Effects of preference on performing a self-care skill among children with autism spectrum disorder

In this study, four children with autism were assessed to determine their preference choices for toothbrushes and toothpastes included during self-care skills teaching sessions. For two of the children, the presence of high-preference (HP) materials was associated with improved independent tooth brushing when compared to the presence of low-preference (LP) materials. There was no difference in independent tooth brushing between HP/LP conditions for the other two children. These findings suggest that preference and choice of materials alone can be a helpful instructional strategy for care providers serving children who have neurodevelopmental disorders and skill deficits.     

Conversation: The challenges of teaching in a “nano department”

A panel at the 2016 American Academy of Religion conference staged, taped, transcribed, and edited this conversation about the challenges and opportunities of teaching in a “nano department” – an undergraduate religion or religious studies department (or combined religion and philosophy department) with only one, two, or three faculty members. Two things quickly become evident: one is the impossibility of coverage of the full religious studies curriculum, and the other is the necessity for collaboration with other departments. Neither of these is unique to nano departments, but there exists an intimacy between students and faculty in small departments, a necessary freedom to rethink the place of the study of religion in the liberal arts curriculum, and a disruptive value in what can be critiqued and contributed from a marginalized position. Arguably, nano departments are the canaries in the academic coal mine, charting the future of the humanities that cannot be discerned from the vantage point of Research‐1 contexts.     

Antecedents of Trust among Citizens and Non-citizens in Qatar

Utilizing new survey data on social capital, we examine the determinants and locus of generalized trust among citizens and immigrants in Qatar, a small, heterogeneous, wealthy, and non-democratic country in which immigrants far outnumber citizens. Scholars of social capital have explored the development of generalized trust in many countries. Most of this attention has focused on the Western world, and little is known about how trust forms in other contexts. Our findings show that important insights resulting from research in developed democracies apply and have explanatory power in some of the very different environments present in Qatar, that these insights do not apply and have explanatory power in some of the other environments present in Qatar, that circumstances and experiences that characterize this array of environments can be identified and described in terms of variable attributes, and that linkages can be established between these attributes and particular antecedents of generalized trust.     

Assessment of Emotional Avoidance in Adolescents: Psychometric Properties of a New Multidimensional Measure

Emotional avoidance—which includes cognitive and attentional processes that function as means of avoiding or dampening emotional experiences—may be a transdiagnostic risk and maintenance factor for emotional disorders. However, existing measures generally assess separate aspects of emotional avoidance, and few multidimensional measures exist for adolescents. The aim of the current study was to establish the psychometric properties of a new multidimensional measure of emotional avoidance for adolescents--the Emotional Avoidance Strategy Inventory for Adolescents (EASI-A; Fairholme et al. 2008)--employing an exploratory structural equation modeling framework. Analyses yielded a three-factor structure for the EASI-A, including subscales measuring Avoidance of Emotion Expression, Avoidance of Thoughts and Feelings, and Distraction. Moderate correlations were observed between the EASI-A and a measure of thought suppression, and the EASI-A was significantly associated with anxiety and depression symptoms. The EASI-A is a new, psychometrically sound measure that will aid in the assessment of avoidance as a vulnerability factor for psychopathology and as an outcome and mechanism for treatments of emotional disorders in adolescents.     

Employment issues of women in jail

This study examines the recent employment history and needs of 110 women held in 2 urban county jails in Ohio. Those who had worked recently were more likely to have a high school education, to have a skill, to have a driver's license with access to a car, and to have dependents. Women who had worked recently were less likely to have a drug or alcohol problem, a chronic medical condition, or a mental disorder. Results indicate that women in jail are more motivated to engage in employment counseling provided that housing and social service needs are addressed.     

Understanding Choice Behaviours: Pathways from School to University with Changing Aspirations and Opportunities

A socio-ecological approach to explain choice behaviour highlights salient personal and social factors in the context of changing aspirations and opportunities. The population databases are five cohorts of all school leaver applicants for university places in a state of Australia and a survey for one cohort. Results highlight common behaviour patterns across cohorts, with diverse outcomes for specific social groups. Offers of university places relate course preferences and school achievement. In addition, decisions to apply, accept and enrol vary with social experience by socio-economic indicators, geographic location and school type. Student explanations for their decisions to defer or let the offer lapse entail particular social factors as well as personal factors of self concepts, interests and financial needs. Findings contribute to a better understanding of choice behaviour, with a general model of the personal and social factors that explain diverse pathways to higher education.