Communication and Competence

Many factors are important when planning and implementing strategies for teaching in the multiple disability/cross-categorical classroom. No two students' needs are alike; however, two areas are invariably a topic of discussion and lead many of the decisions being made in the individual's educational program: communication and presumed competence. The following chapter includes student narratives for a child with multiple disabilities as well as a child with autism spectrum disorder. Each child exhibits a significant communication delay and is considered to be non-verbal. The narratives along with strategies used to support the students have been included. Common misconceptions about augmentative and alternative communication use and presumed competence among students with significant communication needs are examined as well as research and theory concerning these areas.

Analysis of Some Common Misconceptions Regarding the Profession of Liaison Interpreting

The aim of the article is to present some of the problems related to the professionalisation of interpreting from the perspective of the public misconceptions about this occupation. An analysis of three press releases published online shows, that the terms “interpreting” and “translation” are used quite often to describe any form of communication occurring between two languages, rather than a profession, even if no third, mediating party is present. This may suggest low social consciousness regarding liaison interpreting and a need to consider the public image during the professionalisation process of this occupation.

It’s Time to Consider LGBTQ-Affirmative Psychology in Malaysia

International studies have revealed stark mental health inequities affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people. While there is increasing awareness of higher prevalence of mental health difficulties among LGBTQ people in Malaysia, this issue has often been viewed through a cisheterosexist (cisgenderism and heterosexism) lens that criminalizes, pathologizes, marginalizes, and/or delegitimizes noncisgender and nonheterosexual forms of identities. Informed by LGBTQ-affirmative psychology, this viewpoint aims to scrutinize the common misconceptions surrounding the living experiences of Malaysian LGBTQ people; these include poor mental health among LGBTQ people, victim-blaming narrative of sexual violence, LGBTQ is a mental illness, and LGBTQ is a Western influence. This viewpoint draws on empirical and theoretical research, as well as international guidelines, to debunk these misconceptions. Recommendations are also provided for psychology practitioners and researchers to embark on the journey to supporting Malaysian LGBTQ people in a culturally safe manner.

Pediatric Home Tracheostomy Care: The Importance of Knowledge Assessment

Assessment of caregiver knowledge is an essential part of home healthcare education for pediatric tracheostomy care, however, there is a paucity of evidence in long term. This study aims to determine how caregiver knowledge and misconceptions, as assessed by our knowledge test, changed over a 12-month period following our educational program and whether the test score was associated with any demographics of the caregivers and children with tracheostomy. A prospective cohort study was undertaken to evaluate the knowledge at 3 timepoints after tracheostomy education: baseline (T1), 6 months (T2), and 12 months (T3). Test scores were analyzed for trend and relationship with demographics. Items for which less than 80% caregivers gave correct responses at T1 were considered common misconceptions. Fifty-four caregivers were enrolled. Out of a maximum score of 25, the median (IQR) scores were 22 (21-23), 23 (22-24), and 23 (22-25), at T1, T2, and T3, respectively. The scores at T2 and T3 were significantly higher than at T1 ( P ≤ .01). One common misconception “how to manage when suction got less secretion than expected” was found at all timepoints. Caregivers of children with >2 comorbidities scored slightly higher than those of children with 0 to 2 comorbidities ( P = .01). In conclusion, our caregivers achieved high knowledge scores which increased over the 12-month study period potentially because of repeated assessment and practical experience. Common misconceptions and a factor associated with the knowledge were also identified. These advantages highlighted the importance of knowledge assessment for quality improvement.

