skills should be considered when sufficient data is available.

High Intellectual Potential and High Functioning Autism: Clinical and Neurophysiological Features in a Pediatric Sample

High Intellectual Potential (HIP) and High Functioning Autism (HFA) are two different conditions sharing some clinical and neurobiological features. The aim of the present study was to characterize a sample of HIP children (n: 16; M/F: 14/2; median age: 10 years) in comparison to those with HFA (n: 17; M/F: 16/1; median age: 13 years) and to neurotypically developed (NTD) children (n: 10; M/F: 4/6; median age: 11 years) from a clinical and neurophysiological perspective. Specifically, a standardized clinical assessment of cognitive and adaptive skills, autistic symptoms, executive functions and behavioral features was performed. Moreover, event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded, referring specifically to the mismatch negativity (MMN) and P300 paradigm. Our data highlighted the presence of similarities between the intellectually gifted individuals and the ones with autism (i.e., a nonhomogeneous intellective profile, an adaptive skills impairment, subthreshold autistic symptoms and increased perfectionism). Interestingly, a distinct neurophysiological characterization between groups came out, with evidence of a reduced MMN amplitude only in the HFA group. Furthermore, no differences within groups in the P300 component emerged. Therefore, our results start to provide a more informative characterization of the HIP phenotype in comparison to those of HFA and NTD, highlighting the potential role of the MMN amplitude index in helping clinicians and researchers to distinguish between HIP and HFA. Nevertheless, further research on the topic is strongly needed.

Implementation of Video Feedback Within a Community Based Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Intervention Program for Toddlers With ASD: Pilot Study

Video feedback (VF) is an intervention delivery technique that complements naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions (NDBI) and parent-mediated interventions (PMI) by using caregiver-child interaction videos reviewed with a clinician to facilitate behavioral change in caregivers. Although VF has been implemented in PMI with young children with ASD, examinations of feasibility and acceptability, as well as the potential effectiveness of VF in community settings, have been limited. In this pilot randomized control trial (NCT03397719; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03397719), families were randomized into a state-funded Early Intervention (EI) NDBI program or the NDBI program augmented with VF. Results demonstrated high levels of implementation and acceptability of VF augmenting the community-based EI program in caregivers and clinicians. Both groups showed significant improvements after 6 months in social communication symptoms and some areas of developmental and adaptive skills.Clinical Trial Registration:https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03397719, identifier: NCT03397719.

Hyaenas and early humans in the latest Early Pleistocene of South-Western Europe

Throughout the Pleistocene, early humans and carnivores frequented caves and large rock-shelters, usually generating bone accumulations. The well-preserved late Early Pleistocene sedimentary sequence at Cueva Negra del Estrecho del Río Quípar (CNERQ) has provided substantial evidence concerning the behavioural and adaptive skills of early humans in Western Europe, such as butchery practices, lithic technology or tending fire, whilst also bearing witness to the bone-altering activities of carnivores. Recent fieldwork has allowed the re-examination of the spatial and taphonomical nature of the macrofaunal assemblage from the upper layers of Complex 2. These layers are somewhat different from most of the underlying sequence, in showing quite a high representation of cranial and post-cranial bones of large mammals, including several Megaloceroscarthaginiensis antlers. The presence of Crocuta sp. at Cueva Negra represents one of the earliest instances of this genus in Western Eurasia. Identification of several juvenile Crocuta sp. remains alongside coprolites and bones with carnivore damage, indicates sporadical hyaenid denning activity. Furthermore, the presence of bones with percussion and cut-marks near to several hammerstones suggests a clear albeit limited anthropogenic input. We interpret the available taphonomical and spatial evidence from these layers as reflecting a multi-patterned palimpsest, likely representing the non-simultaneous and short-lived co-existence of hyaenas, humans, and other small carnivores in the Cueva Negra palaeolandscape during the final phase of sedimentation preserved at the site.

A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF TEACHERS PERCEPTIONS TOWARDS EFFECTIVE TEACHING-LEARNING OF STUDENTS WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY

The phrase intellectual impairment refers to a persons level of cognitive functioning. By specific children it occurs when a childs cognitive functioning is hampered to the extent that he or she is unable to receive information from his or her environment. After that, successfully absorbing, problem-solving, and adapting to the knowledge is required. The purpose of this study is to provide an overview of children with intellectual disability and their education for conceptual knowledge, define cause, and classify. Intellectual disability is defined as significant deficits in intellectual functioning and adaptive behaviour manifested as conceptual, social, and practical adaptive skills. An intellectual disability is characterized as having an IQ of less than 70 and having problems with adaptive behaviour or daily living abilities (eating, dressing, communicating, and participating in group activities). Intellectually disabled people learn slowly and have trouble grasping abstract concepts. So there is a dire need of appropriate teaching methodologies for effective Teaching-Learning of such students. The features of people with intellectual disability according to their education are also discussed in this study.

Adaptive Behavior, Emotional/Behavioral Problems and Parental Stress in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Background: The aim of our study was to compare adaptive skills, emotional/behavioral problems, and parental stress among children with different severity levels of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) symptoms.Methods: This study included a sample of 88 subjects with ASD (mean age = 6.00 ± 2.70). All subjects underwent standardized neuropsychological tests for the assessment of symptoms of the autism spectrum (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-Second Edition), adaptive level (The Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, Survey Interview, 2nd edition), behavioral and emotional problems (Child Behavior CheckList CBCL), and parental stress (Parental Stress Index Short Form-PSI-SF). Non-parametric statistical methods (Kruskal-Wallis test and Mann-Whitney U-test for post hoc analysis) and linear regression analysis were used in this study.Results:Children who had higher severity levels of ASD symptoms had less adaptive functioning; younger children showed more severe symptoms of ASD; older children had better communication skills. The presence of greater adaptive difficulties was related to a greater presence of internalizing problems. An increase in parental stress levels was related to an higher severity of ASD symptoms, fewer adaptive skills, and a greater presence of internalizing and externalizing problems.Conclusion: This study suggests that the adaptive behavior should be considered in order to planning a habilitation intervention in children with autism. It is also important to monitor emotional/behavioral problems and parental stress levels in order to provide parenting support and improve the family quality of life.

Mental retardation and oral health: An insight

Mental Retardation (MR) is a genetic disorder mainfested in significantly below average overall intellectual functioning and deficits in adaptive behaviour. It is a particular state of functioning that begins in childhood and is characterized by decreased intelligence and adaptive skills and also is the most common developmental disorder, often missed by clinicians. The condition is present in 2 to 3 percent of the population, either as an isolated finding or as part of a syndrome or broader disorder. Looking at varies studies it was concluded that the oral health situation of these groups must be improved and a suitable system devised for delivery of preventive measures. Special consideration must be given to improving the oral health of these groups. Oral health should be included in each child’s individual health care plan with oral health promotion programmes aimed specifically at special needs schools and their parents. Children should be instructed to clean their teeth twice a day and oral hygiene should be practised at school and supervised by teachers. There should be a provision for in-service training for teachers, school staff and parents on how to promote good oral health specifically for these children with disabilities.

Neurodevelopmental Disabilities

An understanding of developmental disabilities requires a good understanding of normal childhood development. Developmental milestones are typically divided into different domains, such as gross motor, fine motor, language, and social/adaptive skills. Assessment of attained milestones across the developmental domains allows the examiner to evaluate potential cognitive outcome. Emotional development is also important at all ages.