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The present study investigates the role of attitudinal variables, such as children's literacy interest and parents' reading beliefs, in conjunction with home literacy activities (HLA), in predicting children's print-concept knowledge. The objective of the study is to test a theoretical model describing the relationship among these variables. This study involved 551 low-income preschool children. Structural equation modelling was used to test the model. The model was a good fit for the data when parental teaching of reading/writing was used as the measure of HLA. In the model, negative parent reading beliefs and parent teaching predicted print-concept knowledge. Results suggest that practitioners should consider not only the literacy activities children and parents participate in, but also their attitudes towards those activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Objectives To determine whether emotional expression, alexithymia, illness behavior, and coping strategies differed between women with muscle tension voice disorder (MTVD) and those without voice disorder and between women with and without mucosal pathology of the vocal folds, and to explore possible links between psychosocial constructs and clinical features in women with MTVD. Study Design and Method A within-subjects design matched 20 women with MTVD and 20 women without voice disorder on validated self-report measures of the psychosocial constructs. The effect of mucosal pathology was assessed using between-groups analyses. Correlations assessed relationships between psychosocial constructs and clinical features. Results Comparisons between women with MTVD and those without voice disorder showed an elevated sense of illness identity and greater belief in the presence of somatic illness in women with MTVD. There was a trend toward women with MTVD showing lower levels of emotional awareness. Women without vocal fold pathology reported lower levels of emotional awareness than those with pathology, whereas women with pathology reported greater use of a mixed pattern of adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies than those with no pathology. Low vocal load was associated with higher scores on alexithymia, higher numbers of vocal symptoms were associated with the use of adaptive coping, and greater impact of symptoms was associated with higher levels of emotional awareness and greater belief in the presence of somatic illness. Conclusions These findings encourage further investigation of relationships between emotional awareness, illness behavior, and coping in women with functional voice disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to provide a description of normative speaking fundamental frequency (f os) characteristics for adult speakers of Australian English. The effects of age, sex, and geographical location on f os were also examined to assess whether variations existed. f os data for 244 female and 135 male speakers aged 18–60 years from a recent large-scale corpus of Australian English were analyzed on a passage reading task. Creak phonation frequencies were first separated from the modal phonation frequencies algorithmically. Descriptive statistics were then generated for modal voice. The mixed effects linear regression model suggested that geographical location had no effect on f os (P = 0.0677). The multiple linear regression model suggested that both sex (P = 0.000) and age (P = 0.000) significantly predicted f os. f os of the female speakers was greater than males by 76 Hz, when accounted for by age, and for every increase in age by one year, f os decreased by 0.37 Hz. Normative data on f os were therefore provided with reference to speaker sex and age only. Both clinicians and researchers are provided with normative f os data for 18–60 year-old speakers of Australian English. These updated data have increased internal and external validity relative to previous literature. These increases were achieved by having a larger sample size, systematically sampling speakers of different age groups and geographical locations, sampling contemporary speakers of Australian English and excluding speakers with known concomitant factors that affect f os. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Automatic recordings were made of speech and voice range profiles for 63 vocally healthy Australian men and women without voice training (30 males and 33 females aged 21 to 65 years). Test-retest reliability, evaluated for a subgroup, was high. Speech range profile results were consistent with results reported by others. However, voice range profiles were larger than shown in several previous studies. Nevertheless, voice range profiles were consistent with results reported for a recent study that used a similar elicitation and recording protocol and similar equipment. Results are discussed with reference to methodological issues important for reliable phonetogram recordings. The data may also be clinically useful for comparisons between disordered and healthy voices if similar equipment and elicitation and recording protocols are used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the associations between four types of childcare quality (i.e. teacher–child closeness, frequency of math-related activities, and teacher education and experience) and preschoolers' residualised gain in math over the course of six months. Additionally, potential interactions between teacher–child closeness and other indicators of childcare quality were examined. Findings indicated that teacher–child closeness was positively associated with math gains, and the main effect was moderated by teacher experience: the association between teacher–child closeness and gains in math was weaker for children with more experienced teachers. Findings also showed that the frequency of math activities related to shapes and patterns were positively related to gains in math, while none of the other frequencies of math-related activities were significant. Lastly, teacher's experience was negatively associated with early math development. Policy implications were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

