Child Neuropsychology最新文献

Dyscalculia, a specific learning disability in mathematics, is linked to deficits in executive functions, yet integrative studies in Arabic-speaking contexts remain scarce. This study examined working memory, inhibition, and cognitive flexibility collectively in children with dyscalculia. Using 64 children (32 per group), advanced techniques including Ridge regression, PCA, and ROC analysis assessed these functions. Both groups demonstrated average intelligence (Raven's Progressive Matrices), with the dyscalculia group showing profound mathematical deficits across nine arithmetic domains. Significant group differences emerged in all three executive functions (p < .001), with large effect sizes (d = -2.15 to -1.80; r = 0.80), extremely high predictive accuracy (ROC-AUC = 0.999, requiring replication), and significant correlations with mathematical performance (r = .32 to .62, all p < .01). Unexpectedly, no significant mediation was observed (ACME: p > .05), with dyscalculia exerting direct effects, and a significant interaction limited to cognitive flexibility (β = 0.62, p = .043). These findings contribute to understanding executive function architecture in dyscalculia and mark the first integrative analysis in an Arabic-speaking context. Results may support early diagnostic tools and targeted interventions addressing specific executive function deficits, offering potential advancements for educational practices in Arabic-speaking regions, though cross-cultural validation remains essential.

Children with ADHD, autism, and/or IDD often demonstrate EF challenges. Many children with these conditions likely demonstrate overlapping and differing EF presentations and profiles of strengths and difficulties. The extant literature investigating the impact of co-occurring ADHD and IDD on the EF of autistic children is limited and contradictory, potentially due to varying levels of symptom severity, undiagnosed co-occurring ADHD and ID, and overlapping areas of EF. Consequently, we examine how autism symptomology, ADHD symptomology, and cognitive functioning predict the EF of autistic children. Participants were 65 autistic children between the ages of 6 and 17 years and their caregivers. Multilevel modeling was used to determine the impact of ADHD symptom severity, autism symptom severity, and cognitive functioning on the EF of children with autism. Aspects of ADHD symptomology - specifically hyperactivity - and autism symptomology - namely social communication difficulties - had a significant and positive relation with EF functioning. After controlling for hyperactivity and social communication skills, there were significant differences in EF domains with emotion regulation being the most negatively impacted. The severity of ADHD and autism symptoms is positively related to EF difficulties in autistic children. Specifically, greater levels of hyperactivity and social communication difficulties predict more EF challenges. Emotion regulation appears to be the EF skill most impacted. A significant association between cognitive functioning and EF was not found in this sample.

Williams syndrome is caused by a microdeletion of genes on chromosome 7q11.23. It is estimated that 75% of individuals with Williams syndrome meet criteria for intellectual disability. The existing literature, primarily using the Differential Ability Scales, supports a pattern of relative weakness in visuospatial construction and language abilities commensurate with or slightly stronger than overall cognitive functioning. However, it is unclear how cognitive profile patterns are captured by current versions of the Wechsler system of assessment, which is more commonly used in community settings. Further, few longitudinal data on cognitive profiles exist, limiting conclusions about developmental trends. The current study included 59 individuals with Williams syndrome aged 4-24 years assessed with the age-appropriate Wechsler test a median of twice over 3 ± 1.5 years. The results of this study confirmed the profile found in the extant literature, but there was evidence of heterogeneity in relative strengths and weaknesses that necessitates individual evaluation. Careful longitudinal modeling of between- and within-person effects suggested stability of standard scores in all domains. The results of this study inform a developmental understanding of the Williams syndrome cognitive profile and improve the interpretability of research findings for clinical and school settings where the Wechsler system is commonly used.

