Proyecto de Trabajo: Prevención de Adicciones en Escuelas Medias / PREVENTION OF ADDITIONS IN MEDIAN SCHOOLS

This article details a work design called "Prevention of additions in Median Schools". The objective of the Program of Scholastic Health is to support and to improve the quality of life of the members of the educative community facibilitating their access to the Primary Attention of Health. Related to health, the authors describe specifically the netting supplied by the General Hospital for Acute Diseases "Juan Fernandez" from the city of Buenos Aires. The specific objective is to emphasize the attention in sectors of Health and Education for the development of the subprogram "prevention of additions", with special consideration to primary and median schools

The mental health care gap among children and adolescents: data from an epidemiological survey from four Brazilian regions.

INTRODUCTION: Worldwide, a minority of disordered children/adolescents receives mental health assistance. In order to improve service access, it is important to investigate factors that influence the process leading to receiving care. Data on frequency and barriers for mental health service use (MHSU) among Brazilian children/adolescents are extremely scarce and are needed to guide public policy. OBJECTIVES: To establish the frequency of MHSU among 6-to-16-year-old with psychiatric disorders from four Brazilian regions; and to identify structural/psychosocial/demographic barriers associated with child/adolescent MHSU. METHODS: Multicenter cross-sectional-study involving four towns from four out of five Brazilian regions. In each town, a representative sample of elementary public school students was randomly selected (sample: 1,721). Child/adolescent MHSU was defined as being seen by a psychologist/psychiatrist/neurologist in the previous 12 months. Standardized instruments measured: (1) children/adolescent characteristics [(1.1) Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children (K-SADS-PL)-psychiatric disorders; (1.2) Ten Questions Screen-neurodevelopment problems; (1.3) two subtests of WISC-III-estimated IQ; (1.4) Academic Performance Test-school performance)], (2) factors related to mothers/main caregivers (Self-Reporting Questionnaire-anxiety/depression), (3) family (Brazilian Research-Companies-Association's Questionnaire-SES). RESULTS: Only 19.8% of children/adolescents with psychiatric disorder have used mental health services in the previous 12 months. Multiple logistic regression modeling identified five factors associated with lower rates of MHSU (female gender, adequate school performance, mother/main caregiver living with a partner, lower SES, residing in deprived Brazilian regions) regardless of the presence of any psychiatric disorders/neurodevelopmental problems. CONCLUSIONS: Only a small proportion of children/adolescents with psychiatric disorders had been seen by a mental health specialist in the previous 12 months. Structural/psychosocial/demographic factors were associated with uneven access to service for certain groups of children/adolescents. These results call attention to the urgent need to implement programs to help reduce this large unmet mental health need; inequalities must be considered by policy makers when planning strategies to address barriers for care.

Desarrollo de diferentes marcos de referencia espacial para la orientación en entornos a pequeña escala / Development of different spatial frames of reference for orientation in small-scale environments

Background: Previous studies show that there is a developmental transition in the frames of reference children use to orientate from a body-centered to an allocentric strategy. However, there is no agreement concerning the age at which they begin to integrate and flexibly use both strategies in small scale environments. Method: 6-10-year-old children and adults were trained to locate a hidden object in an arm-maze placed within a small-scale model, which maintained stable relationships with the frames of reference provided by the experimental room and by the subject (Experiment 1), and in a situation of inconsistency between the frame provided by the small scale model and the other two (Experiment 2). Results: When the frames of reference provided by the room and by the subject conflict with that of the manipulative space, the performance deteriorates compared to the situation when multiple frames of reference can be used cooperatively to locate the goal. The flexible use of the information provided by the model (i.e., the cues surrounding the maze and the geometrical features) emerged at 10 years. Conclusions: Through development, children acquire new spatial abilities and increasing flexibility in the conjoint use of egocentric and allocentric frames of reference in small-scale environments (AU)

Antecedentes: estudios previos muestran una transición durante el desarrollo en las estrategias que los niños utilizan para orientarse, aunque no hay consenso en la edad de inicio para emplear conjuntamente estrategias alocéntricas y egocéntricas en entornos a pequeña escala. Método: niños de 6-10 años y adultos fueron entrenados para encontrar un objeto escondido en un laberinto radial ubicado en una maqueta que mantiene una relación constante con los marcos de referencia proporcionados por la habitación experimental y por el participante (experimento 1), y en una situación de inconsistencia entre el marco de referencia del entorno a pequeña escala y los de la habitación y el sujeto (experimento 2). Resultados: cuando los marcos de referencia de la habitación y el sujeto entran en conflicto con el del espacio manipulativo, la ejecución empeora respecto a una situación en que múltiples marcos de referencia cooperan para localizar la meta. Desde los 10 años los niños usan la información del espacio manipulativo, tanto las claves que rodean al laberinto como la geometría de dicho entorno. Conclusiones: durante el desarrollo los niños adquieren nuevas habilidades espaciales y mayor flexibilidad en el uso conjunto de marcos de referencia egocéntricos y alocéntricos en entornos a pequeña escala(AU)

[Support from a single source--transitions between child guidance and family center from their users' points of view]. / Hilfen aus einer Hand--Ubergänge zwischen Erziehungsberatung und Familienzentrum aus der Sicht ihrer Nutzer.

