5-year Olds Research Articles

The feasibility of the In My Shoes computer assisted interview for eliciting evaluative content in interviews with young children

During the last decade the evaluative content of children’s accounts in interviews has attracted growing interest. However, research on methods to further enable such accounts remains scarce, specifically with regard to the youngest children. The present explorative study examined to what extent the computer-assisted interview In My Shoes (IMS) aided preschool aged children in verbalising experiences of distress or discomfort. Children aged 4 and 5 years old (N = 28) were interviewed about their annual health visit using IMS. The interviews were analysed qualitatively with a focus on the IMS prompts and children’s evaluative statements. The statements were also compared to the coded distress displayed at the video recorded health visit. The results showed that almost all children who in the interviews verbalised experiences of distress/discomfort at the health visit (n = 11) did so in relation to the IMS prompts and questions. These children could describe and distinguish between their emotional reactions and physical sensations. For some of the children who did not verbalise emotional content related to the specific visit, IMS still worked as a prompt to elicit negative emotional experiences associated to other health events (n = 10, whereof 80% were 4 years of age). All 5-year olds who displayed distress at the health visit also verbalised such experiences (n = 6), while almost none of 4-year-olds did so. The conclusion is that IMS appears to be a feasible method to aid children verbalising emotional and physical aspects of negative emotional experiences.

Trends in Neuromotor Fitness in 10-to-12-Year-Old Dutch Children: A Comparison Between 2006 and 2015/2017.

Children with a low level of neuromotor fitness are less skilled to participate in sports activities. Moreover, lower levels of neuromotor fitness are related to adiposity, lower cardiovascular health, and poor self-esteem in children. The aim of this paper was to determine neuromotor fitness in 10–12-year-old Dutch children over a 10-year period. Test scores measured in 2015/2017 (N = 533 in 2015, N = 941 in 2017) were compared with scores of same-aged children measured in 2006 (N = 1986). Neuromotor fitness was assessed using the MOPER fitness test battery, including speed and agility, strength, flexibility, and coordination and upper-limb speed. Data were analyzed using multilevel linear regression models and tobit regression analyses in case of skewed distributions with an excess of zeros. Analyses were stratified by age and gender, and adjusted for level of urbanization. Children in 2015/2017 performed significantly worse on speed and agility (β = 0.8 to 1.1 s), significantly better on coordination/upper-limb speed (β = −1.0 to −0.6 s), and–except for 12-year-old girls–significantly worse on flexibility vs. children in 2006 (β = −3.4 to −1.8 cm). Additionally, upper-body strength was significantly worse among 10-year olds (β = −3.2 to −2.5 s) while leg strength was significantly worse among 11-year-olds in 2015/2017 vs. 2006 (β = −1.8 to −1.7 cm). Trunk strength was worse among 11- and 12-year old boys (β = 1.1 to 1.2 s). In line with a previously observed downward trend in neuromotor fitness among children (1980–2006), we found worse scores on speed and agility, and flexibility in 2015/2017 vs. 2006, stressing the need for interventions aimed at improving neuromotor fitness in order to promote physical activity and future health.

Language-Specificity in Monolingual and Bilingual Later Lexical Development

ABSTRACT Although children may productively use concrete nouns after limited exposure, complete mastery of adult-like patterns of noun usage can take up to 14 years. We evaluated whether a transition from universal to language-specific naming is part of the refinement in later lexical development, and we compared how this refinement plays out in monolingual versus bilingual children. We collected free naming data for pictures of nearly 200 household containers from 499 Belgian children, aged 5 to 14, and adults, raised with either (a) only French, (b) only Dutch, or (c) both French and Dutch. Both monolingual and bilingual 5-year olds produced largely shared naming patterns, and for both groups, naming patterns became more language-specific and also more consistent within-language over time. However, monolinguals and bilinguals diverged in some aspects of their developmental profiles. Monolinguals started to introduce language-specificities to their naming pattern beginning at age 8, but differentiation between languages did not emerge for bilinguals until age 12. Consensus on name choice increased across ages for both groups, but bilinguals showed more consensus at all ages, reflecting smaller vocabularies and less differentiation. Thus monolingual and bilingual children follow a similar trajectory from shared to language-specific patterns of word use, but bilinguals differentiate later and for only some words. This study demonstrates that a transition from shared to language-specific naming is a key aspect of later lexical development, but the developmental course differs in detail between monolingual and bilingual children.

