Skills In School-age Children Research Articles

What role does the environment play in language development? Exploring the associations among socioeconomic status, parent language input, and language skills in school-aged children with autism.

Language development in children with autism is influenced by proximal (e.g., parent language input) and distal (e.g., socioeconomic status) environmental constructs. Studies have found that "rich and responsive" parent language input supports autistic children's language development, and recent work has reported positive associations between measures of socioeconomic status (SES) and child language skills. However, little is known about how these proximal and distal environmental constructs interact to shape language development in autism. In a sample of 74 autistic school-aged children, the present study investigated the associations among measures of SES, the quantity and quality of language produced by parents and children during home-based dyadic parent-child interactions, and children's expressive and receptive language skills. Results showed that annual household income was positively associated with parent number of total words (NTW), parent number of different words (NDW), and parent mean length of utterance (MLU), while neither parent education level nor annual household income were significantly associated with measures of child language skills. Parent MLU was positively associated with child MLU and child expressive language skills. Findings suggest that annual household income may influence both the quantity and quality of parent language input, and that parent MLU, a qualitative measure of parent language input, may play a particularly important role in shaping autistic children's expressive language development. Future research should study longitudinal associations among SES, parent language input, and child language skills, as identifying environmental predictors of language skills in autism may facilitate the creation of more effective interventions that support language development.

Be the hero project, assessing the quality of basic life support skills in school-age children

BackgroundOut-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA) ranks as the third leading cause of death, with a survival rate of less than 10%. Although 70% of these incidents are witnessed by laypeople, only one-third receive Basic Life Support (BLS). Educating school-age children (SAC) in BLS is an effective strategy to increase the rate of bystander BLS and subsequently improve survival. We aimed to determine whether there is the physical capacity to perform chest compressions (CT) with the required technical quality in SAC, determining the optimal age to begin BLS training in schools and if there are gender differences in performing BLS.AimEvaluate the capacity to learn and the quality of BLS maneuvers performed by SAC.MethodsDuring a four-month period BLS training sessions, led by nurses, were conducted in schools in Oeiras, Portugal. These sessions targeted students aged 14 to 18. Each session lasted 100 min.ResultsA total of 734 SAC were trained. All students were able to provide CT with the appropriate depth. Male students performed deeper and more successful CT and female students were able to achieve better recoil.ConclusionsSAC aged 14–18 years old were able to learn and perform high-quality BLS. The findings showed no differences in results based on gender. Additionally, short practice sessions of 100 min, led by nurses, appear to be sufficient for the retention and execution of high-quality BLS.

IMPLEMENTATION OF ART THERAPY TECHNIQUES ON TOOTHBRUSHING SKILLS FOR SCHOOL-AGE CHILDREN IN KUTA TRADITIONAL VILLAGE

Background: The 2023 Indonesian health survey shows that the prevalence of dental caries in Indonesia is 43.6% and the prevalence of cavities in Jawabarat Province is 48%. Based on the characteristics of the age group of 5-9 years is 49.9% and the age group of 10-14 years is 37.2%. Method: This research method is the Quasi Experimental method with One Group Pre-test and Post-test Design. Data analysis used the Wilcoxon Test, with a sample of 32 children aged 6-12 years from Kuta Traditional Village, which is a traditional village located in the area of Karangpaningal Village, Tambaksari District, Ciamis Regency, West Java. The measuring instrument uses an observation sheet of brushing skills. Results: The skills before being given counseling were 3.7 with an average of less skilled criteria, after being given counseling to 8.3 with an average of moderately skilled criteria. Conclusion: The value of p = 0.000 shows that there is an effect of counseling using art therapy techniques on toothbrushing skills in school-age children in Kuta Traditional Village.

