Journal of Intellectual Disability - Diagnosis and Treatment

130-137

Authors: Temitope Adebisi Amodu, Ayodele Osisanya, Oluseyi Akintunde Dada, Janet Sunday Petters, Margaret Okwuonu Uzor, Francis Kibai Sarimiye, Andrew Oghenerukevwe Orovwigho, Uzoamaka Nneka Mbaekwe, Victoria Enefiok Etim, Maria Enemeba Ngwu, Ololade Olayinka Nnamani, Samuel Orim Orim

Intelligible speech is vital to every adolescent's life, but this skill can be confounded with the presence of articulation disorder. Meanwhile, studies have been conducted using different therapies to improve speech intelligibility. This study investigated the effect of oral placement and expressive therapies on speech intelligibility among adolescents with articulation disorders. The study adopted a pretest-posttest, control group, quasi-experimental research design with a 3x2x2 factorial matrix. Three special centers were randomly selected, and purposive sampling was used in selecting 60 adolescents having articulation disorders comprising 34 males and 26 females. These adolescents were randomly assigned to Experimental Group 1 (n= 22), Experimental Group 2 (n= 21), and Control (n= 17). Speech Intelligibility Assessment Scale (r=0.92) was the instrument used for the study. Participants in the experimental groups were exposed to the oral placement and expressive therapeutic treatments, while those in the control groups were sensitized to a placebo. Three hypotheses were tested at a 0.05 level of significance, while data were analyzed using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA), mean scores, and Bonferroni Post Hoc Test. Findings revealed that there was a significant main effect of treatments F(2,56) = 112.52; p <0.05 (oral placement therapy, expressive therapy, and control group with placebo), and also a significant interaction effect of treatments, gender, and age F(2, 47) = 7.37; p <0.05 on speech intelligibility of adolescents with articulation disorders despite the presence of placebo. Oral placement and expressive therapies were effective in managing the speech intelligibility of adolescents with articulation disorders. Therefore, speech therapists should adopt these therapeutic interventions in rehabilitating adolescents with articulation disorders.

145-153

Authors: Samuel Orim Orim, Matthew Ashike Orim, David Adie Alawa, James Eburikuri Olayi, James Abua Ewa, Essien Ekpenyong Essien, Cecilia Kori Essien, Martin Afen Olofu, Innocent Ushi Igba, Sylvester Akongi Unimke, Nsagha Nkang Osaji, Raymond Ogbebe Ogar, Felicia Akpana Unimuke

This study assessed the knowledge and competence of special teachers and psychologists in diagnostic overshadowing and differential diagnosis in children with intellectual disability in Cross River State, Nigeria. A descriptive research design was adopted. Sixty (60) respondents comprising teachers and school psychologists were purposively selected from three main special schools in Cross River State. Two research questions were raised to guide the study. A rating scale titled ‘Mental Health Diagnosis Competency Scale (r=0.91)’ was used for data collection. The instrument was used to assess the knowledge and competence of special teachers and school psychologists in diagnostic overshadowing and differential diagnosis in children with intellectual disabilities. The data collected were statistically analyzed using percentages, frequency count, and bar chart. The findings revealed that most teachers and school psychologists have no knowledge of psychiatric symptomatology in children with intellectual disabilities. Respondents also lack adequate competence in differential diagnosis, leading to wrong special education placement and inadequate intervention plans for such children. It was recommended, among others, that the government provide in-service training for teachers and psychologists to equip them on current issues and practices in special education, such as differential diagnosis and collaborative partnership within a transdisciplinary approach.

78-86

Authors: Jennifer L. Jones, Kami L. Gallus, Sam R. Emerson, Christina M. Sciarrillo, Tia C. Waldrop

Background: People with intellectual disabilities experience health disparities and poorer health outcomes than people without disabilities. Increased physical activity has been found to reduce the impact of chronic health conditions among people with intellectual disabilities. Method: The current study explored the impact of an inclusive walking program on the physical and mental health of adults with intellectual disabilities. Let’s Take A Walk paired adults with intellectual disabilities, hereafter referred to as Community Walkers (n = 27), with college students to walk around a college campus twice a week for 45 minutes across 10 weeks. Data on mental health outcomes, specifically depression and anxiety, were collected from 24 Community Walkers across four-time points (pre-, mid-, post-, and 3-months following intervention), and data on physical health outcomes were collected across two-time points (pre- and post-intervention). Results: Community Walkers reported significant decreases in both depression and anxiety from pre to post-implementation. Particularly promising was clinically significant decreases in anxiety symptoms over the 10-week program. No differences were noted on Community Walkers’ measures of physical health. Conclusion: Inclusive walking programs are a valuable and promising mechanism for building social connections and inclusion and improving mental health for adults with intellectual disabilities.

95-107

Authors: Stadnik Oksana, Sliushchinskiy Bohdan, Varha Nataliia, Khodus Olena, Polovaia Nataliia

Background: Considering the social vulnerability of the people with mental disorders and a certain dualism of treatment practice within this social category of people and beginning from socializing process to isolation in Ukrainian society, it becomes relevant to prevent the formation of antisocial and stigmatizing consequences toward the patients with mental disorders in society. Objective: The article's aim involves the social practice of studying and attitude toward patients with mental disorders. They are based on the results of sociological questionnaires. Methods: The questionnaire is based on psychiatrists and psychiatric hospitals’ medical staff surveys. It covers 505 medical workers of the Regional Clinical Psychiatric Hospital in the Zaporizskiy region of Ukraine. Results: The result points to the domination of neutral attitude toward the mentally disabled people among the respondents-experts (medical and junior medical staff including), which in turn causes several negative consequences as follows: lack of understanding of treatment differences concerning the mentally healthy and mentally ill; a latent reluctance for changing the social treatment practice towards the mentally ill in a more humane way; distancing from the mentally ill; a change of verbally-behavioral practice to antisocial, hostile ones. etc. Conclusions: Despite the globalization of the modern world, the local composition of verbal-behavioral social practice toward people with mental disorders is influenced by socio-cultural, economic, and political determinants.

