Children's Behaviour Research Articles

Family Therapy for Kosovar Mothers Who Experienced Conflict-Related Sexual Violence and Their Children in Postwar Times: A Pilot Randomised Waitlist-Controlled Trial.

Women who have experienced conflict-related sexual violence report significant long-term effects, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and relationship difficulties. Research has demonstrated that maternal trauma is associated with children's behavioural difficulties and challenges in family functioning, such as impaired communication and harsh parenting. This pilot study is aimed at evaluating the preliminary effectiveness of family therapy for Kosovar mothers who experienced conflict-related sexual violence in 1998-1999 and later developed PTSD and their children in improving family functioning and reducing behavioural difficulties in postwar times. Sixty-four mothers were randomised to an intervention group or a waitlist control group. Data was collected during a screening phase, at baseline before intervention initiation, after the intervention group completed family therapy and once the waitlist control group received the intervention. Generalised linear mixed models were used to analyse group differences in family functioning and children's behaviours over time. At follow-up, mothers in the intervention group reported improved family functioning. However, mothers in the waitlist control group reported significantly fewer behavioural difficulties than mothers in the intervention group before the control group had started family therapy. There was no significant interaction between group condition and time for child-rated family functioning. Overall, this pilot study suggests that family therapy could be effective in reducing the effects of intergenerational trauma related to PTSD and conflict-related sexual violence. Future research should evaluate the long-term effects of family therapy to assess if immediate effects were maintained.

Associations between natural blue and green space and preschool children's movement behaviours

Abstract Natural outdoor environments provide important settings for children to engage in physical activity. It is unclear if these relationships also exist in preschool aged children. We examined associations between amount and type of neighbourhood vegetation and blue space, proximity to the beach and preschooler's device‐measured movement behaviours. Accelerometer data from 1081 preschool children were processed into physical activity and sedentary behaviours using a machine learned random forest physical activity classification model specifically developed for children under five. High‐resolution aerial imagery data and Geographic Information Systems were used to identify total percentage of neighbourhood vegetation and vegetation components (grass, shrubs and trees) and presence and total percentage of blue space (ocean, riverways and lakes and swamps) for 500, 1600 and 5000 m service areas around children's residences. Distance to the closest beach, patrolled beach, and dog beach were also calculated. Amount of neighbourhood vegetation was inversely associated with boys sedentary time in the 500 m (β = −0.91 min/day, p = 0.006, 95% CI [−1.55, −0.33]) and 1600 m (β = −1.30 min/day, p = 0.001, 95% CI [−2.08, −0.53]) service area, and positively associated with walking time in the 1600 m (β = 0.12 min/day, p = 0.045, 95% CI [0.02, 0.22]) service area. The presence of local riverways was positively associated with girls walking time in the 1600 m (β = 2.34 min/day, p = 0.009, 95% CI [0.59, 4.09]), and 5000 m (β = 1.67 min/day, p = 0.019, 95% CI [0.27, 3.06]) buffer. Distance to dog beach was positively associated with boys sedentary behaviours. Presence of lake and swamps were negatively associated with boys walking, and presence of riverways was negatively associated with girls moderate‐to‐vigorous activities and games and boys running in the 5000 m service area. These findings suggest higher amounts of neighbourhood vegetation and certain types of blue space such as riverways and dog beaches could facilitate positive movement behaviours in young children. Our findings that natural outdoor environments are associated with preschool children's movement behaviours add to evidence which could contribute to policy implications for urban planning and the provision and protection of natural environments within cities. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Parent experiences of school distress or school refusal in their autistic child

Aims:School distress or school refusal is the most common reason autistic children miss school. Qualitative investigation of school distress and school refusal in autistic children is limited in the literature. This study aimed to identify school refusal behaviours in autistic children and explore parent experiences supporting their children.Method:Fifteen parents of school-aged autistic children completed semi-structured interviews. Directed content analysis was used to identify school refusal behaviours and inductive content analysis to explore impact on family systems.Findings:Parents reported a range of school refusal behaviours, many of which occurred before school or outside of school settings on days when their child attends school. This may mean many indicators of school refusal are missed by school attendance or behaviour data.Limitations:All participants were Australian and responded to an advertisement about autism and school refusal so had previously identified school refusal behaviours in their child.Conclusion:School refusal impacts upon the child, their attendance and their outcomes, but also upon family systems and supports. Implications of these findings for supporting autistic children, schools, and families are discussed.