DOKTER KECIL: STUDENT EMPOWERMENT THROUGH LEARNING FIRST AID SKILL AND KNOWLEDGE

Introduction: Knowledge and skills of simple first aid are packaged by the UKS program through the role of Dokter Kecil. Interactive learning using video, demonstration and simulation activities has increased first aid knowledge and skills in primary school students. The aim of this community service program was to increase first aid knowledge and skills of wound care, nosebleed and syncope in school age children. Methods: The community service was conducted at SDN Komplek Kenjeran II in Surabaya, Indonesia, involving 40 students from grades 3 to 5. The intervention was provided in a 4-hour session, using video demonstrations and hands-on simulation. Pre-test and post-test questionnaires measured students' knowledge and attitudes before and after the training. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: The demographic characteristics of participants were dominated by the age 10 years (37.5%), in fourth grade (42.5%) and female (62.5%). The average pre-test knowledge score was 65 and pre-test attitude score was 76.4. After doing interactive learning, demonstrations and simulations, the average student post-test score experienced a significant increase, namely 84.5 in the knowledge and 89.7 in the attitude. Conclusion: The Dokter Kecil program significantly improved students’ skills and knowledge in managing wound care, nosebleeds, and syncope. This empowerment program demonstrates the effectiveness of interactive learning in fostering critical first aid skills in school-aged children. Regular updates to the training content are recommended to ensure ongoing relevance and efficacy.

Increased Salivary BDNF and Improved Fundamental Motor Skills in Children Following a 3-Month Integrated Neuromuscular Training in Primary School.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a protein involved in synaptic transmission and neuronal plasticity, which underlie the processes of learning and memory formation. Acute exercise and exercise training increase BDNF concentration. We aimed to evaluate the effects of a 3-month integrated neuromuscular training (INT) on salivary BDNF concentration and the mastery of fundamental motor skills in school-aged children. An additional goal was to explore the associations between potential changes in BDNF and fundamental motor skills. Sixty-seven primary school-aged children were randomly allocated to control (N = 32; 7.52 ± 0.31 y) or INT groups (N = 35; 7.56 ± 0.29 y). A 3-month INT was applied during the warm-up of physical education (PE) classes, twice weekly. Salivary BDNF was measured using a sandwich-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and the mastery of fundamental motor skills was assessed using the CAMSA test, at baseline and after 3 months. The children in the INT group, as compared to the children in the control group, exhibited higher salivary BDNF (F = 8.865; p = 0.004), higher scores for sidestep (F = 13.240, p = 0.001), 1-foot hop (F = 11.684, p = 0.001), kick (F = 4.010, p = 0.050), the sum of locomotor skills (F = 18.799, p < 0.0001), and the sum of control and manipulative skills (F = 8.151, p = 0.006), as well as the total sum of fundamental motor skills (F = 11.266, p = 0.001) after the 3 months. Interestingly, the increase in salivary BDNF concentration after the 3-month INT was associated with an improvement in locomotor skills (beta = 0.385; p = 0.039; adjusted R2 = 0.088) and the total improvement in fundamental motor skills (beta = 0.428; p = 0.020; adjusted R2 = 0.124). A school-based 3-month INT increased salivary BDNF and improved the mastery of fundamental motor skills in children, highlighting the positive impact of this intervention for a pediatric population.

The Not-So-Slight Perceptual Consequences of Slight Hearing Loss in School-Age Children: A Scoping Review.

This study aimed to conduct a scoping review of research exploring the effects of slight hearing loss on auditory and speech perception in children. A comprehensive search conducted in August 2023 identified a total of 402 potential articles sourced from eight prominent bibliographic databases. These articles were subjected to rigorous evaluation for inclusion criteria, specifically focusing on their reporting of speech or auditory perception using psychoacoustic tasks. The selected studies exclusively examined school-age children, encompassing those between 5 and 18 years of age. Following rigorous evaluation, 10 articles meeting these criteria were selected for inclusion in the review. The analysis of included articles consistently shows that even slight hearing loss in school-age children significantly affects their speech and auditory perception. Notably, most of the included articles highlighted a common trend, demonstrating that perceptual deficits originating due to slight hearing loss in children are particularly observable under challenging experimental conditions and/or in cognitively demanding listening tasks. Recent evidence further underscores that the negative impacts of slight hearing loss in school-age children cannot be solely predicted by their pure-tone thresholds alone. However, there is limited evidence concerning the effect of slight hearing loss on the segregation of competing speech, which may be a better representation of listening in the classroom. This scoping review discusses the perceptual consequences of slight hearing loss in school-age children and provides insights into an array of methodological issues associated with studying perceptual skills in school-age children with slight hearing losses, offering guidance for future research endeavors.

