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Background: As delays or disorders in early language and communication are the most prevalent symptom in children with disabilities, early screening is crucial to promote prevention, early diagnosis, and intervention. However, to the best of our knowledge, no screening tool is available for the joint assessment of early language and social communication skills in European Portuguese (EP)‐learning children, which is critical for screening, monitoring and enrolment in appropriate early intervention services. Aims: (1) To adapt and validate the EP version of the Communication and Symbolic Behaviour Scales Developmental Profile™ (CSBS DP™) Infant–Toddler Checklist, a parental report for the screening of early language and social communication skills. (2) To conduct a cross‐cultural comparison between the EP adaptation and the original US version. Methods & Procedures: A total of 611 EP‐learning children (ages 6–24 months) were assessed on the CSBS DP Infant–Toddler Checklist. Normative data, psychometric characteristics (i.e., internal consistency and test–retest reliability), and cross‐cultural comparison between the EP and the original version were explored. Outcomes & Results: Internal consistency ranged from good to excellent and the test–retest reliability was excellent. The performance of the EP and US samples matched on almost all scores. However, EP children performed significantly better than their American peers in the Social compositive at 22 months and in the Symbolic composite at 20 months. No further differences were found. Conclusions & Implications: These findings showed that the EP CSBS DP Infant–Toddler Checklist seems to be a reliable screening tool of communicative and symbolic behaviours for EP‐learning children, which can be particularly relevant for decision‐making in clinical practice. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: What is already known on the subject: Early communication skills are known to be related to later language outcomes. Thus, screening tools for the early identification of children at risk for language and communication impairments, which may lead to monitoring and early intervention, have the potential to promote better outcomes. However, to the best of our knowledge, no screening tool is available for the assessment of early communication abilities in EP‐learning children. What this paper adds to existing knowledge: This study adapted and validated the EP CSBS DP Infant–Toddler Checklist, the first published parental report checklist for the assessment of early communication skills in EP. It described the psychometric characteristics of the adapted checklist, summarized the newly available normative data for EP‐learning infants and toddlers, and compared the performance of EP‐learning children with the original standardization sample reported for American English. The results demonstrated that this tool is a reliable instrument for the early screening of language, communicative and symbolic behaviours for EP‐learning children between 6 and 24 months of age. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?: Given that early screening is crucial to promote prevention, early diagnosis and intervention, the availability of this tool is particularly relevant for children monitoring and their enrolment in appropriate early intervention services, helping decision‐making in clinical practice, in line with current guidelines regarding early monitoring and intervention to promote and support better outcomes. Thus, the tool and related normative data will be useful for paediatricians, family doctors, primary healthcare providers, developmental psychologists and speech–language therapists, among other professionals in the healthcare and educational fields, concerned with speech, language, and communication development and impairments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is extremely limited population‐based research on social (pragmatic) communication disorder (SCD). Population‐based samples have the potential to better characterize the SCD phenotype by mitigating confounds and biases that are typical of convenience and clinical samples. Aims: The aims of this preliminary epidemiologic study were to advance our understanding of the SCD phenotype relative to developmental language disorder (DLD), obtain an estimate of prevalence, identify risk factors and lay the groundwork for future population level research of SCD. Methods & Procedures: We analysed existing data from the EpiSLI Database to examine social communication skills in 393 8th grade (13–14 years) children with and without a history of DLD. The primary measure used to evaluate SCD was the Children's Communication Checklist (CCC‐2). Two case definitions of SCD reflecting DSM‐5 criteria were examined. Both definitions involved significant pragmatic impairment, employing a commonly adopted clinical cut‐point of 1.5 SD. In one case, pragmatic deficits could occur along with structural language deficits and, in the other case (established using principal component analysis), pragmatic and social skills were disproportionately lower than structural language abilities. Outcomes & Results: When using the first case definition, SCD was much more common in children with a history of DLD than without DLD and history of language disorder at kindergarten was a significant risk factor for SCD in adolescence. However, it is important to note that SCD could be found in children with no prior deficits in other aspects of language. When the second definition was employed, SCD was equally distributed across children with and without a history of DLD. Male sex was a significant risk factor using this case definition of SCD. The estimated prevalence of SCD ranged from 7% (SE = 1.5%) to 11% (SE = 1.7%), acknowledging that prevalence depends on the cut‐point selected to determine communication disorder. Conclusions & Implications: These findings contribute to our understanding of the association between SCD and DLD by recognizing varying profiles of pragmatic and social communication difficulties, which in turn may help refine our diagnostic categories. Preliminary prevalence estimates of SCD can serve as an initial guidepost for identification and planning for intervention services for this condition. What this paper adds: What is already known on this subject: There is considerable debate about