Factors and Perceptions Associated with Post-Pandemic Food Sourcing and Dietary Patterns among Urban Corner Store Customers in Baltimore, Maryland.

Objective: Diet-related disease is rising, disproportionately affecting minority communities in which small food retail stores swamp supermarkets. Barriers to healthy food access were exacerbated by the pandemic. We examined the following: (1) individual- and household-level factors in a sample of Baltimore community members who regularly shop at corner stores and (2) how these factors are associated with indicators of dietary quality.

Adaptation of COMPASS for use in Autism-Specific Schools in Australia: A Cluster Randomized Trial.

Autistic students are educated in Australia across a variety of contexts and almost all educators use individualized goal-setting as a way of ensuring appropriate accommodations and curriculum modifications. Educators experience similar challenges when developing individualized goals for students, including lack of a standardized process for goal setting, inconsistent support networks, and challenges with data-driven goal-setting. The purpose of our research was to adapt and trial the Collaborative Model for Competence and Success (COMPASS), a research-based intervention aimed at improving the individualized goal-setting process for autistic students.

A qualitative study of the transition to employment of former university students on the autism spectrum from Australia and New Zealand.

Many former university students on the autism spectrum have poor employment outcomes despite strengths, qualifications, and ability. This article presents findings from a qualitative study of 11 former university students on the spectrum (self-identified: 2 males, 7 females, 2 non-binary, 18-50+ years), and five significant others (2 mothers, 3 spouses), from Australia and New Zealand. We identified issues associated with better and poorer transition to employment experiences (poor mental health, lack of support, poor interview skills).

Perspectives of Former Students with ASD from Australia and New Zealand on Their University Experience.

The university experience of students with ASD was explored through a qualitative study of 11 former university students and six significant others from Australia and New Zealand. A range of key issues were identified including difficulties encountered when studying, reasons for completion and non-completion, supports used, and coping strategies used by the participants. Many switched to part-time to manage their poor mental health and/or executive function and most had slow rates of progress.

Partner Perceptions of Conversations with Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Pragmatic difficulties resulting in problems with reciprocal conversation are widely studied in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). There is some consensus on the conversation differences between individuals with autism compared to neurotypical groups and groups with other developmental delays. There is little information on whether conversation partners (neurotypical or with ASD) of individuals with ASD find these differences problematic.

A Systematic Literature Review of Empirical Research on Postsecondary Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

The findings from a systematic literature review of 24 empirical studies of interventions for post-secondary students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are reported in this study. A diverse range of interventions were examined, many of which appeared feasible and high rates of participant satisfaction were also reported. Differing responses within and among interventions may point to the possible need for individualized supports.

Instruments to Evaluate Nurse Residency Programs: A Review of the Literature.

The purpose of this literature review was to explore evaluation instruments used by nurse residency programs to evaluate outcomes. The 15 studies found yielded 26 instruments, and all instruments were subjective, dated, and varied in how they were used. Nursing professional development practitioners should use a combination of reliable, valid, and current evaluation methods to appraise their nurse residency programs in order to demonstrate program quality and effectiveness.

Perspectives of University Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are at heightened risk of post-secondary educational failure and account for approximately 1% of students in post-secondary education. Findings from an on-line survey of students with ASD attending university in Australian are reported in this study. Respondents indicated high rates of academic and non-academic difficulties but low usage of supports.

Friendship Satisfaction in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Nominated Friends.

The current study examined the level of friendship satisfaction of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their nominated friends (with and without diagnosis of ASD). A total of 77 target children with ASD and friends from 49 nominated friendships participated in the study. Relatively high levels of friendship satisfaction were reported by both target children and their nominated friends with no overall difference between dyads involving typically developing friends and friends with ASD.

Using the Choiceboard Creator™ app on an iPad© to teach choice making to a student with severe disabilities.

This paper describes an intervention to teach the use of the Choiceboard Creator app on an iPad for choice making to a student with autism, severe intellectual disability, and challenging behavior. This app provides flexibility in the number of pictures and blank distractors displayed, produces voice output, shuffles the picture arrangement after each activation, and makes the selected picture more salient by enlarging it once it has been selected. The effectiveness of the intervention was explored using a multiple baseline across three settings.

Perceived Friendship Quality of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder as Compared to their Peers in Mixed and Non-mixed Dyads.

There has been limited research exploring the similarity of perception of friendship quality between children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and their friends. In this study, 45 children with ASD participated together with their friends. Two levels of friendship quality congruency were investigated: reciprocity and mutuality.

Systematic review of sensory integration therapy for individuals with disabilities: Single case design studies.

Sensory integration therapy (SIT) is a controversial intervention that is widely used for people with disabilities. Systematic analysis was conducted on the outcomes of 17 single case design studies on sensory integration therapy for people with, or at-risk of, a developmental or learning disability, disorder or delay. An assessment of the quality of methodology of the studies found most used weak designs and poor methodology, with a tendency for higher quality studies to produce negative results.

Modulation of intracortical inhibition in response to acute psychosocial stress is impaired among individuals with chronic neck pain.

Objective: Psychosocial stress has been associated with a variety of chronic pain disorders although the mechanisms responsible for this relationship are unknown. The purpose of this study was to compare the excitability of intracortical and corticospinal pathways to the trapezius muscle in individuals with and without chronic neck pain during exposure to low and high levels of psychosocial stress.