Implementation and outcomes of a quality improvement project to systematically assess the gross motor skills in school-aged children with cystic fibrosis.

Limited data exist on the gross motor abilities of children with cystic fibrosis (CF). The objective of this research project was to implement a systematic gross motor assessment in children with CF ages 4-12 years. Secondarily, we aimed to assess demographic characteristics associated with gross motor delays. Physical therapists aimed to evaluate at least 50% of eligible children (4-12 years) at our CF Center over 1 year using the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of motor Proficiency, second edition (BOT-2). Delays are defined by scores less than 18th percentile. Demographic and clinical data included body mass index, hospitalizations, genotype, and comorbidities. Basic descriptive statistics summarized patient information. Parametric and nonparametric methods compared groups of interest. Linear regression assessed associations between BOT-2 measures and clinical characteristics. The BOT-2 evaluation was successfully implemented with 69% of eligible patients being evaluated. Forty-five (62.5%) scored below average. Impaired strength (22.2%) was most common, followed by impaired balance (16.7%), running speed and agility (15.3%), and bilateral coordination (8.3%). 15.5% scored below average on their total motor composite score (TMC). Increased age, comorbidities and hospitalizations were associated with a lower TMC. The BOT-2 was successfully implemented as part of routine CF care to screen for gross motor delays in children. Results suggest that a high percentage of children with CF, especially older children with comorbid conditions or a history of hospitalization, have impaired gross motor function. These findings support the need for routine gross motor evaluations and physical therapy interventions within pediatric CF clinics.

Impact of the War in Ukraine on the Ability of Children to Recognize Basic Emotions.

This study assessed emotion recognition skills in school-age children in wartime conditions in Ukraine. An online survey based on the concept of basic emotions was administrated to a sample of 419 schoolchildren from Ukraine and a control group of 310 schoolchildren from the Czech Republic, aged 8 to 12. There is no difference in judging the intensity of anger and fear by Ukrainian children, compared with the control group. There is no evidence that the emotions of anger, fear, and sadness were better recognized in the Ukrainian group. Children from Ukraine were better at recognizing positive emotions than Czech children. Increased risks of threats and wartime experience do not impair the accuracy of identification of emotions like fear or the assessment of intensity of basic emotions by children who experience war in Ukraine. Still, it is important to continue studying the long-term consequences of military conflicts in order to deepen the understanding of their impact on human mental functioning.

OTs Should Be Using Video Modeling to Teach Self-Care to Children with NDDs

ABSTRACT An evidence-based project aimed at finding whether utilizing video modeling as an occupational therapy (OT) intervention increased basic self-care skills in school-aged children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). A total of 11 pediatric outpatient OT clients, 6–12 years old, with one or more NDDs, participated in this project. Pre- and post-intervention surveys completed by their parents garnered information regarding parental views on their children’s self-care skills, parental stress, and quality of life. Real-time data gathered during the intervention revealed the efficacy of video modeling, showing an overall increase in the completion of basic self-care skills from 16.1% at baseline to 96.4%. Meaningful gains were achieved in all eight self-care skills addressed and with all participants, elucidating a combined mean percentage of 79.3% improvement using video modeling. Post-intervention, qualitative data showed resultant perspectives of less parental stress, improved quality of life for the children and their parents, and improved independence with basic self-care skills. Considering the increasing diagnosis of NDDs, the call for evidence-based interventions from both payers and NDD-related organizations, and the future socioeconomic ramifications of not addressing basic self-care skills, this project reveals the efficacy of video modeling as a viable, accessible, cost-effective intervention which can be utilized across environments to address these concerns.

Story Comprehension Skills in School-Aged Children According to Text Type and Story Modality

Objectives: This study aimed to examine school-aged children’s story comprehension skills according to text type and story modalities.Methods: A total of 348 elementary school children from grades 1 to 6 participated in this study. Participants answered the story comprehension questions after performing the story comprehension task according to the three- story modalities. One child read two fictional and one nonfictional texts, or two nonfictional and one fictional texts, and were randomly assigned according to text type and story modality. Story comprehension questions consisted of both factual and inference questions.Results: A significant difference was found in story comprehension performance according to the grade, text type, and story modality. As children get older, the performance of a story comprehension task increased significantly. Regarding the text type, the comprehension of fiction was significantly higher than the nonfiction comprehension. Comparing the story comprehension performance task according to the story modality, the performance was high in the order of reading-while-listening, listening, and reading. In fiction, there was a significant difference between listening and reading modality, whereas no significant difference was found between text modalities in nonfiction.Conclusion: The findings suggest that presenting text as a complex form of listening and reading to schoolaged children can aid in information processing and help children improve their story comprehension. Also, children’s age and text type need to be considerd for assessment and interventions aimed at children’s successful story comprehension.