TEACHER RATING SCALES ARE an efficient, practical way to gather information on children's behaviour problems in school. Previous research has reported on agreement between parents' and teachers' reports, but less attention has been paid to inter-teacher agreement in young children, to the distinction between relative and absolute agreement, or to variability in teachers' agreement. In the present study, 26 United States teachers of three- to five-year-olds reported on the behaviour of 132 children in their classrooms, with the widely used Achenbach Teacher Report Form. Stronger agreement was seen on ratings of externalising than internalising behaviour. Absolute agreement was not always high even when teachers showed close relative agreement. Agreement varied significantly across informant pairs, suggesting that some teacher pairs rate children's behaviour in very similar ways, while others agree very little. Agreement was stronger in higher-SES than lower-SES classrooms [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Objective: This study reports on the preliminary psychometric evaluation of the Transsexual Voice Questionnaire for Male-to-Female Transsexuals (MtF)—TVQMtF, a tool designed to measure the perceptions of MtF transsexuals regarding their voice. The TVQMtF evolved from an extensive review of the existing Transgender Self-evaluation Questionnaire (TSEQ). Study Design: This study was conducted in two phases. In phase I, the TSEQ was reviewed. In phase II, classical test theory was applied to examine two psychometric properties (internal consistency and test-retest reliability) of the TVQMtF. Method: In phase I, two speech pathologists and two MtF individuals reviewed the TSEQ, and a comparison was made with the results of a thematic analysis of 137 voice-related extracts from the transcripts of in-depth interviews with 14 MtF individuals. In phase II, 29 Australian and six Canadian MtF transsexuals completed the new tool, the TVQMtF twice with an interim period of 4–6 weeks to enable psychometric evaluation. Results: Phase I led to substantial changes to the content and structure of the original measure, the TSEQ, and the subsequent development of the TVQMtF. In phase II, internal consistency of the TVQMtF was found to be high (time 1 Cronbach''s α =.964; time 2 α =.974). Excellent test-retest reliability was demonstrated (intraclass correlation coefficient=0.979; 95% confidence interval=0.968–0.988). Conclusions: This study provides psychometric evidence of the reliability of the TVQMtF. The MtF participants in this study reported a wide range of vocal functioning and voice-related difficulties. Voice pitch was reported as the most problematic aspect of vocal functioning, and psychosocial issues were the most frequently reported voice-related impacts. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This study investigated the relations among preschool teachers’ behavior management, children''s task orientation, and children''s emergent literacy and language development, as well as the extent to which task orientation moderated the relation between teachers’ behavior management and children''s emergent literacy and language development. Participants included 398 children and 67 preschool teachers from preschool programs serving an at-risk population. Teachers’ behavior management was observationally assessed and children''s task orientation was measured via teacher-report. Children''s language and emergent literacy skills were directly assessed in the fall and in the spring of the preschool year. Hierarchical linear models were used to predict children''s residualized gain in emergent literacy and language (i.e., Spring scores with Fall scores as covariates) from their task orientation and their teachers’ behavior management. Task orientation and behavior management each positively predicted children''s emergent literacy development, but not language development. There was a significant interaction between teachers’ behavior management and children''s task orientation in predicting children''s language development, such that high scores on both variables were associated with the most optimal language outcomes. Implications for research and early education are discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Summary: Objectives: This exploratory study reports instrumental and subjective data for 25 male-to-female transsexual (M-F TS) individuals using their attempted female voice. The aim was to examine the usefulness of phonetograms and aerodynamic measures for voice assessment of this client group. Study Design: Descriptive and correlational. Methods: Phonetogram speech-range profiles (SRPs) were recorded for the M-F TS participants'' attempted female voice. Transglottal air pressure and airflow were estimated from oral recordings. All recordings were made in typical- and loud-voice conditions. Relationships among acoustical and aerodynamic measurements, background data, self-evaluations, and auditory perceptual