Research project on advocacy and autism

This article presents the findings of a qualitative research project about the difficulties in accessing advocacy faced by adults labelled as having autism and Asperger's Syndrome in the Northwest of England. It is also an example of partnership working between three organisations. The article examines both the process of team-led (emancipatory) research and the project findings. Seven main themes emerged throughout the research: late diagnosis and lack of service support; bad experiences with systems of care; feelings of 'not belonging' (identity issues); barriers around communication and sensitivity towards individuals; lack of awareness and access to advocacy and rights; difficulties of 'fitting into' what is already available; and interest in developing knowledge around advocacy. Examination of the main themes pointed to a disturbing link between poor service response, episodes of crisis and mental ill health. The Carlisle People First Research Team is made up of 6 researchers who are labelled as having 'learning difficulties' who work in partnership with one other researcher.     

Bringing Business into Sociotechnical Theory and Practice

Current developments in the sociotechnical framework address a number of vital issues that failed to occupy the high ground in its formative years. These include: (i) the purpose of the systems, to create customer value under social and resource constraints, (ii) the context or external business environment, and (iii) the dynamics of the sociotechnical system. Due attention to the dominant issues of purpose, context, and their dynamics make it more meaningful to speak of sociotechnical business systems (STBS) and organizational learning instead of sociotechnical systems (STS) and individual learning. In STBS each unit in an organization has business responsibilities and goal-based couplings with its environment and focuses on the creation of customer value. The implications of this shift from STS to STBS are discussed and illustrated with current research and two summary case studies.     

Parental advice to preadolescent bystanders about how to intervene during bullying differs by form of bullying

The current study examined parental advice given to fourth‐ and fifth‐grade preadolescents who imagined being bystanders to different forms of bullying (physical, verbal, property attack, social manipulation, exclusion). We assessed the frequency with which parents advised youth to follow specific intervention strategies (stop the bully, help/comfort the victim, tell adults), and we tested whether the frequency by which parents provided each kind of advice varied by the form of bullying described. One hundred and six fourth‐ and fifth‐grade preadolescents completed an interaction in which their parent gave them advice about how to respond if they were bystanders to five hypothetical bullying situations. Each situation described a different form of bullying. Across forms of bullying, parents most frequently told bystander children to intervene by telling an adult. However, advice differed based on the form of bullying presented. Parents most frequently advised children to “tell an adult” in response to physical bullying or property attacks, most frequently advised children to “help/comfort victims” in response to social exclusion and physical attacks, and most frequently advised children to “stop the bully” in response to verbal and social manipulation bullying.     

Room at the academy? People with learning difficulties and higher education

This article considers the contributions of people with learning difficulties to an undergraduate degree programme in Learning Disability Studies at the University of Manchester. It begins with an evaluation of models of disability and their implications for the study and production of knowledge about learning disability. It then goes on to explore the role of people with learning difficulties—and the place of their experiences and knowledges—both on the Learning Disability Studies programme and within the academy. Drawing on the experience of the Learning Disability Studies programme, it argues for the inclusion of people with learning difficulties in learning, teaching and research.     

Dettori Day

It was the day at the races the bookies want to forget. September 28th, 1996, was the one day that dreams came true for punters—they made a killing and, for once, went home richer than the bookmakers. It was the day that Frankie Dettori rode all seven winners at Ascot. Jenny Docherty describes the day's events.     

One

“One” argues that the structural problem of the relation of zero to one has always been a presiding concern in Miller's work. It shows what is at stake in the problematic figure of the zero through a philosophical consideration of foundations for criticism, and relates this thinking to the issue of the foundational grounds for the historical event. Using the literary examples of Joyce and of Wyss, and the philosophy of Pascal, de Man and Frege, the paper argues that the real drive in Miller is towards a specific form of democratic criticism.     

Bidirectional relations between internalizing symptoms and peer victimization in late childhood

The present study investigated bidirectional relations between peer victimization and internalizing symptoms, with a focus on three forms of victimization (physical, verbal, relational) and two types of internalizing symptoms (depressive, anxious). In the fall and spring, children (N = 1,264–1,402 fourth and fifth graders depending on time point and data source) reported on their victimization, and teachers reported on children’s depressive and anxious symptoms. In a model including the broad constructs of victimization and internalizing symptoms, bidirectional relations emerged, with earlier victimization predicting increases in later internalizing symptoms and earlier internalizing symptoms predicting increases in later victimization. These bidirectional relations did not hold in two additional models, the first of which included the three forms of victimization and internalizing symptoms and the second of which included victimization and the two types of internalizing symptoms. Rather, results of the first model suggested that earlier internalizing symptoms predicted later physical, verbal, and relational (marginal) victimization, and the second model did not fit the data well. Findings are discussed in terms of implications of bidirectional relations between victimization and internalizing symptoms.     

Another chapter in the story of /r/: ‘Labiodental’ variants in British English

In this article we trace the history of [bnu;]-like variants of British English /r/. Although [bnu;] has generally been dismissed as an infantilism, or indicative of affected or disordered speech, it seems to have become established as an accent feature of non-standard south-eastern accents. We present tentative evidence to suggest this may be related to the presence of similar variants in the London East End Jewish community. After summarising previous discussions of [bnu;], we concentrate on a sociophonetic study of /r/ variants used by speakers from Derby and Newcastle. [bnu;] is found in both cities, with a higher incidence in Derby. Acoustic evidence suggests that the spreading variants are qualitatively different from [?]. We conclude that the spread of [bnu;] is part of a general and widespread process of accent levelling.     

Theoretical Voices Directing the Career Development Journey: Holland,Harris‐Bowlsbey,and Krumboltz

The counselor's role in facilitating career development remains dynamic as lifelong learning, expanding lifestyle options, and the changing workplace present new opportunities. In response, most practitioners follow some common theoretical assumptions as their foundation. As the career development field celebrates its place and embraces the millennium, the work of John Holland, the developmental perspective promoted by JoAnn Harris‐Bowlsbey, and John Krumboltz's social learning theory are captured through this personal view of the career development journey. Unique insights about the context of their work and view of the future workplace are shared.