Syntactic Representations Are Both Abstract and Semantically Constrained: Evidence From Children's and Adults' Comprehension and Production/Priming of the English Passive.

All accounts of language acquisition agree that, by around age 4, children's knowledge of grammatical constructions is abstract, rather than tied solely to individual lexical items. The aim of the present research was to investigate, focusing on the passive, whether children's and adults' performance is additionally semantically constrained, varying according to the distance between the semantics of the verb and those of the construction. In a forced-choice pointing study (Experiment 1), both 4- to 6-year olds (N=60) and adults (N=60) showed support for the prediction of this semantic construction prototype account of an interaction such that the observed disadvantage for passives as compared to actives (i.e., fewer correct points/longer reaction time) was greater for experiencer-theme verbs than for agent-patient and theme-experiencer verbs (e.g., Bob was seen/hit/frightened by Wendy). Similarly, in a production/priming study (Experiment 2), both 4- to 6-year olds (N=60) and adults (N=60) produced fewer passives for experiencer-theme verbs than for agent-patient/theme-experiencer verbs. We conclude that these findings are difficult to explain under accounts based on the notion of A(rgument) movement or of a monostratal, semantics-free, level of syntax, and instead necessitate some form of semantic construction prototype account.

21.L. Workshop: To what extent can we trust our data on trends in mental health among adolescents?

Abstract Mental health complaints have increased among school-aged children in the Nordic countries, especially among girls according to survey data in the Nordic countries. Moreover, the consumption of mental health services among adolescents has also increased. However, criticism from qualitative researchers have questioned the validity of the response to survey questions and the interpretation of the results. This controversy has been public in the media both in Denmark and Sweden. The objectives of the workshop are to describe trends in mental health among adolescents in the Nordic countries, review criticism of mental health indicators, discuss measurement and analytical options, and consider consequences for policy making. Moreover, the workshop will discuss the situation in other parts of the worlds. Researchers in five Nordic countries have collaborated in the Health Behaviour of School-aged Children (HBSC) study to mental health. School-aged children, 11-, 13- and 15-year olds (n = 112,000) have participated in HBSC surveys. Of key concern are psychosomatic complaints (1985-2018), but trends will also be presented for indicators of excellent self-rated health and high life satisfaction (2002-2018), with additional indicators of positive mental health (Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale, General self-efficacy, Self-esteem) from the 2017/18 HBSC data collection. There has been an increase in the psychosomatic complaints among girls and boys, in all age groups and in the five Nordic countries. Strengths and limitations of epidemiological surveys will be discussed. The impact of different frequency cut points will be presented as well as the heterogeneities regarding profiles of adolescents with different combination of negative and positive mental health indicators. Moreover, qualitative studies and registry-based analysis will be used as contrasting evidence. The qualitative studies on symptom perception indicate that the prevalence of problems may be overestimated, and data from psychiatric care and prescription of drugs show important increase. After an introduction and two presentations the workshop will be a dialogue with the participants. First the core similarities and differences between countries will be explored. Then the policy implications will be discussed. Key messages The HBSC survey design give thousands of adolescents and children across dozens of nations the ability to be heard through a reliable and valid methodology. It is important to use indicators according to their intended use, monitoring of population trends, developing causal networks of determinants, screening of clinical cases or as diagnostic tools.

