Test Performance Of Children Research Articles

Clinical symptoms and performance on the continuous performance test in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder between subtypes: a natural follow-up study for 6 months

BackgroundThe aims of this study were to determine the time course of improvements in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) clinical symptoms and neurocognitive function in a realistic clinical setting, and the differences in ADHD symptom improvement using different classifications of ADHD subtypes.MethodsThe Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) was completed by parents of ADHD children at the initial visit. The computerized Continuous Performance Test (CPT), Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham, and Version IV Scale for ADHD (SNAP-IV), and ADHD Rating Scale (ADHD-RS) were performed at baseline, one month, three months, and six months later, respectively. Patient care including drug therapy was performed at the discretion of the psychiatrist. The ADHD patients were divided into DSM-IV subtypes (Inattentive, Hyperactive-impulsive and Combined type), and were additionally categorized into aggressive and non-aggressive subtypes by aggression scale in CBCL for comparisons.ResultsThere were 50 ADHD patients with a mean age of 7.84 ± 1.64 years; 15 of them were inattentive type, 11 were hyperactive-impulsive type, and 24 were combined type. In addition, 28 of the ADHD patients were grouped into aggressive and 22 into non-aggressive subtypes. There were significant improvements in clinical symptoms of hyperactivity and inattention, and impulsivity performance in CPT during the 6-month treatment. The clinical hyperactive symptoms were significantly different between ADHD patients sub-grouping both by DSM-IV and aggression. Non-aggressive patients had significantly greater changes in distraction and impulsivity performances in CPT from baseline to month 6 than aggressive patients.ConclusionsWe found that ADHD symptoms, which included impulsive performances in CPT and clinical inattention and hyperactivity dimensions, had improved significantly over 6 months under pragmatic treatments. The non-aggressive ADHD patients might have a higher potential for improving in CPT performance than aggressive ones. However, it warrant further investigation whether the different classifications of ADHD patients could be valid for predicting the improvements in ADHD patients' clinical symptoms and neurocognitive performance.

Wisconsin Card Sorting Test performance in children with developmental coordination disorder

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate and compare the executive functions measured by the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) between children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) and age-matched normal controls. A second purpose was to examine the relations between executive functions and school functions in DCD children. Seventy-one children with DCD and 70 children without motor problems were recruited from 14 public schools. Executive functions and school functions were assessed using the WCST, and the School Function Assessment – Chinese Version (SFA-C) respectively. Univariate analyses demonstrated significant between-group differences in five WCST measures. The logistic regression analysis showed differences between two groups on eight SFA-C subscales, and significant correlation between items measured on WCST and SFA-C was also found. The result of the study provides further evidence of impaired sub-domains of executive functions (i.e., mental shifting, flexibility) in children with DCD. The finding also adds to recent investigations into the relationship between executive functions and school functions in DCD. Implications for rehabilitation professionals and recommendations for further research are discussed.

Achievement Test Performance in Children Conceived by In Vitro Fertilization

Short-term risks to children conceived by in vitro fertilization (IVF) include adverse perinatal outcomes and birth defects. Little data are available on long-term risks in IVF children, especially for subtle measures of cognitive development. The few studies that have investigated cognitive development in these children have been limited by small sample size, short length of follow-up, nonstandard measures of cognitive ability, or lack of appropriate controls. This retrospective cohort study investigated cognitive function in children conceived by IVF. Academic performance was assessed using the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) for grades 3 to 9 and the Iowa Tests of Educational Development (ITED) for grades 9 to 12. Both the tests have been accepted nationally as valid measures of academic achievement. A university database was used to identify IVF children from 8 to 17 years of age. Parents of these children were contacted by mail and made to complete questionnaires on their children's health, educational development, and the parental level of education. ITBS/ITED scores of enrolled children were obtained for grades 3 to 12 and were compared with the scores of a control group of normally conceived children matched for gender, grade level, calendar year of test administration, and school district. Linear mixed models were used for analysis of the scores. The response rate among parents contacted was 59.4% (295/495), resulting in analysis of 463 children. ITBS/ITED scores were available on 423 of these children (91.4%). For all grades and subtests, the mean scores of IVF children were significantly higher compared with the national average (P < 0.0001) and were higher than the controls for grades 3 to 11. A trend for lower test scores in the IVF children was found among multiple gestations, but the adjusted differences were not statistically significant. Examination of factors that could affect ITBS/ITED scores showed a significant association between scores and mother's and father's level of education, mother's age at delivery, divorce, and child's body mass index. Cryopreservation of embryos, longer embryo culture, and method of insemination had no significant effect on test scores. These findings suggest that the use of IVF does not have a negative effect on cognitive development of children conceived through this technology. The investigators believe that these data should be reassuring to patients who are considering IVF, but longer studies are also needed.

