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Sample records for s-rcd children performed

  1. ANALYZING RCD30 OBLIQUE PERFORMANCE IN A PRODUCTION ENVIRONMENT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. E. Soler

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available In 2014 the Institut Cartogràfic i Geològic de Catalunya (ICGC decided to incorporate digital oblique imagery in its portfolio in response to the growing demand for this product. The reason can be attributed to its useful applications in a wide variety of fields and, most recently, to an increasing interest in 3d modeling. The selection phase for a digital oblique camera led to the purchase of the Leica RCD30 Oblique system, an 80MPixel multispectral medium-format camera which consists of one Nadir camera and four oblique viewing cameras acquiring images at an off-Nadir angle of 35º. The system also has a multi-directional motion compensation on-board system to deliver the highest image quality. The emergence of airborne oblique cameras has run in parallel to the inclusion of computer vision algorithms into the traditional photogrammetric workflows. Such algorithms rely on having multiple views of the same area of interest and take advantage of the image redundancy for automatic feature extraction. The multiview capability is highly fostered by the use of oblique systems which capture simultaneously different points of view for each camera shot. Different companies and NMAs have started pilot projects to assess the capabilities of the 3D mesh that can be obtained using correlation techniques. Beyond a software prototyping phase, and taking into account the currently immature state of several components of the oblique imagery workflow, the ICGC has focused on deploying a real production environment with special interest on matching the performance and quality of the existing production lines based on classical Nadir images. This paper introduces different test scenarios and layouts to analyze the impact of different variables on the geometric and radiometric performance. Different variables such as flight altitude, side and forward overlap and ground control point measurements and location have been considered for the evaluation of aerial

  2. Executive dysfunction among children with reading comprehension deficits.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Locascio, Gianna; Mahone, E Mark; Eason, Sarah H; Cutting, Laurie E

    2010-01-01

    Emerging research supports the contribution of executive function (EF) to reading comprehension; however, a unique pattern has not been established for children who demonstrate comprehension difficulties despite average word recognition ability (specific reading comprehension deficit; S-RCD). To identify particular EF components on which children with S-RCD struggle, a range of EF skills was compared among 86 children, ages 10 to 14, grouped by word reading and comprehension abilities: 24 average readers, 44 with word recognition deficits (WRD), and 18 S-RCD. An exploratory principal components analysis of EF tests identified three latent factors, used in subsequent group comparisons: Planning/ Spatial Working Memory, Verbal Working Memory, and Response Inhibition. The WRD group exhibited deficits (relative to controls) on Verbal Working Memory and Inhibition factors; S-RCD children performed more poorly than controls on the Planning factor. Further analyses suggested the WRD group's poor performance on EF factors was a by-product of core deficits linked to WRD (after controlling for phonological processing, this group no longer showed EF deficits). In contrast, the S-RCD group's poor performance on the planning component remained significant after controlling for phonological processing. Findings suggest reading comprehension difficulties are linked to executive dysfunction; in particular, poor strategic planning/organizing may lead to reading comprehension problems.

  3. Analyzing RCD30 Oblique Performance in a Production Environment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soler, M. E.; Kornus, W.; Magariños, A.; Pla, M.

    2016-06-01

    In 2014 the Institut Cartogràfic i Geològic de Catalunya (ICGC) decided to incorporate digital oblique imagery in its portfolio in response to the growing demand for this product. The reason can be attributed to its useful applications in a wide variety of fields and, most recently, to an increasing interest in 3d modeling. The selection phase for a digital oblique camera led to the purchase of the Leica RCD30 Oblique system, an 80MPixel multispectral medium-format camera which consists of one Nadir camera and four oblique viewing cameras acquiring images at an off-Nadir angle of 35º. The system also has a multi-directional motion compensation on-board system to deliver the highest image quality. The emergence of airborne oblique cameras has run in parallel to the inclusion of computer vision algorithms into the traditional photogrammetric workflows. Such algorithms rely on having multiple views of the same area of interest and take advantage of the image redundancy for automatic feature extraction. The multiview capability is highly fostered by the use of oblique systems which capture simultaneously different points of view for each camera shot. Different companies and NMAs have started pilot projects to assess the capabilities of the 3D mesh that can be obtained using correlation techniques. Beyond a software prototyping phase, and taking into account the currently immature state of several components of the oblique imagery workflow, the ICGC has focused on deploying a real production environment with special interest on matching the performance and quality of the existing production lines based on classical Nadir images. This paper introduces different test scenarios and layouts to analyze the impact of different variables on the geometric and radiometric performance. Different variables such as flight altitude, side and forward overlap and ground control point measurements and location have been considered for the evaluation of aerial triangulation and

