No abstract

Our study showed the positive, sustained, impact of implementing a TP SOP. Twelve months after introducing the SOP our Blood Bank and Transfusion Medicine Services' plasma wastage and discard were dramatically reduced, saving thousands of dollars. Initiating a TP SOP just makes sense; it is easy to implement, conserves plasma, and saves cents.

A Qualitative Investigation T his qualitative study of 32 low-income families with infants or toddlers with developmental delays or disabilities (a) examines whether participation in one Early Head Start (EHS) program increased the likelihood that the families would pursue early intervention services, (b) identifies the phases through which the EHS families progressed in accessing such services, and (c) describes how EHS helped the families obtain access. The study analyzes data from interviews, program records, and research measures. The authors found that the EHS families obtained early intervention services at higher rates than the control families. Case studies illustrate how EHS staff developed individualized strategies to help the families obtain early intervention services.

Abstract. Describes the development of an instrument which identifies what children who are just beginning first grade reading instruction know about the written language code and relates this knowledge to beginning reading achievement. A battery of seven tasks was developed to assess [a] discrimination of real writing from geometric shapes and letter-like forms; [b] segmentation of aurally presented sentences; (c) segmentation of visually presented sentences; (d) equation of oral written word lengths; (e) ability to predict from pictures; (f) completion of aural sentences with and without graphic cues and (g) competence with the metalinguistic aspect of reading. Tasks were administered to 53 first grade children and scores were analyzed by stepwise multiple regression on standardized reading test scores. Findings indicate that linguistic awareness tasks do predict reading achievement, particularly those tasks which stress the interrelationship between oral and written codes rather than those which tap characteristics specific to the writing system.

No abstract

This tumefactive presentation of lipedema has not been previously described. Regarding the elastic-tissue abnormalities, the patient could have either a subclinical form of PXE, perhaps predisposing to lipedema, or secondary elastic-tissue changes resulting from the massive edema. If the latter is the case, then this could represent an unusual manifestation of localized acquired cutaneous PXE (calcific elastosis).

Early introduction (e.g. reading aloud and sharing a book as focus of attention) greatly aids the acquisition of literacy but for hearing parents of a deaf child these ploys do not come easily We have looked carefully at the practice of one hard- of-hearing mother with her three and one-half year old son and have identified fourteen strategies, in four large categories, that she uses. These seem likely to promote his future reading success, and some of them may also be useful for hearing parents with deaf children.

This article presents the results of a study of six low-income women, each of whom is raising a child with a suspected or diagnosed disability while also serving as an active member of the armed forces. Their experiences as they attempt to strike a balance between the highly demanding work role of the military and their role as a mother of a child with disabilities are examined. This article also discusses the personal strengths these women display, the barriers they confront, the strategies they use to negotiate competing demands, and the impact of this effort on their personal and professional lives. Practice and policy implications are drawn for early intervention and family support programs.