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Biomedical subjects

R Humphry

Publications and source records attributed to R Humphry.

13 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1997

The presence of congenital hypertrophy of the retinal pigment epithelium in a subgroup of patients with adenomatous polyposis coli mutations.

Patients expressing congenital hypertrophy of the retinal pigment epithelium (CHRPE) are clustered within specific families with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). CHRPE has been found to be dependent on the position of the mutation in the adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene. The significance of the CHRPE finding in view of this new evidence is discussed.

Adenomatous Polyposis Coli↗
PubMed1995

Development of in-hand manipulation and relationship with activities.

OBJECTIVES: This study examines the age-related increase of in-hand manipulation, the consistency of using a manipulation strategy, and the relationship between the frequency of in-hand manipulation and activities that typically require use of intrinsic hand control. METHOD: Children (N = 184) between 2 years and 7 years of age were observed during selected activities that could elicit three forms of in-hand manipulation: rotation, finger-to-palm translation, and palm-to-finger translation. The child's use of a manipulation strategy was recorded. Activities that required manipulation of objects including a spoon, buttons, and crayons were also observed. RESULTS: The study demonstrated that the frequency of two types of in-hand manipulation increases with age and illustrated the uneven nature of development of different types of in-hand manipulation. Even when the child had the ability, use of in-hand manipulation as a movement strategy was inconsistent. Small but significant relationships between in-hand manipulation skill and performance in selected activities were found when the effects of age were controlled. CONCLUSION: On a practical level, the findings raise questions as to whether maturity of in-hand manipulation may be a factor limiting performance in the everyday activities of typically developing children.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1993

Family involvement in practice: issues and attitudes.

The family occupies an important role in the lives of persons with a physical, developmental, or mental disability; however, the extent and manner in which occupational therapists work with families is not known. A questionnaire concerning family-therapist involvement was sent to occupational therapists. Responses of 340 occupational therapists with a primary practice area of physical disabilities, developmental disabilities, or mental health were compared. Results indicated that the amount of contact with families of clients, reasons for family-therapist interactions, and attitudes about the family's abilities and involvement were affected by the respondent's area of practice. Respondents in all three practice areas identified scheduling difficulties as the biggest issue affecting their involvement with families of their clients. Implications discussed include the need to obtain an understanding of families' desired level of involvement and the importance of continuing education opportunities for occupational therapists in changing attitudes about working with families. This study also suggests that the role of occupational therapists with families in mental health settings needs to be better articulated and shared with professional peers.

Attitude↗
PubMed1991

Survey of physical agent modality use.

Occupational therapists interested in physical disabilities practice (N = 629) responded to a questionnaire regarding their use of, training in, and opinions on physical agent modalities. Therapists in hand rehabilitation were the most frequent users of these modalities. Of the listed modalities, the most frequently used was hot and cold packs; the least used was ultrasound. The modalities used most frequently were typically performed without assistance, whereas those used less frequently were more likely to be performed with the assistance of a physical therapist. The most common educational experience for physical agent modality use was on-the-job training. Therapists who provided direct care were more positive about the use of these modalities in occupational therapy practice than were those who acted primarily as administrators, fieldwork educators, or supervisors. Respondents who specialized in hand therapy viewed modalities in a more positive light than did therapists in other areas of physical disabilities practice.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1991

Anomalous motion VEPs in infants and in infantile esotropia.

Visual evoked potentials (VEPs) were recorded monocularly in response to vertical gratings that underwent oscillatory apparent motion at a temporal frequency of 10 Hz. In normal infants 6 months or younger and in patients with a history of constant strabismus onset before 6 months of age, the oscillatory motion VEP contains a prominent first harmonic component that is temporally 180 degrees out of phase in the two eyes. This pattern is not seen in normal adults and is consistent with the presence of a nasalward/temporalward asymmetry of cortical responsiveness in infants and in patients with early onset strabismus.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Preparation of occupational therapists to work in early intervention programs.

This paper presents the results of a survey of 43 occupational therapy academic programs regarding their preparation of students to work with young children with special needs. The number of instructional hours devoted to topics related to services for infants or toddlers and their families varied greatly. Some programs plan an increase in hours but are limited by the total hours available within the curriculum. This paper also shares the recommendations of a panel of occupational therapists with expertise in early intervention and entry-level education. The panel was concerned with the quality of preparation of therapists entering early intervention programs and encouraged the profession to review the amount of course work within each curriculum that introduces students to basic knowledge and skills related to early intervention. Some knowledge, such as the consultant's role and working with families of persons who are physically or mentally challenged, are common to other practice areas. The panel stressed that students be taught strategies for obtaining the training necessary for postgraduate entry into a specialty area such as early intervention.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1989

Early intervention and the influence of the occupational therapist on the parent-child relationship.

