MedWorm.com provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest items from the 'Child Neuropsychology' source. Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:37:36 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5599612&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22235979%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Caspersen ID, Habekost T Abstract Spina bifida myelomeningocele (SBM) is a neural tube defect that has been related to deficits in several cognitive domains including attention. Attention function in children with SBM has often been studied using tasks that are confounded by complex motor demands or tasks that do not clearly distinguish perceptual from response-related components of attention. We used a verbal-report paradigm based on the Theory of Visual Attention ( Bundesen, 1990 ) and a new continuous performance test, the Dual Attention to Response Task ( Dockree et al., 2006 ), for measuring parameters of selective and sustained attention in 6 children with SBM and 18 healthy control children. The two tasks had minimal motor demands, were functionally specific and wer... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5599612 Wed, 11 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5599612 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5571300&cid=s_38275_122_f&fid=38275&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.drjonathanreed.co.uk%2Fwordpress%2F2012%2F01%2F5-apps-that-help-improve-motor-co-ordination-whilst-having-fun%2F Motor co-ordination is a key factor in development and also seems to be important for general brain regulation and development – see previous post. The i-phone and i-pad devices are unique in that they allow you to interact with games and programmes using movement and touch.  They have the potential in my opinion to develop and reinforce motor-co-ordination.  I have chosen 5 apps that I think particularly focus on key aspects of motor  co-ordination.  Games in particular are a fun way of developing skills- they are designed to engage and encourage repetitive play (practice) and all the ones I have chosen start off easy and build in difficulty over time.    Also the apps I have chosen are beautifully designed, often with a good soundtrack and most appeal to adults and children a... Child Neuropsychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5571300 Thu, 05 Jan 2012 16:08:40 +0100 5571300 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5533872&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22176162%26dopt%3DAbstract This study examines the processing of prosodic cues to linguistic structure and to affect, drawing on fMRI and behavioral data from 16 high-functioning adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and 11 typically developing controls. Stimuli were carefully matched on pitch, intensity, and duration, while varying systematically in conditions of affective prosody (angry versus neutral speech) and grammatical prosody (questions versus statement). To avoid conscious attention to prosody, which normalizes responses in young people with ASD, the implicit comprehension task directed attention to semantic aspects of the stimuli. Results showed that when perceiving prosodic cues, both affective and grammatical, activation of neural regions was more generalized in ASD than in typical developmen... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5533872 Mon, 19 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5533872 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5533873&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22176123%26dopt%3DAbstract Conclusion: SCD patients in Cameroon presented a very high prevalence of cognitive deficits, with a specific impairment of executive functions and attention. Routine neuropsychological evaluation for early detection of cognitive deficits in SCD patients could represent a cost-effective tool to implement in resource-limited contexts such as in sub-Saharan Africa. PMID: 22176123 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Child Neuropsychology) Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5533873 Fri, 16 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5533873 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5533876&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22145764%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Martínez-Castilla P, Sotillo M, Campos R Abstract Although absolute pitch (AP) is a rare skill in typical development, individuals with Williams syndrome (WS) are often referred to as possessing this musical ability. However, there is paucity of research on the topic. In this article, 2 studies were conducted to evaluate AP in WS. In Study 1, seven musically trained individuals with WS, 14 musically trained typically developing controls matched for chronological age, and 2 experienced musicians with AP completed a pitch-identification task. Although the task was a classical assessment of AP, it required participants to have musical knowledge, and the availability and accessibility of musically trained individuals with WS is very low. In Study 2, a paradigm suitable for ev... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5533876 Tue, 06 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5533876 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5533875&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22145793%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Allman C, Scott RB Abstract Aim: The distribution and quality of brain recovery following pediatric arterial ischemic stroke remains controversial. The literature suggests that age at stroke may be an important modulator of neuropsychological outcome, with reports inferring either greater vulnerability or plasticity in the nascent brain. Our aim was to investigate neuropsychological outcomes following pediatric stroke in a clinical sample with reference to age at lesion, lesion laterality, elapsed time from stroke to assessment, and persistent neurological sequelae. Methods: Using comprehensive neuropsychological assessment batteries, we investigated retrospectively a large (n = 44) and evenly distributed group of children who had ischemic stroke during "infancy" (1 ... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5533875 Tue, 06 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5533875 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5533874&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22145814%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Ou X, Snow JH, Byerley AK, Hall JJ, Glasier CM Abstract We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to evaluate functional activity in the brain of adolescents with spina bifida when performing selective attention and response inhibition tasks. We then compared the results to that of age-matched controls. Our results showed that adolescents with spina bifida had decreased frontal and superior parietal activation and more apparently low involvement of left brain hemisphere during these tasks. Our results indicated activation deficits and possibly abnormal functional organization in adolescents with spina bifida and associated pathologies such as hydrocephalus. PMID: 22145814 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Child Neuropsychology) Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5533874 Tue, 06 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5533874 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5533879&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22122351%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Sue Baron I, Kerns KA, Müller U, Ahronovich MD, Litman FR Abstract Executive function (EF) refers to fundamental capacities that underlie more complex cognition and have ecological relevance across the individual's lifespan. However, emerging executive functions have rarely been studied in young preterm children (age 3) whose critical final stages of fetal development are interrupted by their early birth. We administered four novel touch-screen computerized measures of working memory and inhibition to 369 participants born between 2004 and 2006 (52 Extremely Low Birth Weight [ELBW]; 196 late preterm; 121 term-born). ELBW performed worse than term-born on simple and complex working memory and inhibition tasks and had the highest percentage of incomplete performance on a co... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5533879 Mon, 28 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5533879 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5533878&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22122383%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Noland JS, Rodrigues NP Abstract Current interpretation of the object retrieval task ( Diamond, 1990 ) as an infant assessment of response inhibition requires evidence that younger infants make more ineffective attempts to retrieve toys through clear barriers. On two 30-second trials, infants (9 or 11 months of age) saw an inaccessible toy in the front or back of a clear box. The location of the infants touches corresponded with the toy's location and, on the second trial, the younger infants touched the box more. In previous research nonhuman primates with orbital-frontal, but not dorsa-lateral, lesions also made ineffective barrier touches. The current developmental decreases in barrier touches may selectively tap developmental increases in inhibitory control supported b... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5533878 Mon, 28 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5533878 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5533877&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22122432%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Palladino P, Ferrari M Abstract The study aimed to test whether working memory deficits in children at risk of Learning Disabilities (LD) and/or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can be attributed to deficits in interference control, thereby implicating prefrontal systems. Two groups of children known for showing poor working memory (i.e., children with poor comprehension and children with ADHD) were compared to a group of children with specific reading decoding problems (i.e., having severe problems in phonological rather than working memory) and to a control group. All children were tested with a verbal working memory task. Interference control of irrelevant items was examined by a lexical decision task presented immediately after the final recall in about... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5533877 Mon, 28 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5533877 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5455529&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22117760%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Alderson RM, Rapport MD, Kasper LJ, Sarver DE, Kofler MJ Abstract Contemporary models of ADHD hypothesize that hyperactivity reflects a byproduct of inhibition deficits. The current study investigated the relationship between children's motor activity and behavioral inhibition by experimentally manipulating demands placed on the limited-resource inhibition system. Twenty-two boys (ADHD = 11, TD = 11) between the ages of 8 and 12 years completed a conventional stop-signal task, two choice-task variants (no-tone, ignore-tone), and control tasks while their motor activity was measured objectively by actigraphs placed on their nondominant wrist and ankles. All children exhibited significantly higher activity rates under all three experimental tasks relative to control conditio... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5455529 Mon, 28 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5455529 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5455528&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22117818%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Mejias S, Mussolin C, Rousselle L, Grégoire J, Noel MP Abstract There are currently multiple explanations for mathematical learning disabilities (MLD). The present study focused on those assuming that MLD are due to a basic numerical deficit affecting the ability to represent and to manipulate number magnitude ( Butterworth, 1999 , 2005 ; A. J. Wilson & Dehaene, 2007 ) and/or to access that number magnitude representation from numerical symbols ( Rousselle & Noël, 2007 ). The present study provides an original contribution to this issue by testing MLD children (carefully selected on the basis of preserved abilities in other domains) on numerical estimation tasks with contrasting symbolic (Arabic numerals) and nonsymbolic (collection of dots) numbers used as input... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5455528 Mon, 28 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5455528 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5455530&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22114955%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Irner TB Abstract Background: The impacts of maternal substance use have been observed in both research and clinical experience. Several studies have shown that preschool children are at heightened risk of developing various cognitive, behavioral, and socioemotional difficulties. Most knowledge has been generated concerning alcohol consumption during pregnancy and the postnatal effects thereof. Less is known about substance use other than alcohol (for instance, opiates, marijuana, and cocaine) during pregnancy and the long-term developmental consequences. Objective: The aims of this review are to identify relevant published data on adolescents who have been exposed in utero to alcohol and/or other substances and to examine developmental consequences across functions and m... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5455530 Fri, 25 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5455530 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5455531&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22111593%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Klotz JM, Johnson MD, Wu SW, Isaacs KM, Gilbert DL Abstract Slower and more variable reaction times to computerized tasks have been documented in children diagnosed with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Recent research supports a role for attentional lapses in generating abnormally variable and slow responses. However, given the association between ADHD and impairments in motor control, we hypothesized that slower or more variable reaction times might also correlate with motor development. The aim of this case-control study was to explore the relationship between motor function, reaction speed and variability, and ADHD. After comprehensive educational and clinical assessments, motor skill development was evaluated in 35 children ages 9 to 14 (19 with ADHD) ... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5455531 Thu, 24 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5455531 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5455532&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22103451%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Rackley C, Allen DN, Fuhrman LJ, Mayfield J Abstract The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, 4th edition (WISC-IV) is often used to assess children with traumatic brain injury (TBI); although limited information is available regarding its psychometric properties in these children. Two recent reports suggest that the Perceptual Reasoning Index is not uniquely sensitive to TBI, which differs from the Perceptual Organization Index of the WISC-III. The current study examined WISC-IV profiles in two independently gathered samples of children with TBI. Examination of profiles indicated similarities between the current findings and those reported in other studies, in that the greatest deficits were present on the Processing Speed Index and its component subtests of Coding a... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5455532 Tue, 22 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5455532 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5419443&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22059590%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: PMID: 22059590 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Child Neuropsychology) Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5419443 Tue, 01 Nov 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5419443 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5419442&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22059591%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: PMID: 22059591 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Child Neuropsychology) Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5419442 Tue, 01 Nov 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5419442 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5419441&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22059592%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: PMID: 22059592 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Child Neuropsychology) Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5419441 Tue, 01 Nov 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5419441 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5419440&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22059593%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: PMID: 22059593 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Child Neuropsychology) Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5419440 Tue, 01 Nov 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5419440 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5344667&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21999484%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: de Jong CG, Licht R, Sergeant JA, Oosterlaan J Abstract In order to achieve further insight into the comorbidity of reading disorder (RD) and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), lexical processing and rapid naming were studied in RD and ADHD. The Dual Route Cascaded model postulates that lexical processing contains two parallel processes: lexical route processing and sublexical route processing. An orthographic decision task and a phonological decision task were used to measure lexical and sublexical route processing, respectively. In addition, a rapid naming task was used to compare 27 children with RD, 18 children with ADHD, 20 children with ADHD+RD, and 29 controls. RD and ADHD shared impairments in accuracy of orthographic and phonological decision making ... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5344667 Mon, 17 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5344667 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5296660&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21970723%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Drury H, Channon S, Barrett R, Young MB, Stern JS, Simmons H, Crawford S Abstract Tourette's syndrome (TS) is predominantly a childhood disorder, with many of those who meet diagnostic criteria in childhood experiencing a remission of symptoms in adulthood. This indicates that the influence of TS on cognitive and emotional processing can best be understood by examining performance in both adults and children with TS. The present study examined emotional processing using a battery of face and prosody tasks with increasing levels of difficulty (same-different emotion discrimination, emotion naming, and emotion naming with conflict for prosody only). Experiment 1 compared the performance of children with TS-alone (n = 16) or TS+ADHD (n = 15) to healthy matched control... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5296660 Wed, 05 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5296660 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5296669&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21961875%26dopt%3DAbstract This report is aimed at showing the psychometric properties of the Catalan version of it. To do this, a random cluster sampling was carried out in Osona (Catalonia), recruiting 417 teachers and 408 parents of children aged 3 to 6 years. As with the original instrument, results show that reliability is excellent and that girls have a better EF than boys in the following areas: Working Memory, Plan/Organize, and Inhibit. Since in some areas Catalonia's preschool children show EF values slightly better than those of the reference sample, a new scale for using it in this population is provided. PMID: 21961875 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Child Neuropsychology) Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5296669 Mon, 03 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5296669 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5296668&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21961902%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Macallister WS, Bender HA, Whitman L, Welsh A, Keller S, Granader Y, Sherman EM Abstract Children and adolescents with epilepsy are known to demonstrate executive function dysfunction, including working memory deficits and planning deficits. Accordingly, assessing specific executive function skills is important when evaluating these individuals. The present investigation examined the utility of two measures of executive functions-the Tower of London and the Behavioral Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning (BRIEF)-in a pediatric epilepsy sample. Ninety clinically referred children and adolescents with seizures were included. Both the Tower of London and BRIEF identified executive dysfunction in these individuals, but only the Tower of London variables showed significant... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5296668 Mon, 03 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5296668 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5296667&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21961936%26dopt%3DAbstract This study sought to compare nonverbal learning and recall in children born extremely low birth weight (ELBW; <1000 g) and less than 33 gestational weeks (GW) with term-born children at early school age using a recently developed and adapted test. We administered a modification of the Hopkins Board to 210 children at age six; 84 born ELBW (35 born < 26 GW; 49 born 26-33 GW) and 126 term-born. Six measures were obtained: naming, trials-to-criterion, errors-to-criterion, delayed item recall, delayed location recall, and percent retention. After age correction, ELBW children had worse general cognition, item naming, delayed item recall, delayed location recall, and percent retention than term-born children. Delayed item recall and percent retention performances of ELBW children remained... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5296667 Mon, 03 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5296667 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5296666&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21961955%26dopt%3DAbstract Conclusion:Cognitive and performance evaluations indicate lower executive function among children with SCD. Results substantiate the need for evaluative triangulation for children with SCD: Neurocognitive testing supported by performance testing, and adult reflection of a child's daily performance compared to other children. These elements will provide rich data to create educational support for children with SCD who have frequent hospitalizations, school absences, and the potential presence of cerebral vascular accident symptomology. PMID: 21961955 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Child Neuropsychology) Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5296666 Mon, 03 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5296666 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5296665&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21961993%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Kelly NC, Ammerman RT, Rausch JR, Ris MD, Yeates KO, Oppenheimer SG, Enrile BG Abstract Children and adolescents with spina bifida are at risk for poor neuropsychological functioning and psychological outcomes. The relationship between executive functioning and psychological adjustment is an area worthy of investigation in this population. The current study assessed executive functioning and psychological outcomes in a group of children and adolescents with spina bifida (SBM) (n = 51) and nondisabled controls (n = 45). A mediation model was hypothesized, such that Metacognition, as measured by the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF), mediated the relationship between group status (spina bifida versus nondisabled controls) and psychological outco... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5296665 Mon, 03 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5296665 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5296664&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21962025%26dopt%3DAbstract In conclusion, this study indicates that verbal memory is preserved in children with ADHD if they have no LD and their intelligence is in the normal range or above. LD by itself leads to difficulties in acquisition, but the combination of ADHD+LD leads to additional impairment in retrieval processes. PMID: 21962025 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Child Neuropsychology) Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5296664 Mon, 03 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5296664 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5296663&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21962079%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Di Filippo G, Zoccolotti P Abstract The general goal of the study was to identify global and specific components in developmental dyslexia using various manipulations based on the rapid automatization paradigm (RAN). In two experiments, we used both factor analysis and the Rate-and-Amount Model to verify if one (or more) global factor(s) and a variety of specific effects contribute to the naming (and visual search) deficits in children with dyslexia. Results of Experiment 1 indicated the presence of three global components: pictorial naming, detailed orthographic analysis, and visual search. Pictorial naming is predicated by typical RAN tasks (such as naming colors or objects), independent of set size, but also from a variety of other tasks including Stroop interference c... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5296663 Mon, 03 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5296663 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5296662&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21967554%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Swanson HL Abstract Adolescents (ages 14-17) with math disabilities (MD, n = 12), reading disabilities (RD, n = 19), math + reading disabilities (MD+RD, n = 12), and average achievers (n = 15) were compared on measures of visual-spatial processing, random generation (inhibition), writing speed, short-term memory (STM), and working memory (WM). Adolescents with MD performed significantly lower than adolescents with RD on measures of visual-spatial processing and visual WM. Adolescents with MD outperformed adolescents with RD +MD on measures of random generation and motor speed. Performance of all three low-achieving groups was inferior to average achievers on measures of random generation, motor speed, and verbal WM. The results were interpreted within a mul... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5296662 Mon, 03 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5296662 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5296661&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21967603%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Wheeler SM, Stevens SA, Sheard ED, Rovet JF Abstract Prenatal exposure to alcohol may lead to a range of neurobehavioral effects, including impaired learning and memory. Although children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) exhibit both verbal and nonverbal memory impairments, their memory for faces has not been as thoroughly investigated and the extent literature provides inconsistent results. The aim of the current study was to determine whether difficulties in face memory exist in children with FASD and whether the difficulties are mediated by task demands. To address this, we used two measures of immediate and delayed facial recognition memory, the Children's Memory Scale (CMS) and Test of Memory and Learning (TOMAL). Compared to typically developing controls,... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5296661 Mon, 03 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5296661 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5296659&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21961832%26dopt%3DAbstract This study aimed to describe attention and social functioning in children with two types of EBI: malformations of cortical development (MCD) and stroke. Children diagnosed with MCD (n = 14, 6 males) or stroke (n = 14, 8 males) aged 8 to 14 years (M = 12 years 11 months) completed neuropsychological assessments to examine attention processes. Primary caregivers completed a questionnaire to assess executive components of children's attention and teachers completed a questionnaire to measure children's social functioning. Brain scans (MRI or CT) were coded by a pediatric neuroradiologist. Higher rates of impairments in attention and social function were found in children with EBI compared with normative expectations. Children with MCD experienced more global and clinically signifi... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5296659 Mon, 03 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5296659 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5279030&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21954988%26dopt%3DAbstract This article provides a brief overview of the impact, nature, screening, and treatment for childhood sleep problems, with a particular emphasis on issues relevant to practicing neuropsychologists. PMID: 21954988 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Child Neuropsychology) Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5279030 Wed, 28 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5279030 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5279051&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21942637%26dopt%3DAbstract This study investigates the relationship between self-reported CM and an executive function, cognitive flexibility, in adolescents without identified psychiatric disorders. Effects of physical and emotional, abuse and neglect, maltreatment subtypes were explored. Thirty adolescents ages 12-17 years, 50% females, completed the retrospective self-report Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) and were administered the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). Correlational analyses assessed the relationship between WCST perseverative error scores norm-referenced for age and education with CTQ total scores. The relationship with nonperseverative errors, as well as with physical and emotional abuse and neglect CM subscores, were explored. Total CTQ scores showed significant associations with perseverat... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5279051 Mon, 26 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5279051 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5279050&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21942653%26dopt%3DAbstract This study evaluated whether receiving developmentally appropriate feedback in the form of individualized fables would affect how children and their parents reported experiencing a neuropsychological assessment. Participants were 32 children who underwent a neuropsychological assessment, along with one of their parents. The evaluation process, including the provision of parent feedback, was standard for the setting, a private practice of neuropsychology. The only addition was the provision of child feedback through a fable, given to the experimental group prior to the collection of research measures and to the comparison group after the collection of research data. Multivariate and univariate statistics were used to test differences between the two groups. Results indicated that children i... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5279050 Mon, 26 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5279050 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5279032&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21942695%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Soria C, Escolano S, El Sabbagh S, Chmura S, Bulteau C, Chiron C, Dellatolas G Abstract In cognitively impaired or young children with epilepsy, only proxy-report can be used for the assessment of Quality of Life (QOL) and behavior. The present study aims to propose proxy QOL tools applicable in all children with epilepsy and to examine the impact of epilepsy characteristics (e.g., age of onset of epilepsy, epilepsy syndrome) and child's age and situation (in mainstream school or in special institution). We studied 219 children with various types of epilepsy with and without cognitive impairment. The study adapted published QOL scales and used a new parental QOL questionnaire. Selected items concerned 6 "domains" of QOL: global QOL, illness impact, depression/anxiety, hype... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5279032 Mon, 26 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5279032 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5279031&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21942734%26dopt%3DAbstract In conclusion, working memory for common verbal items is impaired in children with RD; however, performance can be facilitated, and learning efficiency maximized, when information is presented visually. The results provide further evidence for the pictorial superiority hypothesis and the theory that pictorial presentation of verbal stimuli is adequate for dual coding. PMID: 21942734 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Child Neuropsychology) Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5279031 Mon, 26 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5279031 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5229739&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21919558%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Hutchinson E, Bavin E, Efron D, Sciberras E Abstract The association between specific language impairment (SLI), attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and working memory (WM) was examined. WM has been implicated in language acquisition and models of ADHD; however, evidence for WM deficits in SLI and ADHD has been inconsistent. The components of Baddeley's WM model were investigated in 18 children with SLI, 16 children with ADHD, 11 children with comorbid SLI+ADHD, and 24 typically developing (TD) children. The presence of SLI resulted in deficits in more components of WM than the presence of ADHD indicating that children with SLI are more vulnerable to WM deficits than those with ADHD. PMID: 21919558 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Child Neurops... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5229739 Thu, 15 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5229739 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5192627&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21879997%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Rourke B PMID: 21879997 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Child Neuropsychology) Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5192627 Wed, 31 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5192627 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5157203&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21859368%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Sobeh J, Spijkers W Abstract We administered the German Test-battery of Attention Performance (KITAP) to Arab children living in Syria (N = 143, 5-11 years) in order to assess the influence of age and gender on different dimensions of attention. The results demonstrate the validity of cross-cultural application of KITAP with Syrian school-aged children. The influence of age was more evident on speed of performance than on quality of performance, with rapid, general improvement until the age of 9 years. Some attention functions like alertness and inhibitory control seemed to be developed earlier than other functions like, flexibility, distractibility, and divided attention. Gender-related differences were observed in some subtests: Boys had faster reaction times but mad... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5157203 Mon, 22 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5157203 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5051869&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21756183%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Tuminello ER, Holmbeck GN, Olson R The current study was part of a larger longitudinal investigation and examined the relation of parent-report and performance measures of executive functioning (EF) with measures of behavioral and emotional autonomy and parental intrusiveness in adolescents with and without spina bifida (SB; n = 65 in a comparison sample and 61 in an SB sample; M age = 14.55, SD = 0.63). For both groups, higher levels of parent-reported EF problems predicted higher levels of observed child dependency and lower levels of teacher-reported intrinsic motivation. Higher scores on performance EF measures predicted lower levels of observed child dependency and observed maternal intrusiveness for both groups. In adolescents with SB only, higher performance EF scores p... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5051869 Thu, 14 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5051869 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5051870&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21756078%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Munck P, Niemi P, Väliaho A, Lapinleimu H, Lehtonen L, Haataja L, The Pipari Study Group Our objective was to study the prereading skills of very-low-birth-weight (VLBW; ≤ 1500 g) prematurely born children at the age of five years. A regional cohort of 89 VLBW children and 152 full-term (FT) born children was assessed for letter knowledge, phonological processing, and speeded naming. Full-scale IQ (FSIQ) was assessed using a short version of WPPSI-R. The associations of parental and neonatal factors, and FSIQ with prereading skills were assessed. VLBW group had poorer prereading skills, and there were more VLBW children at-risk (performing < -1 SD) compared to FT children in phonological processing (23% vs. 9%, p = .002), letter knowledge (27% vs. 14%, p = .017), and th... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5051870 Wed, 13 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5051870 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5006584&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21714751%26dopt%3DAbstract This study reported test-retest reliability for a newly developed executive function battery designed for use in early childhood. A total of 140 predominantly low-income children (M = 48.1 months; 51% male; 43% African American) completed up to six tasks on two occasions an average of 18 (Mdn = 16) days apart. Pearson correlations between individual task scores indicated moderate retest reliability (mean r = .60; range = .52-.66) similar to that observed in other retest studies of executive function in preschool, school-aged, and adult samples. In contrast, confirmatory factor analyses of performance on the task battery across time indicated high retest reliability (ϕ = .95) that was identical to that observed in a recent study that used an identical method involving a... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5006584 Wed, 29 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5006584 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4953143&cid=s_38275_122_f&fid=38275&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.drjonathanreed.co.uk%2Fwordpress%2F2011%2F06%2Fachieving-total-memory-recall%2F We presently have lots of digital recording devices including, cameras, voice recorders, word processors, emails, answering machines, scanners, PDA’s etc, that can encode information into a virtual memory.   We have very large storage capacity in the case of hard drives (you can now store vast amounts of information even on mobile devices quite cheaply) that can act as a memory store.  In terms of memory retrieval we have sophisticated search engines either on the web or built into computers to find what we need to remember.  This is the first time in history that all three components of digital memory- encoding, storage and retrieval are available in such a cheap and easy to use way. The implications for this are potentially huge.  In terms of personal enhancement it should be p... Child Neuropsychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4953143 Mon, 20 Jun 2011 17:29:13 +0100 4953143 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4902551&cid=s_38275_122_f&fid=38275&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.drjonathanreed.co.uk%2Fwordpress%2F2011%2F06%2F10-computer-games-that-are-good-for-your-brain%2F Children and adults learn and develop through play.  I am a great believer that playing computer games as well as being fun can be good for your brain.  I have therefore created a list of 10 great games that I think require very specific areas of neuropsychological function to play.  Some even have research to show that they can change brain and neuropsychological function. These games are for a range of different ages and come in different formats.  Let me know of others that could be included in the list. 1 Portal 2 (PC/Mac) Probably one of my favourite games.  Portal 2 requires good executive function (associated with frontal areas of brain).  In particular you need to be able to problems solve and plan ahead in this game.  Also it is a beautifully designed game, showing what co... Child Neuropsychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4902551 Mon, 06 Jun 2011 19:12:25 +0100 4902551 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4911943&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21623483%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Loosli SV, Buschkuehl M, Perrig WJ, Jaeggi SM The goal of this study was to investigate whether a brief cognitive training intervention results in a specific performance increase in the trained task, and whether there are transfer effects to other nontrained measures. A computerized, adaptive working memory intervention was conducted with 9- to 11-year-old typically developing children. The children considerably improved their performance in the trained working memory task. Additionally, compared to a matched control group, the experimental group significantly enhanced their reading performance after training, providing further evidence for shared processes between working memory and reading. PMID: 21623483 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Child Neuropsychology... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4911943 Thu, 26 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4911943 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4853016&cid=s_38275_122_f&fid=38275&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.drjonathanreed.co.uk%2Fwordpress%2F2011%2F05%2Fwhat-makes-a-good-educational-ipad-app%2F I am really excited about the prospects of using the ipad to help children learn.  As I have previously discussed there are some important advantages in using the ipad, especially with younger children and children who find learning difficult.  I am developing games on the ipad to help learning and rehabilitation (see Nutty Numbers).   I am also clinically involved in rehabilitation and looking to find ways to help children with neurological conditions.   As a result I have looked in detail at what sort of apps are available.     My impression from studying the itunes educational app charts and trying out various games is that there is generally a lack of good quality educational apps that I could recommend.   Although I want to promote my own apps, I would also like to recommend ap... Child Neuropsychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4853016 Sun, 22 May 2011 15:19:19 +0100 4853016 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4804889&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21557119%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Thomas E, Reeve R, Fredrickson A, Maruff P A computerized hidden pathway maze-learning task was used to examine the development of spatial memory and executive functions in 6- to 9-year-olds. Pathway length was manipulated to investigate the impact of increases in maze matrix size on these abilities. Analysis showed that maze matrix size (and ipso facto pathway length) and age interacted to affect executive functions but not spatial memory. Executive errors differed as a function of age on the most difficult maze. Results are discussed in terms of factors affecting the development of executive functions and spatial memory. PMID: 21557119 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Child Neuropsychology) Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4804889 Sun, 08 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4804889 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4775495&cid=s_38275_122_f&fid=38275&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.drjonathanreed.co.uk%2Fwordpress%2F2011%2F05%2Fhow-to-improve-memory%2F Neuropsychologists have studied memory for a long time.   We have a clear system of memory classification involving declarative memory which includes episodic memory (memory for events) and semantic memory (memory for facts) and non declarative memory which includes more implicit systems such as procedural memory, classical conditioning and priming.  The neurological substrates of this system are understood.  Numerous case studies of individuals with brain injury and memory disturbance have been reported.   The whole enterprise is best summarised by one of the leading researchers Larry Squire in this excellent paper Memory and brain systems 1969-2009 . Yet despite all this knowledge I struggle to see the relevance for the many children I see with memory and learning difficulties.  I w... Child Neuropsychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4775495 Mon, 02 May 2011 16:49:17 +0100 4775495 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4804890&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21526441%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: van der Meere J, Borger N, Pirila S The aim of the present study is to investigate visual orientation in hospitalized boys with severe early onset conduct disorder and borderline intellectual functioning. It is tested whether boys with the dual diagnosis have a stronger action-oriented response style to visual-cued go signals than the norm. To this end, boys with the dual diagnosis were compared with a peer control group on Posner's (1980) visual-spatial detection test. Here, on each trial, a visual cue points either in the direction of the location of a subsequent go signal (valid cue), or points in the opposite direction away from the location of the subsequent go signal (invalid cue). Findings indicated superior orientation (a strong action-oriented response style) of child... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4804890 Tue, 26 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4804890 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4747752&cid=s_38275_122_f&fid=38275&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.drjonathanreed.co.uk%2Fwordpress%2F2011%2F04%2Fthe-return-of-the-unconscious-mind%2F The founding father of psychology Sigmund Freud was fascinated by the unconscious mind and made this the centre of his study and practice.  The role of the unconscious in psychology quickly fell out of fashion.  This was because it could not be measured or easily understood.  Initially behaviourism became dominant, based on the objective analysis of observable behaviour.  Later the focus in psychology shifted to studying cognition – the study of thought processes.  Both areas resulted to different psychological therapies for example,  Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), and different ways of understanding learning.  Over the last decade or so neuropsychology has started to emerge.  Neuropsychology focuses on the relationship between the brain and behaviour (including cogniti... Child Neuropsychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4747752 Sun, 24 Apr 2011 12:13:54 +0100 4747752 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4804891&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21500114%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Sauzeon H, Dejos M, Lestage P, Arvind Pala P, N'kaoua B The present study addressed contradictory results in childhood literature about conceptual priming. Based on the processing view, two forms of conceptual priming were investigated across two experiments in children aged from 7 to 16: associative priming (using the free-association test) and relational (categorical) priming (using the categorical exemplar generation test) as well as their explicit memory measure counterparts (the associative-cued recall and the category-cued recall). Experiment 1 compared age differences in associative and relational (categorical) priming. Experiment 2 focused on relational (categorical) priming with manipulations of blocked/unblocked words per category. The results showed that (a) associa... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4804891 Thu, 14 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4804891 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4699036&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21480011%26dopt%3DAbstract This article reviews the literature on the cognitive development of children born to mothers in opioid maintenance therapy. Topics discussed are the effects of prenatal exposure on prematurity, somatic growth, brain volume, myelination, and the endocrine and neurotransmitter system. Social-environmental factors, including parental functioning, as well as genetic factors are also described. Areas requiring further research are identified. PMID: 21480011 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Child Neuropsychology) Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4699036 Wed, 06 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4699036 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4699035&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21480012%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Oberg E, Lukomski J The impact of deafness on a child's rated executive functioning behaviors and performance capabilities on neurological, cognitive, and achievement domains were examined in a sample of 22 deaf students (ages 5 to 18). The parent and teacher ratings on the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) showed significant positive correlations (p < .01) on six of the eight clinical scales. There were significant correlations between the BRIEF reports and the students' scores on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, the (Children's) Color Trails Test, and the Woodcock-Johnson: Writing Fluency subtest. The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test: Total Errors scale and the Writing Fluency subtest accounted for 70% variance of the parent BRIEF Global Executive Composi... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4699035 Wed, 06 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4699035 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4699034&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21480013%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Riggs NR, Spruijt-Metz D, Chou CP, Pentz MA A common factor related to both substance use and obesity is neuropsychological function. Executive cognitive function (ECF) is an overarching construct that represents individual neurocognitive skills involved in self-regulated, problem-solving, and goal-directed health behavior. The current study investigates cross-sectional associations among ECF and substance use, food intake, physical activity, and sedentary behavior in fourth grade children. Participants included 1,587, fourth grade children assessed at baseline of a school-based obesity prevention program entitled Pathways to Health. General linear models demonstrated that after covarying for other important factors, ECF proficiency was negatively associated with substance use... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4699034 Wed, 06 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4699034 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4699038&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21452088%26dopt%3DAbstract This study explored a potential relationship between the number of negative stressful life events and hippocampus-dependent declarative but not hippocampus-independent procedural memory performance in a community sample of 255 children, aged 6-12 years. The findings revealed that negative stressful life events were negatively related to verbal declarative memory, but not to nonverbal declarative and procedural memory. The memory impairments could not be accounted for by attention and sleep disturbances, and parenting characteristics as perceived by the child did not influence the vulnerability for the stress-related memory impairments. These findings provide further insight into the deleterious effects of negative stressful life events on learning in school-aged children. PMID: 2145208... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4699038 Tue, 29 Mar 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4699038 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4699037&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21462003%26dopt%3DAbstract This article presents a critical review of the term and concept of nonverbal learning disability (NLD). After a brief historical introduction, the article focuses on the apparent rarity of NLD; the hypothesis of the frequent co-occurrence of emotional disorder, depression, and suicide in NLD; the white matter hypothesis as an explanation of the origin of NLD; and the question of NLD as part of a variety of other disorders. It is argued that NLD presents a broad hypothesis, but that there is little evidence to support its use in clinical practice. PMID: 21462003 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Child Neuropsychology) Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4699037 Tue, 29 Mar 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4699037 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4643104&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21424948%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Paizi D, Burani C, De Luca M, Zoccolotti P We tested the influence of list context on word frequency and length effects on the reading aloud of Italian developmental dyslexics and skilled peers. The stimuli were presented either in mixed blocks (alternating words and nonwords) or in pure blocks. The analyses based on the rate-and-amount model (Faust et al., 1999) indicated that group differences in reaction times between dyslexic and skilled readers (a) were well accounted for in terms of global components and (b) were modulated by context in the case of words but not in the case of nonwords. ANOVAs on z-transformed reaction time data further indicated the influence of stimulus length. Importantly, the frequency effect interacted with context: Controls showed a list context ef... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4643104 Mon, 21 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4643104 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4643103&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21424949%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Alloway TP The main objective of present study was to investigate whether the patterns of working memory performance differ as a function of attention and motor difficulties, and whether children with ADHD and DCD could be reliably discriminated on the basis of their memory deficits. A related aim was to investigate the link between their working memory profiles and academic attainment. Fifty children with ADHD-Combined, 55 children with DCD, and an age-matched group of 50 typically developing children with average working memory were assessed on standardized measures of working memory, IQ, and academic attainment (reading, spelling, comprehension, and math). The normal controls performed significantly better than both clinical groups on all working memory tests. Specific patt... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4643103 Mon, 21 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4643103 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4580836&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21390918%26dopt%3DAbstract We examined performance on the Consonant Trigrams Test (CTT) between high-functioning 8- to 13-year-olds with ASD (n = 28) and typically developing controls (n = 18) matched on age and IQ. In the ASD group, we also correlated performance with ADHD symptoms and behavior ratings of everyday working memory. CTT performance in children with ASD was significantly worse than in matched controls. A significant correlation between CTT performance and everyday working memory was observed, but CTT performance was not related to comorbid ADHD symptoms in the ASD group. Divided attention with high working-memory demands is a relative weakness in children with high-functioning ASD; this weakness relates to everyday functioning, and it is independent from ADHD symptoms. That ADHD symptoms are not associ... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4580836 Mon, 07 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4580836 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4580835&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21390919%26dopt%3DAbstract This study aims to clarify the developmental changes in real-life decision making when strategy is adjusted using both positive and negative feedback, that is, whether strategic adjustment evolves with age. A total of 84 participants divided into three age groups (children, adolescents, and adults) performed the standard version of the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT). Children and adolescents showed a strong bias in favor of disadvantageous choices whereas adults learned to decide advantageously during the course of the task. Interestingly, the results clearly demonstrate that children did not switch differently following gains and losses whereas adolescents and adults switched more often after a loss than after a gain, corresponding to the "loss-shift" and the "win-stay" strategies, respectively... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4580835 Fri, 04 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4580835 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4580834&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21390920%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Gibson BS, Gondoli DM, Johnson AC, Steeger CM, Dobrzenski BA, Morrissey RA Adaptive training of working memory (WM) using the Cogmed-RM intervention has recently shown some efficacy as an alternative treatment for ADHD, but this intervention may not be optimally designed. A recent component analysis of WM has suggested that maintenance in primary memory (PM) appears to be largely intact whereas recall from secondary memory (SM) appears to be deficient in ADHD relative to age-matched controls. However, extrapolating from basic research, there is reason to believe that Cogmed-RM may target the PM component more than the SM component; though training with spatial exercises may target the SM component more than training with verbal exercises. To investigate, participants diagnosed... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4580834 Fri, 04 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4580834 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4580833&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21390921%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Rinsky JR, Hinshaw SP We followed an ethnically and socioeconomically diverse sample of preadolescent girls with ADHD (n = 140) and matched comparison girls (n = 88) over a period of 5 years, from middle childhood through early/midadolescence, with the aim of determining whether childhood levels of executive function (EF) would predict adolescent multi-informant outcomes of social functioning and psychopathology, including comorbidity between externalizing and internalizing symptomatology. Predictors were well-established measures of planning, response inhibition, and working memory, along with a control measure of fine motor control. Independent of ADHD versus comparison group status, (a) childhood planning and response inhibition predicted adolescent social functioning and (... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4580833 Fri, 04 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4580833 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4580838&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21390916%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Stucky KJ PMID: 21390916 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Child Neuropsychology) Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4580838 Thu, 03 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4580838 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4580837&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21390917%26dopt%3DAbstract This study investigated the role of inattention and working memory in predicting academic achievement in 145 adolescents aged 13 to 18 referred for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Path analysis was used to examine whether auditory-verbal and visual-spatial working memory would mediate the relationships between classroom inattention symptoms and achievement outcomes. Results provide support for the mediational model. Behavioral inattention significantly predicted both auditory-verbal and visual-spatial working memory performance. Auditory-verbal working memory was strongly associated with adolescents' achievement in reading and mathematics, while visual-spatial working memory was only associated with achievement in mathematics. The path from inattention symptoms to reading ... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4580837 Thu, 03 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4580837 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4580839&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21390915%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Stepanov II, Abramson CI, Warschausky S A mathematical model is proposed to measure the learning curve in the California Verbal Learning Test-Children's Version. The model is based on the first-order system transfer function in the form Y = B3*exp[-B2*(X-1)]+B4*{1-exp[-B2*(X-1)]}, where X is the trial number, Y is the number of recalled correct words, B2 is the learning rate, B3 is interpreted as readiness to learn and B4 as the ability to learn. Children's readiness to learn and ability to learn were lower than adults. Modeling revealed that girls had greater readiness to learn and ability to learn than boys. PMID: 21390915 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Child Neuropsychology) Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4580839 Mon, 28 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4580839 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4580840&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21360360%26dopt%3DAbstract Conclusions: Findings highlight possible long-term neurodevelopmental consequences of maintaining higher hematocrit levels. PMID: 21360360 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Child Neuropsychology) Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4580840 Thu, 24 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4580840 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4527187&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21347908%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Payne JM, Hyman SL, Shores EA, North KN The aim of this study was to examine functional attention and executive deficits present in everyday living in a large sample of children with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). Data are presented from 199 children with NF1 and 55 unaffected sibling controls who were administered the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) and Conners' ADHD DSM-IV Scales (CADS). Convergent validity was examined by correlating scale scores from these functional measures with scores from traditional cognitive measures of attention and executive function. Results indicated global functional attention and executive deficits in children with NF1. Relationships between functional impairments and scores on cognitive measures were inconsistent; at b... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4527187 Tue, 22 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4527187 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4472475&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21294004%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Kirk JW, Harris B, Hutaff-Lee CF, Koelemay SW, Dinkins JP, Kirkwood MW Growing concerns with suboptimal effort in pediatric populations have led clinicians to investigate the utility of symptom validity tests (SVT) among children and adolescents. Performance on the Test of Memory Malingering (TOMM) was analyzed among a clinical sample of individuals ranging in age from 5 through 16 years. The 101 patients were referred for a variety of learning, developmental, psychiatric, and neurological concerns. All children were administered the TOMM as part of a clinical neuropsychological evaluation. Within the sample, 4 patients did not meet the adult cutoff criteria for passing the TOMM. Three of the 4 patients also demonstrated suboptimal effort on another SVT. Results revealed stati... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4472475 Wed, 02 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4472475 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4472476&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21287422%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Jacobson LA, Ryan M, Martin RB, Ewen J, Mostofsky SH, Denckla MB, Mark Mahone E Processing-speed deficits affect reading efficiency, even among individuals who recognize and decode words accurately. Children with ADHD who decode words accurately can still have inefficient reading fluency, leading to a bottleneck in other cognitive processes. This "slowing" in ADHD is associated with deficits in fundamental components of executive function underlying processing speed, including response selection. The purpose of the present study was to deconstruct processing speed in order to determine which components of executive control best explain the "processing" speed deficits related to reading fluency in ADHD. Participants (41 ADHD, 21 controls), ages 9-14 years, screened for language... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4472476 Mon, 31 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4472476 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4472478&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21271411%26dopt%3DAbstract This study investigated the effects of stimulus presentation modality on working memory performance in elementary school-age children ages 7-13. The experimental paradigm implemented a multitrial learning task incorporating three presentation modalities: Auditory, Visual, and simultaneous Auditory plus Visual. The first experiment compared the learning and memory performance of older and younger elementary school children. The second experiment compared verbal learning and memory performance in elementary school children with major depressive disorder (MDD) to the performance of nondepressed children. All participants benefited from the pictorial presentation of information during learning and recall of information as compared to the auditory presentation alone. Both age and socioeconomic ... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4472478 Tue, 25 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4472478 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4472477&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21271412%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Michel E, Roethlisberger M, Neuenschwander R, Roebers C The current study presents a 1-year follow-up investigation of the development of executive functions (i.e., inhibition, updating, and shifting) in children with motor coordination impairments. Cognitive and motor coordination skills of children (N = 94) aged between 5 and 7 years with and without motor coordination impairments were compared. A second focus of the study was on pre-academic skills. The results indicate marked stability of motor coordination impairments and persistent executive functioning deficits in motor-impaired children. Inhibition and shifting performance was consistently lower, compared to the children without motor coordination impairments. Moreover, children with motor coordination impairments show... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4472477 Tue, 25 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4472477 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4405650&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21253933%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Rezazadeh SM, Wilding J, Cornish K In the present study, we explored the relation between performance on cognitive measures of attention (selection, sustained, and control) and behavioral ratings of inattention and hyperactivity in a sample of typically developing children aged 3 to 7 years. We also examined the influence of chronological age and IQ on both task performance and behavior ratings. Four well-documented attention paradigms were employed, the Visearch (single-target search) task as a measure of selective attention, the Continuous Performance Test (CPT) as a measure of sustained attention, the Day-Night task as a measure of response inhibition, and the Visearch (dual-target search) task as a measure of inhibitory control. The Conners' Rating Scales (Cognitive/Inatte... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4405650 Thu, 20 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4405650 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4405651&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21246422%26dopt%3DAbstract In conclusion, children's performance-based EF skills significantly affect adjustment to the academic and behavioral demands of sixth grade, with parent report suggesting greater difficulty for children with poorer EF in settings where children are provided with less external supports (e.g., middle school). PMID: 21246422 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Child Neuropsychology) Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4405651 Tue, 18 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4405651 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4405652&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21229406%26dopt%3DAbstract This study investigated nonverbal communicative abilities, functional play, and symbolic play in 11 toddlers with Williams syndrome (WS) during spontaneous communication. The WS group was compared with a group of typically developing (TD) children matched for linguistic abilities. Results demonstrated that children with WS exhibited significantly less spontaneous functional play and imaginary play compared to TD children. On the other hand, children with WS showed significantly more showing and giving guided by their parents than TD children. In addition, it was shown that in both groups aspects of symbolic play are correlated with expressive as well as receptive language. These findings are interpreted through the Theory of Intersubjectivity, which contrasts with the Theory of Mind and su... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4405652 Wed, 12 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4405652 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4338733&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21218295%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Brooks BL Knowing the prevalence of low neurocognitive scores for the WISC-IV Canadian normative sample (WISC-IV(CDN)) is an important supplement for clinical interpretation of test performance. On the WISC-IV(CDN), it is uncommon for children and adolescents to have 4 or more subtest scores or 2 or more Index scores ≤ 9th percentile when all scores on the battery are considered simultaneously. As the level of the child's intelligence increases or the number of years of parental education increases, the prevalence of low scores decreases. These results are consistent with existing studies of the base rates of low scores in children and adolescents on pediatric cognitive batteries, including the WISC-IV American normative sample. Tables provided are ready for clinical use. ... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4338733 Fri, 07 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4338733 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4304990&cid=s_38275_122_f&fid=38275&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.drjonathanreed.co.uk%2Fwordpress%2F2011%2F01%2Fa-new-way-of-looking-at-how-the-brain-works%2F I want to discuss an important new book for understanding how the brain works, which I have just read and is called Subcortical Structures and Cognition: Implications for Neuropsychological Assessment by Leonard Koziol and Deborah Budding.  Our current understanding of how the brain works using Neuropsychology has traditionally focused on the cortex part of the brain – frontal, temporal, parietal and occipital lobes and has looked at what happens psychologically when there is damage to these particular areas.  From this we understand perception, memory, language etc pretty well.  However we have tended to ignore subcortical brain areas such as the basal ganglia and cerebellum and have considered these areas as being responsible mainly for motor co-ordination.   This new book b... Child Neuropsychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4304990 Mon, 03 Jan 2011 15:21:48 +0100 4304990 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4338732&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21218296%26dopt%3DAbstract This study examined age-related change in executive function by using a Dutch translation of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF; Gioia et al., 2000) that was applied to a normative sample (age range 5-18 years). In addition, we examined the reliability and factorial structures of the Dutch BRIEF. Results with respect to age revealed a decrease in reported executive function problems with increasing age. On the Behavior Regulation Index (BRI), 5- to 8-year-olds showed significantly more executive function problems than 9- to 11-year-olds, as did the 12- to 14-year-olds compared to 15- to 18-year-olds (except on the Shift subscale). On the Metacognition Index, we found that 9- to 11-year-olds differed significantly from 5- to 8-year-olds on the Working Memory subscale... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4338732 Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4338732 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4338731&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21218297%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Zhan JY, Wilding J, Cornish K, Shao J, Xie CH, Wang YX, Lee K, Karmiloff-Smith A, Zhao ZY Attention is a complex domain that has reawakened research interest in recent years. There are relatively few studies that have examined age-related changes across different attention subcomponents, such as selection, maintenance, and control, using large samples covering a wide age range. The present study assessed performance in 466 participants in order to identify the ages at which mature performance was reached across differing attention subcomponents. Furthermore, we investigated whether the nature of the attentional demands or task difficulty predicted the age at which stable levels of performance were reached. The results supported the former rather than the latter alternative. ... