Visual Sequential Memory Research Articles

Correlations between behavior, memory, sleep-wake and melatonin in Williams-Beuren syndrome

Williams-Beuren syndrome (WBS), a neurodevelopmental disorder caused by a microdeletion on chromosomic region 7q11.23, presents with peculiar behavioral and neurocognitive phenotypes that are marked by apparently preserved social and communicative abilities, which contrasts with low overall cognitive and particularly visuospatial performance. In addition, parents often report complaints of sleep disorders and behavioral problems of unknown cause. Sleep is a biological phenomenon that is modulated by the plasma concentration of melatonin and with influence on behavioral aspects and memory. Thus, this study sought to investigate the behavior, memory and the presence of sleep disorders in WBS and to correlate these factors with each other and with the plasma melatonin content. We used the Child Behavior Checklist for ages 6–18 (CBCL), the digit subtest of the Wechsler scale for auditory memory, the visual sequential memory subtest of the Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities (ITPA) and the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDSC). Determination of urinary aMT6s, an indirect measure of plasma melatonin content, was held for 72h by ELISA, and the analysis of the circadian rhythm of this content was performed by the Cosinor method. The results of the CBCL showed that 87% of the WBS group presented with a clinical score on the overall competence and total behavioral problems. Furthermore, the behavioral problems that were most frequently reported by parents were anxiety and problems of thought. All individuals with WBS presented with impairments in auditory memory and 47% with impairments in visual sequential memory; 65% of the WBS group presented with an indicative of at least one sleep disorder, where respiratory, initiation and maintenance of sleep (DIMS) and hyperhidrosis were the most frequent disorders. The night time aMT6s levels were lower in individuals with WBS when compared with controls; 53% of the WBS group did not present with circadian rhythm variations in aMT6s levels. In addition, there was a negative correlation between the scores of auditory memory and the total score of sleep disorders and between the DIMS and nocturnal aMT6s content. In conclusion, in the present study, individuals with WBS showed a high frequency of behavioral and memory problems, sleep disturbances and no rhythm variation in aMT6s levels. The low melatonin content may be related with sleep disorders in this population, which, in turn, can have an adverse effect on specific cognitive skills such as memory.

시각기능 개선을 위한 시기능훈련이 시지각에 미치는 영향

Purpose: This study was to examine how decline of visual function affects visual perception by assessing visual perception after improving visual function through visual training, and observing the change in the cognitive ability of visual perception. Methods: This study analyzes the visual perceptual evaluation (TVPS_R) of 23 children below age 13() who have visual abnormalities, and improves visual function after conducting vision training (vision therapy) of the children. Results: Convergence increased from average (prism) to in the measurement of long-distance disparate points, and from average to in the measurement of short-distance disparate points. Short-distance diplopia points increased from to , and as for accommodative insufficiency, short-distance blur points increased from to . In the visual perceptual evaluation performed before and after improving visual function, 6 items except visual memory showed statistically significant improvement. By order of significant improvement, response gap was highest with (p=0.000) in visual closure, followed by (p=0.000) in visual sequential-memory, (p=0.001) in visual figure-ground, (p=0.003) in visual form-constancy, (p=0.005) in visual discrimination, and (p=0.043) in visual spatial-relationship. In the visual perception quotient that added up these scores, the response gap was (p=0.000), showing a more significant result. Conclusions: Vision training enables efficient visual processing and improves visual perceptual ability. It was confirmed that improvement of visual function through visual training not only improves abnormal visual function but also affects visual perception of children such as learning, perception and recognition.

Relationships between activities of daily living, upper limb function, and visual perception in children and adolescents with unilateral cerebral palsy.