ratings were examined. M-F TS data were compared with male and female normative data. Results: Agreement between naive and voice-expert listeners as well as intra- and interlistener reliability was good. Fundamental frequency (F 0) accounted for 41–49% of variation in gender ratings for the group, but individual exceptions were found. Background data did not account for female voice success. Perceptual ratings of strain and breathiness were low. No data indicated hyperfunctional vocal behavior. The aerodynamic data agreed with normative male high-pitch data. The speech sound pressure level (SPL) was higher than the female norms. Phonetogram speech-range data fell between male and female data. Conclusions: The importance of speaking fundamental frequency (SFF) in perception of gender was confirmed. Instrumental and subjective data suggested that the use of low speech intensities and avoidance of vocal fry could help contribute to a successful female voice. Phonetograms were suggested to be useful for visual feedback and documentation of changes in voice therapy for M-F TS clients. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The cleaner wrasse Labroides dimidiatus occupies fixed ‘cleaning stations’ on coral reefs, which ‘client’ reef fish visit repeatedly to have parasites removed. Conflict arises because cleaners prefer to cheat by feeding on client mucus instead of parasites. Clients can prevent L. dimidiatus from always cheating using control mechanisms such as chasing and partner switching, which depend on repeated interactions. These control mechanisms would be undermined in the absence of frequent repeated interactions, if cleaners roved over large areas. Roving behaviour has been anecdotally described for the closely related cleaner wrasse Labroides bicolor. Here we report field data comparing these two species in Moorea, French Polynesia. Our results confirmed that L. bicolor home ranges are much larger than L. dimidiatus home ranges, and showed that cleaning interactions occurred all over the L. bicolor home range: home range of cleaning interactions increased with total home range size. Moreover, we found that cleaner initiation of interactions increased with home range size in L. bicolor, which would give L. bicolor with large home ranges additional leverage to increase cheating. In line with these results, we found that client jolt rate (used as a measure of cheating) was higher among clients of cleaners with large home ranges. Our results emphasise the importance of game structure and control over initiating interactions as parameters in determining the nature of interactions in mutualisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The primary objective of this descriptive and correlational study was to determine the level of pain and discomfort perceived by children undergoing nasendoscopy for investigation of voice and resonance disorders. The secondary objective was to explore whether gender, age, previous experience of painful or distressing medical procedures, and previous experience of nasendoscopy influenced the perception of pain during nasendoscopy. Twenty-three children self-reported the degree of pain perceived during nasendoscopy using the Wong-Baker Faces Pain Rating Scale. Parents also used this scale to rate their child''s perceived pain. Otolaryngologists and speech pathologists rated the intensity and frequency of observed pain-related behaviors using the Child-Adult Medical Procedure Interaction Scale—Revised and the Procedure Behavior Checklist. Children perceived the procedure, on average, to be moderately painful, as did their parents. Only two children reported perceiving no pain during the procedure. The most frequently observed pain-related behaviors were muscle tension (86.96%), physical resistance (69.57%), requiring physical restraint (60.87%), crying (43.48%), and expressions of verbal pain (39.13%). No significant correlations were found between self-reported pain or observed pain and the variables of age, gender, previous experience of nasendoscopy, and previous experience of painful or distressing medical procedures, although children aged 4–7 years reported significantly more pain than children aged 8–18 years. Most children perceive nasendoscopy to be painful to some degree. This perceived pain occurred in conjunction with several observable pain-related behaviors that have the potential to interfere with the success of the procedure. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This study examined the acoustic and perceptual voice characteristics of patients with Parkinson’s disease according to disease severity. The perceptual and acoustic voice characteristics of 30 patients with early stage PD and 30 patients with later stage PD were compared with data from 30 normal control subjects. Voice recordings consisted of prolongation of the vowel /a/, scale singing, and a 1-min monologue. In comparison with controls and previously published normative data, both early and later stage PD patients’ voices were characterized perceptually by limited pitch and loudness variability, breathiness, harshness and reduced loudness. High modal pitch levels also characterized the voices of males in both early and later stages of PD. Acoustically, the voices of both groups of PD patients demonstrated lower mean intensity levels and reduced maximum phonational frequency ranges in comparison with normative data. Although less clear, the present data also suggested that the PD patients’ voices were characterized by excess jitter, a high-speaking fundamental frequency for males and a reduced