Applied Neuropsychology: Child最新文献

Art therapy has been proven to be efficacious in alleviating symptoms of children diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), with the advent of artificial intelligence providing new technological means to engage and increase the participation levels of ADHD children. Nonetheless, research on the application of AI in art therapy remains scant. This study, predicated on a method involving ADHD children co-creating art with AI, has devised a therapeutic activity aimed at ameliorating their attention deficits. By conducting standardized measurements with the SNAP-IV 26 questionnaire and qualitative analyses of the art created by 16 ADHD children, the effectiveness of the "Co-creation with AI" activity was assessed. Findings indicate that this activity, through a process encompassing engagement, action, variable rewards, and sustained involvement, has facilitated ADHD children in focusing their attention and ameliorating their hyperactive behavioral issues. However, it offered minimal assistance in addressing their oppositional defiant behavior. The co-creative approach with machines has effectively enriched the emotional expression of ADHD children and mobilized their enthusiasm. Nevertheless, the instability in AI's painting style and its variability may lead to a diminution in the children's interest over time. The guidance of therapists and communication in daily life are indispensable elements.

Purpose: The present study is a systematic review aimed at examining the impact of neurofeedback interventions on the body structure and function, as well as the activity and participation of children with developmental dyslexia, in accordance with the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health-Children and Youth version.

Method: Based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, databases including Scopus, Cochrane, Science Direct, PubMed, and Google Scholar were searched using keywords such as "Neurofeedback," "Dyslexia," and related terms based on Mesh terms, without any time restrictions, until January 2024. The inclusion criteria were clinical experimental and randomized controlled trials that investigated the impact of neurofeedback in children with reading and writing disorders, and their full-text articles were available in English or Persian. The studies were screened in two stages, and their data were extracted and analyzed.

Results: Following the two-stage screening process, a total of 39 studies met the inclusion criteria. Among them, there were 4 randomized clinical trials, 19 experimental studies, and 16 case studies, examining the impact of neurofeedback on the body structure and function in 342 children with reading and writing disorders, aged 7 to 15 years.

Conclusion: Developmental dyslexia restricts children's performance at all levels of functioning. Therefore, a comprehensive assessment of a child's functioning level and the environmental factors affecting it is necessary. Neurofeedback-based interventions have a significant impact on the body structure and function, as well as the activity and participation of children with developmental dyslexia. These interventions can be used as part of multidimensional approaches in the rehabilitation of these children.

Objective: To examine sociodemographic differences in concussion symptom reporting, among young children by race/ethnicity, sex, and age at initial presentation to guide potential interventions for children from different backgrounds.

Method: Participants were elementary-age children (ages 5 to 12 years; n = 392) who sustained a concussion within 30 days of specialty concussion clinic visit. Independent variables were self-defined race/ethnic group, participants' sex, and age. Dependent variables were number and severity of 22 post-concussion symptoms as measured by the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool5^® (SCAT-5) Symptom Evaluation.

Results: Analyses of variance (ANOVAs) showed no differences in reporting of symptoms across race/ethnic or age groups. There was no interaction between race/ethnic, sex and age groups. Females in this sample reported a greater number and severity of concussion symptoms than males.

Conclusions: Concussion symptom endorsement on the SCAT-5 Symptom Evaluation did not appear to be affected by race/ethnicity or age. However, consistent with existing literature, females reported higher endorsement of concussion symptoms than males and therefore may merit special consideration in evaluation of symptoms. Future research should examine the intersection of other sociodemographic variables with race/ethnicity and should consider the influence of respondent (child vs. parent) in studies of this age cohort.

