The Experience of Children With Neuroblastoma and Their Parents During Single-Room Isolation for 131I-Metaiodobenzylguanidine Therapy: A Qualitative Descriptive Study

Background: Administration of 131I-metaiodobenzylguanidine (131I-MIBG) for neuroblastoma requires hospitalization in single-room isolation and limits caregiver physical contact due to the child's radioactive burden. Though used for decades, there is a dearth of research on the experiences of children and their parents while isolated. Methods: This qualitative descriptive study evaluated the experience of children with neuroblastoma undergoing single-room isolation for 131I-MIBG therapy and their parents. Ten nurses, nine parents, and five children were interviewed; transcripts were analyzed applying a conventional content analysis approach. Results: Child themes included overall experiences ranging from positive to negative; emotional stress was common; symptoms were common but mostly managed; the children were adequately prepared for isolation; and audiovisual technology and entertainment helped. The indwelling urinary catheter was a source of emotional stress and/or pain for several children. Parent themes included I thought it was going to be a lot worse; it gets better with time; feeling concerned and overwhelmed; prepared as much as you can be; and you feel like you’re not alone. Discussion: Findings suggest that children and parents would benefit from additional coping support interventions to address emotional distress. Efforts should be made to identify other sources of technology or room designs that can maximize the child's sense of connection with parents and healthcare professionals. Additional research is needed to examine the impact of this isolation experience on the long-term psychological outcomes of children and parents.

Coping with pain: Polish versions of the Pain Coping Questionnaire for both children and parents

Aim: This article presents the cultural adaptation and evaluation of the psychometric properties of the Polish versions of the Pain Coping Questionnaire for both children and parents. Materials & methods: The study involved children aged 12–17 years (n = 220), who experienced trauma-related pain, and their parents (n = 220). Results: In the questionnaire for children and parents, the Kaisera-Mayera-Olkina (KMO) measure of sample adequacy was 0.457 and 0.455, whereas Bartlett’s test of sphericity: Chi-square = 1523.93, p < 0.001 and Chi-square = 1325.31, p < 0.001, returned a statistically significant result. Cronbach’s alpha for the factors identified in both groups was between 0.833 and 0.904. Conclusion: The linguistic adaptation has shown that the Polish version of the Pain Coping Questionnaire meets the psychometric criteria for reliability and accuracy of the tool.

Orthodontic treatment needs: parents and child perception

Background: Malocclusion is one of the most common oral cavity malformations. It has a variety of effects on dental health, function, aesthetics, and psychosocial condition. The suggested treatment for such a condition is orthodontic treatment. This study aims to assess the perceptions of orthodontic treatment needs of parents and their children with relation to their perception in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.Methods: This is a cross-sectional study that was conducted to study the perception of children and their parents about the need for orthodontic treatment. The data were collected at the pediatric clinics of Riyadh Elm university in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and included 379 parents and their school children aged 4-12 years. An interviewed questionnaire was used to collect the data from the children and their parents separately.Results: The study found that the perception towards the need for orthodontic treatment of children and their parents was 44.6%, and 34.8% respectively. Also, a statistically significant difference was shown between the perception of children and their parents (p>0.05). The main factors affecting the perception was age, as the desire to have orthodontic treatment increased among children above age of 10 years. Other factors including satisfaction about chewing, teeth appearance, and social media altered the perception for orthodontic treatment need.Conclusions: These findings could be essential for orthodontic treatment planning and increasing patient compliance. The difference between children and parents’ perceptions can affect drive toward initial orthodontic visit.

Issues and Challenges of, Factors that Affect, and the Primary Influences of Parents’ Decisions to Vaccinate their Adolescents: A Case of a Local National High School in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines

Vaccines are considered to be the center of the prevention and management of viral diseases. Even with the wide acceptance that vaccines are safe, vaccine hesitancy is still rampant in various parts of the world. Several historical, social, religious, and moral factors were identified and observed to have influence parent’s vaccine acceptance or hesitance. Parent’s vaccine hesitance or acceptance is crucial since adolescents constitute the ideal group for immunization. This study aims to uncover the issues and challenges of parents on vaccination, the factors that affect their decision to vaccinate their children, and parents' primary influences to vaccinate their children. A descriptive-survey research design utilizing a questionnaire floated to parents of adolescents in a local high school. It was found out that the level of education and type of occupation was significantly associated with parent's decision to vaccinate their children. The major issue and challenge of parents toward vaccination is that they don't find vaccines important and have a high level of distrust towards the government's health agency and medical professionals. The primary factor affecting their decision-making is the negative news on vaccination and vaccine safety. Respondents also reported that even they distrust the government's health agency, they still consider it influential towards their vaccine decision-making. With this, it is recommended that efforts be strengthened in restoring the public's trust towards the government health agency to address vaccine hesitancy.

Digital Communication in the Inclusive Classroom

Digital communication is being extensively used, and during COVID-19 pandemic, it has transformed the way teaching is delivered and how learning happens which became even more problematic for children with learning difficulties. The digitalization of education during the lockdown period has forced teachers, children, and parents to develop and enhance their digital skills to maintain and keep ensuring efficient learning. Digital communication can be provided in the educational system by the simple use of email or WhatsApp groups up to the integration of complex digitalized learning programs and software adapted to the specific educational needs of each student. Being digital natives, students nowadays seem more engaged if learning is mediated by the use of digital communication tools. They are opened and interested in participating in educational activities that are technology-based.