This study examined relationships between activities of daily living (ADL) motor and process skills, unimanual capacity, bimanual performance, and visual perception in children with unilateral cerebral palsy (CP). Participants were 101 children with unilateral CP (51 males, 50 females; mean age 11y 9mo [SD 2y 5mo; range 8-17y]; Manual Ability Classification System [MACS] level I=24; level II=76; level III=1). Measures were (1) Assessment of Motor and Process Skills (AMPS), (2) Jebsen-Taylor Test of Hand Function (JTTHF), (3) Assisting Hand Assessment (AHA), and (4) Test of Visual Perceptual Skills, 3rd edition (TVPS-3). Regression models were constructed with the AMPS motor scale and AMPS process as the dependent variables. The AHA and JTTHF dominant upper limb score together explained 57% of the variance in AMPS motor scale scores. TVPS-3 Visual Sequential Memory, TVPS-3 Visual Closure, and JTTHF dominant upper limb score together explained 35% of the variance in AMPS process scale scores. Bimanual performance and unimanual capacity of the dominant upper limb are significantly associated with ADL motor skills in children with unilateral CP. Process skills of ADL are related to visual perceptual ability and dominant upper limb unimanual capacity, which may reflect motor planning required to perform daily tasks.

An ERP study of the relationship between anticipation, executive control and performance monitoring under interference condition in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

The objective of the study was to compare visual sequential processing in school-age children with cochlear implants (CIs) and their normal-hearing (NH) peers. Visual sequential processing was examined using both behavioral and an event-related potential (ERP) measures.Eighteen children with CIs and nineteen children who had hearing within normal limits (NH) participated in the behavioral study. Subtests from the Test of Visual Perceptual Skills and the Sensory Integration and Praxis Test were administered to all children. ERP measures were collected from five children with CI and five age-matched peers. Peak latencies (N200 and P300) and reaction times for visual sequential processing were compared in these two groups.The findings of the study revealed significant group differences in visual sequential memory and visuo-motor sequencing tasks suggesting that children with severe-profound hearing loss may have difficulties in visual sequential tasks. The study also revealed longer P300 latencies and longer reaction times for a visual sequential matching task in children with CI when compared to their NH peers suggesting slower or delayed processing of visual sequential stimuli.This exploratory study involving behavioral and ERP measures showed that as a group, children with prelingual, severe-profound hearing loss who use CIs have difficulties with visual sequential processing. These findings may have implications for rehabilitation for children with hearing loss in the light of recent evidence that accurate and efficient processing of sequentially presented visual stimuli is important for language and reading outcomes.

Motor impairments screened by the movement assessment battery for children-2 are related to the visual-perceptual deficits in children with developmental coordination disorder.

This study was to examine to what extent the motor deficits of children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) verified by the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2 (MABC-2) are linked to their visual-perceptual abilities. Seventeen children with DCD and seventeen typically developing children (TD) aged 5-10 years screened from a total of 250 children were recruited. The assessments included MABC-2, traditional test of visual perceptual skills (TVPS-R), and computerized test for sequential coupling of eye and hand as well as motion coherence. The results indicated that children with DCD scored lower than TD in MABC-2, and their total scores were highly correlated with manual dexterity component scores. DCD group also showed poor visual-perceptual abilities in various aspects. The visual discrimination and visual sequential memory from the TVPS-R, the sequential coupling of eye and hand, and the motion coherence demonstrated a moderate or strong correlation with the MABC-2 in the DCD rather than the TD group. It was concluded that the motor problems screened by MABC-2 were significantly related to the visual-perceptual deficits of children with DCD. MABC-2 is suggested to be a prescreening tool to identify the visual-perceptual related motor deficits.

The Association Between Visual, Nonverbal Cognitive Abilities and Speech, Phonological Processing, Vocabulary and Reading Outcomes in Children With Cochlear Implants

