Joseph Sakdalan and Yvonne Maxwell
Despite some advances in the assessment and treatment of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), there remains a paucity of intervention and research literature in treating adults with…
Abstract
Purpose
Despite some advances in the assessment and treatment of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), there remains a paucity of intervention and research literature in treating adults with ASD. There is growing evidence supporting a relationship between the core features of ASD and emotion dysregulation. There is an overlap between ASD and borderline personality disorder (BPD) characteristics such as emotional dysregulation, sensory issues and social skills deficits. This paper aims to explore the applications of dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) concepts and skills in treating ASD individuals who display challenging or offending behaviours. The similarities in characteristics between ASD and BPD and the core issue of emotion dysregulation hold promise in the utility of DBT with ASD.
Design/methodology/approach
This is a conceptual paper that includes a case vignette.
Findings
A DBT-informed treatment approach using the adaptations and reconceptualization, i.e. risky mind–wise mind outlined in this paper, can be considered promising in addressing issues for ASD individuals, particularly those with challenging and/or offending behaviours. DBT incorporates different elements of applied behaviour analysis, cognitive behavioural therapy, mindfulness skills, sensory-based treatments, psychosocial interventions and emotion regulation skills, which makes it a more cohesive and integrated approach to treatment. The authors assert that DBT can be considered a more integrated, strengths-based, habilitative and trauma-informed approach which can be promising in its application to address challenging behaviours or offending in ASD individuals.
Research limitations/implications
It is recommended that research be carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of adapted DBT programs in treating ASD individuals presenting with challenging and/or offending behaviours. Future research can focus on evaluating the effectiveness of the different DBT concepts and skills and the different DBT modules to determine which components of the program are particularly useful for this client group.
Practical implications
Treatment manuals have already been developed for clients with intellectual disability and developmental disabilities who exhibit challenging and/or offending behaviour; hence, it is recommended that modifications be made to make it more applicable and appropriate for ASD individuals. Modifications should address ASD-specific issues (e.g. black and white thinking, cognitive rigidity, sensory issues, impaired theory of mind, emotion dysregulation issues, social skills deficits and anxiety issues). The use of DBT has much wider implications regarding addressing comorbid mental health conditions and personality issues in this client group.
Originality/value
There are limited psychological interventions that prove to be useful for individuals with ASD with complex presentations and challenging or offending behaviours. This paper discusses the application of adapted DBT concepts and skills that appear to be promising in the treatment of this client group.
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Yvonne Maxwell, Andrew Day and Sharon Casey
Social and emotional wellbeing (SEWB) is a term used to refer to the state of an individual's overall wellbeing. This review aims to consider the importance of understanding and…
Abstract
Purpose
Social and emotional wellbeing (SEWB) is a term used to refer to the state of an individual's overall wellbeing. This review aims to consider the importance of understanding and assessing SEWB in prisoner populations, and identify potentially important differences between groups of prisoners, including those who identify as from minority cultural backgrounds (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander in Australia), protective custody prisoners, remand prisoners, prisoners identified with an intellectual disability, and prisoners with an acquired brain injury.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is a general review of the published literature, with a specific focus on work conducted with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in Australia.
Findings
Eight domains of SEWB are identified across which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners, along with those in protection units, remandees, and prisoners with intellectual disabilities or acquired brain injuries are likely to experience particularly low levels of functioning. Few programs have been developed to address these needs, although attending to low levels of SEWB has the potential to make a positive contribution to prisoner health, prison management, and offender rehabilitation.
Originality/value
Relatively little literature has considered this topic previously and, as a result, the paper is necessarily descriptive. Nonetheless, issues of SEWB appear to warrant further consideration, particularly in relation to those prisoners who identify with minority cultural groups.
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In banking services, trust is crucial to any relational exchange situation. Using the example of Israeli banks, the main research question driving this paper is – What are the…
Abstract
Purpose
In banking services, trust is crucial to any relational exchange situation. Using the example of Israeli banks, the main research question driving this paper is – What are the reasons for trusting or not trusting banks? To date, few studies have examined the reasons of ongoing low trust during so-called “normal times”.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper is unique in approaching the study of customer trust in banks through qualitative analysis by using the interdisciplinary trust approach.
Findings
The results offer important insights regarding situational normality, structural assurance and customers’ tendencies to trust the bank. The insights about trust derived from this complicated relationship between customers and banks reveals that customers grow dissatisfied and their level of trust consequently decreases when they perceive an imbalance in the exchange relationship with their bank.
Originality/value
This study provides novel insights into hidden attitudes and feelings behind each component of trust beliefs in the bank–customer trust relationship through interdisciplinary trust perspective.
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Focuses on street vending in Chicago, in the USA, taking a historical perspective. Shows how it was used to alleviate unemployment in the volatile progressive era but then became…
Abstract
Focuses on street vending in Chicago, in the USA, taking a historical perspective. Shows how it was used to alleviate unemployment in the volatile progressive era but then became mired in complaints about corruption and vice. Uses a case study of an entrepreneurial Mexican family and highlights the wisdom of earlier days by showing how street vending offers a series of choices that are different from the choices made by larger forms only in that they are more accessible to the poor.