the diagnostic category of SCD and its relation to other neurodevelopmental disorders. What this study adds to existing knowledge: Using data from a US‐based epidemiologic sample of DLD, this study offers new information about the association between SCD and DLD, provides preliminary estimates of SCD prevalence, and identifies risk factors for SCD. Clinical implications of this study: Improved understanding of possible profiles of pragmatic and social communication deficits will help to clarify diagnostic categories and preliminary prevalence estimates may assist with ensuring availability of adequate intervention services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The aim of this paper was to increase international collaboration on end of life care (EoLC) in critical care. Objectives included highlighting key challenges for critical care nurses in EoLC through a transcribed interview between a clinician, an educationalist and a researcher who all hold an EoLC focus. Background: EoLC continues to hold high profile within international health care arenas, including critical care units. Whilst end of life care remains well debated, it still presents many challenges for everyday practitioners. Dialogue with international colleagues and disciplines may provide opportunity for further understanding of this complex and sensitive area. Conclusions: A key issues to arise from this venture of shared learning was that futility of treatment is problematic for all. This is further complicated in the USA where the concept of (family) autonomy strongly shapes EoLC decision making. Relevance to clinical practice: This paper demonstrates that there are opportunities for nurses within health care teams which could be addressed through education and professional development initiatives. Furthermore, knowledge from other disciplines can provide a useful lens through which to improve our understanding of EoLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article announces the launch of Spanish translations of the abstracts of research papers and other scientific contributions published in the journal.

Instructors at postsecondary institutions have designed a myriad of data science classes to keep up with the rise of big data. Businesses and companies have become increasingly interested in hiring people with strong data acquisition, management, and communication skills. Since data science as a field of study is relatively new, though it has deep connections to statistical studies, there are few comprehensive analyses of data science classes, majors, programs, and curricular goals. Through this research, we analyze how writing and communication are taught in undergraduate data science classes in the United States. We analyze the presence of writing and communication learning goals from course descriptions and course syllabi. These results show that most data science courses emphasize technical, computing skills over writing, and communication skills. We conclude with a set of actionable heuristics that emphasize integrating writing and communication into data science courses so that students are prepared to use these skills as responsible citizens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cazden reflects on theoretical and sociopolitical origins of Hymes's construct of communicative competence in events occurring just before and after 1960 in the U.S. She comments on Hymes's emphasis on competence not as abstract systemic potential of a language, but as capability located in individual persons; and she explores competence as both individual repertoire and group reservoir. She reminds us that Hymes's 'appropriateness' is primarily about emergent, creative, non-situationally determined use of language.[Dell Hymes, communicative competence, appropriateness, individual capability versus systemic potential] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To analyze the predictors of health care utilization among respondents to the National Agricultural Worker Survey. Specifically, we hypothesized that English proficiency would predict utilization of health care services within the last 2 years. Methods: Using the 2015–2016 National Agricultural Worker Survey, we performed a secondary data analysis to analyze the predictors of health care utilization within the last 2 years in the United States' agricultural worker population. Data were cleaned and analyzed using decision tree analysis, which produced a classification tree model that was trained on 90% of the data and validated on 10%. Results: Exposure to English was not a predictor of health care utilization in our classification tree. The first major partition that predicted utilization was insurance status. Additional partitions were on age, gender, hypertension diagnosis, and public aid. Conclusions: By partitioning on insurance status and use of public aid, the decision tree provided evidence that systemic factors are key determinants of health care utilization in the agricultural worker community. This highlights the importance of agencies that connect agricultural workers with resources that provide insurance and improve access to health care. This is especially important given that agricultural workers are one of the highest risk groups for occupational injury or death in the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increased use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) has triggered enormous innovation in the public sector and created positive public value at the managerial, delivery of services, and policy levels. However, these positive outcomes do not automatically accrue simply by adoption of ICTs as public leaders can fail to adopt relevant new ICTs, use them poorly, or use them in ways that actually diminish public value, which raises the question of the importance of e‐leadership. This article examines e‐leadership and innovation capacity at the individual public manager level and fills in some gaps about the practice and implementation of ICTs in the public sector. We explore eight research questions useful in theorizing about e‐leadership, develop constructs of e‐leadership, and describe the current development of e‐leadership. By comparing e‐leadership in two country settings (South Korea and the United States), we also overcome the limitations of the existing Western‐oriented studies about innovations in the public sector. In addition to the growth of