Deficits In Children Research Articles

Treating Anxiety and Social Deficits in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Two Schools in Nairobi, Kenya.

Anxiety in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) contributes to their functional impairment. We evaluated a cognitive-behavioral program for anxiety and social deficits in children with ASD in two schools in Nairobi City, Kenya. Parents and teachers of 40 children and adolescents with ASD (5-21years) participated, randomized by school. The two schools were randomly assigned to either intervention (n = 20) or control (n = 20). There was a significant improvement in ASD severity as well as anxiety within the treatment group, which was not seen in the control group. These findings support the expansion of treatments for ASD core deficits and secondary problems in youth with ASD in developing countries.

A study on the intervention of children's attention deficit hyperactivity disorder based on the combination of medicine and education

Objective To explore the intervention effect of the combination of medicine and education on teachers and parents of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Methods The students in Grade 1 to 3 of 6 public primary school (6~11 years old) were enrolled by stratified sampling method and randomly divided into the experimental group and the control group. All the students were screened for ADHD, and the children diagnosed with ADHD and their parents and teachers were enrolled into study as the research object. The children in the control group were given oral short-effect methylphenidate hydrochloride tablets and their parents underwent routine health education, while the parents and teachers in the experimental group were given both the routine health education and systematic training. Before and after training, the awareness rates of ADHD knowledge among parents and teachers were observed, and the clinical effects of two groups were compared. Results The control group included 71 children with ADHD, 71 pairs of parents and 31 teachers, while the experimental group included 68 children with ADHD, 68 pairs of parents and 34 teachers. The difference of general data between the two groups has no statistical significance (P>0.05). Before intervention, there was no significant difference in awareness rate of ADHD knowledge among teachers and parents in the two groups (P>0.05). After the intervention, the awareness rate of ADHD knowledge in teachers of the control group did not change obviously, while which in parents of the control group and the parents and teachers in the experimental group were significantly improved, and the improvement effect in the experimental group was significantly better than that of the control group (P<0.05). The scores of the SNAP-IV scale in both groups were significantly decreased, and the scores of the experimental group were significantly lower than those in the control group. The significant rate and total effective rates of the experimental group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion The intervention effect of combination of medicine and education on teachers and parents of children with ADHD is definite, which is worthy of further research. Key words: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; Children; Combination of medicine and education; Intervention effect

Reconsidering Empathy Deficits in Children and Adolescents with Autism

Humans need empathy to promote social interactions and to display prosocial behavior. Therefore, it is not surprising that low empathy skills are commonly seen as diagnostic features in several mental disorders. Empathy is an interesting topic in autism, since low empathy skills are responsible for the social difficulties that individuals with autism experience. The lack of agreement among researchers on empathy and autism, however, indicates that we need to redefine the characteristics of empathy in autism, which is the aim of our study. We hypothesize that children and adolescents with autism are impaired in three abilities required for empathy: (1) recognition of emotions, (2) sharing of emotional states, and (3) perspective taking. Since empathy ability measures are useful and are capable in distinguishing autism from other disorders, it is evident that these measures are used in clinical practice. Therefore, we recommend, in order to identify autism in clinical practice, at least the use of an instrument which is specialized in measuring one’s empathy abilities, with regard to recognizing emotions, sharing emotional states and perspective taking.

Clinical Evaluation of Kalyanaka Ghrita in the Management of Cognitive Deficit in Children

Introduction: Cognitive deficit denotes the condition characterized by impairment in the cognitive and intellectual functions. In children, it is usually detected in early schooling, wherein the children lag in processing of information including thinking, memory, perception, motivation, skilled movements and language. Aim: The present study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of Kalyanaka Ghrita in the management of cognitive deficit in children. Materials and methods: A prospective, open-label study was carried out in 40 participants clinically diagnosed as cognitive deficit by administering Kalyanaka Ghrita (6 g) twice daily after food along with lukewarm water for a period of 90 days. The parameters used to assess intelligence quotient (IQ) included Binet Kamat test (BKT), and modified mini-mental status examination (MMMSE). The participants were assessed periodically at baseline (zero day), on 30th, 60th, and 90th day. Parental perception was obtained at the end of the trial. Paired sample t test was used to compare mean change in values from baseline score to the 90th day score. Results: On comparison of the baseline scores with that at the end of the 90th day showed a statistically significant improvement in BKT and MMMSE scores (p &lt; 0.001). No significant changes were observed in laboratory parameters. Conclusion: Based on the results obtained at the end of the study, it can be interpreted that Kalyanaka Ghrita is safe and effective in children with cognitive deficit.

