Explains why physical education teachers should discourage full sit-ups and describes the Robertson Modified Curl-Up Test as a recommended alternative test of abdominal muscular strength. Curl-up test administration guidelines are included with some preliminary norms from adult groups. (SM)

Secondary level physical educators must be sure to instruct their weight lifters in proper spotting and lifting procedures, because weight training carries a high risk of injury. The article explains how to check the equipment, spot properly for specific exercises, and take general safety precautions in the weight room. (SM)

A study of 12 patients with left-hemisphere damage (LHD) and aphasia, 10 with right-hemisphere damage (RHD), and 10 controls, sought to identify phonemic and emphatic stress contrasts. Individuals with LHD were unable to identify phonemic stress contrasts with better-than-chance accuracy. Individuals with RHD performed better than those with LHD.…

A study involving 10 adults with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and 10 controls found subjects had problems with procedural function, descriptive function, cohesion relations, and narrative function. They also showed problems in functional communication and in general pragmatic ability. Discrete problems in comprehension and in presuppositional…

Analyzes preventive strategies to reduce childhood injuries through education, environmental change, and enforcement of legislation and regulation, offering recommendations for steps to reduce the toll of injuries on children's lives. After discussing the magnitude, trends, and costs associated with childhood injuries and models for prevention,…

Information was collected on 95 people with mental retardation identified seven years previously as showing severe self-injurious behavior. Seventy-one percent were still showing severe self-injurious behavior. Self-injury status was predicted by a logistical regression model containing three variables: site of injury, reported stability of…

Injured workers (n=49) and their employers (n=23) were interviewed concerning their perceptions about their own and each other's behavior in the process of occupational rehabilitation. While workers focus on the perceived failure of the system to provide adequate care, employers were concerned with cost containment and productivity. Recommends…

In 1992 the city of Barcelona (Spain) enacted legislation to require moped riders to wear helmets. Interrupted time series analyses with use of a control group found a significant decrease in the number of serious injuries and deaths in the helmet group, supporting the efficacy of the legislation. (SLD)

Discusses the 1997 collapse of a balcony on a historic building at the University of Virginia, which resulted in a death and several injuries. Explores the balcony structure and cause of the collapse, any possibly preventative measures, and the resolution of legal proceedings resulting from the collapse. (EV)

This study reports on a 9-year-old boy previously diagnosed with Angelman syndrome who died unexpectedly by drowning in a shallow backyard wading pool. The case illustrates the fascination with water by individuals with Angelman syndrome and highlights that this fascination may lead to death. The need for supervision is stressed. (Contains 5…

Describes an epidemiology of school injuries in Utah's public schools, analyzing 1990-97 school injury data from a standardized Student Injury Report form. Results find that 85 percent of the state's 44,565 school injuries were evaluated at a medical facility. High risk students were males and students in 4th-6th grades. Contributing factors…

Discusses ways some universities have dealt with eliminating insects and wildlife from their athletic fields. The types problems to look for, the damage pests can cause, the safety issues involved, and tips on remedies are examined. (GR)

Describes the variety of possible effects of traumatic brain injuries (TBI) on early childhood development in the cognitive, language, social-emotional, motor, and adaptive domains. Suggests interventions which can assist young survivors and their families. Suggests that more long-term, intensive studies be conducted on the short- and long-term…

Chapman Art Therapy Intervention (CATTI), an art therapy research project at an urban trauma center, was designed to reduce Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms in pediatric patients. Early analysis does not indicate statistically significant differences in reduction of PTSD symptoms between experimental and control groups. Children…

Ten cerebellar patients were compared to 10 control subjects on a verbal working memory task in which the phonological similarity of the words to be remembered and their modality of presentation were manipulated. Cerebellar patients demonstrated a reduction of the phonological similarity effect relative to controls. Further, this reduction did not…