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Difficulty with social communication is the most pervasive difficulty experienced by individuals with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (HF-ASD). Communication difficulties are often magnified in adolescence as social demands become more intricate. This puts adolescents with HF-ASD at increased risk of social isolation and depression, as they have difficulty developing positive social identity. Yet, there is a dearth of literature addressing the communication issues of this population and even fewer studies including the voice of adolescents with HF-ASD themselves. This study aimed to (1) explore the perspectives of adolescents with HF-ASD as to their social communication skills, (2) explore what (if any) difficulties they perceive themselves as having when talking with their peers, (3) explore if they would like help with social communication skills and (4) determine what kind of help they think may be useful to them and establish if they already use self-initiated strategies. This study was qualitative in nature, using thematic analysis to analyse data collected from 10 semi-structured interviews with 5 adolescents with HF-ASD. Qualitative research underpins the idea that one must understand the significance and explanation that people give to situations, experiences, their own actions and to the actions of others, for one to comprehend human behaviours and actions. A qualitative design allowed us to gain the most in depth insight into how adolescents with HF-ASD understand and perceive their experiences. Three themes emerged revealing the participants' perceptions of their difficulties communicating, challenging feelings that they experience about communication, and their perspectives about the support for developing communication skills. The participants indicated a need for support to aid their desire to improve communication skills and interactions with typically developing peers. In educational settings, adolescents with HF-ASD may benefit from a peer mentor system to give them opportunities to practice social communication skills with typically developing peers and to encourage inclusion amongst their classmates.

• Creative activities support the development of relational dementia care, i.e., care that is trusting, reciprocal and mutually beneficial, for those with dementia and care staff. • Socialisation and independence in people living with dementia can be fostered using engaging and interactive creative activities. • Remote and hybrid delivery of creative activities benefits people with dementia and staff in care homes, reaching a much larger population than is normally possible with face-to-face delivery. Culture Box was a creative project that responded to deprivation and distress experienced by those with dementia in care homes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Remote and digital creative activities were designed and delivered as 'Culture Boxes' to care homes, aiming to alleviate social isolation and loneliness for people with dementia. Eighty-eight people with dementia and 33 care staff from 33 care homes across England were recruited to the study, with 68 people with dementia and 28 staff completing the study 12 months later. Participatory Action Research combining mixed methods was used to evaluate the project. Baseline and follow-up surveys and dialogic interviews at 3 time points during the study collected quantitative and qualitative data and were analysed descriptively and via inductive thematic analysis respectively. Qualitative findings indicated that the project activities facilitated relational care through creative experiences characterised by sharing, building relationships, and developing a sense of community. Social health was promoted via participation in social activities and fostering independence. Future studies should further explore the utility of creative practices to develop relational care, to support care staff, and to maximise wellbeing benefits for those living with dementia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this quality improvement initiative was to improve oropharyngeal dysphagia screening and reduce aspiration pneumonia rates on 3 inpatient hospital medical units. Guided by a Plan-Do-Study-Act methodology, an interdisciplinary health team developed and implemented a systematic process for oropharyngeal dysphagia screening and management. As a result, use of the screening protocol increased, timely initiation of speech language pathology consultations increased, and aspiration pneumonia rates decreased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dried gill plates from manta and devil rays, some of the world's most biologically vulnerable fishes, have become a valued commodity in Asian dried-seafood and traditional Chinese medicine markets. This trade is a primary driver of fisheries, which have led to declines in many mobulid populations., With no reliable trade statistics and scarce data on mobulid fisheries, this study estimates the number and species of mobulids required to supply this trade, and investigates the consumers and suppliers involved and drivers of demand. Following preliminary market research, 525 trader surveys were conducted in Hong Kong, Singapore, Macau, Taiwan, and southern China., Guangzhou, China was identified as the centre of the trade accounting for 99% of total estimated market volume of 60.5 tons of dried gill plates in 2011, increasing to 120.5 tons by 2013. The estimated number of mobulids converted from tons of gill plates more than doubled over the period to 130 000, comprising 96% devil rays, Mobula japanica, Mobula thurstoni, and Mobula tarapacana, and 4% Manta spp . By 2015 the Guangzhou market had declined sharply, reportedly due to conservation campaigns and government policies. However Hong Kong's gill plate sales increased dramatically between 2011 and 2015., China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, and India were reported most frequently as gill plate sources., Vendors recommend gill plates (trade name pengyusai) for ailments ranging from acne to cancer and as a general health tonic. While pengyusai is a new addition to traditional Chinese medicine literature and is rarely prescribed by traditional medicine practitioners, it is readily available over the counter and aggressively marketed by vendors., Working in concert with consumer demand reduction efforts, increased measures to restrict mobulid fisheries and trade are recommended to prevent further population declines of these highly vulnerable species., Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The presentation of dementia in young people is complex and challenging, often resulting in delays in receiving a confirmed diagnosis and appropriate support. A recent Delphi consensus has derived minimum and gold standards for the diagnostic workup that international expert clinicians consider best practice. This presentation will review the results of a large case note audit that assessed compliance with these standards in current UK clinical practice. Method: 403 patient records of young people who received a diagnosis of dementia in the last 5 years were audited according to our minimum and gold standards. Records were obtained from memory services within eight different National Health Service locations from across England. Result: We found significant differences between the sites in meeting the standards, though all sites had median scores that were below 50% compliance for both the minimum and gold standard. This suggests that current UK assessments fail to reach an acceptable standard. Conclusion: Further consultation with clinicians and young people with dementia is necessary to understand local impediments to meeting an acceptable standard and to identify interventions that can lead to improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]