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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it has been determined that approximately one in 36 children have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Children on the autism spectrum often seek inclusive recreational opportunities, particularly in sports. Golf can be a suitable activity for children on the autism spectrum because it can be played individually and has significant structure and rules. The purpose of this paper is to describe Newell's constraint model and then provide an overview of the design of an adapted golf program for children on the autism spectrum using this approach. This paper will also highlight the individual constraints that need to be considered in the instructional process, the types of manipulation of environmental constraints, and the kinds of developmentally appropriate golf tasks that will enhance children's learning of golf skills. The paper is tailored for physical education teachers incorporating or considering golf programs as a part of their curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper challenges historically preconceived notions surrounding a minor's ability to make medical decisions, arguing that federal health law should be reformed to allow minors with capacity as young as age 12 to consent to their own Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC)-approved COVID-19 vaccinations. This proposal aligns with and expands upon current exceptions to limitations on adolescent decision-making. This analysis reviews the historic and current anti-vaccination sentiment, examines legal precedence and rationale, outlines supporting ethical arguments regarding adolescent decision-making, and offers rebuttals to anticipated ethical counterarguments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the Hospital for Special Surgery, approximately 60 million children between the ages of 6 and 18 in the United States participate in organized sports activities every year. This involves approximately 75% of American families, with at least one child participating in an organized sports activity. The stated purposes of participation in organized sports activities are to assist children and teens in building skills, forming friendships, learning the value of teamwork, and possibly obtaining a scholarship to college. There are, however, related challenging issues. According to the Centers for Disease Control , the obesity rate for children and adolescents ages 2–19 living in the United States is 19.3%, affecting approximately 14.4 million children and adolescents. A sedentary lifestyle for children and teenagers contributes to this epidemic, while participation in sports is seen by many as protective. Challenges in participation, including increasing sports-related injuries, a 70% attrition rate by the time a child is 13 years of age, and programs overemphasizing winning are additional problems encountered in pre-teen and teen sports. The effect of pre-teen and teen participation in sports on family relationships is another potential source of stress and anxiety. This is the primary focus of this paper. The family relationships considered are the children, the parents, the couple, and the grandparents. Therapeutic suggestions and intervention considerations are then provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a process to define a comprehensive list of exemplars for seven core Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and report on interrater reliability in applying these exemplars to determine ASD case classification. Clinicians completed an iterative process to map specific exemplars from the CDC Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network criteria for ASD surveillance, DSM-5 text, and diagnostic assessments to each of the core DSM-5 ASD criteria. Clinicians applied the diagnostic exemplars to child behavioral descriptions in existing evaluation records to establish initial reliability standards and then for blinded clinician review in one site (phase 1) and for two ADDM Network surveillance years (phase 2). Interrater reliability for each of the DSM-5 diagnostic categories and overall ASD classification was high (defined as very good.60–.79 to excellent ≥.80 Kappa values) across sex, race/ethnicity, and cognitive levels for both phases. Classification of DSM-5 ASD by mapping specific exemplars from evaluation records by a diverse group of clinician raters is feasible and reliable. This framework provides confidence in the consistency of prevalence classifications of ASD and may be further applied to improve consistency of ASD diagnoses in clinical settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main goal of this paper is to study the effects of (1) trust in government medical experts and (2) proximity to a recent disease outbreak on vaccine propensity. More specifically, we explore how these variables affect attitudes with regards to measles. Using original survey data, collected in January/February 2017, we obtain three main empirical findings. First, contrary to our expectations, an individual’s proximity to a recent measles outbreak has no independent effect on vaccination attitudes. Second, corroborating previous studies in the field, we find that trust in institutions such as the CDC has a positive effect on our dependent variable. Third, there is a significant interactive relationship between proximity and trust in governmental medical experts. While distance from a previous measles outbreak has no effect on vaccination attitudes for respondents with medium or high levels of trust, the variable exerts a negative effect for subjects with little confidence in government medical experts. In other words: low-trust individuals who live farther away from a recent measles outbreak harbor less favorable views about vaccination for this particular disease than low-trust respondents who live close to an affected area. This implies that citizens who are skeptical of the CDC and similar institutions base their vaccination decision-making to some degree on whether or not a given disease occurs in close vicinity to their community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]