| 1. |
- Andersson, Ulf, 1963-
(author)
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Cognitive deafness : The deterioration of phonological representations in adults with an acquired severe hearing loss and its implications for speech understanding
- 2001
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The aim of the present thesis was to examine possible cognitive consequences of acquired hearing loss and the possible impact of these cognitive consequences on the ability to process spoken language presented through visual speechreading or through a cochlear implant.The main findings of the present thesis can be summarised in the following conclusions: (a) The phonological processing capabilities of individuals who have acquired a severe hearing loss or deafness deteriorate progressively as a function of number of years with a complete or partial auditory deprivation. (b) The observed phonological deterioration is restricted to certain aspects of the phonological system. Specifically, the phonological representations of words in the mental lexicon are of less good quality, whereas the phonological system in verbal working memory is preserved. (c) The deterioration of the phonological representations has a negative effect on the individual's ability to process speech, either presented visually (i.e., speechreading) or through a cochlear implant, as it may impair word recognition processes which involve activation of and discrimination between the phonological representations in the lexicon. (d) Thus, the present research describes an acquired cognitive disability not previously documented in the literature, and contributes to the context of other populations with phonological disabilities by showing that a complete or partial deprivation of auditory speech stimulation in adulthood can give rise to a phonological disability. (e) From a clinical point of view, the results from the present thesis suggest that early cochlear implantation after the onset of an acquired severe hearing loss is an important objective in order to reach a high level of speech understanding with the implant.
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| 2. |
- Fredriksson, Carin, 1954-
(author)
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Att lära sig leva med förvärvad hörselnedsättning sett ur par-perspektiv : om anpassningsstrategiers funktionella och sociala innebörder
- 2001
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The aim of the present thesis was to describe the everyday life of couples where one of the spouses has an acquired hearing loss. The main focus was on how they perceived their communicative possibilities in relation to the hearing loss and the role of acceptance in the process of learning to live with acquired hearing loss. The thesis is a longitudinal study based on the perspectives of couples. A combination of data sources was used; interviews, functional auditory assessments, a rating-scale and diary, the main source of information being the interviews.The main results of the thesis are; that the adjustment was a mutual process, and couples developed different patterns of responsibility for the adjustment process over time. The adjustment strategies were functional as well as social in their significance. The main strategy was prioritisation. Several situational strategies were also found. They showed a variation in communicative activities and participation. The habits and routines of everyday life played an important role for the manifestation of the disability and at times as a hindrance for acting strategically. The habits and routines call for special treatment for inclusion, special treatment in the sense of accommodating to the needs of the individual. The process of accepting played a mediating role between the individual needs and the needs of social flexibility. Some common features of the consequences of the hearing loss were crystallised despite different ways of examining the phenomenon. Finally implications for rehabilitation based on a couple-perspective were discussed.
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| 3. |
- Gustafson, Stefan, 1968-
(author)
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Varieties of reading disability : Phonological and orthographic word decoding deficits and implications for interventions
- 2000
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The general aim of this thesis was to examine variations in the word decoding skills of reading disabled children. These variations were related to possible cognitive, developmental, and environmental causes of reading disability. Possible implications for educational interventions were also analysed. The thesis critically examines the inclusion of the concept of intelligence in the definition of developmental dyslexia. It is suggested that variations in word decoding skills should offer a more solid basis for a study of varieties of reading disability. The empirical studies showed that a) in young children there was a shift from phonological to orthographic word decoding; b) phonological type children (weak in phonological decoding) were characterised by specific phonological deficits; c) surface type children (weak in orthographic decoding) showed more global cognitive deficits suggesting a general developmental delay; d) surface type children showed impaired visual implicit memory for words, which might be associated with limited print exposure; e) an improvement in phonological awareness only transferred to an improved text reading ability for some reading disabled children; f) children who did not benefit from a phonological intervention seemed to rely on orthographic word decoding in text reading. Thus, the thesis suggests that variations in phonological and orthographic word decoding skills offer a useful basis for the study of varieties of reading disability and that educational interventions should pay regard to what the child is already attempting to do when reading.
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| 4. |
- Gustavsson Holmström, Marie, 1965-
(author)
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Föräldrar med funktionshinder : om barn, föräldraskap och familjeliv
- 2002
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- An increasing number of people with disabilities are choosing to become parents. However, several official goverment reports and other evidence points to the fact that parents with disabilities sometimes experience negative bias and distrust of their capacities as parents. The aim of this study is to describe and analyse aspects of parenthood in the families including parents with disabilities and/or chronic illness, as well as to illuminate concepts of an thoughts on parenthood and disability in these families. This is a qualitative interview study, complemented with structured diaries and network maps. The impairments or chronic illness of the parents in the eleven families of the study are cerebral palsy, spinal cord injury and multiple sclerosis.The different areas of the study are: the parents' reflections on becoming parents, the impact of the surrounding environment on the family, the effects of impairment or chronic illness in the family's everyday life and the parents' reflections on children and parenthood. The parents first and foremost describe their families as like any other families, but at the same time describe the special circumstances they live under. They work to handle the possibilities of negative consequences for the children with different strategies. The parents describe what they regard as the special experiences and knowledge that their children acquire which will benefit them as adults. The study recognises some dichotomous concepts relevant to different areas of family life in families with disabilities. The feeling the parents express of living in a world of double standpoints can be understood as ambivalence or in terms of embrace of paradox.