The child's development and the parent-child relationship reflect two interdependent processes. Several factors influence the occupational behavior of the child and the adult. In this paper, the ways in which occupational therapists can influence both the child and the parent-child relationship are identified. The parents' occupational behavior is influenced by their knowledge of their children and their attitudes regarding the parenting role. The occupational therapist is part of the social support system and can work with the parents to enlarge their feelings of social embeddedness and support. In addition, the occupational therapist can influence the parent-child relationship by fostering the child's development and helping the parents learn techniques to deal with their child's undesirable characteristics, such as excessive irritability. Knowledge of the different avenues of influence helps the occupational therapist in planning and evaluating treatment in early intervention.

Child↗
PubMed1986

Assessment of non-mydriatic fundus photography in detection of diabetic retinopathy.

Non-mydriatic retinal photography with later interpretation of the photographs was assessed as a screening method for the detection of diabetic retinopathy; when compared with an ophthalmologist's clinical assessment in a random group of 62 diabetic patients it was accurate (false negative 6.8%, false positive 2%) and sensitive (sensitivity 96%, specificity 98%). The assessment of further management required based on analysis of the photographs was 96.5% in agreement with the further management suggested by the ophthalmologist after direct clinical assessment of the patient. If this technique were used to screen patients in a typical diabetic clinic the predicted positive accuracy rate would be 84% and the predicted negative accuracy rate 99.5%.

Diabetic Retinopathy↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Families who live in chronic poverty: meeting the challenge of family-centered services.

Family-centered occupational therapy services are based on a collaborative relationship that does not always come easily. Role performance in parenting a child with special needs and being a consumer of occupational therapy services can be partially understood in terms of environmental context. Although occupational therapists recognize the need to adjust services to the cultural and economic backgrounds of families, most of the available literature has examined the contribution of ethnic differences. A particular challenge for occupational therapists may be treating clients and their families who live in chronic poverty. This article examines chronic poverty as it shapes parenting the child with special needs and subsequently the caregiver's participation in occupational therapy services. A framework for understanding cultural differences is used to suggest contrasting value orientations between families who live with persistent poverty and occupational therapists. A family-centered approach challenges the professional to understand varied influences on caregiving. Suggestions are offered to enhance communication between therapists and caregivers.

Caregivers↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A model of the nature of family-therapist relationships: implications for education.

OBJECTIVES: The family play an important role in rehabilitation of persons with chronic disabilities and in supporting their reintegration into the community. To be prepared for family-centered intervention, educators need to frame the content that occupational therapy students must master. The purpose of this study was to develop a hierarchy of occupational therapists' attitudes about the family's involvement in services for a family member with special needs. METHOD: Participants were 302 occupational therapists who reported some contact with families of clients. Through an open-ended question, participants were asked to indicate the most important outcome of their interactions with their clients' families. RESULTS: Analysis of participant responses led to the development of a seven-level hierarchy of family-therapist interactions. The levels are based on the participants' views of the outcome of family involvement as suggested by their attitudes about a family's role and abilities. Knowledge and skills needed to work at different levels of the hierarchy are identified. CONCLUSION: Recommendations for preparation of entry-level practitioners to work at all levels of the model are discussed.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A curricular renaissance: graduate education centered on occupation.

A 3-year project of curricular renaissance undertaken by the faculty of an entry-level master's degree program is described. This project culminated in a thoroughly redesigned program of study centered around the construct of occupation and built on a foundation of knowledge in occupational science. Described herein are three developmental and highly iterative domains of activity that were crucial to the project's success: (a) environmental scanning and analysis, (b) creation of a compelling future vision of occupational therapy, and (c) curriculum planning. Also detailed are especially salient assumptions and beliefs about graduate education as well as seven themes that encompass the program's academic content and illustrate its defining emphases. These themes are (a) occupation, (b) the human as an occupational being, (c) occupation as a medium of change, (d) clinical reasoning, (e) ethical reasoning, (f) investigative reasoning, and (g) occupational therapists as scholars and change agents in systems. The article concludes with reflections on innovation in graduate education in occupational therapy today.

Curriculum↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Toddlers' persistence in the emerging occupations of functional play and self-feeding.

OBJECTIVE: This descriptive study explores motivation of toddlers who are typically developing to persist with challenging occupations. METHOD: The persistence of 33 children, 12 to 19 months of age (M = 15.7 months), in functional play and self-feeding with a utensil was examined through videotape analysis of on-task behaviors. RESULTS: A modest correlation was demonstrated between the percentages of on-task time in the two conditions (r = .44, p < .01). Although chronological age was not associated with persistence, participants' age-equivalent fine motor scores were correlated with persistence with challenging toys (r = .39, p < .03) but not with self-feeding with a utensil. Having an older sibling was associated with longer periods of functional play, t(32) = 3.02, p < .005, but the amount the parent urged the child to eat with a utensil was not associated with persistence in self-feeding. CONCLUSION: The modest association between on-task time for functional play and self-feeding with a utensil reveals that factors other than urge to meet perceptual motor challenges lead to children's persistence. The results reinforce the importance of considering not only challenging activities, but also the experienced meaning that elicits optimal effort and, thus, learning.

Feeding Behavior↗