  4. [Language and executive functioning skills of students with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and in reading comprehension difficulties (RCD)].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miranda Casas, Ana; Fernández Andrés, María Inmaculada; García Castellar, Rosa; Roselló Miranda, Belén; Colomer Diago, Carla

    2011-11-01

    The aim of this work was to study the specificity of deficits in linguistic and executive functioning of students with ADHD and with RCD and to determine the profile of deficits in the comorbid group (ADHD+RCD). Participants in the study were 84 students, ages 12-16 years divided into four groups with an equal number of subjects (N= 21): ADHD, RCD, ADHD+RCD and comparison group (without ADHD and without RCD). We measured vocabulary, oral comprehension, lexical access, verbal and visual working memory, inhibition and attention. The results show that the ADHD+RCD group presents the most important linguistic deficits, followed by the RCD group. On the other hand, the three clinical groups (ADHD, RCD and ADHD+RCD) display greater performance problems in working memory than the comparison group, whereas the two groups with ADHD had more problems in attention and inhibition. These results suggest the dissociation of linguistic and executive deficits that affect the RCD group and ADHD group to a greater extent, respectively. Lastly, the comorbid group showed deficits both in language and in executive skills. We discuss the implications of these findings for designing interventions.

  5. Design of an improved RCD buffer circuit for full bridge circuit

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Wenyan; Wei, Xueye; Du, Yongbo; Hu, Liang; Zhang, Liwei; Zhang, Ou

    2017-05-01

    In the full bridge inverter circuit, when the switch tube suddenly opened or closed, the inductor current changes rapidly. Due to the existence of parasitic inductance of the main circuit. Therefore, the surge voltage between drain and source of the switch tube can be generated, which will have an impact on the switch and the output voltage. In order to ab sorb the surge voltage. An improve RCD buffer circuit is proposed in the paper. The peak energy will be absorbed through the buffer capacitor of the circuit. The part energy feedback to the power supply, another part release through the resistor in the form of heat, and the circuit can absorb the voltage spikes. This paper analyzes the process of the improved RCD snubber circuit, According to the specific parameters of the main circuit, a reasonable formula for calculating the resistance capacitance is given. A simulation model will be modulated in Multisim, which compared the waveform of tube voltage and the output waveform of the circuit without snubber circuit with the improved RCD snubber circuit. By comparing and analyzing, it is proved that the improved buffer circuit can absorb surge voltage. Finally, experiments are demonstrated to validate that the correctness of the RC formula and the improved RCD snubber circuit.