e‐leadership use and requirements for a variety of competencies equivalent to, but separate from, traditional communication competences, we find that national cultures exert significant influence on the major constructs of e‐leadership, which implies that an effective e‐leadership strategy should consider cultural contexts seriously. This article fills in gaps about the practice and implementation of ICTs at the individual public manager level in South Korea and the United States. We explore eight research questions about e‐leadership, develop constructs of e‐leadership, and describe the current development of e‐leadership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Language education has mobilized community‐based service‐learning's (CBSL) experiential paradigm in the United States and in international settings over the past 20 years, with the goal of enhancing the linguistic and communicative competence of language learners and advancing the intercultural competence that is necessary for global citizens to engage with a diverse world. This integration of language learning with local and online community projects has become an area of innovation that critically and reflectively engages diverse language speakers through collaboration. In this article, we take a holistic and critical approach to advance a language education agenda that emphasizes reflective capacity and translingual and transcultural competence, ultimately to build relationships. We begin by contextualizing this progression within the traditions of communal activity and activism for language rights. Since language use is increasingly intertwined with and shaped by migration and immigration, as well as the availability of technology, we also highlight new possibilities for community engagement through language. We discuss these implementations of CBSL, their convergences with ACTFL initiatives for prioritizing language education, and future directions for research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mothers' interactions with their young children have predicted later child development, behavior, and health, but evidence has been developed mainly in at-risk clinical samples. An economically and racially diverse sample of pregnant women who were not experiencing a high-risk pregnancy were recruited to participate in a community-based, longitudinal study of factors associated with child cognitive and social-emotional development during the first 3 years. The purpose of the present analysis was to identify associations between the characteristics of 1125 mothers and their 1-year-olds and the mothers' and children's scores on the Nursing Child Assessment Teaching Scale (NCATS). A multivariable approach was used to identify maternal and child characteristics associated with NCATS scores and to develop prediction models for NCATS total and subscale scores of mothers and children. Child expressive and receptive communication and maternal IQ, marital status, age, and insurance predicted NCATS Mother total score, accounting for 28% of the score variance. Child expressive communication and birth weight predicted the NCATS Child total score, accounting for 4% of variance. Child's expressive communication and mother's IQ and marital status predicted NCATS mother-child total scores. While these findings were similar to reports of NCATS scores in at-risk populations, no previous teams examined all of the mother and child characteristics included in this analysis. These findings support the utility of the NCATS for assessing mother-child interaction and predicting child outcomes in community-based, non-clinical populations. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: While health promotion and patient education are central to the scope of practice of professional nurses, they often feel ill‐equipped to assume the role of sexual health educator and lack adequate knowledge and skills to effectively engage parents in adolescent sexual and reproductive health efforts. Design and Sample: Employing a mixed‐methods study consisting of both pre‐ and post‐test survey and exit interviews, a pilot study was conducted to assess the impact of implementing a parent‐based adolescent sexual health intervention on baccalaureate nursing student outcomes (N = 31). Results: We found statistically significant improvements in student outcome expectancies of parenting strategies, barriers to sexual health communication, self‐efficacy, and sexual health counseling experience. Using thematic content analysis of exit interview content, emerging themes were (1) need for increased sexual and reproductive health (SRH) preparation, (2) wanting greater experience and opportunity for involvement in nursing research, and (3) educational gaps in family‐focused community public health. Conclusions: Incorporating adolescent sexual health education into public health nursing clinical training can prepare nurses as parent‐based adolescent sexual health educators, a core competency for nurses working with families in communities and across all health care delivery settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Although prior studies have shown how female students' college experiences influence persistence, graduation, and career choice, we consider how specific college experiences may produce different learning outcomes for men and women in engineering programs. Purpose This article explores how curricular emphases, instructional approaches, and co-curricular participation affect learning outcomes differently by gender. Design/Method This study used a nationally representative weighted survey sample of 4,901 students in 120 Untied States engineering programs. We used a multilevel regression approach to test for the interaction effects between gender and college students' experiences on learning outcomes deemed critical for career success. Results We identified the curricular emphases, instructional approaches, and co-curricular participation that affected learning outcomes differently by gender. Greater curricular emphasis on professional skills and a greater frequency of student-centered teaching led to greater self-reported design skills for women. Being more active in nonengineering clubs increased female students' self-reports of fundamental, design, and communication skills. Conclusions The findings of this study support investigation of ideas that might help female students develop learning outcomes