The aim of this study was to explore the possibility that specific nonverbal, visual cognitive abilities may be associated with outcomes after pediatric cochlear implantation. The study therefore examined the relationship between visual sequential memory span and visual sequential reasoning ability, and a range of speech, phonological processing, vocabulary knowledge, and reading outcomes in children with cochlear implants. A cross-sectional, correlational design was used. Sixty-six children aged 5 to 12 years completed tests of visual memory span and visual sequential reasoning, along with tests of speech intelligibility, phonological processing, vocabulary knowledge, and word reading ability (the outcome variables). Auditory memory span was also assessed, and its relationship with the other variables examined. Significant, positive correlations were found between the visual memory and reasoning tests, and each of the outcome variables. A series of regression analyses then revealed that for all the outcome variables, after variance attributable to the age at implantation was accounted for, visual memory span and visual sequential reasoning ability together accounted for significantly more variance (up to 25%) in each outcome measure. These findings have both clinical and theoretical implications. Clinically, the findings may help improve the identification of children at risk of poor progress after implantation earlier than has been possible to date as the nonverbal tests can be administered to children as young as 2 years of age. The results may also contribute to the identification of children with specific learning or language difficulties as well as improve our ability to develop intervention strategies for individual children based on their specific cognitive processing strengths or difficulties. Theoretically, these results contribute to the growing body of knowledge about learning and development in deaf children with cochlear implants.

Comparação das habilidades auditivas e visuais em paralíticos cerebrais diplégicos

Objetivo comparar o desempenho das habilidades psicolinguísticas auditivas e visuais de crianças com PC-D. Métodos participaram dez crianças com PC-D, classificados por meio da escala Gross Motor Function Measure System (GMFMS), de idade entre quatro anos e um mês a cinco anos e seis meses. A avaliação fonoaudiológica constou de entrevista com responsável, análise de prontuário e aplicação dos subtestes auditivos e visuais do Teste de Illinois de Habilidades Psicolinguísticas (ITPA). O tratamento estatístico constou de análise descritiva e aplicação do teste de Wilcoxon (nível de significância foi p≤ 0,05). Resultados os subtestes que obtiverem os menores escores foram na memória sequencial auditiva e memória sequencial visual. Na comparação entre as habilidades auditivas e visuais somente houve diferenças estatisticamente significante nos subtestes de recepção e associação. O grupo se comportou de forma heterogênea. Este estudo pretende chamar atenção para esta questão, pois se considera que estas habilidades são de extrema importância para o desenvolvimento das habilidades linguísticas e comunicativas que devem ser pensadas nos programas de reabilitação destes indivíduos. Conclusão houve diferenças estatisticamente significantes nos subtestes auditivos e visuais de recepção e associação nesta população.

Attention, Visual Perception and their Relationship to Sport Performance in Fencing

Attention and visual perception are important in fencing, as they affect the levels of performance and achievement in fencers. This study identifies the levels of attention and visual perception among male and female fencers and the relationship between attention and visual perception dimensions and the sport performance in fencing. The researcher employed a descriptive method in a sample of 16 fencers during the 2010/2011 season. The sample was comprised of eight males and eight females who participated in the 11-year stage of the Cairo Championships. The Test of Attentional and Interpersonal Style, which was designed by Nideffer and translated by Allawi (1998) was applied. The test consisted of 59 statements that measured seven dimensions. The Test of Visual Perception Skills designed by Alsmadune (2005), which includes seven dimensions was also used. Among females, a positive and statistically significant correlation between the achievement level and Visual Discrimination, Visual-Spatial Relationships, Visual Sequential Memory, Narrow Attentional Focus and Information Processing was observed, while among males, there was a positive and statistically significant correlation between the achievement level and Visual Discrimination, Visual Sequential Memory, Broad External Attentional Focus and Information Processing. For both males and females, a positive and statistically significant correlation between achievement level and Visual Discrimination, Visual Sequential Memory, Broad External Attentional, Narrow Attentional Focus and Information Processing was found. There were statistically significant differences between males and females in Visual Discrimination and Visual-Form Constancy.