Emerging Digital Generations? Impacts of Child Digital Use on Mental and Socioemotional Well-Being across Two Cohorts in Ireland, 2007\u20132018

Despite the growing body of literature on how digital technologies impact child well-being, previous research has provided little evidence on recent digital trends. This paper examines the patterns and effects of digital use on child socioemotional well-being across two cohorts of children grown up ten years apart during the ‘digital age’: the 1998 cohort (interviewed in 2007/08) and the 2008 cohort (interviewed in 2017/18). Multivariate linear regression models were conducted for these two cohorts from the Growing Up in Ireland (GUI) study, a multi-cohort longitudinal study with rich comparable data on a large sample of 9-year olds (N = 13,203). Results show that (i) in 2017/18 children were more active in digital devices and social media, while in 2007/2008 children spent more time watching TV and adopted less diversified forms of media engagement; (ii) spending more than 3 daily hours on TV/digital activities was associated with significant declines in child socioemotional well-being, while such effects were stronger in 2017/18 than in 2007/08; (iii) media engagement (but not other forms of digital engagement) was associated with moderate declines in socioemotional well-being, both in 2007/08 and in 2017/18; (iv) while children’s media and digital engagement differed by the child gender and socioeconomic background, none of these variables moderated the effects of digital use on children’s socioemotional well-being, neither in 2007/08 nor in 2017/18. Overall, the study reveals persistence, but also some important changes, in recent trends on children’s digital use and its impact on socioemotional well-being in Ireland.

P63 Do paediatricians recognise childhood obesity?

AimThe obesity epidemic in England is growing, with 22% of 4 and 5 year olds and 34% of 10 and 11 year olds being overweight or obese.1 With obesity being linked to several different illnesses including type 2 diabetes and hypertension, it is vital that clinicians are recognising obesity among children as early as possible.This study aims to:Carry out an audit of identification of obesity in paediatric outpatients to determine whether paediatricians are effectively identifying overweight and obese children, and whether practice conforms to standards in medical guidelines.Explore the barriers to discussing overweight and obesity with parents.Carry out a prescription audit and compare against current medical guidelines.2MethodA retrospective review of all new medical patients seen during a one-week period in July was used to determine their weight status and whether they had correctly been identified by clinicians. A short questionnaire was distributed to all clinics at the chosen hospital during a one-week period in October to determine reasons why clinicians may not choose to discuss obesity with patients and their families. A prescription audit was carried out examining the drug cards of all new overweight and obese patients admitted to wards in the chosen hospital to determine if drug doses had been correctly adjusted for weight.Results21% (21) patients in the retrospective audit were classified as either overweight or obese. 28.6% of 4 and 5-year olds were found to be either overweight or obese and 14.3% of 10 and 11-year olds. Only 3 of the 21 overweight or obese patients had been recognised as overweight or obese by clinicians in their notes. The questionnaire found that the most common reasons for not discussing overweight and obesity with patients and their families was concerns about maintaining doctor/patient and doctor/parent relationships. Other reasons given were that there was not enough time in clinic appointments or that the family was already aware. Four overweight or obese patients had been prescribed drugs based on their actual weight rather than ideal weight and therefore had received an overdose. All doses for these patients were adjusted accordingly and re-prescribed in line with trust guidelines.ConclusionsThe results of our study indicate that there is need for regular height and weight checks for all paediatric patients to ensure correct identification and management of overweight and obese children. Ways of doing this may involve more regular height measurements and providing guidelines for medical professionals in how to breech the topic of weight with patients and carers. The results of our pharmacy audit indicate that some overweight and obese children are being prescribed inappropriate doses of medication with clearly shows that there is need for more monitoring of prescribing practices in overweight and obese patients.ReferencesPublic Health England. 2017. Health matters: obesity and the food environment.Trust guidelines. 2017. Drug adjustments in obese patients.

GLOBAL EDUCATION POLICY ON ASSESSMENT AND ITS APPLICATION IN INDONESIA

Replacing the standardized National Test, the new policy of the Indonesian Ministry for Education and Culture introduces a Minimum Competency Assessment. It looks good on paper but show potential weakness. A dominant theme in this assessment policy announcement so far has been related to its “survey” type of assessment, which clearly follow the global education policy, like PIA, TIMSS and NAPLAN. The assessment will completely change the assessment practices in Indonesia. Moreover, this assessment system will affect all elementary and high-school students, while the international survey, like PISA test, are proposed for certain target groups, for example elementary students, notably for 15-year olds, and notfor high-school students.The paper outlines the content of the new policy and its weaknesses. Particular attention is paid to the implied result based on international „policy borrowing‟ and the extent to which the system might be unable to incorporate these features. The possibleimpact of such an assessment system on teaching in schools is also considered, along with the role teachers might play in carrying out the assessment. Finally, a recommendation for assessing students in the Indonesian context, based on Finnish education system is proposed.