Managing Complexity: Impact of Organization and Processing Style on Nonverbal Memory in Autism Spectrum Disorders

The contributions of cognitive style and organization to processing and recalling a complex novel stimulus were examined by comparing the Rey Osterrieth Complex Figure (ROCF) test performance of children, adolescents, and adults with ASD to clinical controls (CC) and non-impaired controls (NC) using the Developmental Scoring System. The ROCF task involves a complex structure with strong organizational or integrative processing demands. The individuals with ASD relied on a predominantly part-oriented strategy to cope with the complexity of the task and did not make the typical developmental shift to a configurational approach. Both processing style and organization (whether pieces of information were perceived as connected to one another in a meaningful way) contributed to structural recall in the ASD group.

Comparison of 6-min walk test distance and cardiopulmonary exercise test performance in children with pulmonary hypertension

ObjectiveTo assess the relationship between 6-min walk test (6MWT) distance and variables of cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) in children with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).DesignRetrospective study.SettingTertiary hospital.PatientsChildren with PAH.InterventionsCPETs and 6MWTs.Main...

Achievement test performance in children conceived by IVF

Long-term follow-up studies of children conceived by IVF are limited. We examine academic performance on standardized tests [Iowa Tests of Basic Skills/Educational Development (ITBS/ITED)] of children conceived by IVF. Parents of children 8-17 years of age at the onset of the study (March 2008) who were conceived by IVF at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and living in the state of Iowa were contacted by mail. Parents completed questionnaires on their child's health and education and parental education. ITBS/ITED scores from school grades 3-12 were obtained on IVF children and a group of anonymous children matched by grade, year, gender and school district. Scores were analyzed using linear mixed models. Four hundred and ninety-seven couples were contacted. Two hundred and ninety-five couples (463 children) agreed to participate (59.4% of parents), with ITBS/ITED scores available on 423 children (91.4% of participants). IVF children scored higher than the national mean (P < 0.0001) across all grades and subtests and higher than their matched peers for grades 3-11. A trend toward lower test scores in multiple gestations was present (but not significant). Factors found to affect test scores included parental level of education, maternal age, divorce and child's BMI. Cryopreservation, length of embryo culture and method of insemination did not affect scores. IVF children scored higher on standardized tests than their matched peers, suggesting that IVF does not have a negative effect on cognitive development. However, long-term follow-up of IVF children is still limited. Further research should be performed on the effect of multiple gestation on academic performance.

Metacognitive monitoring and control processes involved in primary school children's test performance

Within the context of students' self-regulated learning, the interplay between learners' individual characteristics and the context of testing have been emphasized for assessing learning outcomes. The present study examined metacognitive monitoring and control processes in elementary schoolchildren's test taking behaviour and explored the impacts of these metacognitive skills for the accuracy and the quantity of test performance. A total of 133 participants from third and fifth grade did a cloze test about a previously learned science topic, gave confidence judgments for every answer, and were then allowed to cross-out answers if they wished. Two different mock scoring schemes for test performance were compared with a control group. Results revealed well-developed monitoring skills indicating that by the age of 9 children can reliably distinguish between correct and incorrect answers. As for control skills, 11- and 12-year-olds proved to be better able to improve their test performance by selectively withdrawing answers that would have been incorrect than the 9- to 10-year-olds. The study offers evidence for the impact of metacognitive processes in students' learning outcomes and documents strategic behaviour during test taking, as well as developmental progression in the involved skills.

Effect of multiple gestation on achievement test performance in children conceived by in-vitro fertilization (IVF)

Effect of multiple gestation on achievement test performance in children conceived by in-vitro fertilization (IVF)

Assessment of Cognitive Function of 4‐5 Year Old Children and of Iron Status of Mother‐Child Dyads in Northern Jordan