Visual profile of children with handwriting difficulties in Hong Kong Chinese

The purpose of this study was to find out the visual profiles of children with handwriting difficulties (HWD) in Hong Kong Chinese. Forty-nine children with HWD (mean age 8.4 ± 1.1 years) and 27 controls (mean age 7.7 ± 0.7 years) were recruited. All subjects received eye examination and vision assessment included ocular health, refraction, accommodative functions, binocularity, visual perception (by Gardner reversal frequency test: recognition subtest; Test of visual perceptual skills (non-motor)-revised) and motor skills (by The Beery-Buktenica developmental test of visual motor integration; Detroit test of motor speed and precision). Higher percentages of tropia and phoria (of magnitude >6 prism dioptres) were found in children with HWD of 6.1% and 14.3% respectively. After adjusted for the effect of age, children with HWD showed significantly worse accommodative facility, directionality, visual discrimination, visual spatial relation, visual form constancy, visual sequential memory, visual figure ground, visual closure and visual motor integration. Studies reported the visual functions of children with HWD were mostly concerned with alphabetic languages, while studies concerning Chinese HWD were relatively less. This study provided the visual profiles of children with Chinese HWD. Based on the visual profile, further study is indicated to investigate the effect of optometric interventions on the assessment and remediation for children with HWD.

Are Motor-free Visual Perception Skill Constructs Predictive of Visual-motor Integration Skill Constructs?

Background Theoretical perspectives vary in considering whether visual perceptual skills and visual-motor integration (VMI) skills are related, interdependent skill sets, or two discrete skill constructs. Objective This study investigated whether motor-reduced/free visual perceptual skill constructs were predictive of motor-enhanced VMI skill constructs. Method A total of 45 typically developing children aged 6–12 years completed the Developmental Test of Visual Perception-Second Edition (DTVP-2) and the Test of Visual Perceptual Skills-Third Edition (TVPS-3). Four multiple linear regression analyses were completed with the four DTVP-2 motor-enhanced VMI subscales being the dependent (criterion) variables and the seven TVPS-3 motor-reduced subscales being the independent variables. Results The total variance accounted for in the four DTVP-2 VMI skill constructs by all the seven TVPS-3 skill constructs ranged from 29.3% to 60.10%. In the first regression analysis, the TVPS-3 Visual Sequential Memory and TVPS-3 Visual FigureGround constructs explained 5.40% and 4.90%, respectively, of the variance in the DTVP-2 Eye Hand Coordination construct. In the second regression, the TVPS-3 Visual Sequential Memory and TVPS-3 Visual Figure–Ground constructs accounted for 5.60% and 3.10%, respectively, of the DTVP-2 Copying construct's variance. The third analysis revealed that the TVPS-3 Visual Memory and TVPS-3 Visual Form Constancy constructs represented 6.20% and 7.90%, respectively, of the DTVP-2 Spatial Relations construct's variance. In the fourth and final regression analysis, the TVPS-3 Visual Sequential Memory and TVPS-3 Visual Figure–Ground construct explained 14.60% and 4.90%, respectively, of the variance in the DTVP-2 Visual-Motor Speed construct. Conclusion In the four regression analyses, specific types of motor-reduced visual perception constructs were predictive of the four specific types of motor-enhanced VMI constructs. Visual Sequential Memory and Visual FigureGround, specific types of motor-reduced visual perceptual constructs, were frequent and significant predictors of VMI skill constructs in children. It would appear that motor-reduced visual perceptual skills and motor-enhanced VMI skills as theoretical constructs are related and dependent on one another.

Síndrome do X Frágil com variante de Dandy-Walker: estudo clínico das manifestações comunicativas orais e escritas

The Fragile X syndrome is the most frequent cause of inherited intellectual disability. The Dandy-Walker variant is a specific constellation of neuroradiological findings. The present study reports oral and written communication findings in a 15-year-old boy with clinical and molecular diagnosis of Fragile X syndrome and neuroimaging findings consistent with Dandy-Walker variant. The speech-language pathology and audiology evaluation was carried out using the Communicative Behavior Observation, the Phonology assessment of the ABFW - Child Language Test, the Phonological Abilities Profile, the Test of School Performance, and the Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities. Stomatognathic system and hearing assessments were also performed. It was observed: phonological, semantic, pragmatic and morphosyntactic deficits in oral language; deficits in psycholinguistic abilities (auditory reception, verbal expression, combination of sounds, auditory and visual sequential memory, auditory closure, auditory and visual association); and morphological and functional alterations in the stomatognathic system. Difficulties in decoding the graphical symbols were observed in reading. In writing, the subject presented omissions, agglutinations and multiple representations with the predominant use of vowels, besides difficulties in visuo-spatial organization. In mathematics, in spite of the numeric recognition, the participant didn't accomplish arithmetic operations. No alterations were observed in the peripheral hearing evaluation. The constellation of behavioral, cognitive, linguistic and perceptual symptoms described for Fragile X syndrome, in addition to the structural central nervous alterations observed in the Dandy-Walker variant, caused outstanding interferences in the development of communicative abilities, in reading and writing learning, and in the individual's social integration.