Language-Related White-Matter-Tract Deficits in Children with Benign Epilepsy with Centrotemporal Spikes: A Retrospective Study.

Background and PurposeBenign epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BECTS) is one of the most common pediatric epilepsies, and it generally has a good prognosis. However, recent research has indicated that the epileptic activity of BECTS can cause cognitive defects such as language, visuospatial, and auditory verbal memory deficits. This study assessed language-delivery deficits in BECTS patients using diffusion-tensor magnetic resonance imaging (DTI).MethodsT1-weighted MRI, DTI, and language tests were conducted in 16 BECTS patients and 16 age-matched controls. DTI data were analyzed using the TRActs Constrained by Underlying Anatomy tool in FreeSurfer 5.3, and 18 major white-matter tracts were extracted, which included 4 language-related tracts: the inferior longitudinal fasciculus, superior longitudinal fasciculus-parietal terminations, superior longitudinal fasciculus-temporal terminations, and uncinate fasciculus (UNC). Language tests included the Korean version of the Receptive and Expressive Vocabulary Test, Test of Problem-Solving Abilities (TOPS), and the mean length of utterance in words.ResultsThe BECTS group exhibited decreased mean fractional anisotropy and increased mean radial diffusivity, with significant differences in both the superior longitudinal fasciculus and the left UNC (p<0.05), which are the language-related white-matter tracts in the dual-loop model. The TOPS language test scores were significantly lower in the BECTS group than in the control group (p<0.05).ConclusionsIt appears that BECTS patients can exhibit language deficits. Seizure activities of BECTS could alter DTI scalar values in the language-related white-matter tracts.

Supplemental Material for Planning Deficits in Children With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): A Meta-Analytic Review of Tower Task Performance

Supplemental Material for Planning Deficits in Children With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): A Meta-Analytic Review of Tower Task Performance

Perfil psicomotor de crianças com transtorno do espectro autista

As alterações no funcionamento cerebral que ocorrem no Transtorno do Espectro Autista são causadas por uma desordem no desenvolvimento neurológico, podendo acarretar atrasos ou déficits de comunicação, atraso na aquisição de habilidades motoras e também nas relações sociais. Associada às alterações corticais, a redução de experiências motoras prejudica a aquisição e a qualidade dos movimentos executados por crianças com Transtorno do Espectro Autista, podendo interferir em sua autonomia. O objetivo dessa pesquisa foi avaliar o perfil motor de crianças com Transtorno do Espectro Autista e comparar com a idade cronológica. Foram avaliadas crianças de dois a onze anos com diagnostico de Transtorno do Espectro Autista. A avaliação foi realizada por meio da Escala de Desenvolvimento Motor (EDM). Para análise das variáveis estudadas foi utilizado o teste de Kolmogorov-Smirnov para normatização e o teste t-Student para a comparação entre as variáveis numéricas, idade motora geral (IMG) e idade cronológica (IC). Adotou-se, para o teste o nível de significância de 5% de probabilidade para a rejeição da hipótese de nulidade. Participaram da coleta 14 crianças com diagnóstico de Transtorno do Espectro Autista, com idade média de 4,9 anos ± 1,6 anos. A média obtida de idade motora geral (IMG) foi de 35,7 meses e a média de idade cronológica (IC) foi de 66,7, sendo significativamente inferior à idade motora geral em comparação com a idade cronológica. Com relação aos domínios comtemplados pela EDM, não houve relevância estatisticamente significativa, porém, os domínios estão abaixo da média normativa estabelecida pela EDM (89-80), destacando a linguagem que se apresentou muito inferior, tendo média de 18,9. Os dados indicaram que as crianças avaliadas estão abaixo da média normativa do índice de desenvolvimento motor cronológico. Isso ocorre devido ao aumento no tempo de latência de resposta no Transtorno do Espectro Autista prejudicando seu sequenciamento motor e reduzindo as adaptações motoras necessárias. As perturbações motoras leves e moderadas podem passar despercebidas pelos profissionais que acompanham crianças com Transtorno do Espectro Autista, portanto, o tratamento é postergado e só ocorre em casos que as alterações se tornam graves e prejudicam o desempenho escolar e social da criança. Crianças diagnosticadas com o Transtorno Global do Desenvolvimento apresentam desempenho psicomotor inferior ao esperado para idade cronológica.

