An Integrative Review of Current Practice Models and/or Process of Family-Centered Early Intervention for Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
FAMILY & COMMUNITY HEALTH
Authors: Maluleke, Ntsako P.; Khoza-Shangase, Katijah; Kanji, Amisha
Abstract
Over the past few decades, there has been an increasing shift toward emphasizing the importance of the child's family taking an active role in the habilitation process through family-centered early intervention (FCEI) programs. Accordingly, the Health Professions Council of South Africa recommends that early intervention services following confirmation of hearing loss must be family-centered within a community-based model of service delivery that is culturally congruent. The aim of this study was to explore and document current evidence reflecting trends in FCEI for children who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) by identifying and describing current practice models and/or processes of FCEI for these children. This study describes our first steps in formulating a framework for FCEI for children who are DHH in South Africa. An integrative literature review was conducted. Sage, Science Direct, PubMed, and Google Scholar databases were searched for studies published in English between January 2009 and January 2019 reporting on FCEI programs for children who are DHH. Studies that focused on the following were excluded from the study: speech and language outcomes of children, youth, and adults who are DHH; education for children who are DHH; universal newborn hearing screening; professionals' roles in early hearing detection and intervention; diagnosis of hearing loss; and sign language. Kappa statistics were performed to determine agreement between reviewers. Twenty-two studies were included in the review. Cohen's kappa revealed a substantial agreement (kappa = 0.8) between reviewers for data extraction and synthesis in terms of the articles that met the criteria for inclusion in the review. Findings were discussed under 5 themes: caregiver involvement; caregiver coaching/information sharing; caregiver satisfaction; challenges with FCEI; and telehealth. Generally, there is sufficient evidence for FCEI, with caregivers indicating the need for full involvement in their children's care. Methods of caregiver involvement involving caregiver coaching/information sharing need to be culturally and linguistically appropriate, with sensitivities around time and manner. This increases caregiver satisfaction with intervention programs and improves outcomes for children who are DHH. Challenges identified by the studies raise implications for early hearing detection and intervention programs, as well as Departments of Health and Social Welfare. These included logistical challenges, professional-related challenges, and caregiver-related challenges. Various aspects of FCEI have been reported in the review. Findings of these studies have significant implications for the formulation of quality FCEI programs to ensure contextually relevant and contextually responsive care of children who are DHH.
An effective method for improving the permeation flux of a ceramic membrane: Single-matrix spherical ceramic membrane
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
Authors: Zhou, Wei; Zhang, Lin; Wu, Pute; Liu, Ying; Cai, Yaohui; Zhao, Xiao
Abstract
A single-matrix hydrophobic ceramic membrane (HCM) was prepared via gel-casting and membrane grafting. Fly ash cenospheres and 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorooctyl trichlorosilane were used as the single-matrix material. The results showed that when the sintering temperature was 1300 degrees C, the porosity was 75.56 %, and flexural strength was 11.1 MPa; this means that the material meets the requirements for mechanical properties. After grafting 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorooctane trichlorosilane, the Si -CH3 peak increased and the Si-OH peak was weaker. Also, the contact angle of the droplet increased from 56 degrees to 126 degrees, and this indicates that the droplet was successfully chemically adsorbed to the surface of the ceramic membrane. The results of computational fluid dynamics simulation show that a gaussian spherical wall greatly improved the permeation flux of foamed ceramic membranes, and the permeation flux of the microchannel increased by 26.5 % similar to 76.2 % at the same transmembrane pressure. Pure water permeation flux and heavy metal adsorption experiments shows excellent high permeation flux and satisfactory heavy metal adsorption performance of HCM. From the perspective of membrane cost, HCM is suitable to be promoted. In summary, HCM has the potential for commercial application.