Age of Onset of High Transcranial Doppler Measurements Predicts Discrepant Cognitive Profiles in Children with Sickle Cell Disease

Background: Children with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) have documented compromises in neurocognitive functioning, with notable weaknesses in executive functioning. There is limited published research to define the impact of SCD on the development of visual spatial processing, which is the brain's ability to use and interpret visual stimuli and then apply it to novel situations. We hypothesized that the risk for deficits in visual spatial processing is correlated to high velocity transcranial dopplers (TCD) measurements and the age at which a high TCD velocity first occurred. Our team hypothesized that younger age at time of initial high TCD is associated with a larger impact on visual spatial skills in school aged children. Methods: This review includes data from standard of care practices within our pediatric multidisciplinary sickle cell program. Our clinic began offering neurocognitive screenings in January 2023 to patients who are school entry age (between 5 to 6 years old) or older. Children are identified to participate in screening based on age, parental interest, and provider recommendation. Patients ranging in age from 5 to 15 years of age were screened using either the Weschler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence, fourth edition (WPPSI-IV) or the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, fifth edition (WISC-V). Retrospective chart reviews were performed to identify relevant data including TCD and MRI results. The Visual Spatial Index (VSI) is a primary index obtained from the Wechsler standard batteries. VSI assesses a child's ability to construct designs utilizing visual spatial reasoning, attention to visual detail, and visual-motor integration. The average child can demonstrate these skills at age 5 by mentally rotating an object such as a block and matching it with a picture or into a shaped hole. This requires the appropriate development of the basal ganglia, thalamus, parietal lobe, and temporal lobe. The Mean Index Score (MIS) is a broad representation of all cognitive domains measured on the assessment. The difference between the obtained VSI score and a child's MIS is used to determine whether a statistically significant difference exists within the Wechsler assessment system. The difference between the VSI and MIS is compared to a critical value, and if the difference of the VSI and MIS is greater than the critical value then we can say with confidence (p&amp;lt;0.05) that the difference in scores is not due to chance. Chi-square was then used to explore the relationship between the presence of a high TCD before age 5 (the age at which primary visual spatial skills are onboard) and the presence of a statistically significant visual spatial skill weakness. Results: 11 children (mean age 9.73 years; 82% Hemoglobin SS and 18% Hemoglobin SC) were assessed during the first 6 months of this new protocol. 27% (3) of the children had both a high TCD prior to age 5 and a statistically significant (p&amp;lt;0.05) visual spatial weakness, 9% (1) had only high TCD before age 5 but not VSI weakness, and 64% (7) had neither. Due to the small sample size, we used Fisher's exact to test the hypothesis that these two categorical variables (high TCD velocity before age 5 and VSI weakness) were related (P&amp;lt;0.05, P=0.024). We rejected the null hypothesis and found evidence to support a relationship between the presence of high velocities in early childhood and visual spatial skills deficit. Therefore, there is clinical indication that high TCD velocities in early childhood impact the development of visual spatial skills. Conclusion: The impact of sickle cell disease on brain development has been explored, but most published data focus on broad executive functioning skills. Our data yields evidence that the presence of high velocities in the brain before age five may be predictive of future visual spatial abilities as measured using standardized measures (i.e., Wechsler Assessments). It is anticipated that further data exploration will inform the optimization of standard of care practices within our clinic. This may include medical practices such as neuroimaging, changing how we communicate with children and their families, and enhanced practices for supporting students at school through IEPs.