The Determinants of Anthropometric Deficits in Children under Five Years Old in Tete Province Mozambique Using Hierarchy Approach

Introduction: The malnutrition in children under 5 years is a serious public health problem in the developing countries such as Mozambique. The stunting can affect cognitive and physical development and compromise the school performance. Method: A cross sectional study was carried out which used the secondary data from a survey conducted by National Health Institute of Mozambique, in districts of Angonia, Tsangano, Magoe and Changara in Tete Province, Mozambique. The polynomial regression model and the hierarchical approach were used to examine the association between social economic factors and malnutrition in children measured by stunting (low height for age) and underweight (low weight for age). Results: The prevalence of moderate and severe stunting was 39.8%, and prevalence of moderate and severe underweight was 19.6%. In the basic level, the households that had 1 durable goods possession were associated to 1.46 times greater than the mild underweight, OR = 1.46 (C.I. 95% 1.02 - 2.11). In the intermediate level, lack of latrine increased 2.01 times greater than the moderate and severe underweight in children, OR = 2.01 (C.I. 95% 1.09 - 3.70); In the immediate level, the child deworming had 1.91 times greater than the moderate and severe stunting, OR = 1.91 (C.I.95% 1.04 - 3.52) and children who did not breastfeed had 2.42 times greater than the moderate and severe stunting, OR = 2.42 (C.I. 1.49 - 3.43). Conclusion: In the countries where the weak health system and the inadequate children food are frequent, the prevalence of undernutrition in children remains very high.

Cognitive and Psychological Deficits in Children with Epilepsy at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Ghana

Cognitive and Psychological Deficits in Children with Epilepsy at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Ghana

Structured Model of Neurorehab: A Pilot Study of Modern Multitouch Technology and Virtual Reality Platforms for Training Sociocognitive Deficit in Children with Acquired Brain Injury

Social competence is often impaired in children with acquired brain injury (ABI), but evidence-based rehabilitation has remained undeveloped. This pilot-study aimed to create a structured model for sociocognitive rehabilitation for children with ABI. A total of 32 children aged 8–13 years participated: 22 with ABI -epilepsy, traumatic brain injury, or tic disorder and 10 healthy controls. Interactive computer-based applications were implemented into rehabilitation design using multitouch-multiuser tabletop (MMT) devices: Snowflake MultiTeach (MT) and Diamond Touch Table (DTT), plus MediqVR virtual reality (VR) platform. At baseline, patients demonstrated social incompetence compared to healthy controls. Post-training evaluations showed that rehabilitation on Snowflake MT improved children’s executive and cooperation skills. DTT developed new communication and language skills, metacognitive skills, and coping with difficult social situations. This structured model for social competence rehabilitation helps therapists to understand the objectives and tools for improving social and cooperation skills in children with ABI. We provide practical recommendations using next-generation devices, which are effective and motivating for children.

5.11 Characterizing Attention Deficit in Children With ASD

5.11 Characterizing Attention Deficit in Children With ASD

Impact of Vertebral Fractures and Glucocorticoid Exposure on Height Deficits in Children During Treatment of Leukemia.

To assess the effect of vertebral fractures (VF) and glucocorticoid (GC) exposure on height deficits in children during treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Children with ALL treated without cranial radiation therapy (n = 160; median age, 5.1 years; 58.1% male) were followed prospectively for 6 years. Spinal deformity index (SDI) was used to quantify VF status. Baseline height z score ± SD was 0.3 ± 1.2. It fell by 0.5 ± 0.4 in the first 6 months for boys and by 0.4 ± 0.4 in the first 12 months for girls (P < 0.01 for both) and then subsequently recovered. The prevalence of VF peaked at 1 year (17.6%). Among those with VF, median SDI rose from 2 [interquartile range (IQR): 1, 7] at baseline to 8 (IQR: 1, 8) at 1 year. A mixed model for repeated measures showed that height z score declined by 0.13 (95% CI: 0.02 to 0.24; P = 0.02) for each 5-unit increase in SDI during the previous 12 months. Every 10 mg/m2 increase in average daily GC dose (prednisone equivalent) in the previous 12 months was associated with a height z score decrement of 0.26 (95% CI: 0.20 to 0.32; P < 0.01). GC likely plays a major role in the observed height decline during therapy for ALL. Because only a minority of children had VF, fractures could not have contributed significantly to the height deficit in the entire cohort but may have been important among the subset with VF.