Motor impairments are one of the most common adverse outcomes after childhood arterial ischemic stroke (C-AIS), yet their relationship with intellectual abilities is not yet well understood. This study examined associations between intellectual abilities and motor functioning and clinical features associated with motor impairment. Participants were 34 children with C-AIS. Motor functioning was assessed with the Pediatric Stroke Outcome Measure sensorimotor subscale at two timepoints: early recovery (between 30 days post-stroke and 1 year) and closest to time of neuropsychological testing. Intellectual abilities were measured using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children 4th or 5th edition. Motor functioning during early recovery was significantly associated with intellectual functioning, verbal abilities, perceptual reasoning abilities, and processing speed. Motor functioning closest to time of neuropsychological testing was associated with processing speed. There were more children with subcortical lesions with no/mild motor deficit, whereas there were more children with cortical + subcortical lesions with moderate/severe motor deficits. Associations between motor functioning during early stroke recovery and intellectual abilities may be related to neuroplastic changes post-injury, resulting in early motor deficits and affecting subsequent development of intellectual abilities through hierarchical maturational processes, whereas motor functioning closer to neuropsychological testing reflects maturational recovery processes augmented by intervention.

We evaluated the effects of kidney failure etiology, dialysis, and area deprivation index on the subdomains of neurocognitive functioning in pediatric kidney transplant candidates. The study included 78 pediatric kidney transplant candidates (47.4% male, 70.5% White, M.age = 11.77 years, and 51.3% patients have public insurance) who completed a pre-transplant neuropsychological evaluation between 1/1/2010 and 10/31/2022. Linear regression models were employed to complete data analyses. The mean scores of various neurocognitive functioning domains in pediatric kidney transplant candidates were significantly lower than in the general population (ps < .001). After adjusting for covariates, patients with congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (M = 87; 95% CI: 80-94) and other etiologies (M = 82; 95% CI: 76-89) had significantly lower processing speed compared to patients with nephrotic syndrome (M = 98; 95% CI: 89-107) (p = .02). Patients living in high-level deprivation neighborhoods showed significantly lower verbal skills (p = .01), working memory performance (p = .02), and full-scale IQ (p = .03) than patients living in median-level and low-level deprivation neighborhoods. Additionally, dialysis did not show significant association with neurocognitive domains ((ps ranged from .07 to .52).

Children spend most of their waking hours sedentary and reducing this behavior has been challenging. Interrupting prolonged episodes of sedentary behavior with active breaks can provide mental and cognitive health benefits. Considering the multifactorial nature of these health aspects, this study aimed to verify the role of body mass index (BMI), cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), and moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in the relationship between the break in sedentary time with cognitive and mental health in children. This is a cross-sectional study with 129 children (62 boys), aged between 6 and 11 years (mean 8.73 ± 1.53) from a public school in southern Brazil. For the assessment of fluid intelligence, psychologists applied Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices test. Mental health was measured using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Sedentary breaks were measured using accelerometers, and CRF was determined using the 6-min walk test. Generalized linear regression analyses were used to verify associations of sedentary breaks with fluid intelligence and mental health, according to children's BMI, CRF, and MVPA. All models were adjusted for sex, age, somatic maturation, and total time of accelerometer use. Our results indicated that sedentary breaks were associated with fluid intelligence in overweight/obese (β = 0.108; p = 0.021) and physically inactive children (β = 0.083; p = 0.010). Regarding mental health, no association was identified with sedentary breaks. In conclusion, sedentary breaks should be encouraged for the benefits of fluid intelligence, especially in children who do not meet physical activity recommendations and are overweight.

