Strength In Children Research Articles

Strengths and challenging behaviors in children and adolescents with Prader-Willi syndrome: Two sides to the coin.

Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) is a rare genetic disorder associated with emotional/behavioral disturbances. These difficulties are well documented in the literature, but the positive attributes of these individuals are not described. Taking a strengths-based approach, the aim of this study was to describe the emotional/behavioral strengths and difficulties in children and young people with PWS from their parent caregivers' perspectives. Parent caregivers of 52 individuals with PWS aged 4-24 years (median=12.1 years; including 22 males) completed the parent form of the Developmental Behavior Checklist (DBC-P), including its original two open-ended questions regarding positive traits. Prevalences of emotional/behavioral disturbances were comparable to those reported in previous literature: common behaviors of concern across studies being skin-picking (75%), impulsivity (69%), poor sense of danger (67%), lying (67%), and tantrums (54%). Total DBC-P scores showed that just over half (n=28, 54%) had scores indicative of clinically significant behavior problems. However, thematic analysis of caregivers' written comments regarding their children's strengths resolved into three themes: warmth (94%), persistence (41%), and skills (41%). Warmth encompassed friendliness, happiness, and empathy. A strength-based approach to behavioral difficulties in PWS provides a more balanced view of the children and a more holistic foundation for interventions.

The Physical Education on the Development of Lower Limb Strength of Children Aged 3 to 6 Years—A Case Study of Qiaotou Town, Dongguan City

The Physical Education on the Development of Lower Limb Strength of Children Aged 3 to 6 Years—A Case Study of Qiaotou Town, Dongguan City

Analysis of Effective Connectivity Strength in Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Using Phase Transfer Entropy.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate differences in brain networks between healthy children and children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) during an attention test. Method : To fulfill this, we constructed weighted directed graphs based on Electroencephalography (EEG) signals of 61 children with ADHD and 60 healthy children with the same age. Nodes of graphs were 19 EEG electrodes, and the edges were phase transfer entropy (PTE) between each pair of electrodes. PTE is a measure for directed connectivity that determines the effective relationship between signals in linear and nonlinear coupling. Connectivity graphs of each sample were constructed using PTE in the five frequency bands as follows: delta, theta, alpha, beta, and gamma. To investigate the differences in connectivity strength of each node after the sparsification process with two values (0.5 and 0.25), the permutation statistical test was used with the statistical significance level of p<0.01. Results: The results indicate stronger inter-regional connectivity in the prefrontal brain regions of the control group compared to the ADHD group. However, the strength of inter-regional connectivity in the central regions of the ADHD group was higher. A comparison of the prefrontal regions between the two groups revealed that the areas of the Fp1 electrode (left prefrontal) in healthy individuals play stronger transmission roles. Conclusion: Our research can provide new insights into the strength and direction of connectivity in ADHD and healthy individuals during an attention task.

Biomechanical analysis of gait patterns in children with intellectual disabilities

Children with intellectual disabilities (ID) typically master walking skills much later than typically developing (TD) children and have poor postural control ability. This study aimed to explore the gait ability and characteristics of children with ID and whether there is any difference in walking ability between them and TD children. In this study, integrating kinematic-biomechanic-dynamic measurement methods and corresponding analysis methods (video analysis, three-dimensional force analysis and electromyography test analysis) were used to characterise and compare the gait patterns between ID children and TD children. ID children's step length/leg length ratio was lower than TD children. The left-leg single-leg support time and step length of ID children were shorter than TD children. While walking, ID children touched the ground with the whole foot pad and could not powerfully thrust against the ground with their toes. Their left legs had obvious disadvantages compared with their right legs. ID children's lower limb muscle strength was lower than TD children, and their thigh muscles had an obvious compensation function. Correcting ID children's gait should be an important teaching goal for physical education institutors and teachers. Muscle-strength and flexibility training can help ID children reinforce core strength and better coordinate lower limbs.

The increase in paediatric orthopaedic trauma injuries following the end of the curfew during the COVID-19 period.

