ABSTRACT Cerebral palsy is primarily defined by motor impairments, yet cognitive difficulties frequently co-occur and influence development and daily functioning. This systematic review examined associations between motor function and cognition in individuals with CP, interpreting findings within the Cattell–Horn–Carroll framework. Twenty-eight studies were included. Both gross and fine motor impairments were consistently associated with lower overall intellectual functioning. However, evidence regarding specific CHC cognitive domains was limited and inconsistent. Substantial heterogeneity in study design, assessment instruments, and small samples constrained comparability. While the link between general intelligence and motor severity appears robust, domain-specific cognitive–motor relationships remain insufficiently established.

ABSTRACT The presentation of depression symptoms in concussed youth athletes is not well understood. We examined the PHQ-A factor structure in concussed youth athletes. Five hundred and ninety-five youth athletes completed the PHQ-A and PCSS within 30 days of sport-related concussion. Factor analyses of the PHQ-A alone revealed a two-factor structure: cognitive-energy/sleep and emotional symptoms. When combined, only two PCSS items (“sadness,” “more emotional”) overlapped with PHQ-A symptoms. Over half (51.1%) of youth athletes endorsed symptoms consistent with mild-to-severe depression; athletes with preexisting anxiety or depression had a 1.6–3.2x greater likelihood of meeting depression criteria. The PHQ-A provides unique clinical information beyond standard post-concussion assessments.

ABSTRACT We investigated the developmental trajectory of decision-making in autistic individuals from childhood into emerging adulthood and examined the impact of internalizing symptoms on decision-making strategies. Thirty-eight autistic and 50 non-autistic individuals were assessed at baseline (Mage = 11.8 years, 72.7% boys), at 2-year, and 10-year follow-up. Autistic and non-autistic individuals showed similar improvements in decision-making performance over time. However, the autistic participants exhibited a more risk-averse decision-making style compared to the non-autistic participants. The pattern of risk-averse decision-making in the autistic individuals reflected a more deliberate thinking style in advantageous situations and the influence of internalizing symptoms in disadvantageous situations.

ABSTRACT To characterize the developmental origins of youth attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), we examined independent and interactive associations of childhood-negative emotionality (NE) and executive functioning (EF; set shifting, inhibitory control, working memory) as predictors of adolescent externalizing and internalizing problems. Participants were children with and without ADHD (N = 230; ages 5–11 at baseline) followed for 6–7 years. Parent-reported NE predicted later psychopathology, and performance-based set shifting moderated this association. Unexpectedly, set shifting predicted internalizing symptoms. Findings highlight NE and EF as key transdiagnostic risk factors informing developmental models of ADHD and underscoring priorities for prevention and intervention.

ABSTRACT Although our understanding of the neural bases of speech and language has advanced considerably in recent decades, a disconnect persists between this knowledge and early interventions currently used in clinical practice. Insights into how neurobiological data may be incorporated into identification, differential diagnosis, and targeted treatment offer valuable lessons for early developmental intervention. Neurobiologically-informed methods already incorporated into the treatment of speech and language disorders show promise for improving treatment strategies, but these approaches are not yet widely adopted. Bridging the gap between neuroscience and clinical care could initiate a paradigm shift from symptom-based management to proactive, neurobiologically-informed care.

ABSTRACT To investigate the role of irritability in the psychopathology and functioning of children with ADHD. This review was conducted in compliance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses – PRISMA, a protocol that standardizes the collection of evidence, and was registered at the International Prospective Register of Systematic Review – PROSPERO. Of the 3,902 studies returned from the databases, duplicates and studies that met the exclusion criteria were removed, leaving 24 articles in the review. In children with ADHD, higher levels of irritability were strongly associated with more severe ADHD symptoms and a greater presence of psychiatric comorbidities, including depression, anxiety, and mood disorders, such as bipolar disorder. Irritability showed a positive correlation with Oppositional Defiant Disorder and both internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Cognitive functioning was notably affected, with irritability linked to poorer language skills and lower accuracy in emotion recognition. Children with chronic irritability demonstrated poorer inhibitory control, reduced social skills, and an increased tendency to abandon tasks. Furthermore, irritability was associated with faster reaction times but also lower task accuracy, and it was significantly correlated with suicidality. Irritability appears to exacerbate symptoms in patients with ADHD and increase psychiatric comorbidities. It is essential to consider irritability in the assessment and treatment of ADHD to improve mental health outcomes and the overall prognosis for these individuals.

ABSTRACT Theory of mind (ToM) is centrally important in everyday social communication and interactions, and a growing number of studies have focused on this social-cognitive construct in school-aged children. This study explored age-related changes in ToM abilities and cross-cultural differences between children from China and Australia. We recruited 126 children from China and 83 children from Australia. The children’s cognitive and affective ToM were measured by four tests. The findings showed that although there were no cultural differences in Interpretive ToM and Faux Pas performances, Chinese children performed poorer in Reading Mind in the Eyes and Strange Stories than Australian children.

ABSTRACT This study aimed to identify tasks targeting early executive functioning (EF) that are predictive of EF performance at early school age (kindergarten and Grade 1). Using data from 202 participants, we examined the associations between EF performance at 2, 3, or 4 years of age and performance on commonly used EF tasks at early school age. The results show that some but not all early childhood tasks predicted EF in kindergarten and Grade 1. The results point to the potential of some early EF tasks while highlighting the challenge of calibrating task difficulty at an early age.

ABSTRACT While rapid automatized naming (RAN) is recognized as a predictor of reading, it is unclear whether RAN is related to a particular reading route. This study aims to better understand the relationship between RAN and both reading processes (phonological decoding or lexical processing). One hundred and twenty-six children (M age = 8.89 years) were separated into two groups based on their performance in irregular word reading. Children from the phonological decoding group obtained significantly lower scores for RAN objects than children from the lexical processing group, but the scores of the two groups were equivalent for the other RAN matrices. Correlations showed a stronger relationship between RAN objects and irregular word reading than pseudoword reading.

ABSTRACT Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) often struggle with writing composition, possibly due to deficits in executive functions and processing speed. This study examined 518 children with ADHD and 851 controls to assess these effects. Multiple mediation tested whether executive functions (i.e., working memory, inhibition) and processing speed partially mediated the association between inattention and writing composition, controlling for transcription. Results showed inattention negatively predicted writing composition. Executive function accounted for nearly 10%, and processing speed nearly 17%, of the variance in this association. Findings highlight the contributions of executive functions and processing speed to writing difficulties in ADHD.