Cognitive function was assessed in children using scales from the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test‐IV (PPVT‐IV) and the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K‐ABC‐II). Family socioeconomics, anthropometrics, hemoglobin, ferritin, and transferrin receptors (TfRs) were determined in 93 mothers and their children. Mean age (SD) of mothers was 34.0 (6.0) y and of children was 60.7 (5.4) mo. Body mass index (BMI) of mothers was 29.6 (15.2) with 77% of women having BMI = 25 kg/m2. Plasma ferritin for 53.8% of women was &lt;15 µg/L and 44.1% had TfRs = 8.5 mg/L. Only 16% of children had ferritin &lt;12 µg/L and 14% had TfRs = 8.5 mg/L. Mothers with lower incomes had higher TfRs. No significant differences in iron status or cognitive test scores were found between boys and girls. Neither ferritin nor TfRs predicted children's test performance. Children from higher‐income families had higher mean scores on non‐verbal and simultaneous indices from the K‐ABC‐II and on the PPVT. Using stepwise regression, age and kindergarten (KG) attendance significantly predicted mean scores on non‐verbal and simultaneous indices from K‐ABC‐II, and KG but not age predicted the sequential index from the K‐ABC‐II. Children of mothers with high school education or above (n=56) had higher non‐ verbal, simultaneous, and sequential scores on indices from the K‐ABC‐II and the PPVT compared to children whose mothers had less education. Family income, mothers' education, and KG attendance had significant effects on children's cognitive function. (Supported by Oklahoma State University)

Predictors of performance on three developmentally sensitive neuropsychological tests in children with and without traumatic brain injury

Objective: To determine the effect of age and vocabulary as predictors of performance on neuropsychological tests in children with and without traumatic brain injury (TBI).Setting and participants: In the first study, 213 school-age children were evaluated in their public school environment. In the second study, 65 children with a history of TBI were examined in a medical centre.Major outcome measures: Age of the child and two estimates of intellectual functioning (Vocabulary and Block Design) were used to predict performance on the Barrow Neurological Institute Screen for Higher Cerebral Functions in School-Age Children (BNIS-C), a verbal fluency task and the Halstead Finger Tapping Test (HFTT).Results: In study 1, the exact age of the child was the strongest predictor of performance (e.g. 47.5% of the variability on the BNIS-C) in normal school-age children. Vocabulary level accounted for less than 10% of the variability across the three measures. In children with TBI (study 2; n= 65) age effects remained strong, but a greater vocabulary effect was observed on two of the three measures (i.e. 29.2% on the BNIS-C and 18.8% on verbal fluency).Conclusions: While age is an important predictor of neuropsychological test performance in children, post-injury vocabulary level appears to be an important moderator variable.

Performance on the continuous performance test in children with ADHD is associated with sleep efficiency.

To examine whether the level of sleep efficiency of children diagnosed with ADHD moderates their performance on the Continuous Performance Test (CPT) while receiving a placebo and while receiving methylphenidate (MPH). Nightly sleep actigraphic assessment during a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover clinical study (1 week of 0.5 mg/kg MPH; 1 week of placebo) were obtained on 37 children between 6 and 12 years of age with a DSM-IV diagnosis of ADHD. Subjects were divided into 2 groups based on the mean sleep efficiency score during the placebo condition, with subjects above and below the mean placed in the Poor Sleep Group (PSG) and Good Sleep Group (GSG), respectively. Vigilance testing was conducted in the laboratory; sleep was assessed in the home. Sleep was monitored using actigraphy for 2 weeks. In addition, parents were asked to complete nightly sleep logs and a sleep questionnaire. The Conners' Continuous Performance Test (CPT) was used to assess vigilance. Significant interaction of Sleep Group with Medication was found on 1 CPT factor. The findings of the present study support the hypothesis that sleep moderates performance on CPT in children with ADHD while receiving placebo or MPH.

Effect of Habitual Activity, Lung Function, and Nutritional Measurements on 3-Minute Step Test Performance in Children with Cystic Fibrosis

Effect of Habitual Activity, Lung Function, and Nutritional Measurements on 3-Minute Step Test Performance in Children with Cystic Fibrosis

Reaction Time Distribution Analysis of Neuropsychological Performance in an ADHD Sample

