Psychosocial correlates of learning disability subtypes in children with tourette's syndrome

Children with different types of learning disabilities are thought to be at risk for specific profiles of behavior problems. This study sought to determine if learning disabilities are related to behavioral adjustment specifically in children with Tourette's syndrome (TS). We examined the Child Behavior Checklist (CBC) profiles of 61 children with TS who were between the ages of 6 and 18 years. The children were classified into one of three subtypes of learning disabilities or a nondisabled control group, based on performance on the Wide Range Achievement Test-Revised. Children with learning disabilities displayed higher scale elevations on the CBC than did controls, but not after controlling for the presence of attention deficit disorder. The results are inconsistent with previous research on the behavioral adjustment of subtypes of learning disabilities. Thus, the expression of learning disabilities may be idiosyncratic in children with discrete neuropsychiatric disorders such as TS.     

Anne's story: A counsellor's dilemmas

One model of counselling is to identify the 'problems' of the client, to facilitate exploration of these problems, and to provide resources for whatever 'change' or 'choice' might best solve, or at least ameliorate, them. It is a tidy model. But life is not as tidy as that. And there is plenty of room in autonomous human relationships for the counsellor to find himself exploited by the client and in conflict with the expectations of society. Before he begins to listen to his client a counsellor should listen to himself, and work out just how much of that kind of ambiguity he can tolerate. This article shows how one client posed some of those questions for one counsellor.     

A child's story: Recovering through creativity

Journal of Child and Family Studies -     

A brief episode of psychosis: Elli's story

This paper explores the notion of a GP practice as a ‘secure base’, suggesting that greater attention could usefully be paid to the importance of attachment relationships in primary care. If professionals feel secure and respected within ‘the practice’ then ‘the practice’ itself is more likely to be able to function as a ‘secure base’ for its patients. It is suggested that this concept could be developed further to provide a conceptual framework for practices to examine their function as therapeutic organizations. A short resumé of John Bowlby's attachment theory is outlined. Illustrations are given of how different attachment styles – secure, avoidant, ambivalent or disorganized – might affect patient care. A case of a mother (with postnatal depression) and her infant is considered in detail to illustrate the value of early intervention in a mother-infant relationship. Professionals are also attached to the practices where they work and the author reflects on his own retirement from being a GP (after 35 years). Finally, the paper describes another case – of a patient who was able to relive, and possibly repair, some of her earlier traumatic childhood separations through her relationship and parting from her GP as retirement approached.     

The moral of the story: Exemplification and the literary work

So in literature we have two (perhaps identical) syntactically articulate vocabularies, the terms of each taking the terms of the other as referents, with both of the resultant systems — the one a system of denotation, the other of exemplification — being syntactically articulate and semantically dense. Thus, even though a literary work is articulate and may exemplify or express what is articulate, endless search is always required here as in other arts to determine precisely what is exemplified or expressed.A version of this paper was read at the annual meeting of the American Philosophical Association, Eastern Division, December 1978.     

Surrogacy: the parents' story

This qualitative study explored the experiences of 26 parents who were involved in surrogate parenting arrangements in a California-based surrogacy program. Participants were mostly white (n = 23). married (n = 25), females (n = 24), with high levels of education and income. The mean age at the time of the first child's birth was 39 yr. (SD = 5.06). The majority of parents reported having one (n = 10) or two (n = 8) children. All subjects reported infertility as their reason to explore surrogacy as a method of building a family. 18 participants chose in vitro fertilization as heir method of conception. Telephone interviews explored their decision-making, ethod of fertilization, their relationship with their surrogate, and the support that they received during the surrogacy process. Results indicate that parents were able to nticipate some potential pitfalls prior to their experience but did not realize the imortance of other potential difficulties. A conceptual model is presented with implications for helping professionals.     

This century,this country: One survivor's story of posttraumatic stress syndrome

Abstract

Posttraumatic stress syndrome, also called posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), affects people who have experienced extremely traumatic events. Individuals who live with posttraumatic stress syndrome must continually overcome many obstacles to live their daily lives. The following is one woman's story of abuse, its after effects, and survival. By telling her story, I hope to make her suffering that much more meaningful. In addition, I wish to call attention to what goes on behind closed doors and explain what we can do about it.