Worldwide, approximately 1 in 100 children are born with a congenital heart defect, with 25% of those being classified as critical and posing risks for neurocognitive deficits due to cyanosis. Cognitive Disengagement Syndrome (CDS) has yet to be examined in children with critical congenital heart defects (cCHD) despite calls for research in pediatric populations with acquired brain injury and associated deficits. Children with cCHD, ages 9-13, were identified through patient registries and comparison classmates CC were matched after completing sociometric surveys of peer relationships in schools. Caregiver ratings of CDS symptoms and children's self-report of peer interaction and social adjustment were obtained at home visits with both groups (N_cCHD = 108, N_CC = 72). Children with cCHD exhibited greater CDS symptoms than CC (d = 0.31, p = .011). CDS symptoms were associated with peer and self-reports of social difficulty, in particular the experience of peer victimization and fewer reciprocated friendships at school relative to healthy peers. CDS symptoms partially accounted for higher self-reported victimization and social problems in cCHD survivors but did not account for group differences in peer-reported social difficulties. These indirect effects were no longer significant after controlling for parent reports of broader symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Future research is needed to better disentangle the comparative influence of CDS and ADHD symptoms on the psychosocial outcomes of children with cCHD and other chronic conditions involving brain injury and heightened neurodevelopmental risk.

Research consistently shows that autistic children often exhibit cognitive challenges, particularly in executive functions (EFs), since the preschool years. EFs are cognitive abilities that help regulate impulses, manage information, filter distractions, and shift focus between tasks. Various performance-based measures have been developed to assess EFs in autistic children. However, inconsistencies in findings have raised concerns about the ability of traditional EF measures to capture the real-life challenges these children face, largely due to reductionist approaches and the overlooked issue of task impurity. Here, we employed a broader comprehensive battery - the Measures of Executive Attention - to assess EFs in 43 autistic children aged 8-14 years, compared to 43 neurotypicals matched for age, sex, and fluid reasoning index. The results revealed that neurotypicals outperformed autistic children in most tasks. Specifically, autistic children showed lower performance in cognitive flexibility and generative thinking in a graphical task, as well as in working memory capacity under novel and emotionally stressful conditions. However, when fine motor and verbal skills were excluded from the composite score calculation, no group differences emerged in certain tasks, such as visual search and working memory capacity in a familiar exercise. Our findings highlight the importance of assessing executive attention through multidimensional and context-sensitive tools and offer new insights into cognitive variability in autism.

This study examines the direct and indirect effects of working memory on reading comprehension in a sample of 395 Chilean fourth-grade students (Mean age 9.97, SD = 0.51; 46% are females) within the context of Spanish, a transparent orthographic system. Using both linear and non-linear approaches, the research investigates the relation between working memory and reading comprehension, as well as whether this relation is mediated by a set of linguistic variables. The linear component was analyzed using path analysis, and the results showed that working memory has a significant direct effect on reading comprehension, as well as indirect effects through vocabulary, word reading, and reading speed. The indirect effect via vocabulary was the most substantial. The non-linear component was assessed using latent profile analysis, and the results revealed three distinct working memory cognitive profiles defined by child performance, which were associated with significantly different outcomes in reading comprehension and its predictors. These findings suggest that working memory is not only foundational for the development of fluent and meaningful reading but also interacts with language-related skills to support comprehension. The study highlights the importance of considering both inter and intra-individual differences in cognitive functioning to understand better the mechanisms underlying reading development in transparent orthographies.

The growing fields of genetics and neurogenetics have brought increased attention to developmental and epileptic encephalopathies (DEEs), a group of rare epilepsy disorders that span genetic and neurological pathology. Among the genetic causes of DEEs, single-gene variants represent a significant and increasingly recognized category. These variants often lead to complex and distinct clinical presentations, including variable seizure types, neurocognitive profiles, and developmental trajectories. Foundational knowledge about these disorders, including their molecular and cellular etiologies, accompanying clinical symptoms, and developmental trajectories, can better inform neuropsychological practice, especially in guiding test selection and recommendations as well as highlighting limitations for evaluation. The primary objective of this paper is to provide an evidence-based primer on single-gene developmental epileptic encephalopathies for pediatric neuropsychologists working with these growing clinical and research populations. The manuscript begins with a broad overview of definitions relevant to the care of those with single-gene epilepsies. The paper then describes the clinical features and neurocognitive outcomes associated with the eight most common single-gene pediatric-onset epilepsies, which is subsequently followed by a brief overview of 13 additional single-gene pediatric-onset epilepsies. The paper concludes with a summary of the treatment landscape and discusses current considerations for neuropsychological assessment with this population.