Status of sleep and influencing factors in employed floating population in China

Objective: To understand the sleep status and related influencing factors among 18-59 years old employed floating population and to provide evidence for policy development. Methods: Data were gathered from the Chinese Floating Population Chronic Disease Surveillance (2012) program. Floating population were selected through multistage clustering sampling method and stratified by industries from China. Information on demographics, behavior-related risk factors, sleep duration and social pressure etc., were collected through face-to-face interview on questionnaires. After complex weighting of data, multivariable logistic regression method was used to explore the sleep status and related influencing factors among these employed floating people. Results: A total of 43 521 subjects were included in the study. The average sleep duration per day was 7.77 h, with females (7.87 h) higher than males (7.69 h). The prevalence of insufficient sleep was 12.3% (95%CI: 11.8%-12.7%), with 45-59 years old group (21.2%) higher than that of the 18-year olds (11.2%). Results from the multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that factors as gender, age, marital status, education, occupation, inflowing area, behavior-related risk factors, BMI, social pressure, self-rated health status and self-reported chronic diseases were the main factors that affecting the rates of sleep deficiency in this population. The prevalence rate of insufficient sleep was 1.18 times higher (95%CI: 1.07-1.31) in males than that in females, and 1.22 (95%CI: 1.11-1.33) times higher in smokers than that in the non-smokers, 1.31(95%CI: 1.16-1.49) times higher in excessive drinkers than that of the normal population, 1.46 (95%CI: 1.29-1.65) times and 1.33 (95%CI: 1.18-1.50) times in those with heavier workload and stress than those without. Conclusion: The prevalence of insufficient sleep among the employed floating population was affected by multiple factors that called for more attention by different departments of the government.

Social anhedonia and clinical outcomes in early adulthood: A three-year follow-up study within a community sample

Social anhedonia has been employed in psychometric high risk studies to identify putative schizotypes. The current study reports three-year longitudinal results from a community study of social anhedonia: the Maryland Longitudinal Study of Schizotypy (MLSS). The initial recruitment for the MLSS involved mailed questionnaire screening of 2434 18-year olds. Baseline and three-year follow-up laboratory assessments were subsequently conducted with individuals identified as being high in social anhedonia (N = 79) and a comparison sample (N = 79). Across the assessments both groups showed maturational improvement on all clinical symptom measures with declining symptom severity at the follow-up compared to baseline and there were no group differences in personality disorder diagnoses at follow-up. However, compared to the control group, over the three-year follow-up individuals in the social anhedonia group were found to have elevated schizophrenia-spectrum personality disorder (Cluster A) characteristics, greater negative symptom characteristics, and lower global functioning. The social anhedonia group also had lower educational attainment, higher unemployment, and higher rates of mental health service utilization than did the control group. Within the social anhedonia group, social support and family relationships were cross-sectionally related to symptom severity at follow-up, although social support and family variables from baseline were not predictive of clinical symptom outcomes at follow-up. Results indicate that social anhedonia is associated with persistent schizophrenia-spectrum symptoms and functional impairment in early adulthood.

Children's Social Information Seeking is Sensitive to Referential Ambiguity.

We examined children's spontaneous information seeking in response to referential ambiguity. Children ages 2-5 (n=160) identified the referents of familiar and novel labels. We manipulated ambiguity by changing the number of objects present and their familiarity (Experiments 1 and 2), and the availability of referential gaze (Experiment 2). In both experiments, children looked to the face of the experimenter more often while responding, specifically when the referent was ambiguous. In Experiment 2, 3- to 4-year olds also demonstrated sensitivity to graded referential evidence. These results suggest that social information seeking is an active learning behavior that could contribute to language acquisition in early childhood.