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4338731 Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4338731 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4338730&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21218298%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: van der Meere J, Borger NA, Pirila S, Sallee F The ability to deal with sources of conflict, that is, interference control, was evaluated in a group of 11 children with first episode Major Depression and a peer control group. To this end, the Eriksen and Schultz (1979) task was used. Here, the participant is presented with a stimulus that simultaneously activates two conflicting response channels: One response is activated by the instructions, whereas the other response is activated by elements in the array that strongly invite an alternative - yet incorrect - response. Findings provided no evidence for an undisturbed interference control nor impaired overall processing speed in children with first episode Major Depression. PMID: 21218298 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Chi... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4338730 Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4338730 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4251427&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21140311%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Gupta R, Kar BR, Srinivasan N The classification systems developed so far to detect attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) do not have high sensitivity and specificity. We have developed a classification system based on several neuropsychological tests that measure cognitive-motivational functions that are specifically impaired in ADHD children. A total of 240 (120 ADHD children and 120 healthy controls) children in the age range of 6-9 years and 32 Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) children (aged 9 years) participated in the study. Stop-Signal, Task-Switching, Attentional Network, and Choice Delay tests were administered to all the participants. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis indicated that percentage choice of long-delay reward best classified th... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4251427 Tue, 07 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4251427 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4251426&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21140312%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Banerjee P, Grange DK, Steiner RD, White DA In the current study, we examined a specific aspect of executive abilities, strategic processing, in 32 children with early-treated phenylketonuria (PKU) and 41 typically-developing control children. To do so, clustering and switching were assessed during semantic (animal, food/drink) and phonemic (S, F) fluency tasks. Specifically, number of words generated, number of subcategory clusters, number of words in subcategory clusters, and number of switches between subcategories were analyzed to provide a refined analysis of strategic processing. Compared with controls, children with PKU generated significantly fewer words and made significantly fewer switches between subcategories in the food/drink trial and the phonemic fluency conditi... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4251426 Tue, 07 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4251426 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4219122&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21113825%26dopt%3DAbstract We examined the association between ADHD symptoms (AS) and MC in a genetically informative design that can distinguish between a genetic and a nongenetic familial etiology for the association. Participants were 12-year-old twins and their siblings (N = 409). AS were rated on a continuous scale with the Strengths and Weaknesses of ADHD and Normal behavior scale (SWAN). MC accuracy and stability was measured with the computerized pursuit task of the Amsterdam Neuropsychological Tasks (ANT). Analyses were performed with Structural Equation Modelling. AS were weakly associated with MC accuracy of the left and right hand (r = -.10/-.10). No association with MC stability was found (r = -.01/-.03). AS were highly heritable (75%), while MC accuracy of the right hand and MC stability showed no gene... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4219122 Thu, 25 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4219122 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4153542&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D21058075%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: PMID: 21058075 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Child Neuropsychology) Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4153542 Mon, 01 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4153542 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4063091&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20936546%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Hurks PP, Hendriksen JG Time estimation is believed to be an adaptive function in human life. In the present study, prospective and retrospective time estimation are studied in both clinical-referred school-aged children with ADHD-C and healthy community control children, while examining more specifically the effects of type of time estimation task, length of time intervals (i.e., ranging from 3-90 s), and continuous scaling of the main ADHD symptom clusters (i.e., inattention vs. hyperactivity/impulsiveness). On a prospective verbal time estimation test, children with ADHD-C showed significant more overestimation compared to controls. For the majority of short-to-medium time intervals, this overestimation was predicted only by the continuous levels of impulsiveness or a distu... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4063091 Fri, 08 Oct 2010 23:00:00 +0100 4063091 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4023034&cid=s_38275_122_f&fid=38275&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.drjonathanreed.co.uk%2Fwordpress%2F2010%2F10%2Fplay-and-the-ipad-a-new-direction-for-games-based-learning%2F One of the problems with Games Based Learning (i.e. educational computer games) is that many educational games look just too educational and are therefore dull and worthy.  Whilst many games are designed with education rather than play in mind, another major problem with GBL for me is that many educational games are desktop based and desktops are essentially boring.  Sitting at a desktop feels like work.  Using a keyboard and mouse is not easy particularly for young children.   Also according to most children I see, ICT is not a fun subject.   The iPad in contrast seems like fun.  The way it feels and the touch interface are intuitively satisfying.  You can pick it up, manipulate it, touch it and it responds- all fundamental aspects of play.   Children seem to particularly realise ... Child Neuropsychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4023034 Fri, 01 Oct 2010 11:24:51 +0100 4023034 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4044040&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20924854%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Garrad-Cole F, Shapiro KL, Thierry G Frontal regions of the human cortex are thought to reach full maturation last in the course of development. The present report examines such development in the context of attentional tasks in the temporal (e.g., the attentional blink, AB, paradigm) and spatial (e.g., the visual search, VS, paradigm) domains. Here we show that the recovery from AB is progressively longer with younger age by studying 7-, 12-, 15-year-olds, and adults participating on a modified AB task. By contrast, we found no difference between 7-year-olds and adults in a VS task using the same target stimuli as in the AB task. This differential pattern of development between temporal and spatial attention is discussed in relation to visual working memory development, clini... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4044040 Wed, 29 Sep 2010 23:00:00 +0100 4044040 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4044051&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20924853%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Bailey T Neuroscience research on auditory processing pathways and their behavioral and electrophysiological correlates has taken place largely outside the field of clinical neuropsychology. Deviations and disruptions in auditory pathways in children and adolescents result in a well-documented range of developmental and learning impairments frequently referred for neuropsychological evaluation. This review is an introduction to research from the last decade. It describes auditory cortical and subcortical pathways and processes and relates recent research to specific conditions and questions neuropsychologists commonly encounter. Auditory processing disorders' comorbidity with ADHD and language-based disorders and research addressing the challenges of assessment and differentia... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4044051 Tue, 28 Sep 2010 23:00:00 +0100 4044051 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3824360&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20680882%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Hajek CA, Yeates KO, Taylor HG, Bangert B, Dietrich A, Nuss KE, Rusin J, Wright M The level of parent-child agreement on post-concussive symptoms (PCS) was examined in children following mild traumatic brain injuries (TBI). As part of a larger longitudinal study, 186 children with mild TBI and 99 with orthopedic injuries (OI), from 8 to 15 years of age, were recruited prospectively. Parents and children completed the PCS Interview (PCS-I) and the Health and Behavior Inventory (HBI) at 2 weeks, 1 month, 3 months, and 12 months postinjury. Item-level correlations between child and parent ratings on both measures of PCS were significant but modest in both groups. Parent-child correlations for composite scales on the HBI and the total score on the PCS-I were significant in both gr... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3824360 Sun, 01 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3824360 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3761692&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20628928%26dopt%3DAbstract We present six clinical cases illustrating that children down to at least age 8 years can present with noncredible performance. The cases include those in which clear external incentives could be identified to those in which intrinsic or psychological factors were presumed to predominate. The fairly diverse nature of the presented cases, along with other recent work, suggests that suboptimal effort in children is apt to occur more frequently than previously recognized, even if it might occur less often than in comparable adult samples. In most of the presented cases, noncredible performance would not have been detected definitively by clinical judgment alone, reinforcing the value of routinely incorporating symptom validity tests into the neuropsychological assessment of school-aged childr... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3761692 Sun, 11 Jul 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3761692 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3724505&cid=s_38275_122_f&fid=38275&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.drjonathanreed.co.uk%2Fwordpress%2F2010%2F07%2Fbrain-injury-and-creativity%2F I work a lot with children and young people who have suffered a brain injury.  It is one of the most devastating conditions.  Brain injury often results in changes to personality, to memory, to social ability and sometime to physical disability.  It often occurs to normally developing individuals.  Because brain cells do not repair themselves there is no cure and it is a case of living with and adapting to the condition.  I have noticed however that there is one area of functioning that seems to be preserved and often actually enhanced following a brain injury and that is creativity.  Although the brain can not repair itself new neural pathways can develop which I believe can allow new talents to emerge or create a different way of seeing the world.  I have worked with several young... Child Neuropsychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3724505 Sun, 04 Jul 2010 08:21:05 +0100 3724505 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3722002&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20589542%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Grodzinsky GM, Forbes PW, Bernstein JH Evidence-based practice, the rigorous conduct of clinical analysis and intervention, includes practice-based evidence. Here, practice data were the source of three "clinical portraits" used for exploratory analysis of an array of cognitive and social problems in 30 children whose neurobehavioral profiles fulfilled psychometric criteria for a nonverbal learning disability (NLD). Qualitative analysis of the children's academic and adjustment difficulties revealed patterns of dissociable deficits. These findings argue for at least three groups within the NLD construct. Identifying such subgroups is of practical importance: More precise characterization of neuropsychological competencies leads to improved interventions and better outcomes. ... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3722002 Sun, 27 Jun 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3722002 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3702084&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20574864%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Wong SW, Ho CS Clarifying whether automatization deficits constitute the primary causes or symptoms of developmental dyslexia, we focused on three critical issues of the dyslexic automatization deficit, namely universality, domain specificity, and severity. Thirty Chinese dyslexic children (mean age 10 years and 5 months), 30 chronological-age-, and 30 reading-level-matched children were tested in 4 areas of automaticity: motor, visual search, Stroop facilitation effects, and automatic word recognition. The results showed that the dyslexic children performed significantly worse than the CA-controls but not the RL-controls in all the tasks except for Stroop congruent-color words, on which they performed worse than children in both control groups. The deficits reflect a lag in r... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3702084 Tue, 22 Jun 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3702084 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3702083&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20574865%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Rosenberg-Kima RB, Sadeh A The aim of the study was to assess: (a) developmental changes in attention, response inhibition, and face-information processing using the new Balloons task and (b) to evaluate the association between measures derived from the task with reported behavior problems. One hundred and thirty-four typically developing children (53 boys and 81 girls) were tested with the Balloons. Their parents and teachers completed the Child Behavior Checklist. Our results validate the Balloons as a reliable task with significant effects of manipulations in difficulty level (speed, processing load, and processing type). The results suggest that face-information processing undergoes significant changes during the age period between 7 and 13 years with significant gender di... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3702083 Tue, 22 Jun 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3702083 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3702082&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20574866%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: WÃ¥hlstedt C, Bohlin G The aim of the present study was to investigate the independent relations of DSM-IV-defined inattention and behaviors characteristic of sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT) to neuropsychological factors and problem behaviors often comorbid with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). By controlling for symptoms of DSM-IV-defined inattention, unique relations to SCT could be ascertained. Additionally, interactive relations of DSM-IV-defined inattention and SCT were of interest. A community-based sample of school children (N = 209; the higher end of the ADHD-symptom range was oversampled) completed neuropsychological tasks designed to measure executive function (EF), sustained attention, and state regulation. Behavioral symptoms were measured using pa... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3702082 Tue, 22 Jun 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3702082 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3702081&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20574867%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Mammarella IC, Pazzaglia F Visuospatial working memory (VSWM) and visual perception were examined in two groups aged 11-13, one with children displaying symptoms of nonverbal learning disability (NLD) (n = 18) and the other a control group without learning disabilities (n = 18). The two groups were matched for general verbal abilities, age, gender, and socioeconomic level. The children were presented with VSWM tests involving visual and spatial-simultaneous processes, and also with a classical visual illusion, a classical ambiguous figure, as well as visual perception tests specifically devised for the present study. Results revealed that performance of children at risk of NLD was worse than controls in some VSWM and in visual perception tests without memory involvement; these... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3702081 Tue, 22 Jun 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3702081 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3680650&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20560083%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Goth-Owens TL, Martinez-Torteya C, Martel MM, Nigg JT DSM-IV-TR defines ADHD-Predominantly Inattentive as allowing up to five symptoms of hyperactivity/impulsivity, while theories of the inattentive type usually assume a group that is hypoactive and characterized by processing speed and cognitive interference deficits. In a community-recruited sample of 572 children and adolescents, a pure inattentive subtype of ADHD (ADD) was defined as those who met DSM-IV-TR criteria for ADHD-PI but had two or fewer hyperactive/impulsive symptoms. Processing and output speeds of those with ADD were compared to those identified with DSM-IV-TR ADHD combined type and non-ADHD controls. These results were then contrasted with those found when DSM-IV-TR defined ADHD-PI was compared with ADHD-C a... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3680650 Tue, 15 Jun 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3680650 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3676936&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20552471%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Pauli-Pott U, Albayrak O, Hebebrand J, Pott W It has been assumed that overweight individuals show weak inhibitory control capacity leading to a failure to resist external cues for palatable food and that this deficit underlies the recently reported empirical association between obesity and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In childhood and adolescence, empirical research on this issue is scarce. Here, the hypothesis is tested that high body weight is associated with weak inhibitory control performance and that this association is moderated by age. The sample included 177 overweight and obese children and adolescents (BMI: M = 29.2, SD = 4.33; BMI-SDS: M = 2.45, SD = 0.43) between 8 and 15 years. Inhibitory control was assessed by a Go/No-Go task and an Interfer... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3676936 Mon, 14 Jun 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3676936 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3662538&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20544436%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Kave G, Kukulansky-Segal D, Avraham A, Herzberg O, Landa J Word retrieval was assessed in 207 normally developing Hebrew-speaking children aged 8-17 through four tasks: picture naming, phonemic fluency, semantic fluency, and homophone meaning generation (HMGT). Scores on all tests correlated positively and significantly with participant age. Yet, age effects and the correlation between age and test scores were weakest for the naming test and strongest for the HMGT. We discuss the nature of the word search involved in each task and suggest that the more executive demands required by a test the steeper the slope of performance increase on this test. PMID: 20544436 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Child Neuropsychology) Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3662538 Thu, 10 Jun 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3662538 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3662540&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20521183%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Cutting LE, Levine TM A large percentage of children with Neurofibromatosis Type 1(NF-1) have learning disabilities, often in the realm of reading. Previous studies have indicated that children with NF-1 show a neuropsychological profile similar to idiopathic reading disabilities (IRD); however, studies typically have not subdivided children with NF-1 into those who do and do not have RD (NF+RD and NFnoRD, respectively). The current study examined the cognitive profile of children with NF-1 with and without RD and compared them to children with IRD as well as to typically developing readers (Controls). Findings showed that children with NF+RD performed similarly to children with IRD on phonological, rapid naming, and reading comprehension measures; however, children with NF+RD... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3662540 Mon, 31 May 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3662540 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3662539&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20521184%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Linder N, Kroyzer N, Maeir A, Wertman-Elad R, Pollak Y The centrality of executive function deficits (EFD) in attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is well accepted albeit EFD is not synonymous with ADHD. The purpose of the present study was to examine the extent to which ADHD and EF overlap and to validate the Hebrew version of the Behavioral Rating Inventory of Executive Functions (BRIEF). Parents of 178 children with and without ADHD completed the BRIEF and the ADHD-Rating Scale. Significant differences were found between groups on each scale even after controlling for the other scale. Internal consistency analysis supported the reliability of the Hebrew version of the BRIEF. We conclude that ADHD and Executive Dysfunctions do not completely overlap. PMID: 20... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3662539 Mon, 31 May 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3662539 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3610547&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20503125%26dopt%3DAbstract In this study, 26 children with NF1 (M(age) = 5 years 3 months) were compared with 21 peer comparisons (M(age) = 4 years 8 months) and available normative data on neuropsychological measures. Children with NF1 demonstrated the characteristic downward shift in IQ, poor visuospatial constructional skills, and inattention. Working memory deficits were common in parental ratings. These findings suggest that at least some of the cognitive deficits associated with NF1 can be identified in the preschool-age group, highlighting the need for early assessment and intervention. PMID: 20503125 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Child Neuropsychology) Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3610547 Mon, 24 May 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3610547 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3592309&cid=s_38275_122_f&fid=38275&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.drjonathanreed.co.uk%2Fwordpress%2F2010%2F05%2Fcasual-games-that-are-educational%2F I recently wrote that too many educational computer games look too educational and are not fun to play.  I have recently, however, come across a couple of causal games that although they don’t set out to be educational actually are, but are also addictive and fun.   Casual games are simple, cheap games that are easy, yet compelling to play.   The first game Drop 7  by area/code is a game involving numbers but also works a bit like Tetris.  To play you have to drop different balls with numerals inside into rows or columns and try and ensure that the numerals and the number of balls match i.e. every time you line five balls up the ones with the numeral 5 in them disappears.  I think that this game, without intending to, actually reinforces numerosities,  which is the ability to ... Child Neuropsychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3592309 Sun, 23 May 2010 18:23:06 +0100 3592309 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3590750&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20485995%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Reddy LA, Newman E, Pedigo TK, Scott V The present study examined the concurrent validity of a new computer-assisted ADHD screening system, the Pediatric Attention Disorders Diagnostic Screener (PADDS; Pedigo, Pedigo, & Scott, 2006) in relation to the Test of Variables of Attention (TOVA; Greenberg, 1999), the Conner's Continuous Performance Test- II (CPT-II; Conners & MHS Staff, 2000), and the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF; Gioia, Isquith, Guy, & Kenworthy, 2000) in three clinically referred samples of children 6 to 12 years of age. The PADDS is a recently published multidimensional screening measure that incrementally merges computer-administered executive tasks with parent and teacher behavior ratings to aid in the diagnostic decision-ma... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3590750 Sun, 16 May 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3590750 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3556836&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20455127%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Asbell S, Donders J, Van Tubbergen M, Warschausky S Predictors of reading comprehension were evaluated in 41 children with cerebral palsy and 74 typically developing children between the ages of 6 and 12 years. Regression analyses were conducted to determine the relative contributions of measures of phonemic awareness, receptive vocabulary, and general reasoning to variance in reading comprehension. All three independent variables were statistically significant predictors of reading comprehension in both groups of participants. The impact of phonemic awareness on reading comprehension was moderated by age, but only in the typically developing group. Within the group with cerebral palsy, there was an indirect effect of functional expressive ability on reading comprehension, med... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3556836 Thu, 06 May 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3556836 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3545998&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20446127%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Sherman EM, Brooks BL The Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Preschool Version (BRIEF-P) is a standardized questionnaire that measures executive functioning in preschoolers. This test review provides an overview of the BRIEF-P, including scale structure, administration, norms, score interpretation, current reliability and validity evidence, and provides general guidelines for clinical use. PMID: 20446127 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Child Neuropsychology) Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3545998 Mon, 03 May 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3545998 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3526852&cid=s_38275_122_f&fid=38275&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.drjonathanreed.co.uk%2Fwordpress%2F2010%2F05%2Fchildrens-brains-and-mindful-meditation%2F Living in the 21st century can be stressful.  If you listen to the media there is potentially a lot to worry about now; economic meltdown, ecological catastrophe, medical pandemics to name but a few.  Also there are the constant distractions of 24 hour news, TV, email, twitter and blogs! In general there is information overload.  So how do you cope with this?  I am becoming increasing interested in the potential of mindful meditation.   Whilst this may seem a bit New Age, at its core it is in fact a very simple idea.  The key is to focus on the present moment.  Not to worry about the future or the past.  To try and focus on something simple like your breathing and to not be distracted by intrusive thoughts.  Humans have used meditation to cope with life in different cultures for 1... Child Neuropsychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3526852 Mon, 03 May 2010 15:38:07 +0100 3526852 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3530960&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20437281%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Heine A, Tamm S, De Smedt B, Schneider M, Thaler V, Torbeyns J, Stern E, Verschaffel L, Jacobs A Sixty-six primary school children were selected, of which 21 scored low on a standardized math achievement test, 23 were normal, and 22 high achievers. In a numerical Stroop experiment, children were asked to make numerical and physical size comparisons on digit pairs. The effects of congruity and numerical distance were determined. All children exhibited congruity and distance effects in the numerical comparison. In the physical comparison, children of all performance groups showed Stroop effects when the numerical distance between the digits was large but failed to show them when the distance was small. Numerical distance effects depended on the congruity condition, with a typica... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3530960 Wed, 28 Apr 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3530960 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3450086&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20373180%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Hurks PP, Schrans D, Meijs C, Wassenberg R, Feron FJ, Jolles J We investigated age-related improvement in semantic category verbal fluency (VF) in 309 Dutch schoolchildren attending first to ninth grade. Quantitative analyses of number of correct responses as a function of time as well as qualitative analyses of clustering and switching were conducted. Overall, Dutch VF task performance, i.e., number of correct responses over 60 seconds, was not established before mid-adolescence. This is in line with previously published studies, using VF number of correct responses over 60 seconds as the main outcome measure and examining VF task performance across other cultures and languages (e.g., Italian, French, Hebrew). Next, mean cluster size, a measure of lexico-semantic knowledge, w... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3450086 Mon, 05 Apr 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3450086 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3429303&cid=s_38275_122_f&fid=38275&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.drjonathanreed.co.uk%2Fwordpress%2F2010%2F04%2Fgames-based-learning-conference-2010%2F We presented research from my colleague Misbah Khan showing that Neurogames significantly improve reading and maths in children.  The slides from the presentation are here. (Source: Child Neuropsychology) Child Neuropsychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3429303 Thu, 01 Apr 2010 15:54:29 +0100 3429303 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3408957&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20336559%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Zinke K, Altgassen M, Mackinlay RJ, Rizzo P, Drechsler R, Kliegel M The current study investigated prospective memory (PM) performance in children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and controls and aimed at exploring possible underlying factors of PM performance. Twenty-two children with ADHD and 39 age- and ability-matched typically developing children performed a computerized time-based PM task. As predicted, children with ADHD had fewer correct PM responses than controls. Neither differences in overall ongoing task performance nor, remarkably, differences in overall frequency and accuracy of time monitoring were found. Exploratory analyses suggest that individual differences in time monitoring in the final interval before target times may be related to PM... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3408957 Wed, 24 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100 3408957 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3386199&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20301009%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Webb SJ, Jones EJ, Merkle K, Namkung J, Toth K, Greenson J, Murias M, Dawson G We explored social information processing and its relation to social and communicative symptoms in toddlers with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and their siblings. Toddlers with more severe symptoms of autism showed slower habituation to faces than comparison groups; slower face learning correlated with poorer social skills and lower verbal ability. Unaffected toddlers who were siblings of children with ASD also showed slower habituation to faces compared with toddlers without siblings with ASD. We conclude that slower rates of face learning may be an endophenotype of ASD and is associated with more severe symptoms among affected individuals. PMID: 20301009 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (S... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3386199 Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100 3386199 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3386198&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20301010%26dopt%3DAbstract In this study, we designed a computer-based task of EB-PM; No-Stroke, Silent-Infarct, and Overt-Stroke groups performed significantly below the demographically similar control group without SCD. Cue distinctiveness was varied to determine if EB-PM could be improved. All groups, with the exception of the Overt-Stroke group, performed significantly better with a perceptually distinctive cue. Overall, these results suggest that EB-PM can be improved significantly in many children with SCD. PMID: 20301010 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Child Neuropsychology) Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3386198 Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100 3386198 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3380273&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20234954%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Riggs N, Chou CP, Spruijt-Metz D, Pentz MA Investigated were relations among executive cognitive function (ECF), food intake, and physical activity in 184, fourth grade children. It was hypothesized that self-reported ECF proficiency would predict greater self-reported fruit/vegetable intake and physical activity, but less "snack food" intake. Structural models demonstrated that ECF was significantly correlated with less concurrent snack food intake and greater concurrent fruit/vegetable intake, but not physical activity. Baseline ECF also significantly predicted greater fruit/vegetable intake and physical activity four months later, but not snack food intake. One implication is to promote ECF as a correlate and predictor of food intake and physical activity in children by pro... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3380273 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100 3380273 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3362794&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20221932%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Alloway TP, Elliott J, Place M The first aim of the present study was to investigate whether differences in core deficits in ADHD subtypes lead to dissociable working memory profiles. The second aim was to compare the working memory profiles of inattentive students with those identified as having poor working memory, as they exhibit very similar behavioral profiles. Finally, the relationship between working memory and academic attainment in these groups were also of interest. Four groups of 9-year-olds were recruited: a community sample of children with inattentive symptoms, a clinically diagnosed group of children with ADHD-Combined, children with low working memory, and a healthy comparison group. They were assessed on measures of working memory, IQ, academic attainment, and... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3362794 Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100 3362794 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3362793&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20221933%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Zinke K, Fries E, Altgassen M, Kirschbaum C, Dettenborn L, Kliegel M Previous findings on planning abilities in individuals with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (HFA) are inconsistent. Exploring possible reasons for these mixed findings, the current study investigated the involvement of memory in planning performance in 15 children with HFA and 17 typically developing controls. In addition to planning abilities (measured with the Tower of London), short-term memory and delayed recall for verbal as well as visuospatial material were assessed. Findings suggest that particularly reduced efficiency in visuospatial short-term memory is associated with Tower task planning deficits in children with HFA. PMID: 20221933 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Child N... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3362793 Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100 3362793 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3339715&cid=s_38275_122_f&fid=38275&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.drjonathanreed.co.uk%2Fwordpress%2F2010%2F03%2Fwhy-do-people-commit-murder%2F Everyone is a psychologist.  By that I mean that everyone tries to work out why people behave the way they do.  This is an inbuilt social drive that helps us to interact normally.  It is based on theory of mind which is about understanding other people’s mental states and intentions.  Lack of theory of mind is the key disability in Autism.   In my work I find that most people have a strong belief about why someone is behaving the way that they do (although in my work I think that it is often a wrong belief). I think we base our understanding on why others behave  the way that they do on what we think about ourselves and our cultural norms.  This is essential to group cohesion.  No one can truly know how another person is thinking but we automatically make an educated guess. Â... Child Neuropsychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3339715 Sat, 06 Mar 2010 19:29:03 +0100 3339715 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3347366&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20209415%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Egeland J, Fallmyr O Previous research has supported a three-factor division of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) when dividing the parent form in 9 instead of 8 subscales. The present study investigated different factor models in the 8- and 9-scale division in both the parent and teacher form of the Norwegian BRIEF version. Confirmatory Factor Analyzes showed best fit for the three-factor model in a mixed healthy and clinical sample, indicating a distinction between Emotional and Behavioral Regulation. This division is in accordance with present knowledge of brain function and may increase the specificity of executive dysfunction in clinical groups. PMID: 20209415 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Child Neuropsychology) Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3347366 Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100 3347366 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3347365&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20209416%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Bottcher L White matter lesions are often seen in children with spastic cerebral palsy (CP). Evidence points to specific impairment of attentional, visuospatial, and executive functions; although both attention and executive functions are relatively unexplored in spastic CP. The few recent studies on language functions in mild or moderate CP point to well-functioning language. The presence of specific cognitive impairments may, in part, explain why children with spastic CP have a higher risk of learning disabilities and problems in peer relations. However, to understand the development of cognitive impairments, it is necessary to include how social participation feeds back on cognitive processes. PMID: 20209416 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Child Neuropsycho... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3347365 Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100 3347365 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3251296&cid=s_38275_122_f&fid=38275&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.drjonathanreed.co.uk%2Fwordpress%2F2010%2F02%2Fcomputer-games-and-neuropsychology-realizing-the-potential%2F There is increasing evidence that playing video games improves neuropsychological function.  I have just been reading another excellent paper from the people at the University of Rochester called Increasing Speed of Processing with Action Video Games.  The paper written by Mathew Dye, Shawn Green and Daphne Bavelier looks at a range of previous studies on reaction time and video game playing.  The introduction to the paper states: Playing action video games-contemporary examples include God of War, Unreal Tournament, GTA, and call of Duty – requires rapid processing of sensory information and prompt action, forcing players to make decisions and execute responses at a far greater pace than is typical in everyday life. Looking at lots of different studies they conclude that: Video ... Child Neuropsychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3251296 Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:54:37 +0100 3251296 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3239695&cid=s_38275_122_f&fid=38275&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.drjonathanreed.co.uk%2Fwordpress%2F2010%2F02%2F5-cultural-experiences-that-i-have-enjoyed-this-year%2F This is not child neuropsychology but five cultural experiences that have had a impact on me so far this year.  Just thought I would share them. History of the world in 100 objects.  A wonderful collaboration between the British Museum and the BBC telling the story of the world through a selection of 100 objects at the musuem. The new Vampire Weekend album  Contra.  Clever music to make you feel happy. The Stieg Larsson millennium trilogy The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest Compelling psychologically driven page turning reading. Cormac McCarthy  The Road – One of the most emotionally powerful books I have read for a while. Channel 4 India season The people and particularly children living in the slums o... Child Neuropsychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3239695 Wed, 03 Feb 2010 21:53:20 +0100 3239695 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3220976&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20104377%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Re A, De Franchis V, Cornoldi C The present study tests the hypothesis that a working memory deficit is also found in children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms as young as 5 and is related to the control of interfering information. One group of 23 kindergarten children identified by the presence of ADHD symptoms and one group of 23 children matched for gender, age, and socioeconomic status were administered a visuospatial working memory task that required the selective recall of information. Children with ADHD symptoms performed more poorly than controls and were affected to a particularly high extent by intrusion errors (i.e., recalling of information initially encoded but that needed to be consequently suppressed during the task). PMID: 20104... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3220976 Mon, 25 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100 3220976 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3201805&cid=s_38275_122_f&fid=38275&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.drjonathanreed.co.uk%2Fwordpress%2F2010%2F01%2Fcan-children-be-psychopaths%2F The news (posted here) that 2 boys aged 11 and 10 have been convicted of sadistically attacking and torturing other young boys has lead the media to question why they did it. Most newspapers have focused on the neglect and abuse the boys suffered at the hands of their parents and particularly their violent father. As I wrote in my last blog post this early history of abuse and neglect often leads to damaged brain development. However, this explanation doesn’t go far enough. Despite many children being abused and neglected very few go on to sadistically torture other children- see paper here reviewing the evidence. Therefore there has to been an additional explanation for such unusual behaviour. The key lies in understanding the development of empathy and distinguishing this from the... Child Neuropsychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3201805 Sat, 23 Jan 2010 18:16:56 +0100 3201805 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3163908&cid=s_38275_122_f&fid=38275&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.drjonathanreed.co.uk%2Fwordpress%2F2010%2F01%2Fchildren-poverty-neglect-and-brain-development%2F Children’s welfare and development entered UK politics yesterday with David Cameron the Conservative leader talking about the warmth of parenting being more important than poverty in outcomes with poor children. Poly Tonybee in the Guardian wrote a stinging reply.  This prompted me to think about my experience as a child psychologist with children from neglected backgrounds.  For the past 13 years some of my work has involved assessing children in care, both residential and foster care.  This has shown me how damaging early experience of abuse and neglect is for children, how it is reinforced and not addressed.  It is a big problem.  There are approximately 60000 children in care in the UK .  The number of children with a child protection plan is increasing every year. The vast... Child Neuropsychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3163908 Tue, 12 Jan 2010 16:03:47 +0100 3163908 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3120016&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D20029694%26dopt%3DAbstract The objectives of this study were to systematically develop and evaluate the psychometric properties of an abbreviated version of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) Parent Report; a questionnaire widely used by pediatric neuropsychologists. A total of 24 items from the original BRIEF Parent Form were selected for the short-form, which was then evaluated in three complementary samples, according to six a priori psychometric criteria. The short-form generally demonstrated appropriate psychometric qualities, with convincing evidence for the reliability and validity of the three composite indices: Behavioral Regulation, Metacognition, and the Global Executive Composite. Potential clinical applications include screening at-risk children in medical clinics to facilitate ... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3120016 Mon, 21 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0100 3120016 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3008244&cid=s_38275_122_f&fid=38275&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.drjonathanreed.co.uk%2Fwordpress%2F2009%2F11%2Fstem-cell-update-exciting-new-results%2F I have written a previous post explaining why stem cells could be an important treatment for people with brain injury and disease.  In summary the brain cannot repair itself.  Stem cells are naturally occurring cells that turn into neurons but are only present in the embryo.  The Bush government vetoed research in this area on religious and ethical grounds but Obama has overturned this. Recently there have been two interesting studies that show the potential of stem cells for neurology and neuropsychology.  They both use human stem cells transported to rats.  If these results can be replicated in humans it will transform our world. In first study published in PNAS Munjal Acharya and others from the University of California implanted human stem cells into rats that had damaged hippoc... Child Neuropsychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3008244 Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:12:50 +0100 3008244 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2967421&cid=s_38275_122_f&fid=38275&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.drjonathanreed.co.uk%2Fwordpress%2F2009%2F11%2Fworking-memory-training%2F Our rehabilitation company Recolo is now offering the Cogmed working memory training program. Working memory is the ability to hold information in mind for a short period of time and to be able to use this information in your thinking.  Problems with working memory are associated with a number of childhood conditions including ADHD, brain injury and poor academic achievement. We decided to provide the Cogmed working memory training in the UK because the research literature on it is impressive.  It is effective in improving working memory in 80% of cases.  The improvements have been demonstrated in neuropsychological tests, fMRI changes and rating scales.  It can also be demonstrated at the neurotransmitter level- see previous post for details.  It has been shown to be effective in imp... Child Neuropsychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2967421 Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:00:08 +0100 2967421 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2935671&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19859849%26dopt%3DAbstract Conclusions: Of the risk factors studied, only poorer metabolic control had a significant impact upon visual memory after three years. Verbal memory was unaffected. However, given that level of metabolic control tends to remain relatively consistent over time, the effect of continued poorer metabolic control on memory should be monitored. PMID: 19859849 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Child Neuropsychology) Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2935671 Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100 2935671 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2894643&cid=s_38275_122_f&fid=38275&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.drjonathanreed.co.uk%2Fwordpress%2F2009%2F10%2Flatest-neuroscience-on-twitter%2F I am a avid user of Twitter and find all sorts of interesting information on there.  As with the web, however it is difficult to sort out what is important.  It also moves so fast that it is hard to keep track.  This post highlights some important tweets I have seen regarding advances in neuroscience in the last two weeks. 1. Repairing brain cells- Researchers at the Montreal NeurologicaI Institute and Hospital (The Neuro) and McGill University group at Montral University have developed a new technique to help repair damaged nerve cells.  The study was in the October 7 issue of Journal of Neuroscience. They show that it is possible to use plastic beads coated with a substance that encourages adhesion to help cells grow and form new synapses.  You can read about this study here 2 G... Child Neuropsychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2894643 Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:21:08 +0100 2894643 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2887585&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19821169%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Drechsler R, Rizzo P, Steinhausen HC Reward-related processes are impaired in children with ADHD. Whether these deficits can be ascribed to an aversion to delay or to an altered responsiveness to magnitude, frequency, valence, or the probability of rewards still needs to be explored. In the present study, children with ADHD and normal controls aged 7 to 10 years performed a simple probabilistic discounting task. They had to choose between alternatives where the magnitude of rewards was inversely related to the probability of outcomes. As a result, children with ADHD opted more frequently for less likely but larger rewards than normal controls. Shifts of the response category after positive or negative feedback, however, occurred as often in children with ADHD as in control chi... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2887585 Thu, 08 Oct 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2887585 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2876182&cid=s_38275_122_f&fid=38275&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.drjonathanreed.co.uk%2Fwordpress%2F2009%2F10%2Fcomputer-games-can-improve-reading-and-maths%2F I have just seen the preliminary findings of the first independent research study on Neurogames, the games I have developed to help reading and maths.  The study was undertaken on 20 children aged 4 to 6.   10 children were given the computer games to play for 20 mins twice a week for 13 weeks at school.  10 children were not given the game and received normal teaching in a different class.  Both groups were tested on standardized reading and maths tests (WIAT) before and after the intervention.   The results show that the computer game group had an average maths score of 102 (average) before using the games which rose to 123 (above average) after playing the game for 13 weeks.  The average group reading score before playing the games was 101.7, which increased to 114.9 after the gam... Child Neuropsychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2876182 Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:48:53 +0100 2876182 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2879098&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19813116%26dopt%3DAbstract This study examines the neuropsychological profile of a boy with congenital central hypoventilation syndrome (CCHS) without a paired-like homeobox gene (PHOX2B) mutation. CCHS is a rare disorder of autonomic nervous system development characterized by an impaired ventilatory response to hypercarbia and hypoxemia. Mild intellectual deficits are common but a specific cognitive profile is not established in CCHS. We describe a nonverbal learning disorder as a CCHS endophenotype and recommend that detailed neuropsychological testing be performed on all individuals with CCHS. Defining the psycho-educational needs in CCHS may avert compounding the emotional and medical stresses of this already debilitating disorder. PMID: 19813116 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Child Neuropsych... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2879098 Tue, 06 Oct 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2879098 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2847371&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19787495%26dopt%3DAbstract This study compared performance and performance monitoring in 19 boys with Tourette syndrome (TS) (12.64 years, +/- 2.05) and 19 age-matched controls (13.16 years, +/- 2.29) using a Go/NoGo task. The results indicated similar performance accuracy in the TS group and the control group. TS participants showed slower correct responses than the control group, whereas error response times were not different between the groups. The results are discussed with reference to inhibitory adaptive effects that may be employed by TS participants to maintain high accuracy at the cost of overall slower performance. These effects may be suspended prior to errors. PMID: 19787495 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Child Neuropsychology) Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2847371 Sun, 20 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2847371 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2847370&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19787496%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Samuelson KW, Krueger CE, Burnett C, Wilson CK Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been associated with deficits in the areas of verbal memory and learning, executive functioning, working memory, and attention in adults. Findings have been less consistent in the few studies examining neuropsychological functioning in childhood PTSD, which are often limited by comparing children with PTSD to children without trauma histories, making it unclear whether observed neuropsychological deficits are related to trauma exposure or to PTSD symptomatology. In an ethnically diverse sample of 62 children who witnessed intimate partner violence (n = 27 PTSD+ and 35 PTSD-), children with PTSD exhibited slower and less effective learning, heightened sensitivity to interference, and impaire... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2847370 Sun, 20 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2847370 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2762009&cid=s_38275_122_f&fid=38275&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.drjonathanreed.co.uk%2Fwordpress%2F2009%2F09%2F5-reasons-to-develop-computer-game-based-learning%2F There is a lot of debate particularly in the media about the pros and cons about computer use with children.  I believe that there are some fantastic potential benefits in developing computer games to teach children.  Here are 5 of them: Dissemination of information- Our knowledge about child neuropsychological development is increasing all the time.  But there is a problem communicating this to teachers and parents and applying this knowledge. Computer game based learning allows this knowledge to be disseminated to a large number of children.  An example is dyslexia (by this I mean difficulties in learning to read). As neuropsychologists we know how reading develops, what part of the brain is involved, how to intervene to improve reading and how this  changes the brain areas involve... Child Neuropsychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2762009 Thu, 03 Sep 2009 16:02:29 +0100 2762009 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2735290&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19705311%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Gibson BS, Gondoli DM, Flies AC, Dobrzenski BA, Unsworth N Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been associated with a deficit in working memory across both verbal and spatial domains, but the precise nature of this deficit is poorly understood. The dual-component model postulates that working memory capacity consists of two dissociable components: maintenance in primary memory (PM) and recall from secondary memory (SM). Participants diagnosed with ADHD (n = 32) and age-matched controls (n = 31) performed both verbal and spatial free-recall tasks, and subsets of these two samples were selected for further comparison based on their use of a "recency" order-of-report strategy. The primary results showed that maintenance in PM appears to be largely intact whereas r... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2735290 Sun, 23 Aug 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2735290 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2692156&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19670065%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Brooks BL, Sherman EM, Strauss E The NEPSY-II consists of 32 subtests for use in a neuropsychological assessment with preschoolers, children, and adolescents. This test review provides an overview of the NEPSY-II for clinicians and researchers, including descriptions of the subtests, changes from the original NEPSY, reliability and validity evidence, strengths, and limitations. PMID: 19670065 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Child Neuropsychology) Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2692156 Sun, 09 Aug 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2692156 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2682570&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19657785%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Greenstein Y, Blachstein H, Vakil E We analyzed the relationship between several measures of attention (e.g., sustained and divided attention) and measures of verbal memory (e.g., immediate and delayed memory) in children aged 8-17 years. The attentional measures were derived from several tests of attention: Trail-Making, Digit Cancellation, Digit-Symbol, and Digit-Span. The verbal memory measures were derived from the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (AVLT). We found that most correlations between attention and the Rey AVLT measures were mediated by age. After removing the contribution of age, relationships were found between attentional and memory measures only in the younger age groups (8-12) but not in the older age groups (13-17). For the younger children different atten... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2682570 Mon, 03 Aug 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2682570 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2637903&cid=s_38275_122_f&fid=38275&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.drjonathanreed.co.uk%2Fwordpress%2F2009%2F07%2Fpersonality-psychology%2F I have been reading an excellent book on personality research called Personality: What makes you the way you are by Daniel Nettle.  It is written for the non expert and is easy to read and full of interesting observations.  In the UK the psychology of personality has not been very influential on clinical practice.  Most Clinical Psychologists do not assess personality, particularly in children and young people.  In addition the study of personality has not featured on many university courses and certainly was not part of my undergraduate degree.  However, recently I have began to take an interest in this area of psychology because it makes a lot of sense clinically.  The children and young people I see have clear personality traits which fit with the current research.  Having read ... Child Neuropsychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2637903 Fri, 24 Jul 2009 16:55:23 +0100 2637903 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2640385&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19626494%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Albert D, Opwis K, Regard M The aim of the study was to assess conceptual thinking in children in relation to age and motor dominance. We investigated the effect of the right and the left hand in a fluency task in four groups of 127 healthy right-handed children (age 5-12 years) and an adult control group. They performed the Five-Point Test twice, once with their dominant right and once with their nondominant left hand. The number of items and errors were analyzed with respect to age, drawing hand, and motor transfer. The performance of boys and girls did not differ. There was a significant effect for age and a prominent interaction between age, hand, and order (right hand or left hand first). Performance improved linearly with age. The dominant right hand performed generally ... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2640385 Tue, 21 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2640385 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2570891&cid=s_38275_122_f&fid=38275&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.drjonathanreed.co.uk%2Fwordpress%2F2009%2F07%2F5-ways-to-improve-memory%2F I have just been reading a very good new book on neuropsychological rehabilitation by Barbara Wilson and colleagues Neuropsychological Rehabilitation: Theory, Models, Therapy and Outcome I also heard her give an interesting talk this week on memory rehabilitation.  In the book and the talk she discuses proven techniques to help with memory.  These are designed for individual with memory problems but they also work really well for anyone wanting to learn and remember information.  The methods are backed with experimental evidence.  They will work for adults as well as children.    1.  Encourage associations or links when learning- the best way is to use visual or spatial images and associate these with what you are trying to learn. Some of the best learners use an internal pic... Child Neuropsychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2570891 Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:28:50 +0100 2570891 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2573419&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19572224%26dopt%3DAbstract This study examined the degree to which neuropsychological functioning, as measured by the NEPSY, moderates the impact of temperament on global functioning, as measured by the Children's Global Assessment Scale (CGAS), in 74 typically developing preschoolers. Temperament was assessed via parent ratings on the Children's Behavior Questionnaire (CBQ) and teacher ratings on the Temperament Assessment Battery for Children - Revised (TABC-R). Moderation analyses revealed significant interactions between verbal-executive skills and both child emotionality and lack of task persistence in predicting global functioning. The interaction patterns were mostly consistent across measures and indicated that when lower neurocognitive scores were coupled with higher levels of expressed negative emotions an... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2573419 Tue, 30 Jun 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2573419 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2549414&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19557581%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Chiaravalloti ND PMID: 19557581 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Child Neuropsychology) Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2549414 Tue, 23 Jun 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2549414 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2549415&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19544113%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: van der Meere J, Borger NA, Potgieter ST, Pirila S, De Cock P It is well recognized that reaction time performance of term-born children with a normal birth weight (NBW > 2500 g) who fulfill the DSM-IV criteria for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in the primary school age is sensitive for the presentation rate of stimuli. They have been found to perform more poorly in conditions of relatively slow event rates as compared with fast event rates. The purpose of the current study was to explore whether reaction time performance of children with very low birth weight (VLBW < 1500 g) with or without ADHD showed the same sensitivity for the factor presentation rate of stimuli compared to children with a normal birth weight plus ADHD. To this end, reaction time p... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2549415 Wed, 17 Jun 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2549415 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2511964&cid=s_38275_122_f&fid=38275&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.drjonathanreed.co.uk%2Fwordpress%2F2009%2F06%2Fthe-development-of-violent-behaviour-and-how-to-prevent-it%2F In this study volunteers delivered what they thought where powerful electric shocks to others when told to do so by someone in authority.  This authority effect may explain the way that leaders in a group will influence other lower members .  This is particularly pertinent in gangs with children- the younger children being influenced by older members.  These social influences may also explain state controlled violence where leaders get subordinates to carry out violence on their behalf.  It seems to me that social influences can override individual brain processes.  This is an important factor in gang related violence - much of which is a problem in London UK at the moment.  Children will do what older gang members want through the influence of authority and also start to hate ... Child Neuropsychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2511964 Wed, 17 Jun 2009 15:19:06 +0100 2511964 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2452898&cid=s_38275_122_f&fid=38275&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.drjonathanreed.co.uk%2Fwordpress%2F2009%2F06%2Fmild-head-injury-in-children-missing-the-problem%2F I have been working clinically with children with head injury now for over 12 years and this has allowed me to see the longitudinal effects of childhood head injury for myself.  What I have noticed is that some children with what appeared to initially be mild head injury (i.e. no prolonged loss of consciousness) continued to have problems over time. I have looked at these cases in some detail and their developmental problem can’t be explained by pre morbid functioning (i.e. any difficulties before the head injury).  This experience is not what the textbooks say is supposed to happen. Mild head injury is thought to be associated with better prognosis and is very rarely followed up by medical services.  However, three new studies this year suggest that Mild Head Injury may result ... Child Neuropsychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2452898 Wed, 03 Jun 2009 10:25:08 +0100 2452898 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2477623&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19492202%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Chilosi AM, Brizzolara D, Lami L, Pizzoli C, Gasperini F, Pecini C, Cipriani P, Zoccolotti P Language delay is a frequent antecedent of literacy problems, and both may be linked to phonological impairment. Studies on developmental dyslexia have led to contradictory results due to the heterogeneity of the pathological samples. The present study investigated whether Italian children with dyslexia showed selective phonological processing deficits or more widespread linguistic impairment and whether these deficits were associated with previous language delay. We chose 46 children with specific reading deficits and divided them into two groups based on whether they had language delay (LD) or not (NoLD). LD and NoLD children showed similar, severe deficits in reading and spelling de... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2477623 Tue, 02 Jun 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2477623 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2442108&cid=s_38275_122_f&fid=38275&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.drjonathanreed.co.uk%2Fwordpress%2F2009%2F05%2Fplaying-computer-games-improves-attention%2F There is more evidence of the neuropsychological benefits of playing action video games in a new paper to be published in July by Matt Dye and colleagues in Neuropsychologia. This paper shows that playing action video games resulted in improvmenets in attention allocation in children and young people.  The authors used the Attention Network Test (ANT) which measure “how well attention is allocated to targets as a function of alerting and orientating cues, and to what extent observers are able to filter out the influence of task irrelevant information flanking those tasks”.  The subjects were children and young people between the ages of 7 and 22 who had played action games (such as Halo, Metal Gear, Quake, Grand Theft Auto, Medal of Honor etc) and non action games (Age of E... Child Neuropsychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2442108 Thu, 21 May 2009 10:42:06 +0100 2442108 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2415540&cid=s_38275_122_f&fid=38275&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.drjonathanreed.co.uk%2Fwordpress%2F2009%2F05%2Fhow-to-make-your-child-more-intelligent%2F There is an interesting article in the Sunday Times this week entitled ‘how to make your child more intelligent’.  It seems to be based in part on a new book by Richard Nisbett entitled ‘Intelligence and How to Get it: Why Schools and Cultures Count.  Whilst the article makes a number of important points the overall tone feels a bit like the old nature/ nurture debate, which I thought was over years ago. The article starts by stating that ‘Over recent years most experts have concluded that intelligence is largely genetic in origin, and that nurture does relatively little to raise an individual’s potential’.  I am not sure which experts they are referring to here as anyone who knows anything about the genes and IQ literature knows this not to be true.   The relation... Child Neuropsychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2415540 Mon, 18 May 2009 22:00:42 +0100 2415540 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2398974&cid=s_38275_122_f&fid=38275&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.drjonathanreed.co.uk%2Fwordpress%2F2009%2F05%2Fnew-technology-to-improve-physical-disability%2F One of the most distressing symptoms for many of the children and young people I see clinically after a traumatic brain injury or stroke is the physical disability caused by the neurological injury.   Most parents, children and young people hold out most hope for a physical recovery.  The physical disability is the most visible symptom to the patient, their families and to other people.  At present the main therapy to help with this is physiotherapy.  Physiotherapy requires repeated exercise to try and improve physical function. Recent research has shown that physiotherapy is more effective in treating adult stoke patients than no therapy, although the type of physiotherapy used didn’t seem to make a difference. However, even with a disorder as physically treatable as stroke ... Child Neuropsychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2398974 Thu, 07 May 2009 19:00:58 +0100 2398974 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2477624&cid=s_38275_144_f&fid=37957&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D19424879%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Macallister WS, Nakhutina L, Bender HA, Karantzoulis S, Carlson C Effort assessment is of particular importance in pediatric epilepsy where neuropsychological findings may influence treatment decisions, especially if surgical interventions are being considered. The present investigation examines the Test of Memory Malingering (TOMM) in 60 children and adolescents with epilepsy. The overall pass rate for the sample was 90%. TOMM scores were unrelated to age, though there was a significant correlation between TOMM Trial 2 scores and intelligence estimates. Overall, the TOMM appears to be a valid measure of effort in young epilepsy patients, though caution should be used when interpreting scores for those with very low IQ, especially if behavioral problems are also evident. Cauti... Child Neuropsychology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2477624 Thu, 07 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2477624