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The Double-Edged Sword: How ADHD Influences Counselling Service Delivery
No full textAbstract: Attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental condition that impacts individuals across the lifespan, regardless of gender, race, socioeconomic status and culture. Many challenges can be perceived in the workplace setting for individuals with ADHD, challenges that influence a person’s ability to perform in certain instances if not provided with the right support and environment. That said, ADHD individuals also present a unique set of strengths that can significantly influence the delivery of any service in the workspace. For many decades, individuals with ADHD have been told that they are not capable of pursuing certain careers due to their difficulties in organising and following through on various tasks, their impulsivity, challenges with self-regulation and self-awareness. Being a therapist means being able to hold space for someone else’s thoughts, feelings and experiences, to remain present and focused for almost an hour, multiple times a day, listening and attending to another person.While there has been greater interest in supporting clients with ADHD in the counselling room and providing guidance for neurotypical counsellors working across neurotypes, little attention has been paid to the neurodivergent counsellor and the manner ADHD impacts the therapeutic alliance. This article aims to shed light on the lived experience of counsellors with ADHD as they navigate professional practice through an existential/ interpretive phenomenological lens. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews, conducted online from December 2023 till May 2024. Purposive sampling was used to recruit counsellors with a diagnosis of ADHD (n=12) working across different settings throughout Australia. Data analysis yielded two major themes: challenges and strengths of counsellors with ADHD for effective service delivery. Challenges related to the inherent characteristics of ADHD symptomology, psychological difficulties, masking, limited self-care practices, pharmacotherapy and non-inclusive workspaces. These limitations, however, were offset by attributes that facilitated counselling practice, such as enhanced rapport building, resilience, attracting neurodiverse clients, a counsellor finding their own tribe and celebrating qualities unique to a counsellor with ADHD. <br/
How do I create and maintain safe and supportive learning environments?
No full textThis chapter introduces the concepts of classroom management, routines and procedures, and approaches to inclusive practice through case studies, extracts from theoretical writings and policy documents. The discussion considers differing approaches to classroom management, including practical behaviour management strategies. The role of leadership in developing whole-school practices is highlighted and legal responsibilities, as well as behaviour management options, are included. You will learn about inclusive practice and addressing the needs of diverse learners, which considers the shift from segregation of diverse learners to contemporary practices that have better outcomes for all children. The concept of inclusive practice is contextualised in relation to international developments, the Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration, the Australian Curriculum and the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST). This chapter introduces Universal Design for Learning as a framework to support differentiated learning and reasonable adjustments for the diversity of all students in our classrooms, including diversity of sexual orientation and gender identity, ability, culture and language, social and economic situations, and religious beliefs
Velocity Control of a Stephenson III Six-bar Linkage-based Gait Rehabilitation Robot using Deep Reinforcement Learning
No full textLower limb rehabilitation robots can help to improve the locomotor capabilities of patients experiencing gait impairments and help medical workers by reducing strain on them. However, since commercially available exoskeletons are expensive and there is a lack of number of physiotherapists many patients are still not able to get proper rehabilitation training. The closed-loop linkage mechanisms have recently drawn much attention in the realization of gait rehabilitation robots. Such mechanisms are affordable and capable of providing suitable trajectories for gait training therapy. In this work, we have proposed a fully operational one degree-of-freedom mechanism which can generate complex naturalistic lower limb trajectories. Although in theory, it is assumed that the constant speed applied at the input crank is sufficient to control the system, in reality, the external forces exerted by human legs and the inertia of the links can greatly alter the rotational velocity at the crank, which may negatively affect the training process. Therefore, we have explored the performance of a deep reinforcement learning-based control algorithm designed to regulate the speed of the input crank to reach satisfactory performance needed for gait rehabilitation training. Experimental evaluations with healthy human subjects were conducted to demonstrate that the mechanism is capable of directing lower limbs on naturalistic gait trajectories with a required walking speed