Caste/ethnic differences in school dropout among 5-20-year olds in Nepal

ABSTRACT Reducing school dropout rates has been a challenging policy problem in an effort to improve educational participation and attainment in developing countries. This paper examines the differences in school dropout rates among the 5–20-year olds across three major caste/ethnic groups in Nepal using nationally representative survey data. Findings suggest sizeable differences witnessed by the indigenous and especially lower-caste Dalit groups when compared to the historically privileged Hindu groups. The use of Fairlie’s non-linear regression-based decomposition technique helps ascertain the major sources of these differences. Parental occupations, age, marital status and mountains, hills and far-western regions of residence are found to help explain such differences. The paper underscores the role of public policies on affirmative action and area-based, conditional cash transfer initiatives as well as effective public awareness campaigns to improve the educational participation of these otherwise historically disadvantaged caste/ethnic groups in Nepal.

Earlier age of sex and substance use initiation is associated with unique hormone profiles during social evaluative threat in Mexican American adolescents

Latinx adolescents are at a disproportional risk for poor sexual and reproductive health outcomes (STIs, adolescent pregnancy) compared to other ethnic groups. They also report high rates of alcohol and drug use that are similar to non-Hispanic White youth. The hormonal underpinnings of the emergence of sex and substance use behaviors among Latinx adolescents remain understudied however. Pubertal shifts in motivation and reward-seeking in social situations are closely tied to the emergence of risky sexual and substance use behaviors. The experience of developing earlier or later than same age peers may increase stress (cortisol) reactivity during social evaluative situations leading to more risky behavior. Further, testosterone can be responsive to social evaluative threat (SET) and is linked to status-seeking behavior, including risk-taking. The current study sought to unravel the complex relationship between cortisol and testosterone responsivity to social evaluative threat, pubertal status, and the emergence of sex and drug use among US-born Mexican-origin youth growing up in an agricultural community. Mexican American 14-year olds (N = 234, 54% female) from the Center for Health Assessment of Mothers and Children (CHAMACOS) participated in the Trier Social Stress Test. Cortisol and testosterone were assayed from saliva. At 16, youth reported on age at vaginal and oral sex initiation, and alcohol and marijuana use initiation. Hierarchical regressions examined cortisol and testosterone reactivity, and pubertal status within each sex to predict the onset of these risky behaviors. Results indicated that boys who were less developed than their same-aged peers or with lower testosterone reactivity and elevated cortisol reactivity to the TSST reported the earliest sex and substance use initiation. For girls, higher cortisol reactivity predicted earlier alcohol use initiation, and higher testosterone reactivity predicted earlier oral sex. Our results suggests it is important for health care providers to not overlook Latinx boys who may look younger in discussions about mitigating risk. Latinx girls under increased stress may be more likely to try to self-medicate with alcohol, and potentially other drugs.

Pediatric parapneumonic effusion before and after national pneumococcal vaccination programs in Taiwan

Reports on the effectiveness of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) on pediatric parapneumonic effusion are limited. We report the changes in cases and etiologies of pediatric parapneumonic effusion in a children's hospital before and after national PCV13 vaccination programs. We screened medical records of children 0-18 years admitted to the National Taiwan University Hospital with diagnoses of lobar pneumonia and parapneumonic effusion between 2008 and 2017. Patients with effusion analyses were included. Results of blood, pleural fluid, and respiratory specimens surveyed as standard care were analyzed. Diagnostic testing revealed at least a pathogen in 85% of 202 children with lobar pneumonia and parapneumonic effusion. After national PCV13 immunization, pneumococcal empyema decreased by 72% among 2- to 5-year olds. Mycoplasma pneumoniae was the second most common etiology. There were marked differences in effusion characteristics, metabolic, and respiratory parameters between children infected with pneumococcus and M. pneumoniae. The effectiveness of the national PCV13 immunization programs on pneumococcal empyema was evident and remained substantial after 4 years in Taiwan. Continuous surveillance is important to monitor the emergence of other pathogens including non-PCV serotypes and M. pneumoniae.