A systematic review identifying factors associated with emotionally based school non-attendance in autistic children and young people

Aim:Research suggests that autistic children and young people (CYP) are more likely to experience Emotionally Based School Non-Attendance (EBSNA) than their non-autistic peers. As such, this paper aims to explore factors associated with EBSNA behaviours in autistic children and CYPMethod:The paper takes the form of a systematic literature review, in which quantitative research was examined. Eight papers were found that researched factors associated with EBSNA in autistic CYP. These were critically appraised using Cardiff University’s SURE checklist prior to engaging in a narrative synthesis to critically review the findings.Findings:The literature synthesis identified overarching themes that grouped together potential factors associated with EBSNA in autistic CYP: child-based factors (age, social-emotional wellbeing and cognitive factors), family-based factors (parental mental wellbeing, parental employment and family illness) and school-based factors (bullying and transition).Limitations:There was methodological heterogeneity across the studies reviewed, and therefore meta statistical analyses were not performed. This impacts on our ability to make conclusions about the precise impact of the factors identified.Conclusions:A range of factors impact on autistic CYP EBSNA behaviours, and as such a holistic approach needs to be taken when providing support.

Dietary Intake and Snacking Behaviour of Children Aged 3-5 in Urban and Rural Areas of Thailand’s Southernmost Border Provinces

Thailand suffers from the double burden of malnutrition due to the nutrition transition(1). Shifts in eating patterns from traditional foods to more processed foods, an increase in snacking and urbanisation are associated with the nutrition transition(2). We aimed to explore eating, feeding, and snacking behaviours in children aged 3-5 living in urban and rural areas of Thailand’s Southernmost Border Provinces (SBPs).A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 279 parent-child dyads recruited from one urban (n=135) and three rural schools (n=144) in the SBPs. The International Eating and Feeding Tool (ICFET)(3) was used to collect sociodemographic data, feeding frequency, food and snack consumption. Weight and height were measured to calculate WHZ (weight- for-height z score) and HAZ (heigh-for-age z score) scores. The frequency of consumption for groups and types of food were summed to give a monthly frequency. A 24-hour recall of intake of plated foods and drinks during five potential eating occasions was taken. Carers rated the applicability of statements regarding their use and control of snacks. Descriptive statistics and Mann-Whitney U test for comparisons between urban and rural areas were analysed using SPSS V28.Socioeconomic disparities between caregivers from urban and rural areas were observed. Onefourth (22%) of rural caregivers reported senior high school education and no income (16%) compared to 0.7%, (P<0.001) and 1% respectively in urban caregivers (P<0.001). Child stunting was more prevalent in rural areas (24% vs 6% urban, P<0.001). No difference in wasting was observed between the two settings (7% rural vs 9% urban, P<0.423). Monthly food frequencies (times) (Median, IQR) were higher in urban compared to rural areas for milk and dairy products (30, 15-45) urban vs (15, 15-30) rural (P<0.001) and fruits and vegetables (Mean, SD) (53, 31) urban vs (43, 29) rural, (P=0.008). Half the children (56%) had three between-meals snacks and dry finger foods (mean, SD) (1.7, 0.5) times daily. Rural parents described higher scores of snack control (Median, IQR) (16, 15-18) rural vs (15, 13-16) urban, (P<0.001), and felt children were more likely to seek snacks in response to hunger compared to urban children (5, 2-5) rural vs (4, 2-5) urban, (P<0.001). Surprisingly, more snack foods were consumed in rural areas (50, 33-75) rural vs (45, 33-60) urban, (P=0.042).Eating snacks between meals is common in Thai children living in SBPs. Snack foods are widely eaten, even more in rural than urban children. Despite the substantial differences in socioeconomic characteristics and levels of stunting, there was little variation between urban and rural areas in the commonness of snacking.

Investigation of the effect of the sandplay therapy in the open area to improve the social behaviour of children with autism spectrum disorder