Effectiveness of educational guidelines about social media misuse and electronic extortion on knowledge, attitudes and digital skills of school age children

Effectiveness of educational guidelines about social media misuse and electronic extortion on knowledge, attitudes and digital skills of school age children

The Effect of Otitis Media with Effusion on Language and Cognitive Skills in School Age Children

The Effect of Otitis Media with Effusion on Language and Cognitive Skills in School Age Children

Pragmatic Skills in School-Age Children With Primary Language Impairment and Language-Learning Disabilities

We conducted a scoping review following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses to map the available research describing verbal pragmatic skills development and problems in school-age children with primary language impairments and children with language-learning disabilities. A total of 112 reports met inclusion criteria for our review. Many studies were published in journals focused on communication disorders between the years 2000 and 2019 and targeted K-12 children in the United States or the United Kingdom with developmental language disorder who were most often compared with age-matched typically developing peers using a group comparison research design. Over 60% of the studies had fewer than 25 participants in the target group. Nearly two thirds of study participants were boys, and most were Caucasian from middle- to upper-income families. The majority of studies used multiple outcome measures in data analyses, most often norm-referenced and researcher-designed tests, language sample analysis, and rating scales. A third of studies omitted information about outcome measure reliability and nearly all studies omitted validity data. Several studies are described in detail as examples and a summary of the major findings from the reviewed studies is presented.

Precision Teaching for maths: An academic critique

This critique briefly summarises the evolution of the Precision Teaching (PT) approach, exploring what PT is, who it can be used with and its theoretical underpinnings. The results of a systematic literature search exploring the question ‘Is Precision Teaching effective at improving maths skills in school aged children and young people?’ are then discussed.Based on the five publications reviewed, the interventions that involved PT generally showed greater performance gains than the control or comparison group. Given the highly specific conditions of these interventions however, it is not possible to generalise the intervention effects beyond these studies. It must therefore be concluded that based on these five papers, it is not possible to say whether PT is an effective way to support maths skills.The implications for professional practice suggest a need to establish an evidence base, built around formalised and structured evaluations of PT, that use a control or comparison group. It is suggested that more teachers be involved in this process rather than it being the role of academics. This would enable teachers and Educational Psychologists to speak with more certainty of the efficacy of PT at improving maths skills in school aged children and young people.

Latent Profile Analysis of Digital Communication Ability and Mediation on Digital Use Among Families with Elementary School Children

Objectives: This study sought to identify families’ digital communication abilities through latent profile analysis (LPA) and examine how such profiles would be associated with parents’ mediation of the internet and smart devices.Methods: The analysis included 284 families with elementary school children (284 fathers, 284 mothers, and 284 children) from the Media Panel Survey by the Korea Information Society Development Institute (KISDI) in 2020.Results: A total of three latent classes of digital communication ability among family members were identified(Class 1 = consistently low digital communication abilities within the family; Class 2 = consistently high digital communication abilities within the family; Class 3 = incongruent digital communication abilities within the family). Parents’ mediation of their children’s use of smart devices was associated with being in a class with consistently low digital communication ability, rather than with consistently high digital communication ability and incongruent digital communication abilities. Parents’ mediation of how long they allowed their children to use smart devices was associated with being in a class with consistently high digital communication ability within the family, rather than with consistently low digital communication ability.Conclusion: Findings suggest that families tend to exhibit different patterns of digital communication abilities and that such patterns are significantly linked to different forms of digital mediation. Findings shed light on ways to improve the family environment for digital use and how parents may best support the development of digital communication skills in school-aged children.

Exploring individual differences in musical rhythm and grammar skills in school-aged children with typically developing language

A growing number of studies have shown a connection between rhythmic processing and language skill. It has been proposed that domain-general rhythm abilities might help children to tap into the rhythm of speech (prosody), cueing them to prosodic markers of grammatical (syntactic) information during language acquisition, thus underlying the observed correlations between rhythm and language. Working memory processes common to task demands for musical rhythm discrimination and spoken language paradigms are another possible source of individual variance observed in musical rhythm and language abilities. To investigate the nature of the relationship between musical rhythm and expressive grammar skills, we adopted an individual differences approach in N = 132 elementary school-aged children ages 5–7, with typical language development, and investigated prosodic perception and working memory skills as possible mediators. Aligning with the literature, musical rhythm was correlated with expressive grammar performance (r = 0.41, p < 0.001). Moreover, musical rhythm predicted mastery of complex syntax items (r = 0.26, p = 0.003), suggesting a privileged role of hierarchical processing shared between musical rhythm processing and children’s acquisition of complex syntactic structures. These relationships between rhythm and grammatical skills were not mediated by prosodic perception, working memory, or non-verbal IQ; instead, we uncovered a robust direct effect of musical rhythm perception on grammatical task performance. Future work should focus on possible biological endophenotypes and genetic influences underlying this relationship.