114-121

Authors: Oluseyi Akintunde Dada, Anulika Chinyere Okpara, Owoade Philip Adeleke, Maureen Okang Okon, Anne Merimekwu, Effa German Anagbogbu, Janet Petters, Grace Onya Edu, Asuquo Eno, Levi Udochukwu Akah, Martin Afen Olufu

One of the characteristics of persons with Down syndrome is poor memory, especially the Auditory-Verbal Memory (AVM). Lack of verbal memory among persons with Down syndrome is one major factor that inhibits learning. This is why the effort towards enhancing AVM of persons with Down syndrome is evolving. This study, therefore, investigated the efficacy of cumulative rehearsal on auditory verbal memory of persons with Down syndrome with speech production and gender as moderator variables. A 2 x 2 x 2 factorial matrix of pretest-posttest control group experimental design was used in the study. A sample of thirty participants was drawn from a population of 44 persons with Down syndrome and randomly assigned to control and experimental groups in two special schools; National Orthopaedic Special School, Igbobi, and Modupe Cole Memorial Childcare and Treatment Home/School, Akoka. Data was collected using a validated self-developed instrument, Auditory Verbal Memory Assessment Scale (AVMAS) (r-0.86). Two hypotheses were tested using ANCOVA. Findings from the study revealed that: cumulative rehearsal therapy significantly impacted the auditory-verbal memory of persons with Down syndrome, with significant improvement observed. There was no significant interaction effect of speech level and gender with the therapy. It was thus concluded that cumulative rehearsal therapy is effective in enhancing auditory-verbal memory and so recommended for the improvement of AVM of persons with Down syndrome

13-20

Authors: Kazuaki Maebara, Asuka Yamaguchi, Toru Suzuki, Aya Imai

Background: Recently, the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in education has been promoted in Japan. However, teachers do not yet fully understand using ICT for persons with intellectual disabilities. Objective: This study clarifies the support functions of ICT as perceived by teachers involved in special needs education (support for students with intellectual disabilities).Methods: We conducted in-depth interviews with five teachers involved in special-needs education. We qualitatively analyzed the interview data obtained using content analysis.Results: From the interviews, 53 ICT-utilization episodes were obtained. These episodes were categorized into 13 categories of utilization and seven aspects of support: understanding, communication, behavior, meta-cognition, environment, memory, and opportunities.Conclusion: ICT is a beneficial tool to compensate for intellectual disabilities and help students with intellectual disabilities learn better. We believe that teachers can better assist students with intellectual disabilities by successfully matching individual needs with the ICT features. The results obtained in this study will be helpful while considering support for persons with intellectual disabilities, not only in education but also in vocational training, employment support, and telework support for persons with intellectual disabilities

31-36

Authors: Toshihiro Horiguchi, Kenji Takanashi, Shoichi Sato, Naoki Sone

Background: In a preschool setting, childcare is usually provided to children with disabilities or potential features as well. In this study, we hypothesized that parents might have additionally consulted commissioned pediatricians when their children were reportedly abused by schoolteachers as well as following legitimate grievance procedures. Aims: To estimate the prevalence rate of children with disabilities being abused at nursery schools in Japan, the authors asked the help of commissioned pediatricians of nursery schools. Methods: We sent a questionnaire to 1,607 members of the Japanese Society for Well-being of Nursery-schoolers, who are specialists known to be highly sensitive to abuses. Incident reports from the second half of 2012 to the fiscal year 2014 were collected from 361 members who replied. Results: In total, three respondents, including one pediatrician, had received a complaint(s) from parents that their child with disabilities had been abused by a teacher. No details on each case were provided. Conclusion: Thus, the need for another assessment to administrative was indicated

43-55

Authors: Ikemefuna Taire Paul Okudolo, Victor Ojakorotu

This study analyzes the intrinsic causes of disabled persons' marginalization from elite circles in Nigerian public administration organizations. Its foci among other things are to proffer measures for Nigeria's context of disabled persons' advancement into public bureaucracies' assembly of decision-makers, promote their topmost belongingness in public policy governance, offer ways to sustain disability-friendly public personnel promotion stratagem, propose means to realize public sector-friendly disability inclusivity. Political culture theory is espoused as the theoretical framework. The study parallels the qualitative methodology of a phenomenological inclination. Perceptions, views, and notions on how to promote disability-friendly policies, across all Nigerian public ministries, departments, and agencies (MDGs), toward facilitating upward mobility of disabled public administrators into directorate positions in the public services, derived from questionnaires, interviews, and correlated document analysis constituted data for the study. Content analysis approach guided by heuristic re-constructionism epistemology was adopted for analyzing data. Data from questionnaires were presented in quantitative content analysis. The study finds that there persist low political will towards domestication and implementation of globally agreed affirmative statutes for sustainable advancement of the education, talents, employment, promotion, and generally inclusion of disabled persons, particularly into the elite circle of Nigerian public bureaucracies. The finding mentioned above highlights the immanent variables that constitute major obstacles to the disabled public personnel belongingness as elite public administrators in determining the outputs and outcomes of public administration in Nigeria. It recommends, amongst others, prioritization of disabled persons' inclusion into the top staff echelon of public administration's MDGs across all the Nigerian tiers.