Sending Nudes: Intent and Risk Associated with ‘Sexting’ as Understood by Gay Adolescent Boys

This study investigates the understanding of teenage boys, who do not identify as heterosexual, as they reflect on the intent and risks associated with sending and receiving self-generated sexual images (sexting). Questions within the research surrounded the prevalence of adolescent sexting practice, the relationship between behaviour and sexual identity and the motivations specifically in the gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning/undecided participants (GBTQ). This questionnaire based study surveyed 2198 14–18 year old males, of which 2034 returned the questionnaire, 5.9% of these self-identifying as GBTQ. The study showed that overall sexting practice increases with age, from 37.8% at 14-years to 52.7% among 17-year olds. The average percentage of sexting in those who reported as heterosexual was 43.9% contrasted with 63% for those who identified as GBTQ. Whilst each episode of sexting, particularly images sent to a stranger, presents a potential risk to the individual, this study shows those young men who identify as GBTQ place themselves at increased vulnerability, with 33.3% of these young men admitting to sending images to people they did not really know, compared to 16.8% of heterosexual sexters. The arising themes and dependent connections within the study support the conclusion that, whilst sexting may be associated with risk taking behaviours such as early initiation of sexual activity, unsafe sex, bullying and access to alcohol and illegal drugs, participants did report a degree of positive impact. Sexting was reported to support relationships, allow access to similar peers and increase self-confidence.

Importance of dimensional changes on glycolytic metabolism during growth.

The aim of the present study was to investigate (i) how glycolytic metabolism assessed by accumulated oxygen deficit (AODgly) and blood metabolic responses (lactate and pH) resulting from high-intensity exercise change during growth, and (ii) how lean body mass (LBM) influences AODgly and its relationship with blood markers. Thirty-six 11- to 17-year olds performed a 60-s all-out test on a rowing ergometer. Allometric modelling was used to investigate the influence of LBM and LBM + maturity offset (MO) on AODgly and its relationship with the extreme post-exercise blood values of lactate ([La]max) and pH (pHmin) obtained during the recovery period. AODgly and [La]max increased while pHmin decreased linearly with LBM and MO (r2 = 0.46 to 0.72, p < 0.001). Moreover, AODgly was positively correlated with [La]max (r2 = 0.75, p < 0.001) and negatively correlated with pHmin (r2 = 0.77, p < 0.001). When AODgly was scaled for LBM, the coefficients of the relationships with blood markers drastically decreased by three to four times ([La]max: r2 = 0.24, p = 0.002; pHmin: r2 = 0.30, p < 0.001). Furthermore, by scaling AODgly for LBM + MO, the correlation coefficients with blood markers became even lower ([La]max: r2 = 0.12, p = 0.037; pHmin: r2 = 0.18, p = 0.009). However, MO-related additional changes accounted much less than LBM for the relationships between AODgly and blood markers. The results challenge previous reports of maturation-related differences in glycolytic energy turnover and suggest that changes in lean body mass are a more powerful influence than maturity status on glycolytic metabolism during growth.

“Hot-headed” students? Scientific literacy, perceptions and awareness of climate change in 15-year olds across 54 countries

The growth in global climate protests by students challenge the status quo of policy makers and political leaders in mitigating the effects of climate change. These events suggest that young people are increasingly well-informed and aware of environmental issues and the impact of increases in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. To investigate how well-informed students are on the issue of climate change, we have used secondary data from the Programme of International Student Assessment (PISA) [1], a cross-national study involving 540,000 students in 72 OECD and partner countries to explore students’ responses. Our analysis of these data provides unparalleled insight into fifteen-year-old students’ self-reported awareness about greenhouse gases and how this varies by achievement, enjoyment of and interest in science, students’ socio-economic status and country of origin. We find there are substantial global variations in students’ awareness of greenhouse gases, which is independent of the international ranking of PISA scores. Measures of scientific literacy have the greatest association with students’ awareness about greenhouse gases, although enjoyment of science and interest in broad scientific topics suggests that school science courses that are rigorous in content and enjoyable for students prepare them to be well-informed citizens about climate change. Given the global interest in issues of equity, we argue that both schools and curriculum designers have the ability to cultivate enjoyment and interest to build positive attitudes, awareness and responsibility towards the environment alongside the development of scientific literacy.

