A Pilot Study of Web Based Clinical Supervision for Clinicians Working with Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorders.

Introduction: Currently there is little understanding of the factors that contribute to the successful implementation of clinical supervision in the development of new competencies for senior practitioners. The two linked studies reported are part of a wider inquiry to improve diagnostic services, interventions and outcomes for people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Methodology: This study aimed to explore the feasibility of implementing web-based learning to deliver clinical supervision relating to the recognition, diagnosis and management of ADHD and ASD. Two series of three web-based supervision seminars, facilitated by clinical and academic experts, were held for two sets of practitioners. Prior to the start of the supervision process (time 1) each participant underwent an assessment of knowledge, skills and attitudes, which was repeated at the end of the study (time 2). Participants who completed pre-study assessments were allocated to take part in either the web-based supervision or the control groups. In total, 31 participants took part: 13 in the ADHD study (seven received online supervision) and 18 in the ADHD study (seven received online supervision). Results: Although the study sample sizes were too small to carry out any meaningful statistical analyses there were modest increases in clinical skills scores recorded by both studies for three of the four groups with no change in knowledge scores for the ASD supervision group. Conclusion: Web Based Learning (WBL) encompasses any educational activity undertaken over the internet and is now considered part of the mainstream in medical education. The issues of accessibility to technology required for WBL may be a barrier to widespread implementation and may be a contributory factor to the lack of published evidence for the effectiveness of this approach.

Prenatal alcohol exposure did not affect impulsivity in rats that performed delay or probability discounting tasks

Individuals who fall under the spectrum of the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome have a higher prevalence of several cognitive disturbances, including a greater probability of being diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Some of these effects, such as hyperactivity and attentional impairments, are already well established in the literature. The assessment of impulsive choice, however, has received little attention in human and animal studies. In the present study, we attempted to investigate the effects of prenatal ethanol exposure on two tasks related to impulsive choice that have never been studied in this condition: delay and probability discounting. METHOD: Rats prenatally exposed to ethanol (liquid diets with 0 percent, 10 percent, or 35 percent ethanol-derived calories [EDC] or laboratory chow) were trained to respond for food in either delay (n = 21) or probability (n = 48) discounting tasks performed in computer-controlled operant conditioning chambers. RESULTS: Prenatal treatment failed to differentiate the rates at which the rats chose the larger reinforcer associated with delay - in a task in which 35 percent EDC was not tested - or risk, although the results suggest that further tests are warranted.