AbstractSandplay therapy helps the person develop social skills and acts as a therapy method where they can reflect and repair their inner world. This study aims to test the feasibility of sandplay therapy method in an open area for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and investigate its effect on the development of social skills. In addition, the reorganization of sandplay areas where children with disabilities receive education and treatment, and the introduction of design proposals for integrating them with sandplay therapy in the open area, have been one of the other objectives of this study. The study group of this research, has a quasi‐experimental design in which pre‐test and post‐test measurements are made on the experimental groups of children between the ages of 8 and 12 years with autism diagnosed were formed. This research consisted of five stages: the planning of the study, the implementation phase, the post‐tests, the analysis of the data and the explanation of the design proposals. As a result of the studies conducted on children with ASD, increasing their interaction with society contributed to the development of children with autism socially and psychologically. In this context, group sand therapy was applied to the experimental groups for 7 weeks, one session a week and a total of seven sessions of two children with autism were selected using the selective assignment method. The effect of open area sandplay therapy method on the development of autistic‐disabled people was compared with the values taken before and after the sandplay therapy sessions. The findings revealed that increasing interaction with society contributed to the development of children with ASD socially and psychologically. In addition, the development of suggestions for the design of barrier‐free sandplay areas and the evaluation of the connection between sandplay therapy and design in the open area was made.

The transgenerational transmission of physical attractiveness perceptions: Role of parents' physical activity and nutrition habits in modelling body-focused health attitudes and body shape perception in five-year-old offspring

Introduction: Observing parents’ body-focused behaviours during middle childhood is one of the initial ways in which children model their perceptions of pro-health attitudes and their connection to physical attractiveness. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between parents' health behaviours, their appearance, and the perceptions of adult body types (skinny, medium, obese) by their five-year-old children. Moreover, the role of gender in the above relationship for both children and parents was also examined. Materials and methods: This study participants were 680 families with five-year-old children (330 girls). Participation was limited to the moth-er-father-child triad. The Beauty and Health Scale, Healthy Behaviour Inventory, Inventory of Physical Activity Objectives, and a body composition analyser were used to measure body fat percentage. Results: Assessment of pictures of male silhouettes by five-year-old girls revealed the perception that men who exercise do not lose weight but maintain a healthy, attractive appearance. However, they believed that women should actively lose weight to achieve an attractive figure. Interestingly, women were more likely to be perceived as overweight, despite engaging in physical activity. Conclusions: This study underscores the importance of integrating health education and physical activity interventions into family-oriented disease prevention programmes aimed at cultivating positive health behaviours in children as well as parents.

A STUDY OF INTERNET ADDICTION AMONG ADOLESCENTS AND THEIR BEHAVIOURAL PATTERNS

This study aims to explore the phenomenon of internet addiction among adolescents and their behavioural patterns. Data for the study was gathered through in-depth interviews with five hundred seventy children, ages twelve to seventeen, who reported excessive internet use and its detrimental effects. The research design utilised in the study was qualitative. The data was analysed using the thematic analysis method to find themes and patterns about internet addiction and how it affects children's behaviour. The results showed that internet addiction among children in India is a growing concern and affects their behaviour patterns in several ways, including neglect of studies and physical activity, social isolation, anger issues, frustration, lack of respect towards elders, unrealistic dreams and demands, cyberbullying, and risky online behaviour, etc. The findings suggest increased awareness and education about the dangers of excessive internet use and support for adolescents and their families.

Parent-Mediated Behavioural Intervention in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Scoping Review

ABSTRACT Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exhibit deficits in social interaction and communication, show repetitive behaviours, and have restricted interests. They are at high risk of developing challenging behaviours, which can hinder social relationships, academic achievement, language skills, overall adaptive development, and also increase the risk of abuse in educational settings. This scoping review addresses the limited focus on parent-mediated behavioural intervention (PMBI) for managing challenging behaviours in children with ASD. Using the Arksey and O’Malley scoping review framework, we retrieved articles published between 2011 and 2022 from SCOPUS, ERIC, and SAGE Publications. Twelve articles met the inclusion criteria. Five themes emerged from the review regarding parents adopting PMBI: (1) performing functional behaviour analysis and developing behaviour intervention plans; (2) applying modification strategies and techniques of antecedent, behaviours and consequence; (3) establishing parent-child secure attachment relationship with child’s lead, positive and natural reinforcement; (4) decreasing child’s challenging behaviours; (5) improving child’s compliance, social responsiveness, and prosocial behaviours. The findings highlight parents as primary intervention agent, emphasising the importance of parental involvement in supporting their child’s development. This review suggests developing cost-effective parent education training programmes to support PMBI as part of comprehensive interventions for children with ASD.