Not only motor skill performance but also haptic function is impaired in children with developmental language disorder

BackgroundPrevious studies have found an association between motor immaturity and developmental language impairment in children. However, systematic investigations of somatosensory dysfunctions that might be linked to motor deficits in children with developmental language disorder (DLD) are lacking. AimsExamined haptic perception and motor skills in school-age children with DLD and typically-developing (TD) children. MethodsSixteen children with DLD and sixteen age-matched TD children performed a curvature detection task measuring haptic sensitivity and a curvature discrimination task measuring haptic acuity. The Movement Assessment Battery for Children, 2nd edition (MABC-2) was also conducted to evaluate children’s motor ability. ResultsThe results revealed elevated thresholds of both haptic detection (67.5%) and haptic discrimination (67.9%) in the DLD group when compared to the TD group. In addition, the children with DLD performed significantly less well on the manual dexterity of MABC-2. Finally, a lower haptic acuity was associated with poorer manual dexterity scores of MABC-2. ConclusionsThis study demonstrates for the first time that not only motor skills, but also haptic function is altered in children with DLD. The observed association between manual dexterity and haptic acuity suggests a close relationship between haptic and motor skills in school-age children.

Visual Perception and Attentional Skills in School-age Children: A Cross-Sectional Study of Reading Proficiency in the Hearing Impaired.

Auditory impairment is one of the common sensory deficits that occur in humans. Hearing loss affects students' ability to communicate and read, which eventually causes social and scholastic stigma. Reading relies heavily on phonics as well as visual attention. Students with normal hearing read by transforming phonic sounds into words. Hearing impaired has little to no phonic ability, making them visual readers who rely on visual cues while reading. Present study sought to investigate factors that affect reading skills in hearing-impaired children. A cross-sectional study was conducted in hearing- and hearing-impaired schools of Ludhiana, Punjab, India. After vision screening among all students, sixty students were enrolled via convenient sampling. Higher order of visual perception, attention, and reading ability was investigated. A total of 60 students were evaluated (30 hearing impaired and 30 age-matched hearing). The hearing group was statistically better than the hearing impaired (p = 0.001), Hearing impaired were better in visual attention (p = 0.001), whereas a correlation was found between reading ability and visual perception, attention skill of hearing- and hearing-impaired students (r = 0.80, P = 0.001). Present study concludes that hearing-impaired students exhibit issues with visual-motor integration, visual-spatial relationships, and visual sequential memory. Higher visual attention was demonstrated by hearing-impaired students. The results of the current investigation revealed a correlation between visual perception and attention skills and reading competency. Thus, the present study demands that the newly enrolled hearing-impaired students must undergo a thorough ocular evaluation.

Task-specificity and transfer of skills in school-aged children with and without developmental coordination disorder

AimTo compare the effects of two Active Video Game (AVG) protocols on transfer of learning in children with and without Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). MethodsFifty children, aged 6–10 years were randomly allocated to either group A or B. Children in group A participated in a set of Nintendo Wii ball games whereas group B played agility games (8 DCD and 17 typically developing children (TD) per group). Participants in each group practiced Wii games for 20 min twice a week for 10 weeks. All children also practiced ball and agility games in real-world settings, once per week. ResultsBoth protocols yielded positive effects with the largest effect sizes shown on agility and balance items of the PERF-FIT and KTK tests. No interaction was found on learning real-world games and the virtual protocol, except for a Ping-Pong game. A significant interaction of time by protocol group indicated that the Ball group improved more on BOT-2-Upper-Limb Coordination than the Agility group. Importantly, children with DCD improved comparably with TD peers in virtual and real-world games. ConclusionIndependent of training protocol, both children with DCD and TD children performed better on trained and non-trained ball, balance and agility tasks after 10 weeks of training.