Dyslexia in regular orthographies: manifestation and causation

This article summarizes our research on the manifestation of dyslexia in German and on cognitive deficits, which may account for the severe reading speed deficit and the poor orthographic spelling performance that characterize dyslexia in regular orthographies. An only limited causal role of phonological deficits (phonological awareness, phonological STM, and rapid naming) for the emergence of reading fluency and spelling deficits is inferred from two large longitudinal studies with assessments of phonology before learning to read. A review of our cross-sectional studies provides no support for several cognitive deficits (visual-attention deficit, magnocellular dysfunction, skill automatization deficit, and visual-sequential memory deficit), which were proposed as alternatives to the phonological deficit account. Finally, a revised version of the phonological deficit account in terms of a dysfunction in orthographic-phonological connectivity is proposed.

Adult word recognition and visual sequential memory

Two experiments were conducted investigating the role of visual sequential memory skill in the word recognition efficiency of undergraduate university students. Word recognition was assessed in a lexical decision task using regularly and strangely spelt words, and nonwords that were either standard orthographically legal strings or items made from words with internal transposed letters. Symbol memory was evaluated in a recognition procedure in which sequences of three to five unfamiliar complex symbols were presented, each followed by a subsequent array containing the symbols either in the same order or with an order transposition. In Experiment 1, there was no independent contribution of symbol memory to either word or nonword processing independently of the ability to discriminate the symbols from one another. In Experiment 2, although symbol memory made a significant contribution to word recognition independently of symbol discrimination and letter identification for two conditions—long strangely spelt words and short transposed-letter items, the effects were extremely small. It was concluded that non-verbal visual sequential memory skill does not play a central role in underpinning efficiency of word recognition in experienced adult readers.

Sequenzielle Informationsverarbeitung bei Kindern mit und ohne auditive Verarbeitungs- und Wahrnehmungsstörung

It is a controversial issue whether sequential processing in children with auditory processing disorders (APD) is a unimodal auditory impairment. Normal achieving controls (n=12; mean age: 101.1 months; SD 20.3) and children referred to clinical facilities for assessment including children with monosymptomatic APD (n=25; mean age: 90.8 months; SD 9.8), children with developmental language disorder (DLD]) + APD (n=11; mean age: 89.5 months; SD 14.9), children with dyslexia + APD (n=10; mean age: 113.8 months; SD 17.1) were compared using the subtest digit recall of the German version of the K-ABC (Melchers & Preuss 2001) and the K-ABC subtest hand movements in the visual modality. On average all groups tended to perform alike in visual sequential processing and memory (T-score>50). Normal controls (non-APD) showed on average the best test performance (T-score 57.4; SD 10.5), but the mean performance did not differ significantly from children with APD. All groups also presented on average normal test performance in the auditory modality however, children of the clinical groups were below the age mean (DLD + APD: T-W 43.1; SD 6.8; monosymptomatic APD: T-W 45.8; SD 9.8; dyslexia + APD: 46.7; SD5.8). Children with DLD + APD and those with monosymptomatic APD exhibited a significantly lower but not poor performance in auditory processing of sequences compared to their performance in visual sequential processing. The results of auditory and visual processing of sequences were significantly correlated in the clinical groups DLD + APD (0.58) and monosymptomatic APD (0.34), but not in the smallest group dyslexia + APD (0.48) and in normal achieving controls (0.32). On the basis of the results of the present study it may be concluded that a normal test performance on visual measure does not exclude a bimodal or pansensory seriation disorder in children with APD. It does, however, indicate the existence of a primary auditory sequential processing deficit, because at least the processing of phonological and visual stimuli was not separately carried out in children with DLD + APD.