Hypoactivation of the Right Prefrontal Cortex Underlying Motor‐Related Inhibitory Deficits in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Functional Near‐Infrared Spectroscopy Study

AbstractAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention‐deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are believed to share the symptom of neurocognitive dysfunction in executive functions. Regarding the components of executive functions, however, dysfunction of motor‐response inhibitory control in children with ASD remains unclear. Thus, using functional near‐infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), we investigated whether putative inhibitory brain dysfunctions are applicable to children with ASD by adopting a go/no‐go task, which has robustly evoked activation in typically developing (TD) children but not in ADHD children. Twenty‐four ASD and 24 TD children underwent a go/no‐go task, and their cortical hemodynamics were assessed using fNIRS. Relative to TD participants, ASD participants showed reduced activation in the right inferior frontal gyrus and middle frontal gyrus (IFG/MFG) during go/no‐go tasks. The current finding suggests that hypoactivation in the right IFG/MFG during a go/no‐go task would serve as a potential biomarker for identifying children with ASD.

The Two-Arm Coordination Test: Maturation of Bimanual Coordination in Typically Developing Children and Deficits in Children with Unilateral Cerebral Palsy

ABSTRACTBackground: Tools to assess bimanual coordination are scant. We aimed to: 1) provide normative data of maturation of bimanual coordination in tipically developing (TD) children measured by the Two Arm Coordination Test (TACT), and 2) validate the TACT as an instrument to specifically discriminate impairment of bimanual coordination in children with unilateral cerebral palsy (UCP). Procedure: Cross-sectional observational study. 252 TD children and 26 children with UCP performed 8 trials of TACT (following a star pattern with a pointer steered by coordinated movements of both arms). Number of errors and time were combined in a performance index of motor learning.Results: In TD children, bimanual coordination improved with age (F(7,244)=36.888, p<.001). Children with UCP had a poorer bimanual coordination than TD children (all t>24.25, all p<.01). TACT scores were correlated moderately to manual dexterity and manual ability (all r>-.452, all p<.039), showing the capacity of the TACT to provide information on different aspects of hand function. Conclusion: TACT is a valid instrument to assess bimanual coordination.

Frequency of Visual Deficits in Children With Developmental Dyslexia

ImportanceDevelopmental dyslexia (DD) is a specific learning disability of neurobiological origin whose core cognitive deficit is widely believed to involve language (phonological) processing. Although reading is also a visual task, the potential role of vision in DD has been controversial, and little is known about the integrity of visual function in individuals with DD.ObjectiveTo assess the frequency of visual deficits (specifically vergence, accommodation, and ocular motor tracking) in children with DD compared with a control group of typically developing readers.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsA prospective, uncontrolled observational study was conducted from May 28 to October 17, 2016, in an outpatient ophthalmology ambulatory clinic among 29 children with DD and 33 typically developing (TD) children.Main Outcomes and MeasuresPrimary outcomes were frequencies of deficits in vergence (amplitude, fusional ranges, and facility), accommodation (amplitude, facility, and accuracy), and ocular motor tracking (Developmental Eye Movement test and Visagraph eye tracker).ResultsAmong the children with DD (10 girls and 19 boys; mean [SD] age, 10.3 [1.2] years) and the TD group (21 girls and 12 boys; mean [SD] age, 9.4 [1.4] years), accommodation deficits were more frequent in the DD group than the TD group (16 [55%] vs 3 [9%]; difference = 46%; 95% CI, 25%-67%; P < .001). For ocular motor tracking, 18 children in the DD group (62%) had scores in the impaired range (in the Developmental Eye Movement test, Visagraph, or both) vs 5 children in the TD group (15%) (difference, 47%; 95% CI, 25%-69%; P < .001). Vergence deficits occurred in 10 children in the DD group (34%) and 5 children in the TD group (15%) (difference, 19%; 95% CI, –2.2% to 41%; P = .08). In all, 23 children in the DD group (79%) and 11 children in the TD group (33%) had deficits in 1 or more domain of visual function (difference, 46%; 95% CI, 23%-69%; P < .001).Conclusions and RelevanceThese findings suggest that deficits in visual function are far more prevalent in school-aged children with DD than in TD readers, but the possible cause and clinical relevance of these deficits are uncertain. Further study is needed to determine the extent to which treating these deficits can improve visual symptoms and/or reading parameters.

Muscle Strength, Power, and Torque Deficits in Children With Type SS Sickle Cell Disease.