Differences in reaction time (RT) variability have been documented between children with and without Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Most previous research has utilized estimates of normal distributions to examine variability. Using a nontraditional approach, the present study evaluated RT distributions on the Conners’ Continuous Performance Test in children and adolescents from the Multimodal Treatment Study of ADHD sample compared to a matched sample of normal controls (n = 65 pairs). The ex-Gaussian curve was used to model RT and RT variability. Children with ADHD demonstrated faster RT associated with the normal portion of the curve and a greater proportion of abnormally slow responses associated with the exponential portion of the curve. These results contradict previous interpretation that children with ADHD have slower than normal responding and demonstrate why slower RT is found when estimates of variability assume normal Gaussian distributions. Further, results of this study suggest that the greater number of abnormally long RTs of children with ADHD reflect attentional lapses on some but not all trials. The MTA is a cooperative treatment study performed by six independent research teams in collaboration with the staff of the Division of Clinical and Treatment Research of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Rockville, Maryland and the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE). The NIMH Principal Collaborators are Peter S. Jensen, M.D., L. Eugene Arnold, M.Ed., M.D., John E. Richters, Ph.D., Joanne B. Severe, M.S., Donald Vereen, M.D., and Benedetto Vitiello, M.D. Principal Investigators and coinvestigators from the six sites are as follows: University of California at Berkeley/San Francisco (UO1 MH50461): Stephen P. Hinshaw, Ph.D., Glen R. Elliott, M.D., Ph.D.; Duke University (UO1 MH50447): C. Keith Conners, Ph.D., Karen C. Wells, Ph.D., John S. March, M.D., M.P.H.; University of California at Irvine/Los Angeles (UO1 MH50440): James M. Swanson, Ph.D.; Dennis P. Cantwell, M.D.; Timothy Wigal, Ph.D.; Long Island Jewish Medical Center/Montreal Children's Hospital (UO1 MH50453): Howard B. Abikoff, Ph.D., Lily Hechtman, M.D.; New York State Psychiatric Institute/Columbia University/Mount Sinai Medical Center (UO1 MH50454): Laurence L. Greenhill, M.D., Jeffrey H. Newcorn, M.D.; University of Pittsburgh (UO1 MH50467): William E. Pelham, Ph.D., Betsy Hoza, Ph.D. Helena C. Kraemer, Ph.D. (Stanford University) is statistical and design consultant. The OSEP/DOE Principal Collaborator is Thomas Hanley, Ed.D. Aaron Hervey, Ph.D. was supported on this project by a midcareer development award to the second author (K24 MH64478).

Validity and reproducibility of a new diagnostic motor performance test in children with suspected myopathy

To spare more children from painful muscle biopsy, a new non-invasive diagnostic motor performance test is undergoing development. Fifteen functional items were used to measure muscle strength and muscle endurance in 68 patients (47 males, 21 females; mean age 7y 8mo, SD 2y 2mo; range 4 to 11y), who had been referred to our specialist centre in the past 3 years on suspicion of myopathy. All the patients had undergone muscle biopsy. To correct the patients' outcomes for age, sex, and body size, regression prediction equations were obtained from a stratified random sample of 64 normally developing primary-school children aged 4 to 11 years (32 males, 32 females; mean age 8y 1mo, SD 2y 4mo). Feasibility was evaluated on the basis of five criteria. Validity was assessed using logistic regression analysis, receiver operating characteristic analysis, and sensitivity and specificity at a specifically chosen cut-off point. Reproducibility was evaluated by test-retest reliability in a stratified random sample of 40 patients who returned for re-measurements using the intraclass correlation coefficient. Seven items satisfied all five feasibility criteria, had high diagnostic power, and high test-retest reliability. The motor performance test can improve diagnostic procedure in children suspected of having myopathy.

The Influence of Lean Body Mass and Leg Muscle Strength on 6-Minute Walk Test Performance in Children with Cystic Fibrosis

Purpose: Exercise capacity, measured by the 6-minute walk test (6MWT) is impaired in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) and is related to their survival and quality of life. 6MWT performance may be influenced or explained by lung function, lean body mass (LBM), or muscle strength. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the relationships between leg muscle strength and 6MWT as well as LBM and 6MWT in children with CF as compared to healthy peers. Methods: Subjects with CF (n=21, mean age 10.5 yrs, mean FEV, 65% predicted) and age- and sexmatched healthy controls were tested for LBM and lower extremity muscle strength. Measurements of skin folds were used to determine LBM. Strength of bilateral hip flexors, knee extensors, and ankle dorsiflexors was determined via hand-held dynamometry. Subjects then completed the 6MWT. A Mann-Whitney U test was used to make between group comparisons for height, weight, LBM, muscle strength, and 6MWT distance. A Kendall's Tau was used to assess within group correlations between the strength of each muscle tested and both LBM and 6MWT distance. Results: Subjects with CF had significantly lower LBM (23.7 ± 8.5 kg vs. 31.4 ± 12.0 kg) and 6MWT (490 ± 77 m vs. 557 ± 94 m) than controls. Hip flexion and ankle dorsiflexion strength was also significantly lower in CF than controls. The 6MWT distance correlated significantly with bilateral hip flexion (r = 0.37-0.39) and knee extension strength (r = 0.31-0.37) in CF. There was no relationship between any strength measure and 6MWT distance in controls. Strength correlated moderately with LBM in both groups. LBM did not correlate with 6MWT in either group. Conclusions: Exercise capacity as measured by 6MWT is impaired in children with CF and is partially related to decreased leg muscle strength. These findings suggest that leg muscle strength, not LBM, is related to 6MWT performance in children with CF.