Why are solar microgrids not the norm in remote Central Australia? Exploring local perception on solar energy and health
Get PDFAustralia has immense potential to harness solar energy. Despite this potential, the electricity sector still contributes to one-third of the country's greenhouse gas emissions. Solar projects are important in remote Aboriginal communities because remote residents regularly face energy poverty and energy insecurity. Frequent power disconnections affect people's health and daily life activities. This study explores the enablers and barriers to solar energy adoption and the benefits of having solar microgrids in remote Australia. Three sets of data, which included researcher observations and two sets of qualitative data were triangulated for the purpose of this study. Qualitative data included – i) virtual semi-structured interviews with professional and policy experts with experience in promoting and implementing solar projects in Central Australia and ii) one-to-one ‘yarns’ or community ‘yarning circles’ with Aboriginal residents of very remote communities of central Australia. The collected qualitative data were coded deductively, whereby similar codes were placed into broader themes. Seven renewable energy industry and policy experts participated in the interviews. Thirty community members from across three very remote locations in central Australia were engaged through one-to-one yarning and group yarning activities. There is clear evidence from all three communities that the environmental costs of using diesel-powered generators are largely unknown to residents. While power costs and energy poverty were discussed as issues in the three communities, industry expert opinion was that residents’ economic motivation to switch from diesel to solar power was masked by the fact that power costs were not dependent on the source of power, but were provided at subsidised rates in remote Australia. In general, community yarns were mostly around the need for energy security in remote households, rather than the need to switch to clean energy sources. The study concludes that small solar microgrids and rooftop solar technology have the potential to improve energy and climate resilience in remote Australia. However, to effectively promote such investments in very remote settings, there is a need to appropriately engage with local community members and evaluate and communicate the overall social, environmental, and economic benefits of transitioning to solar.</p
Housing catastrophe?:Beware the government with a vision for the people
Get PDFA recent newspaper article asked university students how they would solve the current housing crisis. The article suggested that we were heading towards a housing ‘catastrophe’, but Gen Z had the answer. However, an economist mate of mine pointed to the HILDA data and suggested people found it harder to pay their rent or their mortgage in the early 2000s than today. Never let a good political ‘narrative’ get in the way of social engineering. It’s hard, but hardly a catastrophe
Understanding Factors Influencing Whole-Process Consulting Service Quality: Based on a Mixed Research Method
Get PDFTo address the fragmentation in the engineering consulting industry, whole-process consulting (WPC) has undergone rapid development in China. Engineering consulting companies are actively transitioning towards WPC and aiming to enhance whole-process consulting service quality (WPCSQ). However, research on WPCSQ and its influencing factors is still lacking. This paper adopts a mixed research approach combining qualitative and quantitative methods. Initially, the grounded theory (GT) method is used to determine the influencing factors of WPCSQ, and the TEOK model is constructed. Then, Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) is utilized for model validation. The results show that WPCSQ is most affected by knowledge management and least affected by organizational factors. Based on the above analyses, recommendations for improving WPCSQ are provided from the viewpoints of engineering consulting companies and governments. These suggestions are aimed at fostering the healthy and sustainable progression of WPC
Decolonizing Deliberative Democracy
No full textDeliberative democracy advances an emancipatory project of inclusion, equality, and freedom. Yet these ideals have been produced within a context structured by colonial power. This article argues that if deliberative democracy is to unfold its full democratic potential, it needs to face its colonial legacies and position a decolonizing ethos at its center. The article proposes a framework consisting of six moves toward decolonizing deliberative democracy—three deconstructive and three reconstructive: 1. acknowledging modernity's violence; 2. recognizing epistemic injustices within the knowledge production of deliberative democracy; 3. criticizing the colonial drive of deliberative institutions; 4. theorizing from the bottom up by and with Indigenous and marginalized groups; 5. engaging in an open dialogue with the Global South scholarship; 6. focusing on emancipation