  6. Composição gravimétrica dos RCD para a etapa de acabamento em obras residenciais horizontais

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marcelo Oliveira Caetano

    Full Text Available Resumo Uma parcela considerável dos resíduos de construção e demolição (RCD gerados em um canteiro de obras é proveniente da etapa de acabamentos. Destes, uma grande quantidade são potencialmente recicláveis, com a possibilidade de aproveitamento no próprio local onde é gerado. Contudo, ações de reaproveitamento em obras não são rotineiras devido a fatores como dificuldades de identificação, segregação e classificação destes resíduos. Conhecer a composição gravimétrica qualitativa e quantitativa do RCD gerado por etapa da obra torna-se essencial para justificar tecnicamente e economicamente esse reaproveitamento. Assim, de forma a contribuir para o tema, a pesquisa proposta por este artigo objetivou a avaliar a composição gravimétrica dos RCD gerados na etapa de acabamentos de obras residenciais horizontais de padrão construtivo do programa habitacional Minha Casa Minha Vida. Desenvolveu-se uma pesquisa quantitativa com estudo de caso e coleta de dados primários em campo. Os resultados confirmaram que 92% dos RCD gerados na fase de acabamentos são passíveis de reciclagem. Nestes estão contidos: 39,13% de madeira; 23,19% de plásticos, papel e metal; 16,09% de gesso; 12,99% de demolição (concreto, argamassa, cerâmica, etc; 8,38% de embalagens contaminadas e 0,22% de fios. Como indicador de produção de RCD, a geração média para a fase de acabamentos representou 0,58m3/casa ou 0,012 m3/m2 de área útil construída. Para acabamentos finos, o índice obtido foi de 0,46m3/casa ou 0,0098 m3/m2 e para acabamentos brutos foi de 1,11 m3/casa ou 0,0237 m3/m2.

  7. 2015 Southwest Florida RCD30 4-Band 8 Bit Imagery

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — These files contain imagery data collected with an RCD30 camera as 8-bit RGBN TIFF images. Imagery was required 1000m seaward of the land/water interface or to laser...

  8. 2015 Florida Panhandle RCD30 4-Band 8 Bit Imagery

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — These files contain imagery data collected with an RCD30 camera as 8-bit RGBN TIFF images. Imagery was required 1000m seaward of the land/water interface or to laser...

  9. Unequally redundant RCD1 and SRO1 mediate stress and developmental responses and interact with transcription factors

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Jaspers, P.; Blomster, T.; Brosché, M.; Salojärvi, J.; Ahlfors, R.; Vainonen, J.P.; Reddy, R.A.; Immink, G.H.; Angenent, G.C.; Turck, F.; Overmyer, K.; Kangasjärvi, J.

    2009-01-01

    RADICAL-INDUCED CELL DEATH1 (RCD1) is an important regulator of stress and hormonal and developmental responses in Arabidopsis thaliana. Together with its closest homolog, SIMILAR TO RCD-ONE1 (SRO1), it is the only Arabidopsis protein containing the WWE domain, which is known to mediate

  10. Flame Spread and Damaged Properties of RCD Cases by Tracking

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choi, Chung-Seog; Kim, Hyang-Kon; Shong, Kil-Mok; Kim, Dong-Woo

    In this paper, the flame spread and damaged properties of residual current protective devices (RCDs) by tracking were analyzed. Pictures of tracking process were taken by High Speed Imaging System (HSIS), and fire progression was observed by timeframe. During the tracking process of RCD, it seemed to explode just once in appearance, but in the results of HSIS analysis, a small fire broke out and disappeared repeatedly 35 times and a flash of light repeated 15 times. Finally, an explosion with a flash of light occurred and lots of particles were scattered. Electric muffle furnace was used for heat treatment of RCD cases. The surface characteristics of specimens due to heat treatment and tracking deterioration were taken by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Chemical and thermal properties of these deteriorated specimens were analyzed by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer (FT-IR) and Differential Thermal Analyzer (DTA). The carbonization characteristics showed different chemical properties due to energy sources, and the results could be applicable to judge the accident causes.

  11. Executive Dysfunction among Children with Reading Comprehension Deficits

    Science.gov (United States)

    Locascio, Gianna; Mahone, E. Mark; Eason, Sarah H.; Cutting, Laurie E.

    2010-01-01

    Emerging research supports the contribution of executive function (EF) to reading comprehension; however, a unique pattern has not been established for children who demonstrate comprehension difficulties despite average word recognition ability (specific reading comprehension deficit; S-RCD). To identify particular EF components on which children…

  12. La regulación jurídica de los residuos de construcción demolición (RCD en España. El caso de la Comunidad de Madrid

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    del Río, M.