PurposeThe aim of this study was to compare the injury patterns of orthopaedic trauma patients in the paediatric age group who presented to our hospital during and after lifting the curfew due to the pandemic, with the patients of the same age group who presented to our institution during the same time period last year.MethodsPatients, aged 0 years to 18 years, who presented to our clinic between 21 March 2020 and 31 May 2020 (during curfew) (Group A1, n = 111), between 01 June 2020 and 31 August 2020 (Group A2, n = 214) and during the same periods in 2019 Group B1 (n = 220) and Group B2 (n = 211) were included. Patients with pathological fractures, traumas occurring earlier than the aforementioned date range and those consulted while being hospitalized in another department were excluded from study. Patients’ demographics, the department they presented to, the anatomical region affected by trauma, trauma mechanism, the location of trauma, the treatment applied and the length of hospital stay were recorded.ResultsThe prevalence of outdoor traumas (72.9% versus 61.1%), high-energy traumas (40.1% versus 26.5%), the rate of the patients treated with surgery (28% versus 17.1%) and the rate of admission to the emergency department (90.2% versus 58.3%) were significantly higher in Group A2 when compared with Group B2 (p < 0.05).ConclusionThe significant increase was observed in the number of outdoor injuries, high-energy traumas and fracture patterns that require surgical treatment during the first three months following the lift of the curfew, in comparison with the corresponding dates from last year. We think that children’s lower extremity muscle strength and neuromuscular control was decreased due to staying home for a prolonged period of time.Level of EvidenceLevel III, Case-control study.

The Effectiveness of Physical Therapy in Improving Muscle Strength in Children with Down Syndrome

Increasing muscle strength in the treatment of Down syndrome represents an important stage of the intervention plan, because one of the symptoms of this disorder is a generalized hypotonia. The study was conducted on 13 patients diagnosed with Down syndrome, the physical therapy strategy envisaging the improvement of muscle strength, both analytically, on muscle groups, and globally, by using therapeutic physical exercises. At the end of the physical therapy, all of the manually tested muscles (the biceps brachii, the triceps brachii, the latissimus dorsi, the rhomboids, the quadratus lumborum, the pectoralis major, the gluteus maximus, the iliopsoas, the pelvitrochanteric muscles, the adductor muscles, the tensor fascia lata, the quadriceps, the hamstrings, the sartorius, the triceps surae, the tibialis anterior, and the peroneus muscles) changed their scores, from some initial values between 3.08 and 3.77 points, to final values between 4-02 and 4.50 points, which showed a good muscle tonicity, the children succeeding in performing their usual activities with better precision and coordination.

Early childhood social-emotional profiles associated with middle childhood internalizing and wellbeing

This study linked data from two large population monitoring surveys in British Columbia, Canada, (N = 17,181) to examine associations between teacher-rated social-emotional functioning at school entry (age 5) and child self-reported internalizing and wellbeing in Grade 4 (age 9). Latent profile analysis identified seven profiles of early childhood social-emotional functioning based on eight subscales from the Early Development Instrument. The largest profile group of children (55.6%) showed strengths across all eight subscales. Four years later, children in this group reported the lowest internalizing (worries and sadness) and highest wellbeing (life satisfaction and optimism), measured using the Middle Years Development Instrument. Comparatively, children in profile groups characterized by relative vulnerabilities on one or more subscales reported higher internalizing and lower wellbeing in Grade 4, but not consistently for all outcomes. Results suggest school entry may be an opportunity to promote children's strengths and address vulnerabilities to support future mental health.

A Study on the Relations among Work Pressure, Emotional Intelligence, and Subjective Well-Being of Kindergarten Teachers