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Jonas Bundschuh, M. Greta Ruppert and Yvonne Späck-Leigsnering
The purpose of this paper is to present the freely available finite element simulation software Pyrit.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present the freely available finite element simulation software Pyrit.
Design/methodology/approach
In a first step, the design principles and the objective of the software project are defined. Then, the software’s structure is established: The software is organized in packages for which an overview is given. The structure is based on the typical steps of a simulation workflow, i.e., problem definition, problem-solving and post-processing. State-of-the-art software engineering principles are applied to ensure a high code quality at all times. Finally, the modeling and simulation workflow of Pyrit is demonstrated by three examples.
Findings
Pyrit is a field simulation software based on the finite element method written in Python to solve coupled systems of partial differential equations. It is designed as a modular software that is easily modifiable and extendable. The framework can, therefore, be adapted to various activities, i.e., research, education and industry collaboration.
Research limitations/implications
The focus of Pyrit are static and quasistatic electromagnetic problems as well as (coupled) heat conduction problems. It allows for both time domain and frequency domain simulations.
Originality/value
In research, problem-specific modifications and direct access to the source code of simulation tools are essential. With Pyrit, the authors present a computationally efficient and platform-independent simulation software for various electromagnetic and thermal field problems.
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Yvonne Hill, Janet MacGregor and Kate Dewar
Responding to government initiatives which demand that quality in education be identified in a measurable way, nursing, in its move to professionalization, has sought to gain…
Abstract
Responding to government initiatives which demand that quality in education be identified in a measurable way, nursing, in its move to professionalization, has sought to gain academic parity with other professions allied to medicine and has entered higher education (HE) institutions. In setting up new courses, it is now necessary to work within an identified model of quality and use it as the basis for evaluation. Describes how the authors set up an access module for nurses who had never studied within HE but had come from a traditional “training” background. In the early planning stage it became evident that no established framework for quality was suitable for this module. As a result, a model was designed based on the work of several authors (Donabedian, 1966; Holzemer, 1992 and Maxwell, 1984). The major categories within this model were identified as context, process and outcome. These were chosen from the literature as they reflect key concepts in nursing practice familiar to all nursing practitioners. Within each category, several sub‐components were later identified. Having used this model to plan, implement and evaluate several modules over a two‐year period, it appears to be a useful tool in recognizing and measuring appropriate quality issues for access courses for nursing. Although it was constructed specifically for this purpose, it could be of use in a wider education arena for mature students returning to study.
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This paper reports preliminary findings about how households organize street vending businesses in response to varying sources and degrees of uncertainty. The thesis is that…
Abstract
This paper reports preliminary findings about how households organize street vending businesses in response to varying sources and degrees of uncertainty. The thesis is that households organize themselves in different ways in response to different types of uncertainty associated with 1) earning different types of income and 2) differences as well as changes in intra‐household relationships. The important findings are twofold: first, that household members earn income from both “formal” and “informal” sources BOTH sequentially and simultaneously. The second finding is that people coordinate the efforts of household members with respect to (un)certainty to keep income flowing from the income‐earning activities the members are practicing. I review some empirical work on the informal economy and follow this discussion with data from Chicago's Maxwell Street Market.
Yvonne Lagrosen and Stefan Lagrosen
An innovative technology called consciousness-based education (CBE) is being introduced in schools worldwide. The approach includes both an experiential and an intellectual…
Abstract
Purpose
An innovative technology called consciousness-based education (CBE) is being introduced in schools worldwide. The approach includes both an experiential and an intellectual component. However, research studies exploring learning in CBE are rare. The purpose of the paper is to explore how organizational learning takes place in schools, which adopt CBE in addition to their ordinary curriculum. Moreover, the ambition of the approach regarding quality is examined.
Methodology/approach
A multiple-case study has been carried out. Four schools using CBE have been studied: a private school in Fairfield, Iowa, USA; a governmentally funded free school in Skelmersdale, United Kingdom; an independent school in Melbourne, Australia, and a primary school in Lelystad, the Netherlands. In total, 26 in-depth interviews have been performed, mainly with teachers and students but also with principals and experts in the CBE pedagogy. In addition, three focus-group interviews with primary school pupils were conducted and observation during classes was included. The data were analyzed by the constant comparative technique from the grounded theory approach.
Findings
Categories characterizing organizational learning in the CBE schools have been identified. These findings are related to theories of the learning organization, resulting in a framework depicting different components of learning.
Research limitation/implication
The study provides a framework illustrating organizational learning in schools that utilize CBE which affords an overview of the technology and can serve as a vantage point for further research. Since this is a qualitative case study, the effectiveness of the CBE approach and its impact on learning outcomes were not assessed, and the possibilities to generalize the findings are limited.
Originality/value
CBE has not previously been studied from an organizational learning perspective.