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available Spain is the fifth country in Europe generating construction and demolition waste (CDW and unfortunately, it is one which does the least to recuperate it, as stated in the Symonds & Ass report. This report indicates that 90% of the 13 million tons of yearly generated waste materials end up in the dump and only 5% is recycled. In our country the management of CDW depends from the Autonomous Regions with the exception of the waste originated from minor house works; therefore, the Autonomous Regions have defined their management CDW plans referring to the National Plans. Those plans have been set based on the hierarchical principle, stated in title 1.1 of the 10/1998 Law referring to waste products. This principle establishes prevention as a top priority -whenever possible- followed by reutilization and recycling and in addition, to clearly assess all that cannot be reused o recycled. The final deposit in the dump is the last option, and the least satisfactory one. In this paper, some noticeable legal actions promoted in the last years by the Autonomous Region of Madrid to improve the management of CDW in buildings are presented.

    España es el quinto país europeo que genera más residuos de construcción-demolición (RCD, y uno de los que menos esfuerzos realiza para recuperarlos según el informe Symonds & Ass. Este informe indica que el 90% de los 13 millones de toneladas de materiales inertes que se generan cada año, acaban en vertederos y sólo un 5% se recicla. En nuestro país la competencia sobre la gestión de los RCD corresponde a las Comunidades Autónomas, a excepción de los RCD procedentes de obras menores domiciliares, por lo que éstas a la vista de este problema, han redactado Planes de gestión de RCD en base a los Planes Nacionales. Estos planes han sido redactados tomando como base el denominado principio de jerarquía, contemplado en el artículo 1.1 de la Ley 10/1998 de Residuos. Este principio establece como

  13. Cenário do gerenciamento dos resíduos da construção e demolição (RCD em Uberaba-MG / Scenario of waste management of construction and demolition (CDW in Uberaba, Minas Gerais (Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vinícius Arcanjo da Silva

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available Em alguns municípios, os resíduos da construção civil representam 60% do montante de lixo que é gerado nos centros urbanos. A cidade de Uberaba convive com significativos impactos ambientais provocadospela não gestão dos resíduos construtivos. No município, existem áreas altamente degradadas pela destinação inadequada dos Resíduos da Construção e Demolição (RCD ou Resíduos da Construção Civil (RCC. A falta de gerenciamento desses resíduos afeta a cidade nos aspectos econômico, sociais e principalmente ambientais. Neste trabalho, foram levantados os principais impactos ambientais que ocorreram devido à falta de gestão dos RCD na cidade de Uberaba. Foram abordados alguns pontos como: a eficiência dos “ecopontos”, degradação da área da Pedreira de Léa e riscos para a saúde pública da cidade. Ainda foram discutidos os motivos que levam à não gestão dos RCD e o que tem sido feito para que futuramente esta gestão venha ser implantada. Este trabalho foi composto por revisão bibliográfica associada a visitas in loco das áreas afetadas pela destinação inadequada dos RCD. Desta forma, este trabalho propôs soluções para redução dos impactos ambientais causados pelos RCD gerenciados de maneira inadequada em Uberaba, visando obter melhorias para a saúde pública e contribuindo para a sustentabilidade ambiental da cidade..

  14. "O.K. Where's the Remote?" Children, Families, and Remote Control Devices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krendl, Kathy A.; And Others

    This paper, part of a larger study of new television technologies, examines how preschool children integrate remote control devices (RCDs) into their television viewing behavior, preschoolers' competence with and knowledge of RCDs, and the role of the RCD in shaping family viewing styles. Subjects, 50 children aged 4 to 6 years attending 3…

  15. Supracondylar fracture in children. Rehabilitation in occupational therapy. Yes or no?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Costa, Maria J.; Pires, Mafalda; Neves, Cassiano; Tavares, Delfin; Quintas, Alexandra M.; Ferreira, Ana I.; Espirito Santo, M. J.; Castro, Alexandra; Cabral, M. Salomé; João Gomes, J. F.