The globalization development of the world allows the economic development presenting knowledge. Talent cultivation is similar to long-term investment that the importance cannot be neglected. Moreover, low birth rate in current society has each child being the treasure of the parents, who spoil the children with permissive parenting and do not realize the immaturity and low self-control of children in the preschool stage to result in children's deviant behaviors and teachers’ increasing workload and pressure. Aiming at kindergarten teachers in Jiangsu as the research objects, total 380 copies of questionnaire are distributed, and 277 valid copies are retrieved, with the retrieval rate 72%. The research results are summarized as below: Kindergarten teachers are general people who have emotion and cannot exercise forbearance for everything. For this reason, school organizations should be considerate of kindergarten teachers’ emotional labor problems, parents and the mass society should treat teachers’ work with objective perspective and putting themselves in the place. Using individual emotional intelligence to achieve personal emotional accommodation in the process is an important strategy for kindergarten teachers; In the cultivation process, kindergarten teachers stress on evaluating children's level, strength, and weakness for individualized instruction. Step-by-step design of learning content aims to emphasize the importance of rational evaluation. In this case, special education teachers with better emotional intelligence performance could well apply rational evaluation and emotional accommodation strategies, reduce working pressure, and enhance subjective well-being; Kindergarten organizations could properly support teachers with time flexibility to reduce kindergarten teachers dealing with class affairs or other problems with extra time. Cooperation among people would help deal with problems and promote individual positive affect. According to the research results, suggestions are eventually proposed, expecting to help kindergarten teachers present higher commitment and better effectiveness on the teaching performance to promote the overall education quality.

A dialectic of control and acceptance: Mealtimes with children on the autism spectrum

Shared family meals have important implications for child health and wellbeing, however, mealtimes with children on the autism spectrum are often characterized by stress and problematic behavior. A better understanding of the underlying processes can elucidate the mealtimes challenges that families with children on the spectrum face as well as how families overcome those challenges in order to promote family health and wellbeing. Through a grounded theory analysis of mealtime observations, parent interviews, and child interviews with 16 families in the United States, we identified a theory of A Dialectic of Control and Acceptance. Integral to the role of mealtimes is for parents to express love through control and acceptance, however, these parallel processes are in tension with one another. How parents negotiate this tension dictates the degree to which their expectations are well aligned with their children's strengths and challenges and are able to provide effective support.

Associations of circadian factors with insomnia symptoms and emotional and behavioral problems among school-age children.

To examine the associations of circadian characteristics (ie, chronotype and social jetlag) with insomnia symptoms and emotional and behavioral problems among school-age children. A total of 620 primary school children (medianage = 10.06, standard deviation = 1.16, 58.7% boys) were recruited and assessed by a set of parent-report questionnaires, including Children's Sleep Habit Questionnaire for measuring sleep-wake patterns and insomnia symptoms (bedtime resistance, sleep onset delay, and night waking), Children's Chronotype Questionnaire for assessing the child's chronotype preference, and Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire for assessing emotional and behavioral problems. Linear regression models were applied to examine the associations of chronotype and social jetlag with insomnia symptoms and mental health outcomes, in which age, sex, family income, and average sleep duration were entered as covariates. Evening chronotype was significantly associated with bedtime resistance and sleep onset delay, while social jetlag was not related to insomnia symptoms. Evening chronotype was also significantly associated with externalizing symptoms after controlling for potential confounders. Evening chronotype, but not social jetlag, was the risk factor for insomnia symptoms, and evening chronotype was further associated with increased behavioral problems in school-age children. Our findings underscored the roles of circadian factors in relation to sleep and mental health problems in this young population. Sun W, Kwok NTT, Chan NY, etal. Associations of circadian factors with insomnia symptoms and emotional and behavioral problems among school-age children. J Clin Sleep Med. 2021;17(10):2107-2114.