more effectively. Future research should consider applying our analytical approach to identify how college experiences affect different groups of students differently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Fragile X syndrome (FXS) and Down syndrome (DS) are the two leading genetic causes of intellectual disability, and FXS is the most common known genetic condition associated with autism. Both FXS and DS are associated with significant language impairment, but little is known about expressive language across domains over time or the role of autism in language development in FXS. Aims To compare three domains of language production (vocabulary, syntax, pragmatics) over time within and across groups of boys with FXS with and without autism spectrum disorder (FXS-ASD, FXS-O), boys with DS, and typically developing (TD) boys. Methods & Procedures Twenty-nine boys with FXS-O, 40 boys with FXS-ASD, 34 boys with DS, and 48 younger TD boys of similar non-verbal mental age living in the United States participated in the study. The Antonyms, Syntax Construction and Pragmatic Judgment subtests of the Comprehensive Assessment of Spoken Language were administered annually over 3 years. Outcomes & Results TD boys scored higher than all other groups on all three subtests; boys with FXS-O and FXS-ASD scored higher than boys with DS in Syntax Construction; and boys with FXS-O scored higher than boys with FXS-ASD in Pragmatic Judgment. Within-group patterns varied between groups. Overall, the TD group showed significantly more change over time than all other groups. Conclusions & Implications Findings suggest that expressive language skills and growth across various domains are more impaired in boys with FXS and DS than would be expected based on non-verbal mental age, that for boys with DS syntax is more impaired than would be expected based on intellectual disability, and that autism status affects pragmatic language in boys with FXS. Findings suggest that language production across domains should be addressed during assessment and intervention for boys with FXS and boys with DS, with differing group profiles also suggesting potentially different areas of focus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents findings from a unique survey that assessed explanations for low black male employment by questioning participants in a low skill labor market. Black men identified barriers to hiring-including felony convictions, drug testing, low skill levels, and bias-as major reasons for their non-employment. Employers believed black male applicants were less likely to have the desired interpersonal skills and work ethic, and that they were less likely to pass pre-employment drug tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context Concerns about the quality of medical student learning experiences during traditional clerkships have prompted calls to restructure clinical education around continuity. Many US medical schools have added longitudinal out-patient attachments to enhance student continuity with patients and supervising doctors. However, continuity with patients can be difficult to achieve and little is known about the independent effect of continuity with a supervising doctor and setting. This study describes students’ perceptions of the types of continuity experienced in longitudinal attachments and the learning associated with continuity. Methods This is a qualitative study using a grounded theory approach. Interviews were conducted with 12 Year 3 medical students about their continuity experiences with patients, supervisors and settings during their attachment. The resulting data were subjected to thematic analysis. Results Continuity with supervising doctors provided students with career mentorship and personal support. Student autonomy varied and was most dependent on the supervisor and setting. Students with patient continuity were more likely to report learning about chronic illness and communication skills. Students described the longitudinal attachment as helping them to develop their clinical skills and gain self-confidence within their role as future doctors, and as influencing their career choice. Conclusions There is much variation in student experiences of patient continuity during a longitudinal attachment. Continuity with patients, supervisors and settings affects student learning in different ways. Additional dimensions of the experience, such as the nature of the patient–doctor relationship, the pace of work and the patient population, impact learning outcomes and should be considered when continuity experiences are being designed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For years reformers have been recommending that language teaching and learning be viewed as a system of communication, with the ultimate goal being the development of functional ability in learners (Musumeci, 1997). Many U.S. world language teachers continue to focus on grammatical tendencies, using English as the medium of instruction. As a solution to providing secondary world language teachers with more than a method to teach in a communicative manner this article suggests that they become informed about and familiar with Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound design. By understanding and using the Expeditionary Learning philosophy and design, students and teachers may be able to focus on communication by engaging in experiential learning experiences, investigations, and expeditions, and use the world language during classroom lessons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates how classroom communicative competence was defined in a multilingual preschool classroom. Sociolinguistic analysis of a conflict event, and the larger classroom context, reveals the norms and values that influenced the behaviors of an English-speaking teacher, bilingual teaching assistant, and two Chinese-speaking preschoolers. The article identifies problems that teachers face when they attempt to value the children's home languages at the same time that they socialize them into U.S. English-speaking classrooms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter to the editor is presented which addresses language barriers and access to health care issues involving elderly Chinese adults with heart disease in Brooklyn, New York, and it mentions prehospital delays, morbidity and mortality predictors, and cardiovascular diseases.