Child NeuropsychologyPub Date : 2024-02-01Epub Date: 2023-02-06DOI: 10.1080/09297049.2023.2172149
Ingrid Tonning Olsson, Johan Lundgren, Lars Hjorth, Per Munck Af Rosenschöld, Åsa Hammar, Sean Perrin
{"title":"Neurocognitive development after pediatric brain tumor - a longitudinal, retrospective cohort study.","authors":"Ingrid Tonning Olsson, Johan Lundgren, Lars Hjorth, Per Munck Af Rosenschöld, Åsa Hammar, Sean Perrin","doi":"10.1080/09297049.2023.2172149","DOIUrl":"10.1080/09297049.2023.2172149","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Survivors of Pediatric Brain Tumors (PBTs) treated with cranial radiation therapy (CRT) often experience a decline in neurocognitive test scores. Less is known about the neurocognitive development of non-irradiated survivors of PBTs. The aim of this study was to statistically model neurocognitive development after PBT in both irradiated and non-irradiated survivors and to find clinical variables associated with the rate of decline in neurocognitive scores. A total of 151 survivors were included in the study. Inclusion criteria: Diagnosis of PBT between 2001 and 2013 or earlier diagnosis of PBT and turning 18 years of age between 2006 and 2013. Exclusion criteria: Death within a year from diagnosis, neurocutaneous syndromes, severe intellectual disability. Clinical neurocognitive data were collected retrospectively from medical records. Multilevel linear modeling was used to evaluate the rate of decline in neurocognitive measures and factors associated with the same. A decline was found in most measures for both irradiated and non-irradiated survivors. Ventriculo-peritoneal (VP) shunting and treatment with whole-brain radiation therapy (WBRT) were associated with a faster decline in neurocognitive scores. Male sex and supratentorial lateral tumor were associated with lower scores. Verbal learning measures were either stable or improving. Survivors of PBTs show a pattern of decline in neurocognitive scores irrespective of treatment received, which suggests the need for routine screening for neurocognitive rehabilitation. However, survivors treated with WBRT and/or a VP shunt declined at a faster rate and appear to be at the highest risk of negative neurocognitive outcomes and to have the greatest need for neurocognitive rehabilitation.</p>","PeriodicalId":9789,"journal":{"name":"Child Neuropsychology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10658915","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Child NeuropsychologyPub Date : 2024-02-01Epub Date: 2023-02-15DOI: 10.1080/09297049.2023.2179981
Clara Shuk-Ching Lee
{"title":"Executive functions underlie word reading and reading fluency in Chinese children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, reading disabilities, and comorbid attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and reading disabilities.","authors":"Clara Shuk-Ching Lee","doi":"10.1080/09297049.2023.2179981","DOIUrl":"10.1080/09297049.2023.2179981","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The current study examined the executive function (EF) deficits and their roles in reading in one hundred and four Cantonese-speaking children with typical development, reading disabilities (RD), ADHD, and comorbid ADHD and RD (ADHD + RD). Children's EF and reading skills were measured. Analysis of variance results showed that all children with disorders manifested deficits in verbal and visuospatial short-term and working memory and behavioral inhibition. Moreover, children with ADHD and ADHD + RD also exhibited deficits in inhibition (IC and BI) and cognitive flexibility. These findings demonstrated that the EF deficits in Chinese children with RD, ADHD, and ADHD + RD are similar to those in their counterparts using alphabetic languages. However, children with ADHD + RD displayed more severe deficits in visuospatial working memory compared to children with RD and ADHD, which was inconsistent with that observed in children using alphabetic languages. Regression analysis results showed that verbal short-term memory was a significant predictor for both word reading and reading fluency in children with RD and ADHD + RD. Moreover, behavioral inhibition significantly predicted reading fluency in children with ADHD. These findings also agreed with previous studies. Collectively, the results of the current study showed that the EF deficits and their roles in reading found in Chinese children with RD, ADHD, and ADHD + RD are mainly consistent with children using alphabetic languages. However, more studies are still needed to confirm these findings, especially comparing the severity of working memory among these three disorders.</p>","PeriodicalId":9789,"journal":{"name":"Child Neuropsychology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10728542","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Child NeuropsychologyPub Date : 2024-02-01Epub Date: 2023-04-10DOI: 10.1080/09297049.2023.2199975
Alice Maier, Natalie A Pride, Stephen J C Hearps, Nijashree Shah, Melanie Porter, Kathryn N North, Jonathan M Payne