P02-216 The contributes of cerebellum in higher cognitive and social behaviour in childhood

Many studies have confirmed the role of the cerebellum in the organization of superior brain functions in adults. Congenital cerebellar alterations are frequently observed in children with neurological diseases. These anatomical alterations are associated with neuropsychological or developmental disorders that often give rise to pictures of mental insufficiency of varying severity with behavioural changes even leading to autism.Aim:To evaluate of cerebellum role in cognitive and social organization also during development.We report 25 children with different kinds of acquired cerebellar lesions (12 with hemispheric astrocytoma, 12 with vermis medulloblastoma, and 1 with hemispheric stroke) who showed different clinical patterns according to the lesion localization. All subject were studied by neurological examination and MRI. Neuropsychological assessment included:•observation of spontaneous behaviour;•Recording of spontaneous language;•Intelligence evaluation (WISC-test);•Language evaluation;•Memory evaluation;•Assessment of frontal lobe functions (categorical memory, sequential memory, language fluency, design fluency, flexibility of reasoning and problem solving).Lesion in the vermis, mainly in the lower lobuli, caused different degrees of behavioural disturbances ranging from irritability to psychosis; lesions in the right hemisphere impaired language processing and symbolic sequencing, categorical memory and executive functions; lesions in the left hemisphere impaired speech prosody, visual sequential memory and design fluency.These data confirm that the connections from the cerebellum to the associative cortical areas are operative very early and that the cerebellum has an essential role in cognitive and social organization also during development.

Orthographic processing and visual sequential memory in unexpectedly poor spellers

Does unexpectedly poor spelling in adults result from inferior visual sequential memory? In one experiment, unexpectedly poor spellers performed significantly worse than better spellers in the immediate reproduction of sequences of visual symbols, but in a second experiment, the effect was not replicated. Poor spellers were also no worse at the immediate recognition of symbol sequences. Overall, the results indicate that inferior visual memory is not characteristic of unexpectedly poor spellers. However, they do have less efficient orthographic processing skill: they were significantly slower and more error prone than better spellers at classifying both regularly and strangely spelt words, as well as at detecting letter transpositions in long words. They can thus be considered as subtly worse word readers than better spellers. While the findings question the notion of unexpectedly poor spelling in relation to normal adults, they provide confirmation of the intimate relationship between reading and spelling processes.

Diagnosing and managing functional visual complications after brain injury

Background Brain injury caused by an arteriovenous malformation (AVM) hemorrhage is an uncommon occurrence in a teenager. An AVM is a congenital anomaly of unknown etiology, often described as a tangle of arteries and veins that may vary in length and width leading to a loss of capillary bed. The vessels can break down with time and cause hemorrhage or aneurysm. Hemorrhage occurs in a significant number of patients with AVM. Intracranial hemorrhage causes brain injury, which can lead to systemic and ocular complications, neurologic deficits, and death. Case report A 15-year-old girl presented to our clinic with a chief complaint of horizontal diplopia while reading, lasting from seconds to 5 minutes. Nine months before the examination she had a ruptured cerebral AVM, then surgery to control the bleeding. She spent 6 weeks in a coma after surgery and woke up a hemiplegic. There were no visual problems before the bleeding. Our evaluation showed accommodative insufficiency, oculomotor dysfunction, dry eye syndrome, and a right beating latent nystagmus in both eyes. Perceptual testing showed a severe visual sequential memory deficit. The patient was given a reading prescription to aid with accommodation and was to use artificial tears and lacrilube ointment. At the follow-up examination, she reported increased efficiency and fewer episodes of diplopia while reading with bifocals and fewer dry eye symptoms since using the artificial tears. Conclusions After a brain injury, a young adult can present with perceptual and visual efficiency problems as well as nystagmus. It is important to test all areas that may be affected by this type of event and to investigate all complaints thoroughly with continued follow-up care. A latent nystagmus was discovered during thorough near point testing. The visual perceptual testing helped to confirm the visual sequential memory deficit, which may otherwise have been overlooked. It is believed that the diplopic complaint and poor oculomotor skills were directly related to the newly acquired nystagmus.