Perlindungan Hukum Terhadap Anak Korban Toxic Parenting Dalam Perspektif Hukum Islam

The problem in this research is legal protection on children suffering toxic parenting in the Labuhanbatu district in the perspective of Islamic law. The type of research in this study is field research, using qualitative approaches, the primary data source of children to experience toxic parenting in the family in 2021-2022 and the caretaker of the women and child protection services (DPPPA), A secondary source of data consists of books, journals, and documents related to the study. The data-gathering techniques used are interviews, observations, and documentation. The data-analysis techniques use qualitative descriptive. That the protection of law in labuhanbatu district is good enough because there is an institution that serves to protect children: the women's protection and child protection service (DPPPA), by performing socialization, and protecting children by providing mediation services, legal aid, and psychological recovery, according to the 2014 35th act on child protection, while it is the perspective of Islamic law that children should be protected from all that could lead to the exclusion of children's rights, Like the one in QS. At-Tahrim: 66, which is the right to an education, a living, protection, and nurturing, and hampering growth of children, for in the perspective of Islamic law the violent behaviour of children is strictly prohibited except in education and worship, it should fit within some provisions, it is according to Ahmad bin Hanbal that the Prophet SAW forbids such violence as beating and educating children, And also, in the opinion of clerics educating children with violence, is not recommended according to dalil-dalil, both the Qur'an and As-Sunnah. Therefore, legal protection in the Labuhanbatu district is in keeping with an Islamic law perspective that prohibits violent child abuse.

Classroom coping strategies of children with motor difficulties

ABSTRACT Children with low motor competency have additional classroom struggles when coping with their first year of mainstream education. This study identified and examined the classroom coping strategies and behaviours of children with motor difficulties. Eleven students were recruited after the Test of Gross Motor Skills (TGMD 2nd) identified as having poor gross motor development. The primary research method was classroom observations conducted after obtaining ethical approval and parental consent. Parental Interviews and a nine-month observation period commenced in term two of the Australian School System, which aimed to identify specific behaviours and the coping strategies adopted by the individual participants in the classroom. The participants were observed on different school days at various times so individual coping behaviours could be recorded. An inductive approach and thematic analysis identified emerging themes, behaviours, and coping strategies. Results indicated that all participants demonstrated multifaceted coping behaviours, divided into several common emerging categories: emotional, physical, social, and cognitive responses. Coping strategies were further classified as productive (positive) or non-productive (negative), emotionally based or problem-solving. The lack of motor competency significantly influenced the participants’ behaviours when displaying strategies to cope with classroom activities.

‘Key skills’ building in schools as a possible approach to reducing and preventing challenging behaviour

AbstractBackgroundBuilding ‘key skills’ may help prevent the development of challenging behaviour in children with an intellectual disability. The aim of this paper was to extend the current limited evidence in this area.MethodWe undertook two studies with children with an intellectual disability in school settings: (1) a cross‐sectional replication study exploring the relationship between ‘key skills’ and challenging behaviour. (2) a longitudinal study follow‐up exploring change in ‘key skill’ levels and challenging behaviour.ResultsThe replication study recruited 74 participants, those scoring lowest in ‘key skill’ had a 94% chance of having challenging behaviour; those with the highest scores had a 6% chance.The follow‐up study recruited 39 participants, we found a significant increase in children's ‘key skill’ level (p < .001) and a decrease in their challenging behaviour (p = .046).ConclusionBuilding ‘key skills’ in children with an intellectual disability may help reduce or prevent challenging behaviour.

Insecure maternal employment and children's behaviour difficulties: Evidence from the longitudinal study of Australian children

Although a large body of research has documented the negative effects of insecure employment for adult workers, less is known about the consequences for their children's well-being. Our understanding of the mechanisms through which insecure maternal employment may affect children is particularly limited. This study examines the relationship between insecure maternal employment and child behaviour difficulties from the age of 4–16 using seven waves of data for nearly 5000 families from Growing Up in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children. Employing fixed effects models to account for unobserved time-invariant heterogeneity, we found that children whose mothers were casual contract employees or economically inactive had greater behaviour difficulties, on average, than their peers whose mothers were permanent employees. Maternal mental health and parenting, rather than household financial strain, contributed to explaining the association between insecure maternal employment and child behaviour difficulties. These results were more pronounced for younger children (up to the age of 12). This study contributes to the literature on the consequences of maternal employment insecurity for child mental health in high-income countries by clarifying the mechanisms behind this association.