Effect of Habitual Activity, Lung Function, and Nutritional Measurements on 3-Minute Step Test Performance in Children with Cystic Fibrosis

Effect of Habitual Activity, Lung Function, and Nutritional Measurements on 3-Minute Step Test Performance in Children with Cystic Fibrosis

The influence of shyness on children's test performance.

Research has shown that shy children differ from their peers not only in their use of language in routine social encounters but also in formal assessments of their language development, including psychometric tests of vocabulary. There has been little examination of factors contributing to these individual differences. To investigate cognitive-competence and social anxiety interpretations of differences in children's performance on tests of vocabulary. To examine the performance of shy and less shy children under different conditions of test administration, individually with an examiner or among their peers within the familiar classroom setting. The sample consisted of 240 Year 5 pupils (122 male, 118 female) from 24 primary schools. Shy and less shy children, identified by teacher nomination and checklist ratings, completed vocabulary and mental arithmetic tests in one of three conditions, in a between-subjects design. The conditions varied individual and group administration, and oral and written responses. The conditions of test administration influenced the vocabulary test performance of shy children. They performed significantly more poorly than their peers in the two face-to-face conditions but not in the group test condition. A comparable trend for the arithmetic test was not statistically significant. Across the sample as a whole, shyness correlated significantly with test scores. Shyness does influence children's cognitive test performance and its impact is larger when children are tested face-to-face rather than in a more anonymous group setting. The results are of significance for theories of shyness and have implications for the assessment of schoolchildren.

Tower of London Test Performance in Children With Poor Arithmetic Skills

The Tower of London (TOL) has been used to assess executive functions in both children and adults with documented brain dysfunction. Like many other measures of executive function, it has not been widely used in the assessment of learning disabilities in children. However, if performance on the TOL discriminated among groups of children with different academic strengths and weaknesses, then it may be useful in identifying learning disability subtypes. The purpose of this study was to determine whether performance on the TOL would differ among 3 groups of children: those with arithmetic difficulties, those with reading difficulties, and those with no academic difficulties. The group with arithmetic difficulties exhibited significantly greater impairment on the TOL than either the group with reading difficulties or the group with no difficulties. The latter 2 groups performed similarly. The clinical utility of the TOL, as well as the relation between arithmetic deficits and executive functions, are discussed.

Quality of Spirometry Test Performance in Children and Adolescents*: Experience in a Large Field Study

To determine the ability of children and adolescents to meet the American Thoracic Society (ATS) goals for spirometry quality that were based on results from adults. Observational. More than 4,000 public school students, ages 9 to 18 years. Spirometry was performed annually for 3 years, with the recording of maneuver quality measures of forced expiratory time, end-of-test volume, back-extrapolated volume, and time to peak expiratory flow (PEFT), and the recording of differences between best and second-best FVC, FEV(1), and peak expiratory flow (PEF) values. Regression analyses showed significant influences of participant age, gender, ethnicity, size, clinical status, and previous testing experience, as well as differences among individual test technicians. In general, these influences were small and explained little of the variance in performance. On average, children with a history of asthma or wheeze performed better quality spirometry than did others. Only PEFT improved significantly from year to year. Overall, only 15% of girls' tests and 32% of boys' tests met the PEFT criterion derived from adults in the Lung Health Study. Most of the children met adult-based ATS goals for spirometry test performance. Age group-specific criteria are needed to ensure adequately fast PEFT and reproducible PEF values.

Central Auditory Processing Disorders and Reduced Motivation: Three Case Studies

The central auditory test results for three normal-hearing children who were initially diagnosed as having a central auditory processing disorder and learning disability are presented. They were referred to the authors for second-opinion consultations. Central auditory processing retesting was performed by the authors under the condition of no reinforcement and then the condition of reinforcement with the child's favorite food, hobby, or toy. For all three cases, the central auditory test scores improved markedly bilaterally under the condition of reinforcement as compared with the condition of no reinforcement. We hypothesize that the improvement was related to increased motivation associated with the reinforcement and that these children represented false-positive results on the central auditory test battery. Large-sample studies are needed to investigate the effect of reinforcement on test performance in children with reduced central auditory test scores.