Findings suggest challenges, learning strategies, future perspectives and the need for academic accommodations fluctuate and evolve for many years post-injury. Findings also suggest some survivors perceive their learning capabilities more positively than do others associated with them, leading to questions about whether over-accommodation occurs and the potential negative ramifications associated with this practice.

The researchers performed a survey study to determine the effectiveness of collegiate programmes in dispelling common misconceptions about traumatic brain injury (TBI) while preparing undergraduate and graduate students for special education (SpEd) careers. Respondents included 136 undergraduate and 147 graduate SpEd students in their final semesters before obtaining degrees. Each completed an 18‐item true/false survey about TBI and the associated recovery process. Results were compared with survey responses from 318 lay public respondents who participated in a previous study. Two major findings emerged: (a) no significant differences existed in misconception endorsement between SpEd students completing Bachelor's versus Master's degrees; and (b) graduating students in SpEd teacher preparation programmes endorsed similar misconceptions as lay public respondents; hence, these programmes do not appear effective in dispelling common TBI misconceptions. Improving academic preparation for special educators regarding TBI is imperative for effectively identifying, assessing and serving student survivors.

is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder and affects at least 1 million people in the United States. 1 With no known cause or cure, persons with PD (PwP) use prescription medications and behavioral interventions to alleviate key problems such as difficulties walking, handling objects, and speaking. In general, PwP may have only 39% adherence to medication use suggesting a need for medication management from pharmacists. 2 Difficulty with movement, particularly walking, is a hallmark symptom with PwP that need skilled

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) and interpretive phenomenology, when merged, can provide insight into the experiences of a homogenous community. The purpose of this manuscript is 2-fold. First, we aim to provide a conceptual view of merging methodological approaches of phenomenology and CBPR. Principles of interpretive phenomenology, the philosophical stance, and the qualitative analysis methodology, as well as how interpretive phenomenology is complementary to CBPR, are reviewed. Second, the utility, rationale, and feasibility of merging these diverse approaches are explored. For illustrative purposes, exemplars from a Parkinson’s disease stakeholder study are used to discuss aims, methods, and results. Focus group data collection strategies and the use of Template Analysis as an analytic tool are also described. Themes that materialized from the data focused on support group experiences for this rural community. In keeping with interpretive phenomenology, the researchers’ interpretation of these themes led to the understanding of an overall essence, or essential theme, of this community’s lived experiences.

Interpretation of the themes led to three main conjectures about return-to-work experiences following TBI: (a) job satisfaction may relate more to involvement in productive activities than monetary compensation; (b) adults with TBI can be successful in holding and maintaining positions with high cognitive demands; and

People with Parkinson’s disease who live in rural communities may lack information and support regarding their condition, compared to those in urban or suburban areas. For the study described herein, the researchers sought to gain a deeper understanding of support group experiences of rural Parkinson’s disease stakeholders through merging an interpretive phenomenological design with Community-based Participatory Research (CBPR). Using this merged approach, we collected qualitative data from five focus groups to gain a community perspective. The qualitative data was analyzed thematically, first, and then further explored for an overall essence. The theme, Support Group Benefits: Opportunities for Communication expounded upon the importance of support groups to Parkinson’s disease stakeholders. Barriers to Support Group Participation represented how the disease and the rural living conditions inhibited support group participation. Strategies to Improve Support Group Access demonstrated the different ways that the stakeholders had tried to overcome barriers and strengthen support groups. Notably, some participants discussed ways that support groups could increase their accessibility to more individuals with Parkinson’s living rurally so that they endured as a future resource. The themes and accessibility recommendations that emerged led the researchers to interpret the overall essence of this work as, experiencing support group benefits despite barriers, leaving a legacy.

Researchers, nonprofit organizations, and others have long used photovoice as a participatory action research method with vulnerable groups to depict, reflect on, and describe their realities, and advocate for change. Paulo Freire, whose scholarship is a foundation of photovoice, encouraged critical thinking in a popular education process to understand “the ‘why’ of things and facts.” Creative thinking, a complementary concept that emerged in the field of education in the 1990s, involves, at its core, development, implementation, and communication of multiple original ideas. We provide a model of critical and creative thinking as an integrated process that generates knowledge as participants complete four key photovoice steps: (1) answer questions with a camera, (2) communicate in the group, (3) observe commonalities, and (4) communicate to power. We argue that each step involves teachable skills and provide practical, low-tech strategies that photovoice facilitators can use to enhance critical and creative thinking by any participant who finds it challenging to complete the four steps. Bringing a critical and creative thinking process to photovoice facilitation grounds the method in its education roots. It can enhance participation and inclusion of any vulnerable group, including people with cognitive and communication disorders due to acquired brain injury, mental illness, or substance use disorder for example. We suggest that use of the suggested strategies will result in an authentic, meaningful process that helps equalize power relationships, respects individuals as experts on their own lives, and increases the potential for data that prompt action.

Native American tribes and families are highly pluralistic in their ideologies, beliefs, traditions, and values. Very little research has described the parenting and child-rearing beliefs of Native American caregivers. The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of Native American caregivers' developmental priorities and preferences regarding their young children's development. Participants included 21 Native American caregivers from a reservation in the Mountain West region of the United States. Ethnographic interviewing techniques described by C. E. Westby (1990) were used to collect caregiver perspectives. Through the use of a naturalistic inquiry paradigm, the process of template analysis was used to organize concepts and identify central themes and subthemes regarding caregivers' priorities and preferences for their children's development. The following 4 themes were identified: (a) supporting Native culture and language preservation, (b) teaching preacademic skills, (c) acquiring social and emotional competence, and (d) teaching self-care and independence. Clinical implications based on these themes and subthemes are discussed in the context of intervention with young Native American children and their families.