INFLUENCE OF 12-WEEK ARTISTIC GYMNASTICS TRAINING ON CHILDREN'S STRENGTH AND BALANCE PERFORMANCE

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the influence of 12-week artistic gymnastics training on children's strength and static balance performance. A total of 32 children attending gymnastic club for kids with mean age 6.09 ± 7.45 years; height 106.81 ± 5.47 cm, body weight 17.00 ± 2.72kg and body mass index (BMI) 14.98 ± 2.57 kg/m2 were included in the study. A training program with 270-minute intensity at a frequency of 3 days a week for 12 weeks has been implemented for all participants. Hand grip strength test, stretched arm hanging duration on high bar and stork balance test for dominant and non-dominant legs were applied to the participants. SPSS 21.0 statistical program was used in the statistical analysis of the data and the statistical significance level was accepted as &lt;0.05. As a result of the study, while a statistically significant difference has not been observed between Non-dominant leg stork balance pre-test and the post-test (p=0.06&gt;0.05), a statistically significant difference was observed between the Dominant leg stork balance pre-test and the post-test (p=0.00&lt;0.05). However, a significant difference was found between both hand grip strength pre-test and post-test (p=0.00&lt;0.05) and stretched arm hanging duration on high bar pre-test and post-test (p=0.00&lt;0.05). There was a statistically significant difference between the participant’s pretest sit and reach and the post-test (p= 0.00&lt;0.05). It can be said with this study that 12-week artistic gymnastics training increased children's forearm flexor muscle isometric strength and balance performance.

Toward a Precision Science of Word Learning: Understanding Individual Vocabulary Pathways.

Toddlers vary widely in the rate at which they develop vocabulary. This variation predicts later language development and school success at the group level; however, we cannot determine which children with slower vocabulary development in the second year will continue to have difficulty. In this article, I argue that this is because we lack theoretical understanding of how multiple processes operate as a system to create individual children's pathways to word learning. I discuss the difficulties children face when learning even a single concrete noun, the multiple general cognitive processes that support word learning, and some evidence of rapid development in the second year. I present work toward a formal model of the word learning system and how this system changes over time. The long-term goal of this work is to understand how individual children's strengths and weaknesses create unique vocabulary pathways that enable us to predict outcomes and identify effective interventions.

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Neck and Trunk Muscle Strength in Children With Spinal Muscular Atrophy Is Lower Than in Healthy Controls and Depends on Disease Type.

Background: Neck and trunk muscle strength and relationship with motor function in individuals with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is not investigated well. Information on maximum muscle strength that children with SMA may develop considerably expands the possibilities of assessing the effectiveness of pharmacological treatment methods and therapeutic procedures. This study sought to assess neck and trunk muscle strength in patients with SMA and to compare it with values noted in healthy children.Methods: The study involved 56 individuals with SMA aged 5–16 not treated pharmacologically, including 9 patients with SMA type 1 (SMA1), 27 with SMA type 2 (SMA2), and 20 with SMA type 3 (SMA3). The control group included 111 healthy individuals aged 5–16. Neck and trunk muscle strength was assessed by means of a maximum voluntary isometric contraction method with the use of a handheld digital muscle tester MICROFET2. Moreover, relative strength was also calculated by standardising the maximum voluntary isometric contraction according to body mass. The Kruskal–Wallis test, Mann–Whitney U-test, and Spearman's rank correlation were used for statistical analysis.Results: The reliability of the neck and trunk muscle strength measurements with the handheld digital muscle tester was excellent with ICC > 0.9. The values of muscle strength in SMA groups were significantly lower than in the control group. The values of relative torque of the neck muscles expressed in percentage values calculated with regard to the control group were at the level of 47.6–51.6% in SMA1 group, 54.8–58.1% in SMA2 group and 80.6–90.3% in SMA3 group. The percentage values for upper and lower trunk muscle strength were at the level of 42.6–68.4% in SMA1 group, 56.9–75.4% in SMA2 group and 76.7–94.8% in SMA3 group.Conclusion: Handheld dynamometry provides reliable measures of neck and trunk muscle strength in SMA children. Neck and trunk muscle strength in children with SMA is lower than in healthy controls and depends on disease type, which confirms the theory based on clinical observations. Further, study is needed to investigate the effect of pharmacological treatment on the strength of the neck/trunk muscles, and relationship between neck and trunk muscle strength and motor capabilities.