Intimate Partner Violence and Food Insecurity Predict Early Behavior Problems Among South African Children over 5-years Post-Birth.

Households experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) and food insecurity are at high risk of lifelong physical and behavioral difficulties. Longitudinal data from a perinatal home-visiting cluster-randomized controlled intervention trial in South Africa townships were used to examine the relationships between household settings and mothers' histories of risk and children's behavior problems at 3 and 5years of age. IPV, food insecurity, maternal depressed mood, and geriatric pregnancy (at age of 35 or older) were consistently associated with children's internalizing and externalizing behavior problems. Aggressive behavior was more prevalent among 3- and 5-year olds boys, and was associated with maternal alcohol use. The effects of these factors on child behavior were more prominent than maternal HIV status. There is a continuing need to reduce IPV and household food insecurity, as well as supporting older, depressed, alcohol using mothers in order to address children's behavioral needs.

Trajectory of the Recognition of Basic Emotions in the Neurodevelopment of Children and Its Evaluation Through the “Recognition of Basic Emotions in Childhood” Test (REBEC)

The neurodevelopment of emotion recognition is critical to achieving an adequate Social Cognition. This ability is developed during the first years through primary social referents, and later peers are a source of training that facilitates insertion in social groups. Most of the emotion recognition tests used are based on reagents that use adult faces, which can be a problem when evaluating the ability to recognize basic emotions in children. The objective of the research was to study this ability in children, analyzing its incremental validity on the variables age, valence, gender and emotional category. The Recognition of Basic Emotions in Childhood Test (REBEC) was designed using 30 reagents based on faces of children expressing 5 basic emotions of different intensity (low, medium and high). The REBEC was administered to 214 children, between 6 and 12 years old. The maximum score was 30. The average (M) of correct answers was 19.86; with a standard deviation (SD) of ± 4.12. The study sample was divided into 7 groups according to the level of schooling. The group of 12 year-olds obtained the highest yield (M) 22.18 ± 4.12. The 6-year olds’ group obtained the lowest yield (M) of 17.78 ± 4.41. The (M) of hits in girls was 20.61 ± 3.91; being of (M) 19.24 ± 4.21 for children. The Emotion Happiness was the most recognized (M) 93.8%, followed by Anger (M) 75.1%, Sadness (M) 58.6%, Disgust (M) 56.3%, and Fear (M) 47, 4%, We analyzed the level of success according to age, configuring the trajectory of Neurodevelopment for each emotion, taking incorrect categorization of emotions into account: Disgust, tended to be confused with Anger or Sadness. After obtaining the normative data of the REBEC Test and observing its psychometric properties and the sensitivity for the detection of the differences between groups, it is postulated as a valid and reliable instrument for the measurement of the facial expression abilities of the basic emotions in childhood.

Motor Abilities and the Motor Profile in Individuals with Williams Syndrome

ObjectivesMotor difficulties are present across a range of neurodevelopmental disorders, impacting on the development of other domains and on overall quality of life. One population that shows difficulties with their motor abilities is composed of individuals with Williams syndrome (WS). The purposes of the current study were to investigate the motor profile of individuals with WS and to investigate the relationships between physical activity and motor performance in this group.MethodsThe motor performance of 36 individuals with WS was measured using the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, second edition (BOT2-SF) short form. Physical activity was also measured using our novel questionnaire. Performance on both measures was compared with that of typically developing (TD) children aged 4 to 7 years (N = 40).ResultsResults indicate that the individuals with WS (aged 12 to 50 years) performed at the level of TD 4- to 5-year olds with respect to overall motor ability. On examination of the motor profile, a relative strength in upper limb control and a relative weakness in balance were identified for this group. While a correlation was found between motor ability and the amount of physical activity that participants engaged in on a weekly basis in the TD group, no such relationship was found in the WS group.ConclusionsThe motor problems that individuals with WS show in childhood persist into older childhood and adulthood, and akin to the WS cognitive profile, there are relative strengths and weaknesses in the WS motor profile. The lack of correlation between physical activity and motor ability in the WS group may be due to the lack of opportunity to access age- and ability-appropriate activities.