Reliability and Validity of the Attitudes toward Your Child’s Speech

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the validity and reliability of a scale of parents’ attitude toward their child’s speech (i.e., Attitude toward Your Child’s Speech, AYCS).Methods: The participants were 152 parents of children who stuttered (CWS). Participants completed a scale of parents’ attitudes toward their child’s speech and a scale of impact of stuttering on children and parents in the form of an online survey. Based on the collected data, the validity (i.e., content validity, construct validity, concurrent validity) and reliability (i.e., internal consistency reliability, test-retest reliability) of AYCS were assessed.Results: The 11 items of the AYCS demonstrated high content, construct and concurrent validity assessing three factors (i.e., Joy of talking to the child, Worry about the child’s stuttering, & Acceptance of the child’s stuttering). In addition, the ACYS demonstrated moderate to excellent test-retest reliability and high internal consistency.Conclusion: The findings indicated that the AYCS is a valid and reliable instrument to evaluate parents’ attitudes toward their child’s speech and stuttering. It is expected that the AYCS could be included as part of a comprehensive evaluation of stuttering and be used as a tool to document progress of parents’ attitudes toward stuttering during treatment of stuttering in children. Furthermore, researchers may be able to use the AYCS to test various research hypotheses regarding how parents’ attitudes toward stuttering affect their child’s development of stuttering.

My Writing: An E-LEA-Based Android Application to Develop Kindergarten Children's Early Literacy

My Writing is a tool that preschool children can use to improve their reading and writing skills, which can be used both at school and at home. This tool was developed based on the Language Experience Approach (LEA) and is in the form of an Android application designed for children. It is used to help children understand that the spoken language can be altered into the written one and still retains its meaning. 10 teachers were included in this study and data were collected from teacher opinions and assessments. The findings showed that My Writing is an effective application for developing literacy in young children, and that it is easy to use by children and parents, making it simple for teachers to assess children’s literacy skills while they study at home. Keywords: Language Experience Approach (LEA), Digital LEA, E-LEA, My Writing, early reading and writing

Evaluating Palin Stammering Therapy for School Children (Palin STSC 8-14): Protocol for a Feasibility Randomised Control Trial Comparing Palin STSC(8-14) with Usual Treatment

Background: Having a stammer can have a significant effect on a child’s social, emotional and educational development. With approximately 66,000 children in the UK having a stammer, there is a need to establish an adequate evidence base to inform clinical practise. We describe a feasibility trial to explore the effectiveness of a new therapy programme for children aged 8-14: Palin Stammering Therapy for School Children (Palin STSC(8-14)). Preliminary data from the Michael Palin Centre, where the programme was developed, indicate that Palin STSC(8-14) is effective in reducing stammering frequency and impact for children, with beneficial effects for parents too. We will investigate the feasibility of the methods required for a definitive randomised control trial to investigate the application of this therapy by NHS speech and language therapists (SLTs), compared with ‘treatment as usual’ (TAU), beyond the specialist context in which it was developed.Methods: This is a two-arm feasibility cluster-randomised controlled trial of Palin STSC(8-14) with TAU control arm, and randomisation at the level of the SLT. Quantitative and qualitative data will be collected to examine: the recruitment and retention of therapists and families; the acceptability of the research processes and the therapeutic intervention; the appropriateness of the therapy outcome measures. Assessments will be completed by children and parents at baseline and six months later, including measures of: stammering severity; the impact of child’s stammering on both children and parents; child temperament, behaviour, peer relations, anxiety; quality of life; and, economic outcomes. There will also be a qualitative process evaluation, including interviews with parents, children, SLTs and SLT managers to explore the acceptability of both the research and therapy methods. Treatment fidelity will be examined through analysis of therapy session records and recordings. Discussion: The findings of this feasibility trial will inform the decision as to whether to progress to a full-scale randomised controlled trial to explore the effectiveness of Palin STSC(8-14) when compared to Treatment as Usual in NHS SLT services. There is a strong need for an evidence based intervention for school age children who stammer. Trial registration: ISRCTN. ISRCTN17058884. Registered 18th December 2019. https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN17058884

Digital Technologies for Children and Parents Sharing Self-Management in Childhood Chronic or Long-Term Conditions: A Scoping Review

Worldwide, the prevalence of chronic (or long-term) conditions in children and young people from birth to 18 years (children) is increasing. Promoting competent and effective self-management skills early in the trajectory is important to improve adherence to treatment and optimise quality of life. Successful self-management, therefore, requires parents and children who are developmentally able to develop a range of complex skills, including the use of digital technologies. This scoping review aimed to identify primary research investigating digital technologies for children and parents sharing self-management in childhood chronic illnesses. A comprehensive search of electronic databases was conducted. Nineteen papers were included, assessed for quality and methodological rigour using the Hawker tool and thematically analysed. Three themes were identified: (i) the feasibility and acceptability of using technology, (ii) the usability of technologies and (iii) the effect of technologies on adherence and self-management skills. The results indicate that technologies such as mobile apps and websites can assist the management of long-term conditions, are an acceptable method of delivering information and can promote the development of effective self-management skills by parents and children. However, future technology design must include children and parents in all stages of development.