fundamental frequency variability for females. While several of these voice features did not appear to deteriorate with disease progression (i.e. harshness, high modal pitch and speaking fundamental frequency in males, fundamental frequency variability in females, low intensity and jitter), breathiness, monopitch and monoloudness, low loudness and reduced maximum phonational frequency range were all worse in the later stages of PD. Tremor was the sole voice feature which was associated only with later stage PD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within mental health legislation in England and Wales the Responsible Clinician for specific patients should be the Approved Clinician with the most appropriate expertise to meet their primary assessment and treatment needs. The study aimed to explore nurse and psychologist perspectives on becoming a Responsible Clinician in the context of their limited uptake of the role and calls for an increase in advanced practice roles within mental health. It comprised a qualitative inquiry in the form of a thematic analysis of 12 semi-structured interviews. Four sub-themes emerged under the theme of 'becoming a Responsible Clinician'. They were: (i) the Responsible Clinician amongst other roles; (ii) developing in the role; (iii) working with psychiatrist colleagues; and (iv) organisational context. Responsible Clinicians were juggling the role with other senior clinical responsibilities, often without a coherent programme of ongoing educational development or organisational support structures. If mental health service provider organisations adopt this extended role more widely then role-specific support and supervision arrangements should be in place as part of a coherent workforce strategy. This is particularly important given the legal and ethical responsibilities of the Responsible Clinician. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Student midwives' experience of pre-registration training may be described as 'a rollercoaster' of emotional fluctuation and relentless change. • Students were aware of the importance of emotion management and self care as part of professional socialisation but were not confident regarding how to develop such skills. • Student midwives value opportunities for individual support from midwifery educators and regular opportunities to connect with their peers. Midwifery student mental wellbeing is an important consideration for the sustainability of the profession, however it has seldom been the subject of empirical research. Previous studies of the lived experience of midwifery students have focused on the impact of transition experiences and student satisfaction, rather than specifically on mental health and students' views on support for their mental wellbeing. A qualitative descriptive study using semi-structured interviews. A midwifery undergraduate programme in one university in the South of England. 20 BSc midwifery students. Two inductive themes were developed from our analysis. The theme of 'the rollercoaster' encapsulated students' experience over the length of the course, characterised by multiple culture shocks of being in different worlds, from one clinical placement to the next, from university to clinical placement. This experience was emotionally taxing. The theme of 'being noticed, feeling connected' encapsulated midwifery students' views on what could help them enjoy their training. They wanted to be seen as individuals by at least one educator, they wanted opportunities to connect with their peers and they wanted the support available to them to be consistent. Listening to students' insights into the lived experience of being a midwifery student can enable midwifery educators to improve the way courses are designed and support structures are put in place. The importance of having consistent contact with peers and educators cannot be underestimated. The emotional demands of midwifery training must be acknowledged. Educators should identify ways in which they can provide students with consistent individualised support and regular opportunities to meet with their peers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Responsible Clinicians are professionals who are primarily accountable for the care and treatment of patients detained under the Mental Health Act, 1983 in England and Wales. The role has only been taken up by under 100 nurses and psychologists since 2007. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of non-medical Responsible Clinicians, to inform our understanding of interprofessional dynamics and professional identity in contemporary mental healthcare.Methods: A qualitative study comprising thematic analysis of interviews with twelve non-medical Responsible Clinicians.Results: A major theme of 'Interpretations of responsibility' emerged, with two sub themes: 'Responsibility as leadership 'and 'Responsibility as decision making'. Taking on the role had implications beyond the care of specific patients. Participants saw themselves as having the power to shape their team and service whilst exercising their authority to make difficult decisions about risk and restrictions.Conclusions: More widespread adoption of the non-medical Responsible Clinician role should not be seen solely as a solution to workforce shortages or lack of opportunities for professional advancement. Consultant nurses and psychologists who take on this role are seising the opportunity to steer service developments more widely, influencing team dynamics and perceptions of accountability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]