Child: care, health and development
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Child Care Health Dev · Jul 2013
ReviewQuality of life domains affected in children with developmental coordination disorder: a systematic review.
The quality of life (QOL) of children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) is largely unknown, but evidence suggests that multiple QOL domains are affected by the disorder. While DCD is primarily considered a motor disorder, multiple studies have reported psychological and social concerns in children with this condition. Our primary aim was to present the current state of the evidence regarding the physical, psychological, and social QOL domains that can be affected in children with DCD. ⋯ Despite the impact of DCD on multiple domains, only one study used a QOL measure as an outcome. Although DCD impacts several QOL domains, the QOL of children with this disorder remains largely unknown. The next critical step is for clinicians and researchers to use QOL measures to gather information on how DCD may affect the QOL of children with this disorder.
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Child Care Health Dev · Jul 2013
Comparative StudyQuality of life in newly diagnosed children with specific learning disabilities (SpLD) and differences from typically developing children: a study of child and parent reports.
Research on quality of life (QoL) of school children with specific learning disabilities (SpLD) and their parents is scarce. The present study explores QoL deficits in newly diagnosed children with SpLD and their parents, in comparison to a similar age group of typically developing children. Possible associations between parental and child QoL were statistically explored in both groups of children. ⋯ The results may suggest certain significant effects of the SpLD condition on newly diagnosed children's QoL. Emotional and social deficits seem to be experienced by this cohort of children and their parents. Investigation into the possible interrelationships between parental and child QoL seems to indicate that parental social wellbeing may to a certain extend influence some dimensions of the child's QoL. The findings are useful for policy making and specialized interventions for children with SpLD and their families.
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Child Care Health Dev · May 2013
Case ReportsBeyond behavioural observations: a deeper view through the sensory reactions of children with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities.
The present study was aimed at assessing the behavioural and physiological responsiveness of three children with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities to a set of sensory stimuli. ⋯ Data here presented may have implications for the development and the emotional well-being of individuals with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities in that it suggests that reactions to, and potential appraisals of, sensory stimuli may occur despite the lack of consistent observable behaviours.
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Child Care Health Dev · Mar 2013
Child coping, parent coping assistance, and post-traumatic stress following paediatric physical injury.
Following a physical injury, many children exhibit long-term psychological reactions such as post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). Children's coping strategies, and the ways that others help them cope with injury (i.e. coping assistance), are understudied, potentially malleable variables that could be targeted in preventive interventions. The objectives of the current research were to describe child coping behaviour and parent coping assistance following a child's injury, and to investigate the relationships among coping, coping assistance and child PTSS. ⋯ Findings suggest that children's coping strategies (particularly social withdrawal and resignation) play a possibly important, complex role in the development of traumatic stress symptoms. When parents help their child cope, children are more likely to seek out social support, suggesting that they will be more able to ask their parents for help as needed. Future research should identify effective strategies to prevent PTSS including how parents can best support their child following paediatric injury.
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Child Care Health Dev · Sep 2012
ReviewAssessing psychosocial well-being of adolescents: a systematic review of measuring instruments.
The paradigm shift from the clinically deficit-oriented approach to that of educationally strength-based model in assessing adolescents' psychosocial well-being has brought about a recent increase in school-based health promotion and prevention initiatives. This prompted this systematic review of measuring instruments designed to assess psychosocial well-being of children and adolescents. ⋯ Strength-based measures focusing on social emotional behavioural outcomes open up a possibility to link up assessment with promotion of psychosocial well-being, away from clinical settings and into adolescents' homes, schools and community. Future research should focus more on investigating the sensitivity and responsiveness of measuring instruments using longitudinal design in efficacy studies to assess change in adolescents' psychosocial status over extended time.