Search results

Research into the communication skills of individuals with Cornelia de Lange syndrome (CdLS) is extremely limited. This paper aims to evaluate the nature of these skills and impairments in CdLS using a detailed informant assessment of pre-verbal communication skills.

The study used the Pre-verbal Communication Schedule to evaluate communication skills in individuals with CdLS (n=14), aged five to14 years. The group was compared with a contrast group of individuals with Cri du Chat syndrome (CdCS; n=14) who were matched for age and intellectual ability.

A significant difference was identified in understanding non-vocal communication (p<0.005), with the CdLS group showing a greater deficit. These findings indicate the presence of a syndrome-specific deficit in understanding non-verbal communication in individuals with CdLS and suggest that there may be a dissociation between the processing of verbal and non-verbal communication.

The findings indicate that, in many ways, these two syndrome groups are not dissimilar in terms of their communication skills. However, individuals with CdLS show a syndrome-specific deficit in understanding non-vocal communication relative to the CdCS group.

There is evidence that the mental health needs of people with learning disabilities are not adequately met. Primary health care is seen as the way forward to ensure full consideration of psychosocial factors in the promotion of health care. The agenda for action includes improving mental health through general health promotion, surveillance and care. This paper explores how this evidence is being translated through professional and national policy initiatives into innovative mental health of learning disability services that build bridges between primary and specialist services and ensure a comprehensive strategy to meet the mental health needs of people with learning disabilities.

Project information is widely and thoroughly exchanged within construction projects. However, the risk management process exhibits deficiencies in coordination and visibility, particularly in developing countries. Practitioners in developing countries often engage in Project Risk Management (PRiM) using practices that inadvertently hinder project success, frequently resulting in suboptimal outcomes. Therefore, this research explores practices within Project Integration Management (PIM) and Project Communication Management (PCmM) that could enhance PRiM and improve managerial proficiency to achieve project success in developing countries.

The PIM, PCmM and PRiM processes were explored from the literature; the data was gathered initially by close-ended interviews conducted with a panel of twelve experts followed by a well-structured questionnaire. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was employed via AMOS to analyze the data and construct a model representing the intricate relationships between the processes. Additionally, the validity and reliability of the method were inspected.

The data analysis confirmed that PIM and PCmM were correlated according to contractors and consultants in the Jordanian construction industry. Furthermore, both have a positive influence on the PRiM. In addition, a 13-step process was developed to apply extra processes and practices to ensure better implementation of the PRiM in developing countries.

The literature highlights that integration and communication management influence project performance. However, there is a lack of research utilizing practices from these knowledge areas to achieve better project risk management implementation. This research highlights two of the most underrated knowledge areas in project management. Therefore, a framework was devised, comprising processes that practitioners should take into account during the planning phase leading to efficient PRiM to enhance their managerial proficiency.

We discuss the implementation of workshops for faculty search committees at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A central focus of the workshops is to introduce faculty to research on the influence of unconscious bias on the evaluation of job candidates and to recommend evidence-based strategies for minimizing this bias. The workshops aim to help universities achieve their goals of recruiting excellent and diverse faculty.

With basic descriptive statistics and a simple logistic regression analysis, we utilize several datasets to examine participants’ responses to the workshop and assess changes in the percentage of women who receive offers and accept positions.

Faculty members are becoming aware of the role bias can play in evaluating faculty applicants and are learning strategies for minimizing bias. In departments where women are underrepresented, workshop participation is associated with a significant increase in the odds of making a job offer to a woman candidate, and with a non-significant increase in the odds of hiring a woman.

This study is limited by our inability to assess the diversity of the applicant pools our faculty search committees recruit and by lack of control over the myriad other factors that influence hiring. Data are from a single institution and therefore these results may not generalize to other universities.

Educating faculty search committees about the role of unconscious bias and presenting them with evidence-based strategies for minimizing its influence promotes changes that contribute to increasing representation of women faculty.