    2013-10-01

    The aim of this study was to evaluate the recovery time of elbow range of motion after treatment of Gartland's type II and III supracondylar fractures of distal humerus in children who attended a program of occupational therapy (OT). A randomized control design (RCD) was conducted to compare the two groups (OT group and Control group) and several statistical methodologies have been used to compare them. In all the cases the results point out to a faster recover in the OT group. All the analysis were performed using the package R version 3.0.1.

  16. Evaluating the Ability of the PBS Children?s Show Daniel Tiger?s Neighborhood to Teach Skills to Two Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

    OpenAIRE

    Dotson, Wesley H.; Rasmussen, Eric E; Shafer, Autumn; Colwell, Malinda; Densley, Rebecca L.; Brewer, Adam T.; Alonzo, Marisol C.; Martinez, Laura A.

    2016-01-01

    Daniel Tiger?s Neighborhood is a children?s television show incorporating many elements of video modeling, an intervention that can teach skills to children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). This study evaluated the impact of watching Daniel Tiger?s Neighborhood episodes on the accurate performance of trying new foods and stopping play politely with two five-year-old children with ASD. Both children showed improved performance of skills only following exposure to episodes of Daniel Tiger?...

  17. Quality of pediatric abdominal CT scans performed at a dedicated children's hospital and its referring institutions: a multifactorial evaluation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Snow, Aisling [Boston Children' s Hospital, Department of Radiology, Boston, MA (United States); Our Lady' s Children' s Hospital, Department of Radiology, Dublin (Ireland); Milliren, Carly E.; Graham, Dionne A. [Boston Children' s Hospital, Program for Patient Safety and Quality, Boston, MA (United States); Callahan, Michael J.; MacDougall, Robert D.; Robertson, Richard L.; Taylor, George A. [Boston Children' s Hospital, Department of Radiology, Boston, MA (United States)

    2017-04-15

    Pediatric patients requiring transfer to a dedicated children's hospital from an outside institution may undergo CT imaging as part of their evaluation. Whether this imaging is performed prior to or after transfer has been shown to impact the radiation dose imparted to the patient. Other quality variables could also be affected by the pediatric experience and expertise of the scanning institution. To identify differences in quality between abdominal CT scans and reports performed at a dedicated children's hospital, and those performed at referring institutions. Fifty consecutive pediatric abdominal CT scans performed at outside institutions were matched (for age, gender and indication) with 50 CT scans performed at a dedicated freestanding children's hospital. We analyzed the scans for technical parameters, report findings, correlation with final clinical diagnosis, and clinical utility. Technical evaluation included use of intravenous and oral contrast agents, anatomical coverage, number of scan phases and size-specific dose estimate (SSDE) for each scan. Outside institution scans were re-reported when the child was admitted to the children's hospital; they were also re-interpreted for this study by children's hospital radiologists who were provided with only the referral information given in the outside institution's report. Anonymized original outside institutional reports and children's hospital admission re-reports were analyzed by two emergency medicine physicians for ease of understanding, degree to which the clinical question was answered, and level of confidence in the report. Mean SSDE was lower (8.68) for children's hospital scans, as compared to outside institution scans (13.29, P = 0.03). Concordance with final clinical diagnosis was significantly lower for original outside institution reports (38/48, 79%) than for both the admission and study children's hospital reports (48/50, 96%; P = 0.005). Children's

  18. Resíduos de construção e demolição (RCD) : enquadramento e breves considerações sobre a localização óptima das estações de reciclagem

    OpenAIRE

    Torgal, Fernando Pacheco

    2013-01-01

    A reciclagem de RCD é um tema de grande actualidade a que urge dar resposta urgente com vista ao aumento substancial das modestas taxas de reciclagem actuais. O presente artigo analisa de forma sucinta o enquadramento geral desta temática colocando em evidência a questão da localização óptima das estacões de reciclagem de RCD e da necessidade da utilização de métodos de apoio à decisão que permitam simultaneamente levar em linha de conta critérios ambientais, sociais e económicos.