Finding a Voice for Individuals With ASD Who Are Minimally Verbal Through Comprehensive Communication Assessment

Purpose Many, but not all, children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have a difficult time communicating in conventional ways to express their decisions, preferences, and ideas. Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) can fulfill many purposes of communication and support a child to achieve maximal self-determination and agency. The goal of assessment is not to fit the child to a particular device or communication strategy—but rather to identify the strategies that enhance the child's strengths to maximize their independent communication and ultimately their ability to exert control over their world. Method Our method was to combine results from our scoping review of the research literature, observations of videos of AAC assessments being conducted by specialists, and interviews with AAC experts (Lund, Quach, Weissling, McKelvey, &amp; Dietz, 2017) and use these combined sources to extract overlapping themes. Finally, we completed an expert review of the results to verify their validity. Results There are 11 areas, which we found through our research, that should be included when assessing the communication and language skills of children with ASD who are minimally verbal. They are communication needs, current communication skills, language, cognition, symbol representation, sensory perceptual skills, motor skills, literacy, behavior, preferences, and system features. Conclusions It is important to embrace agency and choice throughout the assessment process. Having access to communication through AAC can give children with ASD a voice not only to express their choices but also to increase their self-determination.

Assessment of Agreement Between Human Ratings and Lexicon-Based Sentiment Ratings of Open-Ended Responses on a Behavioral Rating Scale.

To date, there is a paucity of research conducting natural language processing (NLP) on the open-ended responses of behavior rating scales. Using three NLP lexicons for sentiment analysis of the open-ended responses of the Behavior Assessment System for Children-Third Edition, the researchers discovered a moderately positive correlation between the human composite rating and the sentiment score using each of the lexicons for strengths comments and a slightly positive correlation for the concerns comments made by guardians and teachers. In addition, the researchers found that as the word count increased for open-ended responses regarding the child's strengths, there was a greater positive sentiment rating. Conversely, as word count increased for open-ended responses regarding child concerns, the human raters scored comments more negatively. The authors offer a proof-of-concept to use NLP-based sentiment analysis of open-ended comments to complement other data for clinical decision making.

Suspension vs. Plyometric Training in Children's Explosive Strength.

Marta, C, Alves, AR, Casanova, N, Neiva, HP, Marinho, D, Izquierdo, M, Nunes, C, and Marques, MC. Suspension vs. plyometric training in children's explosive strength. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2021-The aim of this study was to compare the effects of different training programs, that is, 8 weeks of suspension training (ST) or plyometric training (PT), on measures of strength and power in untrained healthy children. One hundred eighteen children (57 boys and 61 girls) aged 10-11 years (mean ± SD: 10.84 ± 0.46 years) were randomly assigned into PT (19 boys and 22 girls), ST (20 boys and 18 girls), and control (CT) (18 boys and 21 girls; no training program) group. Experimental groups were trained twice a week for 8 weeks. Countermovement jump, standing long jump, medicine ball throw, and 20-m sprint were measured at baseline and after intervention. The results showed a significant group effect on training-induced responses (F = 10.26; p < 0.01; ηp2 = 0.33), with clear improvements from pre- to posttraining in PT and ST. Regardless of training group, no differences were found in boys and girls (F = 0.70; p = 0.62; ηp2 = 0.03). After 8 weeks of training, PT and ST showed increased performances in 1-kg (mean ± CI 95%; 0.18 ± 0.05 and 0.19 ± 0.05 m) and 3-kg (0.12 ± 0.08 and 0.12 ± 0.09 m) medicine ball throws and 20-m sprints (-0.08 ± 0.03 s and -0.04 ± 0.04 s) compared with CT (p < 0.05; d > 0.60). Standing long jump was significantly increased after ST when compared with CT (0.07 ± 0.04 m; p < 0.01; d = 0.88). Plyometric training showed higher improvements than ST in sprint (0.04 ± 0.03; p = 0.01; d = 0.71). It is suggested that 8 weeks of ST or PT seems to be effective to improve strength- and power-related variables in healthy untrained children. These could be considered as alternatives to traditional resistance training and be applied in school-based programs.