{"title":"Neuropsychological factors associated with performance on the rey-osterrieth complex figure test in children with neurofibromatosis type 1.","authors":"Alice Maier, Natalie A Pride, Stephen J C Hearps, Nijashree Shah, Melanie Porter, Kathryn N North, Jonathan M Payne","doi":"10.1080/09297049.2023.2199975","DOIUrl":"10.1080/09297049.2023.2199975","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Children with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) are at considerable risk for cognitive difficulties, including visuospatial deficits and executive dysfunction. This study aimed to (1) assess the overall performance of children with NF1 on the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test (RCFT) compared to unaffected siblings and (2) examine neuropsychological predictors of RCFT performance in children with NF1. A retrospective clinical audit was performed on neuropsychological records from a multidisciplinary NF1 Clinic in Australia. We searched for children that had completed an assessment between 2000 and 2015 which included the RCFT and other neuropsychological outcomes in this study. These included the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Judgment of Line Orientation (JLO), Tower of London test, Conners ADHD Scales, and the Behavioral Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF). The study population consisted of 191 children with NF1 aged 6-16 years, and 55 unaffected siblings recruited from a separate study. Results revealed that 62% of children with NF1 performed at or below the first percentile on the RCFT copy, which was significantly worse than their unaffected siblings. Visuospatial skills, parent-rated executive abilities, ADHD symptoms, and intellectual skills all predicted poorer performance on the RCFT copy, however the best fitting multiple regression model only contained the JLO, BRIEF Metacognition Index, and chronological age. The JLO emerged as the strongest predictor of RCFT performance. This study provides evidence that visuospatial deficits are a key driver of reduced RCFT performance in NF1 and that executive skills as well as a younger age are also independent predictors of RCFT performance.</p>","PeriodicalId":9789,"journal":{"name":"Child Neuropsychology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9628482","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Child NeuropsychologyPub Date : 2024-02-01Epub Date: 2023-03-20DOI: 10.1080/09297049.2023.2191942
Leanne Tamm, Kelly A McNally, Mekibib Altaye, Nehal A Parikh
{"title":"Mathematics abilities associated with adaptive functioning in preschool children born preterm.","authors":"Leanne Tamm, Kelly A McNally, Mekibib Altaye, Nehal A Parikh","doi":"10.1080/09297049.2023.2191942","DOIUrl":"10.1080/09297049.2023.2191942","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>It is well known that infants born very preterm (VPT) often demonstrate deficits in mathematical abilities in early childhood which are associated with poorer academic outcomes. Mathematic skills are also critical for other areas of functioning. However, it is not known whether mathematics skills are associated with adaptive functioning in children born preterm. Infants born at ≤31 weeks gestation and full term were recruited at birth and followed over time. At the 36-month corrected age assessment, children were administered the Early Number Concepts subtest of the Differential Abilities Scale, Second Edition, and caregivers completed the Adaptive Behavior Assessment System, Third Edition. After controlling for age, sex, cognitive abilities, and caregiver education, performance on the mathematics measure was uniquely and positively associated with adaptive behavior for preschool children in the VPT group only. Exploratory analyses revealed this association to be specifically related to the Practical and Social composites. Knowledge of concepts of number and quantity were associated with better adaptive functioning, particularly for behaviors related to functioning at home and in the community and play/social functioning, for children born VPT. Although replication is warranted, it would appear that mathematical skills may be an important early intervention target for children born VPT.</p>","PeriodicalId":9789,"journal":{"name":"Child Neuropsychology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10509309/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9194129","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Child NeuropsychologyPub Date : 2024-02-01Epub Date: 2023-03-24DOI: 10.1080/09297049.2023.2190964
Kate L Anning, Kate Langley, Christopher Hobson, Leo De Sonneville, Stephanie H M Van Goozen
{"title":"Inattention symptom severity and cognitive processes in children at risk of ADHD: the moderating role of separation anxiety.","authors":"Kate L Anning, Kate Langley, Christopher Hobson, Leo De Sonneville, Stephanie H M Van Goozen","doi":"10.1080/09297049.2023.2190964","DOIUrl":"10.1080/09297049.2023.2190964","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Impairments in cognitive processes and their associations with dimensional measures of inattention, hyperactivity-impulsivity and anxiety were examined in children at risk of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Children referred by teachers for exhibiting ADHD-type problems (<i>n</i> = 116; 43 meeting full diagnostic criteria for ADHD; 4-8 years) completed computerized tasks measuring episodic memory, response inhibition, visuomotor control and sustained attention, while parents were interviewed (DAWBA) to assess ADHD and anxiety symptoms. Of the 116 children assessed, 72% exhibited