In African-American children aged 5 to 17 years with and without type SS sickle cell disease (SCD-SS), dominant hand maximal handgrip strength, peak power, and plantar flexion isometric maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) torque were compared with adjustments for body size and composition. Children with SCD-SS (n=21; age, 11±1 y) compared with healthy control children (n=23; 10±1 y) did not differ by age, sex, or maturation stage, but had significantly lower Z scores for height, weight, body mass index, arm circumference, upper arm muscle area, and lean mass-for-height. Children with SCD-SS had significantly lower unadjusted handgrip strength (16±2 vs. 23±2 kg, P<0.01), peak power (1054±107 vs. 1488±169 W, P<0.04) and MVC torques at 2 angles (10 degrees: 27±3 vs. 42±5 Nm; 20 degrees: 21±3 vs. 34±4 Nm; all P<0.05). Performance decrements persisted when handgrip strength was adjusted for lean body mass and fat mass explaining 66% of the variance; peak power adjusted for age, lean body mass, fat mass, and height explaining 91% of the variance; and the highest MVC torque (10-degree angle) adjusted for left leg length, lean mass-for-height, and fat mass-for-height Z scores explaining 65% of the variance. This suggests additional factors contribute to the attenuated anaerobic performance.

Planning Deficits in Children With Specific Language Impairment Are Reflected in Unnecessarily Awkward Grasps.

Specific language impairment (SLI) affects many children, but its symptomatology is still being characterized. An emerging view, which challenges the notion that SLI is specific to language, is that SLI may actually reflect a domain-general deficit in procedural learning. We explored an extension of this hypothesis that a core deficit in SLI involves a domain-general problem in planning. We used a dowel-transport task to study the extent to which 13 children with SLI and 14 typically developing (TD) controls (ages over both groups between 8;10 [years;months] and 12;11) would adopt initially awkward grasps that ensured comfortable final grasps when reaching out to move a dowel from 1 position to another (the end-state comfort effect). We predicted that children with SLI would be less likely to use end-state comfort grasps than would TD children. Contrary to our prediction, when awkward grasps were needed to ensure comfortable final grasps, participants with SLI showed the end-state comfort effect as often as the TD children did. Unexpectedly, however, in trials where awkward grasps were not needed for comfortable final grasps, the participants with SLI used more awkward grasps than did the TD participants after trials in which initial awkward grasps were needed. We suggest that this perseverative behavior is indicative of a domain-general problem in planning in SLI.

Neuropsychological Deficits in Children with Epilepsy in Ghana: A Study at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital

Neuropsychological Deficits in Children with Epilepsy in Ghana: A Study at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital

Clinical Evaluation ofBrahmi GhritaandJyotishmati Tailain the Management of Cognitive Deficit in Children

Clinical Evaluation of<i>Brahmi Ghrita</i>and<i>Jyotishmati Taila</i>in the Management of Cognitive Deficit in Children

Comparing the Dietary Behaviors of Hyperactive - Attention Deficit Children with Healthy Children and Its Relationship with Weight Indices in Both Groups

Field and aim: One of the factors that effects on children’s weight and health status is their eating behavior. The aim of this study is to investigate and compare eating behaviors in hyperactive – attention deficit children with healthy children in Kerman.Method: The investigated population in this study was 80 children including 40 healthy children and 40 hyperactive – attention deficit children that their weight, height, body mass index and information related to their eating behaviors were measured and recorded in children by using food behaviors questionnaire.Results: Mean body mass index in the whole population was 16.9 ± 3.7 Kg/m2 that was 17.48 ± 4.05 in hyperactive – attention deficit children and 15.96 ± 3.29 in healthy children. There was a significant relationship between body mass index and the presence of this disorder in the investigated children, so that, the mean body mass index was higher in children with this disorder. Weight loss prevalence in the whole investigated population was 19.5% that 7.3% was related to hyperactive children and 12.2% healthy children. Overweight prevalence in the whole population was 12.2% that 6.1% was related to both hyperactive – attention deficit and healthy children. Obesity prevalence was 17.1% in the whole population that 13.4% of it was related to hyperactive children and 3.7% of it to healthy children. There was a significant difference between the two groups regarding eating behaviors, moderate eating behavior in hyperactive – lack of concentration children, fast eating behavior, low eating in fatigue time and activity rate. There was no significant difference between eating behaviors and weight indices.Discussion and conclusion: Considering that the specific dietary and eating behaviors were higher in obese and low weight children with significant difference, investigating eating behaviors in children with deviations from normal weight and BMI must be a part of the comprehensive assessment and treatment program for such children to prevent its negative consequences on health in the next period of life by intervening in a timely manner.