Common Misconceptions about the Phonological Deficit Theory of Dyslexia

In this discussion paper, I review a number of common misconceptions about the phonological deficit theory (PDH) of dyslexia. These include the common but mistaken idea that the PDH is simply about phonemic awareness (PA), and, consequently, is a circular “pseudo”-explanation or epiphenomenon of reading difficulties. I argue that PA is only the “tip of the phonological iceberg” and that “deeper” spoken-language phonological impairments among dyslexics appear well before the onset of reading and even at birth. Furthermore, not even reading-specific expressions of phonological deficits—PA or pseudoword naming, can be considered circular if we clearly distinguish between reading proper—real meaning-bearing words, or real text, and the mechanisms (subskills) of reading development (such as phonological recoding). I also explain why an understanding of what constitutes an efficient writing system explains why phonology is necessarily a major source of variability in reading ability and hence a core deficit (or at least one core deficit) among struggling readers whether dyslexic or non-dyslexic. I also address the misguided notion that the PDH has now fallen out of favor because most dyslexia researchers have (largely) ceased studying phonological processing. I emphasize that acceptance of the PDH does not imply repudiation of other non-phonological hypotheses because the PDH does not claim to account for all the variance in reading ability/disability. Finally, I ask where neurobiology enters the picture and suggest that researchers need to exercise more caution in drawing their conclusions.

Mythbusters! The Truth about Common Misconceptions in Cochlear Implantation

Cochlear implantation (CI) is the preferred method of hearing rehabilitation when patients cannot perform well with traditional amplification. Unfortunately, there are still significant misconceptions around this life-changing intervention. The goal of this article is to address some of the most common myths around CI surgery. After reading this article, the learner will be able to explain the utility of CI in patients with residual hearing and recognize that insurance coverage is widespread. The reader will be able to list common risks associated with this well-tolerated procedure including anesthetic risk and the risk of vestibular dysfunction. Additionally, the reader will be able to identify the significant positive impact of CI on patients' quality of life. Finally, the reader will identify that many patients can safely have an MRI scan after implantation, including nearly all contemporary recipients.

A Week in the Life: Pediatric Palliative Care through the Eyes of a Medical Student

To complete the curriculum, learners rotating through a pediatric palliative care service are asked to submit a piece of reflective writing. Here, we share an edited version of the narrative one student submitted, accompanied by a brief consideration of the numerous benefits of reflective writing for medical trainees (including improved communication and professionalism skills, as well as increased levels of empathy and comfort when facing complex or difficult situations). Additionally, we describe how brief personal narratives may serve to reduce common misconceptions and confusion by educating patients, families, and clinicians about the reality and the role of pediatric palliative care.

The Common Misconceptions about Sign Language

This paper entitled ‘The Common Misconceptions about Sign Language’ is concerned with the most common misconceptions about sign language. It also deals with sign language and its relation with the spoken language. Sign language, primarily used by deaf people, is a fully-developed human language that does not use sounds for communication, but it is a visual-gestural system that uses hands, body and facial gestures. One of the misconceptions is that all sign languages are the same in the worldwide. Such assumptions cause problems. Accordingly, some questions have been raised: first, is sign language universal? Second, is sign language based on spoken language? And third, is sign language invented by hearing people? The aim of the paper is to have a deeper understanding about sign language. It also demonstrates the similarities and differences between the two different modalities: sign language and spoken language. The paper is based on some hypothesis. One of the hypotheses is that sign languages are pantomimes and gestures. It also hypothesizes that the process of language acquisition in sign language for deaf people is different from the language acquisition in spoken language for hearing people. To answer the questions raised, the qualitative approach is adopted. The procedure is to collect data about the subject from books and articles and then analyze the data to obtain the aim of the study. One of the conclusions is that sign language is not universal. It is recommended that more work can be carried out on the differences between either American Sign Language (ASL) or British Sign Language (BSL) with reference to zmânî âmâžaî kurdî (ZAK) Kurdish Sign Language) at all linguistic levels.

CHEMICAL VS. NATURAL: COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS

In the era of universal and compulsory education, in which attention is paid to the ability to think scientifically, there should be no room for unscientific views. However, unscientific theories often appear in the media, and they find numerous supporters. Therefore, it was decided to investigate which of the common beliefs about the "chemical vs. natural" pair are believed by Poles. And whether belief in unscientific myths depends on gender, age, level of education or its type. Checking these relationships will allow, inter alia, to evaluate the effectiveness of science education in Poland. Within 4 years, the beliefs of 2,473 people were examined. The obtained results show that the universality of education does not prevent misconceptions. There was also no correlation between the correctness of the answers to the questions on age, gender, education level or its type. It seems that the way science is taught should be completely modified in such a way that students can distinguish truth from myth. Keywords: science misconceptions, common beliefs, fake news