This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Swedish version of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function - Second Edition (BRIEF2) across self-, parent-, and teacher-report forms in a gender- and age-balanced community sample of Swedish youth. We examined factor structure, internal consistency, inter-rater reliability, measurement invariance, and age- and gender-related differences in behavioral executive functioning (EF). Participants included 1,257 adolescents (51.8% girls, aged 11-18) who completed the self-report version, 1,340 parents who completed parent reports on their children (46.7% girls, aged 5-18), and 38 teachers who provided teacher reports for 510 adolescents (58.4% girls, aged 13-18). Results supported the original three-factor model (Behavioral, Emotional, and Cognitive Regulation) across all informants, although model fit was somewhat weaker for teacher ratings. Internal consistency ranged from acceptable to excellent. Measurement invariance across age and gender was largely supported, though some scalar non-invariance was observed. Patterns of age- and gender-related differences varied by informant. Specifically, adolescents reported more EF difficulties with increasing age, whereas parents and teachers reported fewer EF difficulties in older youth. Girls self-reported greater EF difficulties, while parents and teachers generally rated girls as having less difficulty - except in the domain of Emotional Control. However, all observed gender and age differences across informants were small in magnitude. Overall, the findings support the Swedish BRIEF2 as having solid psychometric properties across the self-, parent-, and teacher-report forms. However, minor structural inconsistencies, informant discrepancies, the small teacher sample, and signs of item redundancy suggest areas for future improvement and refinement.

Purpose: The Preschool Activity Ranking (PACS) is a tool that measures preschool children's activity participation by focusing on the frequency and extent of their participation. This study aims to assess the validity and reliability of the Preschool Activity Card Sort (PACS) by conducting a Turkish cultural adaptation of the scale in children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Methods: This study was conducted with a prospective cross-sectional study design. Participants included parents of 70 children with ASD (study group) and 27 typically developing children (control group) aged between 3 and 6 years old. Validity was analyzed using construct validity, while reliability was examined through internal consistency and test-retest methods.

Results: Results showed that the control group scored significantly higher than the study group in all sub-scales of the PACS (p < 0.01). Additionally, a statistically significant correlation was found between the PACS and the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) in all sub-domains except for the household chores sub-domain. The PACS demonstrated high internal consistency (Cronbach Alpha's = 0.94) and excellent time invariance ICC coefficients for the self-care, social mobility, leisure time (low physical requirement), social interaction, housework, and education sub-domains. For the leisure time (high physical requirement) subdomain, the PACS demonstrated good reliability (ICC = 0.85).

Conclusion: Overall, the Turkish version of the PACS was found to be a valid and reliable tool for evaluating activity participation in children with ASD.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is associated with disinhibition, impulsivity, and other sequelae which may make adolescent TBI survivors more likely to engage in health risk behaviors though this has not yet been comprehensively investigated. Extant literature on TBI-related health risk behaviors is limited by a dearth of studies on adolescents, reliance on self-report of TBI, lack of an orthopedic injury (OI) control group, and the fact that TBI's effects on various health risk behavior domains are generally examined separately. The current study clarifies the impact of TBI on health risk behaviors among adolescents, specifically those related to 1) unintentional injury and violence (including aggression- and suicide-related behaviors); 2) tobacco use; and 3) alcohol and other drug use in an analytic sample of 74 adolescents (n = 43 for youth with a complicated mild to severe TBI, n = 31 for youth with an OI). Results indicate youth with a TBI exhibited more suicide-related health risk behaviors at 12-month follow-up (F = 6.063; p = .016; η_p² = .079), as well as a nonsignificant trend toward greater marijuana use (F = 3.747; p = .057; η_p² = .050), compared to youth with an OI while controlling for age. Youth with an OI exhibited greater increases in violence and victimization over the 12-month post-injury period compared to youth with a TBI (F = 4.243; p = .044; η_p² = .067) while controlling for age. Interventions to reduce psychological distress and improve social connectedness, problem-solving, coping, and emotion regulation skills may be most relevant for youth who receive a TBI. Emotion regulation and anger management skills may be relevant for youth who receive an OI.