Stakeholder’s Perceptions on the Implementation of Comprehensive Sexuality Education in Secondary Schools of Muchinga Province of Zambia

The study was focused on exploring stakeholder’s perceptions on the implemention Comprehensive Sexuality Education secondary schools of Muchinga Province of Zambia. The main objectives was to determine the perception of stakeholders concerning Comprehensive Sexuality Education implementation. The research employed Qualitative method and interpretivism paradigm. It used descriptive design which described the state of affairs of Comprehensive Sexuality Education as it existed at the time when the research was conducted. The study sample comprised of headteachers, teachers, parents and learners with the total number of 384. It employed three instruments namely; semi structured interviews for headteachers, teachers, parents and learners, the close ended questionnaires administered on teachers, parents and learners whereas observation checklist was on used to teachers and learners. The research determined the perception of stakeholders and the responses were as follows; headteachers stated that, Comprehensive Sexuality Education should be implemented in all schools, while teachers echoed that it should be taught as a standalone subject but some felt that, the curriculum raised some sensitive issues that were previously taboo in African society. Most parents supported the implementation because learners were guided and regulated properly and their character and academic performance have improved while others’ opinion was that it should be taught by ifimbusa. Learners felt that they were being equipped with healthy sexuality lifestyle and decision making skills. The recommendation for this research are that; Comprehensive Sexuality Education should be implemented in all schools, school leadership in association with parents should champion the implementation of it, Parents should take responsibility of their children sexual life and behaviour, learners should take responsibility of acquiring sexuality skills, knowledge, values, right altitude and of making informed decisions appropriately. It is highly recommended that, the government should develop a deliberate policy of engaging parents while implementing Comprehensive Sexuality Education and closely supervise its implementation in school should be devised and be reinforced in schools. The future recommendation from this study was that, A research on exploring the potential reasons for implementing Comprehensive Sexuality Education in selected rural public secondary schools from stakeholder’s perceptions would be worthwise in order to establish the expected outcomes on learners. The same research should be conducted in other rural settings in Muchinga Province other than Nakonde District.

Investigation of the Relationship between Prosocial and Play Behaviors of 60-72 Months-Old Children Attending Preschool Education

This study was conducted to examine the prosocial behaviours and play behaviours of 60-72-month-old children attending preschool education and the relationship between these behaviours. For this purpose, the research was designed by adopting the correlational survey model. The sample of the study consisted of 300 children aged 60-72 months attending kindergartens in Turkey in the 2021-2022 academic year. "Penn Interactive Peer Play Scale-Teacher Form" and "Preschool Prosocial Behaviour Scale" were used in the study. It was determined that peer play behaviours differed statistically according to the variables of gender, age, parental education level, parental occupation, number of siblings, family income status and previous preschool education. Upon analyzing the prosocial skills of the children participating in the study, it was found that prosocial skills showed a statistically significant difference according to the variables of gender and previous pre-school education, but did not show a statistically significant difference according to the variables of age, parents' education level, parents' occupation, number of siblings and family income status. Another result of the study was that there was a positive relationship between children's prosocial behaviours and play interaction behaviours and a negative relationship between children's play disruptive behaviours.

Suicidal behaviour in children in Ghana: evidence from media reports

Suicidal behaviour in children in Ghana: evidence from media reports

Home Learning Environment and Screen Time Differentially Mediate the Relationship Between Socioeconomic Status and Preschoolers' Learning and Behavioural Profiles.

Environmental variables related to the home context, including home literacy and numeracy, screen exposure and Socioeconomic Status (SES) are potential risks or protective factors for children's academic achievements and behaviour. The present multi-informant study aims to contribute to this issue by investigating SES's direct and indirect relationships in early learning (i.e., literacy, numeracy, and cognitive) and behavioural skills within a large sample of young children. One parent and one teacher for each of 1660 preschoolers filled out a questionnaire investigating SES, tablet and TV use, home learning activities, behavioural problems/strengths (parents' questionnaire), and children's learning skills and behaviour (teachers' questionnaire). Results of path analysis showed that tablet time and home learning environment mediate the effect of SES on early learning as assessed by teachers; as for the home learning environment, it was also a mediator of the relationship between SES and behavioural problems. Implications of these results for research in the field and educational policies are discussed.

