Publications by authors named "Heal L"

Background: Postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) is a significant and increasing contributor to maternal mortality and morbidity. Following a PPH, women may have difficulties initiating and sustaining breastfeeding, although little has been published on this issue. The aim of this study was to describe breastfeeding experiences in a cohort of women following a significant PPH.

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A subsample (N = 505) was selected from a nationwide, stratified, probability sample of students with disabilities attending high school in 1985. In-school and out-of-school information about these students was obtained in 1987 and 1990 from school records, school personnel, and parents. Conventional item analysis procedures were used to construct a priori quality-of-life composites (social relationships, employment, and independence) from 17 questionnaire variables.

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The residential independence of postsecondary students was assessed in 5,462 parents or surrogate parents of students with disabilities from the National Longitudinal Transition Study who had left United States high schools between 1985 and the time of the questionnaire in 1990. An index of residential placement independence served as the dependent variable in a hierarchical regression analysis that featured 43 community, family, student, and school program characteristics entered as block-wise predictors (i.e.

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A random sample (N = 197) of supported employees with mental retardation was examined in a longitudinal study. Results indicate that intelligence, prior earnings, and federal job subsidy predicted future earnings. Statistical controls applied to the stratified sample show that job placement, job type, subsidy, and means of transportation had little influence on earnings.

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The validity of responses by individuals with mental retardation during interviews is threatened by a number of biases. Acquiescence (the disposition to answer 'yes' regardless of the question asked) is a commonly observed response bias committed by respondents to questionnaires and interviews, and this disposition is significantly more pronounced when persons of low status are questioned by high-status interviewers. Research on the acquiescence bias suggests that it can be reduced in mentally retarded respondents by replacing the usual 'yes/no' question format with an 'either/or' format.

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Cost of services to individuals with developmental disabilities in state institutions and private community agencies in South Dakota was related to provider agency characteristics, funding source, and client characteristics. Significant relations were found between cost and funding programs, total number of clients served by an agency, number of people in residential facilities, city population, and county unemployment rate. Funding source differences indicated that state-owned institutions were the most costly and community services funded solely by state funds were least costly.

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This investigation matched 23 workers with severe mental retardation to 23 workers without disabilities by job type and minimal duration of employment (at least 6 months) to determine if co-worker relations differed between the two groups of employees. Results indicated that, compared to workers with severe mental retardation, nondisabled workers were more likely to receive information, to receive training, and to interact as friends outside the workplace.

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The residential independence of post-secondary students was assessed for the 2,686 interviewees of the National Longitudinal Transition Study who had left United States high schools between 1985 and the time of the questionnaire in 1987. An index of residential placement independence was the dependent variable in a regression analysis that featured 37 community, family, student, and school program characteristics entered as block-wise predictors (i.e.

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Workers with and without disabilities (n = 85) were studied in an effort to determine whether co-worker relations differed between these employees. Few differences were found. Interactions of co-workers without disabilities with their supported co-workers who had disabilities were remarkably similar to their interactions with other co-workers without disabilities in eight of the nine interaction categories investigated.

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The purpose of this research was to assess the psychometric properties of the Multifaceted Lifestyle Satisfaction Scale (MLSS), an interview structured primarily for individuals with mental retardation to assess their professed satisfaction with their living arrangements and communities, their personal relationships, their recreation and leisure, their employment, and their degree of self-direction. Reliabilities, assessed as internal consistency coefficients, test-retest correlations, and interrater agreements were above .60 on cross-validation samples.

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Monetary costs and benefits of supported employment to individuals, taxpayers, and society were assessed as was the cost-effectiveness of the nonmonetary benefit, namely, quality of life of employees, as a result of supported employment. Participants were 20 individuals from two Central Illinois agencies serving clients with developmental disabilities. Costs and effects were evaluated using benefit-cost and cost-effectiveness analyses.

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Results of a survey of six Midwestern states demonstrated that although some state Medicaid agencies have had work incentive policies for ICF/MR residents for some time, others continue to utilize policies that are a disincentive to work. Policy changes toward employment incentives in state Medicaid agencies should improve work opportunities for workers with mental retardation at little expense to the government.

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This paper reported on the movement of a large (N = 2271) probability sample of the nation's residents of public (PRF) and community (CRF) residential facilities for developmentally disabled children and adults. Estimates placed the national population at 217,410 in all facilities--73,709 in CRFs and 143,701 in PRFs--in the fall of 1978, when the sample was selected, although extrapolation from subsequent surveys suggest that the CRF numbers should be about 100,000. In the winter of 1979 direct care staff and administrators completed detailed information about each resident sampled, about themselves, and about their facilities.

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The recent paper by Hill, Banks, Handrich, Wehman, Hill, and Shafer, entitled "Benefit-Cost Analysis of Supported Competitive Employment for Persons with Mental Retardation" was critiqued. Concerns were of three types: logic, omission, and imprecision. Logically, Hill et al.

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Satisfaction of mentally retarded persons with their quality of life is an important outcome measure of deinstitutionalization. The Lifestyle Satisfaction Scale (LSS) was developed to assess mentally retarded persons' satisfaction with their residence and its community setting and associated services. An acquiescence subscale makes it possible to correct satisfaction scores for acquiescence bias.

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Skill acquisition by secondary-level severely mentally retarded students was assessed on functional community and living skills task analyses. Students were trained in natural settings according to a behavioral analysis of the curriculum into systematic teaching and error-correction procedures. Classroom training in the district high school supported the teaching that occurred in the community.

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In the present study, a sensorimotor "patterning" program used with 66 institutionalized, mentally retarded children and adolescents was evaluated. The subjects were randomly assigned to one of three groups: (a) Experimental 1 group, which received a program of mobility exercises including patterning, creeping, and crawling; visual-motor training; and sensory stimulation exercises; (b) Experimental 2 group, which received a program of physical activity, personal attention, and the same sensory stimulation program given to the first group; or (c) Passive Control group, which provided baseline measures but which received no additional programming as part of the study. Experimental 1 group subjects improved more than subjects in the other groups in visual perception, program-related measures of mobility, and language ability.

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