Neuropsychological Impairment In Children Research Articles

Can bipolar disorder-specific neuropsychological impairments in children be identified?

This study examined neuropsychological deficits among children with bipolar disorder while attending to its comorbidity with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Seventy-three unmedicated children (ages 6-17 years) with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) bipolar disorder plus ADHD (BPD + ADHD) were compared with 102 unmedicated children with ADHD without bipolar disorder, and 120 children without bipolar disorder or ADHD. Ninety-four percent of participants were Caucasian, 58% were male, and 42% were female. On average participants were of middle to upper socioeconomic status. Participants were assessed with a comprehensive neuropsychological battery and measures of academic achievement, school failure, and special education placement. Participants with BPD + ADHD and with ADHD were impaired in interference control, verbal learning, and arithmetic achievement and had higher rates of special school services. Across all of the measures of neuropsychological functioning, the only difference observed between youths with BPD + ADHD and youths with ADHD was that youths with BPD + ADHD performed more poorly on one measure of processing speed. Thus, comorbidity with ADHD may account for many of the neuropsychological deficits observed in children with bipolar disorder.

Multicultural Issues In Audiology

Multicultural Issues In Audiology

Multicultural Issues In Audiology

Multicultural Issues In Audiology

Revised children's version of the alternative impairment index.

The Revised Children's Version of the Alternative Impairment Index, a measure composed of scores derived from the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Test Battery for Older Children, has been proposed as a new measure of neuropsychological impairment in children aged 9-14. This study investigated the feasibility of a Children's Version of the Alternative Impairment Index. Test records for 16 normal and brain-damaged children, between the ages of 9 and 14, who have been administered the complete Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Test Battery for Older Children, were obtained. The Revised Children's Version of the Alternative Impairment Index and the Children's Total Neuropsychological Deficit Score were compared for agreement on level of severity. The resulting hit rate (i.e., 50% or 8/16 correct agreement) was worse than the hit rate obtained in the initial study (56%) and inadequate for clinical use.

Neuropsychological deficits in very young bone marrow transplant recipients.

Bone marrow transplantation (BMT) involves conditioning with cyclophosphamide and, for patients with malignant disease, total body irradiation (TBI). This study describes the neuropsychological development of 10 children treated for leukemia (n = 7), neuroblastoma (n = 1) or severe aplastic anemia (SAA; n = 2) at 3 years of age or younger. A moderate general developmental delay, with pronounced motor deficits and varying degrees of perceptual and cognitive problems, was observed in all children treated for malignant disease. Children treated for SAA had normal development. We conclude that BMT, including TBI, can be directly associated with long-term neuropsychological impairment in children treated at a very young age. Continued medical and psychological follow-up procedures are needed.

The utility of verbal-performance IQ differences in the prediction of neuropsychological impairment in children

The utility of verbal-performance IQ differences in the prediction of neuropsychological impairment in children

The utility of verbal-performance IQ differences in the prediction of neuropsychological impairment in children : Shine, A.E. & Dean, R.S. Mississippi State University & Ball State University

The utility of verbal-performance IQ differences in the prediction of neuropsychological impairment in children : Shine, A.E. & Dean, R.S. Mississippi State University & Ball State University

Behavioral manifestations of neuropsychological impairment in children with psychiatric disorders

The behavioral manifestations of neuropsychological impairment were examined in a sample of hospitalized boys with psychiatric disorders. The presence of neuropsychological deficits was found to be associated with more extensive behavior problems regardless of factors such as IQ, socioeconomic status, and whether there was a documented history of brain injury. However, the relationship applied specifically to younger as opposed to older subjects, and mainly involved internalizing rather than externalizing behavior problems. The results are taken to suggest that the behavioral manifestations of neuropsychological impairment may change with development.

Behavioral manifestations of neuropsychological impairment in children with psychiatric disorders

The behavioral manifestations of neuropsychological impairment were examined in a sample of hospitalized boys with psychiatric disorders. The presence of neuropsychological deficits was found to be associated with more extensive behavior problems regardless of factors such as IQ, socioeconomic status, and whether there was a documented history of brain injury. However, the relationship applied specifically to younger as opposed to older subjects, and mainly involved internalizing rather than externalizing behavior problems. The results are taken to suggest that the behavioral manifestations of neuropsychological impairment may change with development.

Ocular motility, visual acuity and dysfunction of neuropsychological impairment in children with shunted uncomplicated hydrocephalus.

Children with shunted, uncomplicated, communicating hydrocephalus were tested to determine (1) the persistence of neuropsychological impairment and (2) the relationship between neuropsychological functioning, ocular motility, and acuity abnormalities. Eighteen hydrocephalic and 18 individually age- and sex-matched controls were given a neuropsychological battery, repeated after an interval of 1 year. Hydrocephalic children were also tested at the beginning of the second year for strabismus, amblyopia and visual acuity. Their medical records were reviewed for history of ocular motility and/or acuity abnormalities. Hydrocephalic children with normal range IQ were found to have lower verbal IQ, memory, and fine motor skills compared to controls. A history of ocular motility and acuity abnormalities was associated with impaired visuospatial and verbal problem-solving skills.