Gender and Educational Stream Differences in Memory Retention for Verbal and Non-verbal Tasks

Memory retention for verbal and non-verbal tasks across genders and streams of education were examined among undergraduate students in a Malaysian university. There were one-hundred-and-sixty participants, with a balanced ratio between male and female students, as well as hard science and social science students who were recruited using stratified random sampling. In this experiment, participants were asked to perform a series of memory tests (four verbal memory tests and four non-verbal memory tests), which approximately took 40 minutes. Participants’ performance in the memory tests were recorded by the experimenter throughout the tests. The results support many of the findings in previous research: that female participants outperformed males in verbal memory tests, and by contrast, male participants performed better in nonverbal tests which include Memory for Location and Abstract Visual Memory, the two spatial tests most widely identified as a male’s strength in many previous literatures. Interestingly, test results examining the education streams reveal new findings where the hard science students significantly outperformed the social science students in the three non-verbal tests mastered by the male students. On the other hand, results on the verbal memory tests (Memory for Stories) show only slight difference in the findings between the hard science students’ and social science students’ performances. The rest of the verbal memory tests do not show any concrete evidence on which groups (hard science or social science) have actually performed better. In addition to the findings detailed above, the interaction between genders and streams of education was found to have a significant bearing in three non-verbal memory tests: Abstract Visual Memory, Visual Sequential Memory and Memory for Location. This suggests that female and male students have responded differently to these memory tests based on their education streams.

An optometric approach to patients with sensory integration dysfunction

Background Sensory integration dysfunction is a neurologic condition that can cause children to process environmental sensations in an inappropriate way. As a result, they may either seek out strong sensations or avoid even mild sensations. Some of the characteristics of these children may be hyperactivity, poor awareness of pain, high risk taking, listening to loud sounds, clumsiness, poor fine motor skills, poor gross motor skills, poor visual tracking, problems with sequencing, and problems with balance. Sensory integration dysfunction often is related to children with developmental disabilities, autism, and attention deficits. Methods Two children from the same family were examined for general eye examinations because of a history of sensory integration problems. J.H., an 11-year-old girl, and her 6-year-old half-brother, A.T., returned to the clinic for visual-perceptual testing: the Test of Variables of Attention (TOVA), the Developmental Eye Movement Test (DEM), and the Visagraph (Compevo AB, Stockholm, Sweden). The use of yoked prisms with these children was also explored. Results Both children showed oculomotility problems based on the DEM and Visagraph results. Whereas J.H. performed well on the visual-perceptual profile overall, A.T. showed problems in many areas such as reversals, visual spatial relations, visual sequential memory, visual form constancy, and attention. Both children were low hyperopes and showed positive postural and balance changes when tested with yoked prisms. Conclusions Children with sensory integration dysfunction can have a number of signs and symptoms that may bring them to the optometrist’s office. It is important to thoroughly test their visual, perceptual, and oculomotor systems to determine the best way to help these patients. The use of vision therapy and yoked prisms can be beneficial treatment options for many of these patients.

P.7.d.001 The degree of mental impairment, functional development and manual function in children with cerebral palsy

This investigation addresses the question of whether there exists a significant discrepancy in the cognitive abilities of children with cerebral palsy (CP) who, despite the presence of age appropriate communication and language, have reading and spelling delays.We wanted to discover whether there was a relationship between the phonological and visual perceptual abilities of children with CP and their progress in reading and spelling.Fifteen children with CP (aged between 6:9 years and 11:6 years) were assessed on reading and spelling; communication and language; non-verbal reasoning; phonological processing; and visual perception.Ten of the children had very weak reading and spelling skills. Five children had (mostly) age appropriate scores of reading and spelling. No differences were found between these two groups in non-verbal reasoning or communication and language. However, phonological abilities, visual sequential memory and perception of visuospatial relationships were found to be related to reading and spelling.The findings suggest that children with CP are at risk for reading and spelling delays when they have poor phonological processing, visual sequential memory and perception of visuospatial relationships. The implications of the findings for classroom practice are discussed.