Factors That May Influence Parent Treatment Decision Making for Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

ABSTRACT

The number of interventions available for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has expanded greatly in recent years, although relatively little is known about the factors that influence family caregivers as they make treatment decisions for their children. This study involved a statewide survey of parents of young children with ASD to examine the relative weights of the factors that influenced their treatment decisions. Results suggested that caregivers rely on their own intuition for much decision making, although selected professionals are also influential. Implications for professionals working with children with ASD and their families are discussed.     

‘Pains of imprisonment’: narratives of the women partners and children of the incarcerated

This paper focuses on an important line of inquiry in contemporary criminal justice social work research: the collateral consequences of incarceration in the Chinese context. It gives an insight into the impact of incarceration on families from an insider's perspective. An analysis of interviews with 10 partners and 10 children yielded three major themes concerning the impact of imprisonment: the problems associated with the imprisonment of a family member, the coping strategies used and views on the importance of maintaining family ties. It is hoped that this study will give practical guidance regarding what should be done, and how, to reduce the negative consequences brought about by the absence (temporary or permanent) of the imprisoned on their families, including both their partners and vulnerable children.     

Assessing Social Work's Contribution to Controlled Outcome Studies in the Alcohol Dependence Treatment Literature

ABSTRACT

Alcohol use disorders are among the most prevalent and disabling conditions encountered by social work practitioners. Although a substantial body of research findings has accrued evaluating the effectiveness of available alcohol dependence treatments, few efforts have been made to assess the contribution that social work has made to this database. Thus, this study examined the contribution of social work to the alcohol dependence treatment outcome research literature over the past half-century. Controlled investigations of alcohol dependence treatments published between 1950 and 2000 were analyzed by publication outlet type and primary author's professional affiliation. Computerized bibliographic searches of medical and social science databases were conducted and a manual search of 13 core social work journals to identify controlled studies of alcohol dependence interventions. Results indicate that researchers affiliated with schools or departments of social work as well as studies contained within core social work journals have contributed little to knowledge development, with respect to controlled studies, in the alcohol dependence treatment literature. Greater social work involvement in chemical dependency research would contribute much to current efforts to promote evidence-based practice and clinical guideline development in this important practice area.     

An algorithm to compute the cdf of the product of two normal random variables

This paper provides a fortran algorithm that can be used to compute the cdf of the product of two normal distribution random variables. We also give references that provide mathematical properties, tables, and applications of this distribution     

Proportional Trapping-Removal Model with a Known Ratio

ABSTRACT

Population size estimator is derived for a proportional trapping-removal model with a known ratio between two sub-population sizes, and the corresponding asymptotic properties is obtained. The performance of the proposed estimator is checked via simulation studies and an example.     

Methodological Challenges of Studying Asian Gangs in Canada

This paper discusses the methodological challenges encountered in a research study on Asian gangs in Canada with reference to (a) defining Asian gangs; (b) seeking external funding; (c) securing support from ethnic communities; (d) getting approval for ethical research with human subjects; (e) recruiting research participants; (f) ensuring safety of the researcher; and (g) protecting the identity of research participants. The issues discussed would be relevant to those who are interested to examine the same phenomenon in countries with large Asian populations in Western counties (e.g., the United States and the United Kingdom) and in the Asia-Pacific Region such as Australia, Singapore, and Malaysia.     

网络游戏分级制度比较研究

网络游戏分级制度旨在唤醒社会对网络游戏的理性认识,增强游戏行业主体对网游产业的责任感和参与感,促进网络游戏行业的健康发展。网络游戏分级制度有助于解决确保网游行业健康有序地竞争与发展与保护作为网络游戏最大消费群体的未成年人权利免受侵害的两难命题。北美ESRB、欧洲PEGI、日本CERO的游戏分级制度实践为我们提供了比较研究和可资借鉴的范本。     

Changes in Aleut Concerns Following the Stakeholder-Driven Amchitka Independent Science Assessment

There is widespread agreement that stakeholders should be included in the problem‐formulation phase of addressing environment problems and, more recently, there have been attempts to include stakeholders in other phases of environmental research. However, there are few studies that evaluate the effects of including stakeholders in all phases of research aimed at solving environmental problems. Three underground nuclear blasts were detonated on Amchitka Island from 1965 to 1971. Considerable controversy developed when the Department of Energy (DOE) decided to “close” Amchitka. Concerns were voiced by subsistence Aleuts living in the region, resource trustees, and the State of Alaska, among others. This article evaluates perceptions of residents of three Aleutian village before (2003) and after (2005) the Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder Participation's (CRESP) Amchitka Independent Science Assessment (AISA). The CRESP AISA provided technical information on radionuclide levels in biota to inform questions of seafood safety and food chain health. CRESP used the questions asked at public meetings in the Aleut communities of Atka, Nikolski, and Unalaska to evaluate attitudes and perceptions before and after the AISA. Major concerns before the AISA were credibility/trust of CRESP and the DOE, and information about biological methodology of the study. Following the AISA, people were most concerned about health effects and risk reduction, and trust issues with CRESP declined while those for the DOE remained stable. People’s relative concerns about radionuclides declined, while their concerns about mercury (not addressed in the AISA) increased, and interest in ecological issues (population changes of local species) and the future (continued biomonitoring) increased from 2003 to 2005. These results suggest that questions posed at public meetings can be used to evaluate changes in attitudes and perceptions following environmental research, and the results are consistent with the hypothesis that the AISA answered questions about radionuclides, and lowered overall concern about radionuclides, but left unanswered concerns about the health effects of mercury.     

教育价值研究三十年

教育价值研究三十年来发生了两大变化:一是从理论概念辨析走向实践问题批判,二是致力于全球视野与本土行动。国内研究者主要从教育价值的概念、教育价值分类、教育价值观、教育价值取向等方面对教育价值进行了探究,并取得了相应的成果。今后的教育价值研究在内涵上应更加强调精神和意义的"深度",分类上应坚持理论与实践的适度分离,价值观上应反思多元化时代的价值迷失现象,价值取向上应注重对人的生存论关怀,研究方法上应致力于教育价值研究传统的建构。