Methods: Single and paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation was used to assess motor evoked potentials (MEPs) and short-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI) during mental math performed in the presence and absence of social evaluative threat.

A Review of the Use of Touch-Screen Mobile Devices by People with Developmental Disabilities.

This article presents a review of the research on the use of mobile touch-screen devices such as PDAs, iPod Touches, iPads and smart phones by people with developmental disabilities. Most of the research has been on very basic use of the devices as speech generating devices, as a means of providing video, pictorial and/or audio self-prompting and for leisure activities such as listening to music and watching videos. Most research studies were small-n designs that provided a preponderant level of research evidence.

Health-related quality of life before and after pediatric epilepsy surgery: the influence of seizure outcome on changes in physical functioning and social functioning.

Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is an important outcome in pediatric epilepsy surgery, but there are few studies that utilize presurgical ratings to assess the effect of surgery on HRQOL. We collected parental ratings on the Quality of Life in Childhood Epilepsy (QOLCE) questionnaire for 28 children who participated in neuropsychological assessment before and after epilepsy surgery. Our results revealed significant improvements in overall HRQOL after surgery, especially in physical and social activities.

Dependence of the paired motor unit analysis on motor unit discharge characteristics in the human tibialis anterior muscle.

The paired motor unit analysis provides in vivo estimates of the magnitude of persistent inward currents (PIC) in human motoneurons by quantifying changes in the firing rate (ΔF) of an earlier recruited (reference) motor unit at the time of recruitment and derecruitment of a later recruited (test) motor unit. This study assessed the variability of ΔF estimates, and quantified the dependence of ΔF on the discharge characteristics of the motor units selected for analysis. ΔF was calculated for 158 pairs of motor units recorded from nine healthy individuals during repeated submaximal contractions of the tibialis anterior muscle.

Discharge rate modulation of trapezius motor units differs for voluntary contractions and instructed muscle rest.

This study examined discharge rate modulation at respiratory (0-0.5 Hz) and beta (16-32 Hz) frequencies in trapezius motor units active during voluntary contractions and during periods of instructed rest under conditions of low and high psychosocial stress. In separate sessions, single motor unit activity was recorded from the trapezius muscle of healthy women during low-intensity voluntary contractions and during periods of instructed muscle rest that followed voluntary contractions.

Discharge behaviors of trapezius motor units during exposure to low and high levels of acute psychosocial stress.

This study investigated the effects of acute psychosocial stress on trapezius single motor unit discharge behaviors. Twenty-one healthy women performed feedback-controlled isometric contractions under conditions of low and high psychosocial stress in the same experimental session. Psychosocial stress was manipulated using a verbal math task combined with social evaluative threat that significantly increased perceived anxiety, heart rate, and blood pressure (P < 0.

Picture-book reading as an intervention to teach the use of line drawings for communication with students with severe intellectual disabilities.

Picture-book reading provides an effective intervention context for young children learning spoken language and may also be appropriate for teaching the use of augmentative and alternative communication to children with severe intellectual disabilities. This study reports on a group intervention using a semiscripted book reading routine implemented by a teacher in a classroom for students with severe intellectual disabilities. Student use of line drawings was observed over the course of the intervention.

Iconicity in the development of picture skills: typical development and implications for individuals with severe intellectual disabilities.

The iconicity of graphic symbols and the iconicity hypothesis are theoretical concepts that have had an impact on the use of augmentative and alternative communication strategies for people with severe intellectual disabilities. This article reviews some of the recent literature on the impact of iconicity on symbol recognition and use by typically developing children and relates those findings to people with severe disability. It seems that although iconicity may have some impact on symbol learning, there are other variables that are likely to be much more important.

The effect of arm movements on the lower limb during gait after a stroke.

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of arm movements on lower limb movement and muscle activation during treadmill walking after a stroke. Ten high functioning stroke and 10 healthy subjects walked on a treadmill while swinging their arms naturally, and while holding onto handles that were either fixed in place or allowed to slide along horizontal handrails. Full-body kinematics were recorded, along with bilateral surface electromyography from lower limb muscles.

Recognition and use of line drawings by children with severe intellectual disabilities: the effects of color and outline shape.

Communication symbols for students with severe intellectual disabilities often take the form of computer-generated line drawings. This study investigated the effects of the match between color and shape of line drawings and the objects they represented on drawing recognition and use. The match or non-match between color and shape of the objects and drawings did not have an effect on participants' ability to match drawings to objects, or to use drawings to make choices.

The effects of response cards on student and teacher behavior during vocabulary instruction.

The use of response cards during whole-class English vocabulary instruction was evaluated. Five low-participating students were observed during hand-raising conditions and response-card conditions to observe the effects of response cards on student responding and test scores and teacher questions and feedback. Responding and test scores were higher for all targeted students in the response-card condition.

The coordination of upper and lower limb movements during gait in healthy and stroke individuals.

Human walking involves coordinated movements of all four limbs. The benefits of incorporating arm movements in gait rehabilitation are not known and difficult to investigate in patient populations with poor balance and reduced walking capacity. This study assessed the effect of supported (SUP) versus unsupported (UNSUP) arm movements on the coordination patterns present during walking in individuals with and without a stroke.