impaired cognitive processes; 47% had impaired visuomotor control, 37% impaired response inhibition, and 35% had impaired episodic memory. Correlational and hierarchical regression analyses using our final analytic sample (i.e., children who completed all cognitive tasks and a vocabulary assessment, <i>n</i> = 114) showed that poorer task performance and greater within-subject variability were significantly associated with more severe inattention symptoms but not with hyperactivity-impulsivity severity. Symptoms of separation anxiety, which were reported in over half of the sample, moderated associations between inattention and episodic memory, and between inattention and inhibition. Only children without separation anxiety showed significant correlations between ADHD symptoms and poor performance. However, separation anxiety had no moderating effect on associations between inattention and visuomotor control or sustaining attention. Children exhibiting signs of ADHD show impairments across a range of cognitive tasks. Further research to improve our understanding of these processes may be useful in the development of early interventions. Our results suggest that separation anxiety should be taken into account when considering interventions to address emerging neuropsychological deficits associated with this disorder.</p>","PeriodicalId":9789,"journal":{"name":"Child Neuropsychology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9556526","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Child NeuropsychologyPub Date : 2024-02-01Epub Date: 2023-03-22DOI: 10.1080/09297049.2023.2190965
Cameron Ferguson, Christopher Hobson, Craig Hedge, Cerith Waters, Kate Anning, Stephanie van Goozen
{"title":"Disentangling the relationships between motor control and cognitive control in young children with symptoms of ADHD.","authors":"Cameron Ferguson, Christopher Hobson, Craig Hedge, Cerith Waters, Kate Anning, Stephanie van Goozen","doi":"10.1080/09297049.2023.2190965","DOIUrl":"10.1080/09297049.2023.2190965","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Children with ADHD experience difficulties with motor and cognitive control. However, the relationships between these symptoms are poorly understood. As a step toward improving treatment, this study investigated associations between specific aspects of motor control and cognitive control in children with varying levels of hyperactive-impulsive symptoms. A heterogeneous sample of 255 children of 4 to 10 years of age (median = 6.50, MAD = 1.36) completed a battery of tests probing motor generation, visuomotor fluency, visuomotor flexibility, cognitive inhibition, verbal and visuospatial working memory, and cognitive flexibility. Their caregivers were interviewed regarding their hyperactive-impulsive symptoms. 25.9% of the main sample met diagnostic criteria for ADHD. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to determine whether specific aspects of motor control were associated with specific aspects of cognitive control, and whether any associations were moderated by hyperactive-impulsive symptoms. Additionally, cognitive modeling (the drift diffusion model approximated with EZ-DM) was used to understand performance on a cognitive inhibition task. Visuomotor fluency was significantly associated with cognitive inhibition. Visuomotor flexibility was significantly associated with cognitive flexibility. There were no significant moderation effects. Cognitive modeling was inconclusive. In conclusion, the ability to fluently perform visually guided continuous movement is linked with the ability to inhibit the effects of distracting information. The ability to spontaneously use visual information to flexibly alter motor responses is related to the ability to cognitively shift from one frame of mind to another. These relationships appear to be quantitatively and qualitatively similar across the childhood hyperactive-impulsive continuum as rated by parents.</p>","PeriodicalId":9789,"journal":{"name":"Child Neuropsychology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9287712","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Child NeuropsychologyPub Date : 2024-02-01Epub Date: 2023-03-02DOI: 10.1080/09297049.2023.2185215
Leanne Tamm, Jeffery N Epstein, Sarah A Orban, Michael J Kofler, James L Peugh, Stephen P Becker
{"title":"[Formula: see text] Neurocognition in children with cognitive disengagement syndrome: accurate but slow.","authors":"Leanne Tamm, Jeffery N Epstein, Sarah A Orban, Michael J Kofler, James L Peugh, Stephen P Becker","doi":"10.1080/09297049.2023.2185215","DOIUrl":"10.1080/09297049.2023.2185215","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cognitive disengagement syndrome (CDS), previously termed sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT), is characterized by excessive daydreaming, mental confusion, and slowed behavior or thinking. Prior research has found inconsistent relations between CDS and neurocognition, though most studies have used small or ADHD-defined samples, non-optimal measures of CDS, and/or examined limited neurocognitive domains. Accordingly, this study examined the association of parent- and teacher-reported CDS symptoms using a comprehensive neurocognitive battery in a sample of 263 children (aged 8-12) selected with a range of CDS symptomatology. Parents and teachers provided