This study evaluates the neuropsychological profiles of three adolescent females with suspected Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The study was conducted at My Blue Side, a support organization in Southern Tenerife. The research included a detailed assessment using standardized neuropsychological tests to identify the neuropsychological characteristics associated with ASD in adolescent females. The primary objective was to delineate the neuropsychological profile of each participant and its relationship with their daily functioning. Three participants underwent a comprehensive neuropsychological assessment incorporating the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R), the Autonomous Scale for the Detection of Asperger Syndrome and High-Functioning Autism, the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-V), the D2 test, Five-Digit Test (FDT), Spain-Complutense Verbal Learning Test (TAVCI), Rey Complex Figure (RCF) and Executive Functioning Questionnaire (EFECO). The study design aimed to provide a thorough understanding of each participant's neuropsychological profile and its potential impact on their daily functioning. The results indicated significant ASD markers across the participants, with substantial variability in neuropsychological capabilities, particularly in working memory and executive functioning. These deficits impacted daily functioning and emotional regulation. The assessments also highlighted challenges in verbal and visual learning, as well as difficulties with spontaneous recall. These findings underscore the need for interventions to consider these neuropsychological characteristics and their relationship with the daily challenges faced by females with ASD and their families, beyond the core symptoms of the disorder.

This study aimed to develop a Persian Reading Comprehension Test (PRCT) and establish its psychometric properties in Persian-speaking students from fourth to sixth grades. 36 texts and 150 questions were created for the PRCT. The texts and questions were reviewed by 11 experts to ensure content validity. Then, the remaining texts and questions were tested on 5 students in Tehran schools to assess face validity. After this, the test's difficulty and discrimination indexes were determined on 30 students. Finally, 12 texts and 40 questions were selected for the test. PRCT was conducted on 295 students with normal reading skills and 16 students with suspected reading disorders (SRD) to evaluate psychometric properties. The results indicated a significant difference in scores of the PRCT across all three educational levels. There was a significant difference between students with normal reading skills and those with SRD (U = 61.5, p < .001, r = .373). The correlation between the total score of the PRCT and the text comprehension subtest of the NEMA was calculated (r = .424, p = .039). The test-retest reliability and Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the PRCT were 0.888 and 0.828, respectively. It appears that the PRCT is a standard test with suitable psychometric properties for evaluating reading comprehension.

Previous research has suggested that children with Nonverbal Learning Disorder (NLD) share similar clinical profiles to those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Three groups of children were identified for the purpose of the current study: NLD (n = 41), ASD (n = 55), and ASD with a NLD profile (n = 17). Children who met DSM-5 criteria for ASD after a neuropsychological evaluation were included in this sample. The NLD group was defined by VSI < VCI, with a minimum of a 15-point discrepancy between indices and average to above average verbal intelligence, whereas children who met DSM-5 criteria for ASD and also demonstrated visual-spatial deficits met criteria for the NLD + ASD group. As anticipated, the ASD group performed better on measures of VSI compared to the NLD and ASD + NLD groups. There was not a significant difference between groups on measures of visuomotor and construction abilities, visual integration, motor processing speed, and academic achievement. No significant differences between groups were found on the CBCL/TRF Social Problems, Attention Problems, or Internalizing/Externalizing Problems scales, indicating similar phenotypes. However, there was a significant difference between groups on the Thought Problems subscale for teacher and parent rating scales. Results corroborate previous research indicating similarities between neuropsychological profiles and suggest that the ASEBA Thought Problems scale may aid in discriminating individuals with ASD from those with NLD.

The present study investigated the effectiveness of a newly developed 8-week meditation program, which included chanting and meditation, on executive functions (EFs) in school-age children. Twenty-five students assigned to an experimental group participated in the meditation program, engaging in daily and weekly activities for 8 weeks. Another 25 students served as a control group and participated in regular school activities. Pretest and posttest assessments included the n-back task for working memory, the go/no-go task for inhibition, and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) for cognitive flexibility. A mixed repeated measures ANOVA was conducted to analyze interaction effects, within-group differences, and between-group differences. The experimental group demonstrated greater improvement compared to the control group across several measures: (1) reaction time in the 1-back task, (2) correct responses in the no-go condition of the go/no-go task, and (3) percentage of correct responses, errors, perseverative errors, non-perseverative errors, perseverative responses, and conceptual level responses in the WCST (p < 0.001). These findings underscore the potential benefits of an 8-week school-based meditation program incorporating chanting and meditation for enhancing EFs in school-age children.