Browsing by Author "Vale, Maria do Carmo"
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- Classifying Functioning of Children and Adolescents with Intellectual Disability: The Utility of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health for Children and YouthPublication . Vale, Maria do Carmo; Pereira-da-Silva, Luis; Pimentel, Maria João; Marques, Teresa Nunes; Rodrigues, Helena; Cunha, Gilda; Machado, Maria do Céu; Sanches-Ferreira, Manuela; Simeonsson, Rune J.Observational cross-sectional study carried out in a pediatric neurodevelopment unit of a tertiary-care hospital. A sample of 355 children with median ((min.–max.) 1.0–17.3) years with intellectual disability (30.4% borderline, 43.1% mild, 19.7% moderate, 5.1% severe, and 1.7% profound disability) was seen over a period of 3 years. Based on clinical observation and psychological evaluation, a neurodevelopmental pediatrician selected ICF-CY body functions codes, and respective qualifiers, to effectively describe functioning of children. Based on evaluation reports, a psychologist and a special educator assigned the previously chosen ICF-CY body functions codes to 139 and 67 children, respectively. Inter-rater agreement was estimated using simple and weighted Cohen’s kappa coefficients and Gwet’s AC1 statistic and Gwet’s weighted kappa coefficient statistic. A set of eight ICF-CY codes was identified as efficiently describing impairments of body functions of children with intellectual disability: global mental functions b117 and b122; specific mental functions b147, b163, b164, and b167; and voice and speech functions b320 and b330. Results indicate a correspondence between the level of severity of qualifiers assigned to ICF-CY codes and the level of intellectual disability. Inter-rater agreement was variable among raters, with the best agreements found for qualifying intellectual functions (b117) and psychomotor functions (b122). A profile of eight ICF-CY codes effectively describes functioning of children with intellectual disability, providing an alternative to medically based classification, based on diagnoses with functionally based classification of children’s characteristics. The findings contribute to define a comprehensive set of codes to reliably record individual differences of functioning in this population
- DEHB DEGERLENDIRME SÜRECIPublication . Sanches-Ferreira, Manuela; Santos, Miguel; Lopes-dos-Santos, Pedro; Vale, Maria do Carmo
- Monitoring, Evaluating & Assessment of ADHDPublication . Santos, Miguel; Sanches-Ferreira, Manuela; Lopes-dos-Santos, Pedro; Vale, Maria do CarmoDespite the existence of relatively clear diagnostic guidelines (APA, 1994), establishing a diagnosis is a difficult matter (Anastopoulos & Schaffer, 2001; Neul, Applegate & Drabman, 2003). Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are generally characterized by their inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. Nevertheless, these characteristics may vary a lot, according to the child, the situation and the circumstances. They may occur in different degrees of severity, affecting students in different ways, and may be associated with other disorders. The authors conclude that any assessment of ADHD must be comprehensive and multidimensional in nature, to capture variations and differences in all situations and settings. To identify any co-morbid features and the impact on home, school and social functioning (op. cit, 2001). There is, to date, no single diagnostic test to identify ADHD. Professionals should rely on a battery of measures and data to diagnose ADHD and to organise an intervention plan. This battery varies according to different authors. Wright (2002) proposes that the battery should consist of documentation of general educational interventions, parent and teacher interviews, behaviour rating scales and classroom observations. Resnick (2005) suggests that evaluation of ADHD should be based on the following sources: (a) Psychological, developmental, and social history, including employment and educational history for adults; (b) School records, including report cards, achievement tests, teacher/school reports, and special services / special education testing along with Individual Education Plans (IEP’s); (c) Teacher ratings; (d) Parent ratings; (e) Computerized Assessment Tests, measuring inattention, distractibility, and impulsivity (ex: Conner’s Continuous Performance Test); (f) Mental Status Exam, observing the person for symptoms of ADHD while ruling out other diagnoses. We are going to review some of the data sources mentioned above, paying special attention to measures that should be obtained in school or at home, and that are particularly important to the organisation of a behavioural intervention plan. Specifically, we are going to talk about: Interviews, Behaviour Rating Scales, Clinic-based Measures and Direct Observation. We are going to pay special attention to a method called Functional Behaviour Assessment, very useful for understanding behavioural sequences that are affecting the behaviour of the child.
- Project Hand in HandPublication . Sanches-Ferreira, Manuela; Tavares, Ana Gabriela; Vale, Maria do Carmo; Santos, Miguel Augusto; Maia, Mónica Silveira; Martins, Susana IsabelThe project “Parents and Teachers Working Hand in Hand : Training Programme for Parents and Teachers of Pupils with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)” was prepared and co-ordinated by Ankara Provincial Directorate for National Education under the European Union Education and Youth Programme, Lifelong Learning Programme within the framework of Grundtvig Learning Partnership. At the planning stage of the project, as the co-ordinating institution, we wanted to prepare a project for pupils with ADHD because we know that, across the world, almost 5% of students suffer from this disorder and they encounter difficulties in their academic life, in their community and in their social relationships. Both parents and teachers encounter difficulties while they are supporting pupils with ADHD in their school lives. As the second biggest local education authority in Turkey, we decided to prepare this project for parents and teachers of pupils with ADHD to make everyone’s life easier. We shared our thoughts with different people and institutions from different countries and we realised that it is not only a problem in Turkey but also for other countries. As a result, we developed project partnerships with various educational institutions, universities and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) from different countries. The project development stage was completed after contributions from all partners. Initially we had started with 8 partners but after approval for the project and the agreement of National Agencies of each partner countries, we implemented the project with 6 partners starting from 1st October 2007 to 31st July 2009.