Integrated centers which contain preventive services for families in the form of a family center as well as a child guidance are described in literature as an innovative approach to address burdened audiences. Empirical evidence for this assumption is sparse, however. The advantages and disadvantages of such a center will be explored from the perspective of the visitors of the family center, the clients of the counselling center and families who visit both parts of the institute. Each part oft the center turns out to get a positive review and the integration offers an additional benefit. The high number of people with migration background reveals that this community gets a special attention.

Combating school bullying through developmental guidance for positive youth development and promoting harmonious school culture.

Bullying and violence, which can bring detrimental effects, are situations which young people have to face in their process of development. Though school bullying has been a spreading and explicit problem in Hong Kong schools, most of the programs or guidelines dealing with the problem lack citywide, recognized initiatives and the effectiveness of these programs is unknown due to the lack of evaluation. The present paper discusses preventing school bullying from a developmental guidance perspective, using the positive youth development paradigm and promoting the values of harmony and forgiveness at the whole-school level to cultivate a harmonious school culture as a way of combating school bullying.

Access of children with cerebral palsy to the physical, social and attitudinal environment they need: a cross-sectional European study.

PURPOSE: The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities requires states 'to ensure to persons with disabilities access, on an equal basis with others, to the physical environment, transportation, information and communications.' We explored whether this convention was respected for disabled children in Europe. METHOD: One thousand one-hundred and seventy-four children aged 8-12 years were randomly selected from population-based registers of children with cerebral palsy in eight European regions. 743 children joined the study; one further region recruited 75 children from multiple sources. Researchers visited these 818 children and administered the European Child Environment Questionnaire, which records parents' perceptions of availability of the physical, social and attitudinal environment needed in home, school and community. Multilevel, multivariable regression related child access on these domains to their impairments and socio-demographic characteristics. RESULTS: Children with more impaired walking ability had less access to the physical environment, transport and social support they needed than other children. They also experienced less favourable attitudes from family and friends. However, attitudes of teachers and therapists were similar for children with all levels of impairment. The access of children, across all impairment severities, to their needed environment showed significant variation between regions (p ≤ 0.0001), some regions consistently providing better access on most or all domains. CONCLUSION: European states need to substantially improve environmental access for disabled children in order to meet their obligations under UN Conventions. In some regions, many environmental factors should and realistically could be changed. Legislation and regulation should be directed to making this happen. Local environmental planners and health and social service providers should listen carefully to parents to address mismatches between policy intentions and parental experience.

Anticipatory guidance for prevention of childhood obesity: design of the MOMS project.

The prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity in the United States has increased by more than 100% since 1971. Primary care clinicians have a unique opportunity to influence child health during the first year of life via anticipatory guidance (AG). However, little is known about whether AG regarding feeding and meal structure is effective in promoting optimal nutrition and eating behaviors. The purpose of this project, "Making our Mealtimes Special" (MOMS), was to assess 2 distinct methods of pediatric AG during infancy versus a "usual care" condition, with the ultimate goal of prevention of childhood overweight and obesity. The purpose of this article is to describe the ( a) study design and rationale, (b) implementation plan, (c ) assessment of outcomes, and (d) population enrolled. This project will generate important information on the usefulness of nutritional AG during the first year of life in promoting healthy eating behaviors during early childhood.

Current applications of case management in schools to improve children's readiness to learn.

Recent interest in case management by elementary and secondary schools has arisen out of a growing recognition that schools alone are not prepared to address the myriad of health, education, and social service needs of a large number of students, particularly children living in poverty. Boys and girls entering classrooms hungry, sick, homeless, or otherwise distracted are not ready to learn. Improving readiness to learn is a major agenda among educators. Case management is one approach many schools are beginning to use to collaboratively engage parents, community service agencies, the private sector, and communities at large in pursuit of the goal. A promising school-based case management model has been developed and successfully field tested by the University of Washington. The model operationally defines case management, delineates a delivery structure, and includes an evaluation design. Results from a five-year study sponsored by the U. S. Department of Education are encouraging. Although several challenges persist, the future for school case management use is optimistic. Several enhanced variations of the Center for the Study and Teaching of At-Risk Students (C-STARS) case management model are now being demonstrated across the country.

How can schools help children from homeless families?

Families represent the fastest growing subgroup among the homeless in America. Most homeless families are headed by women who lack high school diplomas, have poor work skills, little job training, and are long-term users of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC). The average homeless family is comprised of two to three children, most of whom are younger than age five. These children suffer from a number of acute and chronic health problems. Once in school, these children often experience developmental and academic delays which increase the potential for school dropout. School districts must address the health and academic challenges these children bring to school. Measures include forming a community-based task force, working with homeless shelters in addressing needs of these families, increasing awareness of faculty and staff, and developing specific classroom/school environment strategies to encourage these children to succeed. Opportunities for involvement by teachers, counselors, and school nurses are noted, and seven strategies to help the homeless child in school are offered.