Alveolar soft part sarcomas in young patients: The French national NETSARC+ network experience

Background and aimsAlveolar soft part sarcoma (ASPS) is an ultra-rare chemo-resistant sarcoma in children, occurring preferentially in young adults. We aimed to describe and compare its clinical presentation and behaviour in children and young adults to determine whether the same therapeutic strategy should be addressed for both populations. MethodsNational retrospective multicentre study of children (0–18 years) vs. young adults (19–30 years) included in the "ConticaBase" sarcoma database, treated for ASPS between 2010 and 2019 with pathology reviewed via the NETSARC + network. ResultsOverall, 45 patients were identified, 19 children (42%) and 26 young adults (58%). All ASPS diagnoses were confirmed with TFE3 rearrangement by immunohistochemistry or FISH. All clinical characteristics were balanced between both populations with frequent metastases at diagnosis (8/19 vs. 10/26). The therapeutic strategy was based on surgery (17/19 vs. 21/26), radiotherapy (8/19 vs. 12/26) ± systemic treatment (8/19 vs. 9/26). In patients with initially localized disease, metastatic relapse occurred only in adults (8/16), whereas metastatic progression was present in both metastatic groups (5/8 vs. 8/10). After a median follow-up of 5.2 years (range, 0.2–12.2), 5-year EFS was 74% [95%CI, 56–96] vs. 47% [30–74] (p = 0.071) respectively, and 5-year OS was 95% [85−100] vs. 85% [70−100] (p = 0.84). For localized tumours, 5-year MFS was 100% [100−100] vs. 60% [39–91] (p = 0.005). The 5-year OS of all patients with metastasis at diagnosis was 80.2% (62.2%–100%). ConclusionsASPS appears to have the overall same clinical characteristics, but a more aggressive behaviour in young adults than in children. However, despite frequent metastases at diagnosis, long-term survival is high in both groups. Overall, the same therapeutic strategies may be considered for both populations.

The association between parental warmth and children's prosocial behaviour: A moderated mediation analysis

Prosocial behaviour is a bedrock of humane societies. Although previous studies have shown that parental style is an important contributing factor for children's prosocial behaviour, the psychological mechanism underlying this association in specific cultural background remains unclear. Based on the ecological systems theory, this study sought to explore the influence of parental warmth on children's prosocial behaviour, and the mediating effect of self-efficacy, as well as the moderating role of teachers' incentive evaluation in the link between self-efficacy and children's prosocial behaviour. This cross-sectional, survey-based study collected data from parents and teachers of 414 Chinese preschoolers (5–6 years old). Parents of these children finished questionnaires on the Chinese version of the short-form Egna minnen av. Barndoms uppfostran (s-EMBU-C), Child Behaviour Scale (CBS), and the revised General Self-efficacy Scale (GSES), while Incentive evaluation questionnaire was finished by their teachers. Results indicated that children who experience high parental warmth were more likely to act prosocially (b = 0.61, p < 0.001) and the association between parental warmth and prosocial behaviour was partially mediated by self-efficacy (indirect effect = 0.25, 95 % CI = [0.19, 0.32]). Besides, teachers' incentive evaluation moderated the link between self-efficacy and children's prosocial behaviour (b = 0.24, p < 0.001). Specifically, the effect of self-efficacy on prosocial behaviour was stronger for high teachers' incentive evaluation children than those with low teachers' incentive evaluation. These findings extend the existing understanding of the mechanism concerning the influence of parental warmth on prosocial behaviour in Chinese settings. The results revealed that interventions that could improve children's self-efficacy would be effective in accelerating their prosocial behaviour and schools played a crucial role in working with families to increase their self-efficacy at a young age. It should be noted that this study focused only on Chinese children of 5–6 years old, and the cross-sectional design means that the possibility of bidirectional effects could not be ruled out.

Eyes on CVI: Eye movements unveil distinct visual search patterns in Cerebral Visual Impairment compared to ADHD, dyslexia, and neurotypical children

Visual search problems are often reported in children with Cerebral Visual Impairment (CVI). To tackle the clinical challenge of objectively differentiating CVI from other neurodevelopmental disorders, we developed a novel test battery. Visual search tasks were coupled with verbal and gaze-based measurements. Two search tasks were performed by children with CVI (n: 22; mean age (SD): 9.63 (.46) years) ADHD (n: 32; mean age (SD): 10.51 (.25) years), dyslexia (n: 28; mean age (SD): 10.29 (.20) years) and neurotypical development (n: 44; mean age (SD): 9.30 (.30) years). Children with CVI had more impaired search performance compared to all other groups, especially in crowded and unstructured displays and even when they had normal visual acuity. In-depth gaze-based analyses revealed that this group searched in overall larger areas and needed more time to recognize a target, particularly after their initial fixation on the target. Our gaze-based approach to visual search offers new insights into the distinct search patterns and behaviours of children with CVI. Their tendency to overlook targets whilst fixating on it, point towards higher-order visual function (HOVF) deficits. The novel method is feasible, valid, and promising for clinical differential-diagnostic evaluation between CVI, ADHD and dyslexia, and for informing individualized training.