Show, Don't Tell: Multimodal Story Feedback in a K–1 Play-Based Writing Unit

BackgroundWith standardization ever squeezing creative curricula in K–1 classrooms, creating time for a play-based multimodal writing curriculum that leverages children's strengths as storytellers is revolutionary. Due in part to accountability policy pressures, print-based writing and verbocentric writing feedback are still often privileged in school curricula. And yet, children are natural whole-body storytellers who will be asked to write and present ideas in all sorts of forms. In order to leverage children's storytelling strengths, we need to teach writing through multiple modes: This means expanding both writing instruction and the types of feedback offered to writers in primary classrooms.Research QuestionsThis study examines two questions: How is feedback being given, and what impact does it have on children's storytelling? How is play/storying being sanctioned?Setting &amp; ParticipantsThe study took place in a K–1 classroom in an inquiry-based, project-based school in the U.S. Midwest during a month-long storytelling workshop unit. Participants included two co-teachers and 46 children aged 5 to 7.Research DesignThis qualitative study used ethnographic methods and participant observation.Data Collection &amp; AnalysisVideo data were collected during workshop each day for one month, including minilessons, writing time, and share time, which is the focus of this article. Discourse analysis and a multimodality theoretical lens were used to analyze how children gave one another feedback on their stories through embodied demonstration, gesture, acting, out, or copying one another's storytelling devices.FindingsFindings indicate that children's acting/embodiment, humor/parody, and copying all worked as effective forms of multimodal feedback, which ultimately functioned as teaching for developing peers’ storytelling strategies and skills. However, teachers inadvertently privileged language alone via narration, or language with demonstration in feedback sessions.ConclusionsTeacher/researcher collaborations should explore ways to reimagine forms of writer's feedback that include and account for demonstration, copying, and impromptu performance and that, ultimately, open up the definition of what counts as writing at school. Um, you should work on making your story, like, real. Because, um, you're going all over the place [wiggles entire body to illustrate]—Allen, age 6

Arm Muscle Strength in Children with Bilateral Spastic CP

Aims To assess arm-muscle strength related to motor function in children with bilateral spastic cerebral palsy, 5–15 years old. Methods Muscle strength was measured for shoulder abductors, elbow extensors and flexors, wrist extensors, and grip strength. The children were grouped according to the Manual Ability Classification Scale (MACS). Results Forty-two children were included. The majority of the children at MACS levels I–II were within the normal range; shoulder abductors were weakest (mean 60–80% of predicted value), and variation was greatest for wrist extensors. Children at MACS level II showed lower values than children at level I, with significant differences for shoulder abductors (p=.028) and wrist extensors (p<.001). Differences between the dominant and non-dominant side was greater in children at MACS level II and statistically significant for wrist extensors (p=.024). Of 15 children tested for grip strength, nine were within the 2 SD range. The three children at MACS level II, all walking with a walker, had a higher mean value than those at MACS level I. Conclusions Muscle strength was lower and differences were greater between sides in children at MACS level II. Wrist extensors showed a decreasing trend with age as compared with normal development.

Early Mobilization Intervention to Improve Outcomes and Control Acquired Muscle Weakness among Pediatric Critically Ill Patients

AbstractPersistent immobility is linked with short and long-term disabilities in children admitted to critical area. Aim: the aim of the study was to assess the effect of early mobilization intervention on controling acquired muscle weakness among pediatric critically Ill patients. Randomized control trail was carried out on 80 pediatric patients divided equally into the study and the control groups in pediatric intensive care unit at Aswan University Hospital. Tools: Three tools were used to collect data: Tool I, included personal data , medical data and assessment scale for monitoring children's muscle strength .Tool II: Assessment delirium scale (Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale. Tool III: Assess signs of intolerance. Results: after early mobilization intervention, mean of muscle strength in the study group (4.63 ± 0.59) was higher than the control group (3.52 ± 1.89) with highly statistically significant difference (p < 0.001). Majority of children in the study group their ambulation distance at ICU discharge were increased. The mean time of moving out of bed was 2.90 ± 1.66 days for children in the study group vs. 3.20 ± 1.42 of them in the control group. Mean length of hospital stay was 4.28 ± 1.59 days for children in the study group vs. 6.38 ± 2.10 day of them in the control group with statistically significant difference between the two groups (P=0.005). Conclusion: Ambulation distance at ICU discharge was increased among studied group. There was significance difference between the two groups regarding length of hospital stay. Implementation of early mobilization intervention improves the children' muscle strength. Recommendation: Early mobilization protocol should be incorporated into daily clinical practice of pediatric intensive care unit.