ratings of CDS and ADHD inattentive (ADHD-IN) symptoms. Path analyses were conducted to examine CDS and ADHD-IN as unique predictors of neurocognitive functioning after covarying for age, sex, and family income. CDS symptoms were uniquely associated with slower performance across a range of cognitive domains, including verbal inhibition, rapid naming/reading, planning, divided attention, and set shifting. In contrast, ADHD-IN symptoms were uniquely associated with poorer performance on a Go/NoGo task (inhibition/distractibility), visual scanning and discrimination, and interference control. Findings from the current study, amongst the first to recruit children based on levels of CDS symptomatology, provide the strongest evidence to date that the neurocognitive phenotype of CDS is characterized by slowed cognitive processing, and add to its validity as a separate syndrome from ADHD. If replicated, these findings have implications for assessment, treatment, and school accommodations for CDS. Neuroimaging studies exploring the neurobiological basis of CDS are also needed.</p>","PeriodicalId":9789,"journal":{"name":"Child Neuropsychology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10474248/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10495631","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Predictors of externalizing behavior outcomes following pediatric stroke.","authors":"Alyssia Wilson, Nataly Beribisky, Mary Desrocher, Nomazulu Dlamini, Tricia Williams, Robyn Westmacott","doi":"10.1080/09297049.2023.2185216","DOIUrl":"10.1080/09297049.2023.2185216","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Children who experience pediatric stroke are at higher risk for future behavioral problems in childhood. We examined the prevalence of parent reported externalizing behaviors and executive function problems in children following stroke and neurological predictors. This study included 210 children with pediatric ischemic stroke (mean age 9.18 years (SD = 3.95)). The parent form of the Behavioral Assessment System for Children-Second Edition (BASC-2) and Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) were used to evaluate externalizing behavior and executive function. No externalizing behavior or executive function differences were found between perinatal (<i>n</i> = 94) or childhood (<i>n</i> = 116) stoke, except for the shift subscale which had higher T-scores among the perinatal group (<i>M</i> = 55.83) than childhood group (<i>M</i> = 50.40). When examined together, 10% of children had clinically elevated hyperactivity T-scores as opposed to the expected 2%. Parents endorsed higher ratings of concern on the behavior regulation and metacognition indices of the BRIEF. Externalizing behaviors were correlated moderately to strongly with executive functions (<i>r</i> = 0.42 to 0.74). When examining neurological and clinical predictors of externalizing behaviors, only female gender was predictive of increased hyperactivity (<i>p</i> = .004). However, there were no significant gender differences in diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In summary, in this cohort, children with perinatal and childhood stroke did not differ on parent reported externalizing behavior or executive function outcomes. However, compared to normative data, children with perinatal or childhood stroke are significantly more likely to experience clinically elevated levels of hyperactivity.</p>","PeriodicalId":9789,"journal":{"name":"Child Neuropsychology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9132729","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The relationship between executive functions and writing in children: a systematic review.","authors":"Costanza Ruffini, Fatbardha Osmani, Chiara Martini, Winnie-Karen Giera, Chiara Pecini","doi":"10.1080/09297049.2023.2170998","DOIUrl":"10.1080/09297049.2023.2170998","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Writing is a complex task that is acquired in the early primary school years and continues to develop through adolescence and beyond. Studying the cognitive processes that support writing skills during the acquisition phase may be crucial to support this complex skill especially in less-skilled writers. Executive Functions (EF) could have an important role as they are high cognitive control processes that allow individuals to control and plan thoughts and actions in order to achieve a goal. Given that EF have a crucial development during childhood, when the basic writing skills are acquired, this systematic review aims to investigate the contribution of the main EF components to the writing process in children. Search string focused on three main concepts: executive functions, writing, and children. Twenty-six studies were included following the guidelines of the PRISMA Statement. From the analyzed studies, working memory, in comparison to inhibition, cognitive flexibility, and planning, emerged as the most studied and the most related to writing skills. Nevertheless, the results also support the involvement of all EF basic components in writing, with a role that could vary depending on the considered writing process.0.</p>","PeriodicalId":9789,"journal":{"name":"Child Neuropsychology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10664119","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}