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| 5. |
- Jansson, Marie, 1960-
(author)
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Två kön eller inget alls : politiska intentioner och vardagslivets realiteter i den arbetslivsinriktade rehabiliteringen
- 2003
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- This dissertation poses questions concerning the shaping of the welfare state and the implications of citizenship. Citizenship in democratic welfare states is based on the idea that everyone is of equal value. Who it is that constitutes the norm for "everyone" is examined in this analysis by applying feminist theory as a complement to more traditional political theories.By following developments within an area of social insurance – vocational rehabilitation - from the 1940s until the year 2000, changes over the years in the norms and values of the welfare state become apparent, from a recognition of both gainful employment and household work to an almost total disavowal of unpaid work. This analysis shows that development of the welfare state can be very well explained by social liberal theory when citizenship based on a male norm constitutes the frame of reference. When feminist theory adds the private sphere, and the realities of everyday life are taken into consideration, citizenship is no longer equally accessible to both sexes.In the Swedish welfare model, gainful employment is encouraged, and by using various incentives the state tries to induce women to take part in gainful employment to the same extent as men. This has not succeeded, which according to feminist theory is because the policy focuses only on citizens in the public sphere. According to liberal tradition, family life is a protected zone, implying that the division of work between spouses is something the state should not attempt to change. The realities of everyday life and political intentions end up in conflict, and as a consequence women cannot enjoy full citizenship to the same extent as men.This dissertation demonstrates the importance of adding a gender perspective to critiques of the welfare state. Looking at the conditions of both men and women in both the private and public spheres poses new questions and also provides new answers to old questions.
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| 6. |
- Lundqvist, Anna, 1944-
(author)
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Cognitive functions in drivers with brain injury : Anticipation and adaption
- 2001
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The purpose of this thesis was to improve the understanding of what cognitive functions are important for driving performance, investigate the impact of impaired cognitive functions on drivers with brain injury, and study adaptation strategies relevant for driving performance after brain injury. Finally, the predictive value of a neuropsychological test battery was evaluated for driving performance.Main results can be summarized in the following conclusions: (a) Cognitive functions in terms of attentional and dynamic working memory-related functions are relevant for driving performance. (b) Neuropsychological impairments in information processing speed, divided and focused attention, requiring working memory, are associated to limitations in driving performance. In addition, qualitative aspects of driving problems especially impaired anticipatory attention appeared to constrain driving performance. (c) A neuropsychological test battery assessing speed of information processing and attention in terms of working memory predicted driving performance. In addition, cognitive factors are relevant for interpretation of driving problems qualitatively. (d) Driving speed adjustment and anticipatory attention were adaptive strategies for driving after brain injury. Interest in driving, motivation for driving safely, and driving experience appeared also relevant for driving after brain injury. (e) Collaboration between medical, neuropsychological and driving expertise is recommended for a total evaluation of driving performance after brain injury.Anticipatory attention was considered a working memory based attentional system, directing the processing resources flexibly and appropriately between the different information processing components. Thus, anticipatory attention demonstrated qualitatively that working memory is a prominent function in a real driving context.
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| 7. |
- Molin, Martin
(author)
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Att vara i särklass : om delaktighet och utanförskap i gymnasiesärskolan
- 2004
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- In the Swedish debate concerning disability issues it has been shown, as in many other countries, that the concept ‘participation’ has been used in a very vague and obscure way. For example, at an ideological level the concept often refers to ‘accessibility’. Others claim that it should be understood as ‘social integration’ or ‘inclusion’. In the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (WHO) participation means ‘involvement’ in a life situation. In the literature there are several ways to approach the concept of participation. Broadly, it is used to describe a characteristic within the individual or the result of an interplay. The general aim of this thesis is to illuminate different forms of participation within the municipal upper secondary special programme for pupils with intellectual disabilities (ID).The study contains two main parts. On the one hand a semantic analysis is made for the purpose of illuminating different conceptual forms of participation. On the other hand a field study is performed. This empirical study can be described as a hermeneutically influenced field study designed to interpret participative patterns in everyday school situations.Data have been collected during a period of one school year. Several methods have been used in order to capture different kinds of patterns in the pupils’ participation in a chosen upper secondary individual program for pupils with ID. These methods involve participant observation in everyday school situations (which was recorded in field notes), interviews with pupils, staff and administrators.Rather often it is implied that a higher extent of involvement leads to a higher (or better) form of participation. My study showed something else. Several examples demonstrated how groups of pupils within the special programme setting gave up their involvement in specific activities since they wanted to show their belonging to a different community outside the school. The analysis showed that involvement, as one form of participation, is highly related to other forms of participation (for example formal and informal belonging). In one sense these pupils had a conception of how to behave in order to be accepted outside the special programme setting. Therefore it is possible to talk about the pupils in terms of different worlds of belonging. For a specific group of pupils the formal belonging to the special programme was a threat towards their self-image, which seemed to derive from another alternative world — with other ideals than are usually associated with special programmes for pupils with ID.
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