Discrimination and calibration performances of non-laboratory-based and laboratory-based cardiovascular risk predictions:a systematic review
Get PDFBACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: This review compares non-laboratory-based and laboratory-based cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk prediction equations in populations targeted for primary prevention.DESIGN: Systematic review.METHODS: We searched five databases until 12 March 2024 and used prediction study risk of bias assessment tool to assess bias. Data on hazard ratios (HRs), discrimination (paired c-statistics) and calibration were extracted. Differences in c-statistics and HRs were analysed.PROTOCOL: PROSPERO (CRD42021291936).RESULTS: Nine studies (1 238 562 participants, 46 cohorts) identified six unique CVD risk equations. Laboratory predictors (eg, cholesterol and diabetes) had strong HRs, while body mass index in non-laboratory models showed limited effect. Median c-statistics were 0.74 for both models (IQR: lab 0.77-0.72; non-lab 0.76-0.70), with a median absolute difference of 0.01. Calibration measures between laboratory-based and non-laboratory-based equations were similar, although non-calibrated equations often overestimated risk.CONCLUSION: The discrimination and calibration measures between laboratory-based and non-laboratory-based models show minimal differences, demonstrating the insensitivity of c-statistics and calibration metrics to the inclusion of additional predictors. However, in most reviewed studies, the HRs for these additional predictors were substantial, significantly altering predicted risk, particularly for individuals with higher or lower levels of these predictors compared with the average.</p
Matt Canavan responds to Hate Crime bill fallout
Get PDFFollowing the fallout from those conservative senators who did not vote against the government’s Hate Crime Bill last week, I questioned Senator Matt Canavan about his support for the bill. In drafting legislation, there is always a trade-off for politicians between the process of enabling legislation and the optics of voting for legislation that might not be popular to one’s base.Canavan has been an advocate for Australia’s traditional resources and energy sector. I heard him speak at CPAC 2024 in Brisbane last year and he is usually not backward in coming forward about issues that are dear to conservatives. I was curious to know his reasons for supporting the Hate Crime Bill.Here’s how Senator Canavan responded to my questions
A systematic review of reasons and risks for acute service use by older adult residents of long-term care
Get PDFAims and Objectives: To identify the reasons and/or risk factors for hospital admission and/or emergency department attendance for older (≥60 years) residents of long-term care facilities. Background: Older adults' use of acute services is associated with significant financial and social costs. A global understanding of the reasons for the use of acute services may allow for early identification and intervention, avoid clinical deterioration, reduce the demand for health services and improve quality of life. Design: Systematic review registered in PROSPERO (CRD42022326964) and reported following PRISMA guidelines. Methods: The search strategy was developed in consultation with an academic librarian. The strategy used MeSH terms and relevant keywords. Articles published since 2017 in English were eligible for inclusion. CINAHL, MEDLINE, Scopus and Web of Science Core Collection were searched (11/08/22). Title, abstract, and full texts were screened against the inclusion/exclusion criteria; data extraction was performed two blinded reviewers. Quality of evidence was assessed using the NewCastle Ottawa Scale (NOS). Results: Thirty-nine articles were eligible and included in this review; included research was assessed as high-quality with a low risk of bias. Hospital admission was reported as most likely to occur during the first year of residence in long-term care. Respiratory and cardiovascular diagnoses were frequently associated with acute services use. Frailty, hypotensive medications, falls and inadequate nutrition were associated with unplanned service use. Conclusions: Modifiable risks have been identified that may act as a trigger for assessment and be amenable to early intervention. Coordinated intervention may have significant individual, social and economic benefits. Relevance to clinical practice: This review has identified several modifiable reasons for acute service use by older adults. Early and coordinated intervention may reduce the risk of hospital admission and/or emergency department. Reporting method: This systematic review was conducted and reported following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodology. Patient or public contribution: No patient or public contribution.</p