  19. Tratamento dos resíduos de gesso da construção e da demolição- RCD para a produção de gesso beta reciclado

    OpenAIRE

    LIMA FILHO, Hilário Jorge Bezerra De

    2010-01-01

    O tratamento dos resíduos da construção e demolição (RCD) no Brasil é uma questão ambiental pouco explorada, refletindo numa evolução lenta no quesito sustentabilidade. O presente trabalho tem por objetivo estudar a calcinação dos resíduos de bloco de gesso utilizando o gás natural (GN) como combustível em forno rotativo piloto contínuo, para a produção de gesso beta reciclado. Para atingir estes objetivos foi realizado um planejamento de experimentos, uma técnica utilizada ...

  20. Evaluación ambiental y aplicaciones de áridos procedentes de RCD ligados con cemento en Ingeniería Civil

    OpenAIRE

    Rey Tirado, Isaac del

    2018-01-01

    La presente tesis doctoral se centra en la generación un conocimiento científico original y de calidad, sobre el uso de los áridos reciclados (AR) procedentes de Residuos de la Construcción y Demolición (RCD) para su uso en ingeniería civil, así como realizar una evaluación de la sostenibilidad de estos materiales reciclados. El potencial de los AR supone un acercamiento de la construcción, principal sector en consumo de materias primas y contaminación ambiental, hacia la...

  1. Differences Between Japanese and U.S. Children's Performance on "Zoo U": A Game-Based Social Skills Assessment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Craig, Ashley B; DeRosier, Melissa E; Watanabe, Yayoi

    2015-08-01

    The purpose of this study was to test whether and how performance on a digital game-based social skills assessment tool, "Zoo U" (3C Institute, Durham, NC), differed for children in the United States and Japan across six core social skills. "Zoo U" was administered to 497 third and fourth grade children from the United States and Japan (46 percent Japanese) by teachers and researchers, respectively. U.S. children received the original version of "Zoo U," and Japanese children received a fully translated Japanese version of the program. Scoring of each of the six social skills is built into the "Zoo U" software, with specific scoring algorithms for each grade level that provide both a continuous scale score and cutoffs for three distinct performance categories: high, average, and low. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was conducted to assess differences by cultural group on each of the six continuous social skill scores, controlling for gender and grade level. Results revealed significant differences on four of the six skills in expected directions. Chi-squared and odds ratios analyses were then conducted on the assignment of children into each of the performance categories by cultural group, revealing additional nuance to the cultural differences identified in the MANOVA consistent with existing literature. We were able to replicate known cultural differences between U.S. and Japanese children with a simple direct translation of a Web-based social skills assessment game, "Zoo U." Our results provide preliminary support for the potential of game-based assessment methods to provide efficient and valid social skill assessments to children around the world.

  2. Factors influencing women\\'s decisions to purchase specific children ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Factors influencing women\\'s decisions to purchase specific children\\'s ... they had selected a children's multi-nutrient supplement with the intention of buying it. ... Price, performance and brand loyalty, affect and normative factors were most ...

  3. Migrant Preschool Children's School Readiness and Early Elementary School Performance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tavassolie, Tanya; López, Claudia; De Feyter, Jessica; Hartman, Suzanne C.; Winsler, Adam

    2018-01-01

    Little is known about the early educational performance of children in migrant farmworker families. The authors examined the school readiness and early school success of 289 four-year-old preschool children of migrant families attending Redlands Christian Migrant Association centers. Children's school readiness was assessed and public school…

  4. Academic Performance of School Children With Epilepsy | Ibekwe ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Background: Epilepsy is the most common chronic neurological disease encountered among school children in Nigeria. Studies in developed countries show conflicting reports on it\\'s effect on academic performance. There is also a dearth of information on the academic performance of Nigerian children with epilepsy.

  5. Control in personnel exposure of RCD/FCD facility RLG during the period 2005 - 2008

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Murali, S.; Thanamani, S.; Sapkal, J.A.; Bairwa, Satya Manoj

    2010-01-01

    Full text: Radio Chemistry Wing, RLG, houses Radio Chemistry Division and Fuel Chemistry Division and certain common utility services. The personnel in the facility carry out radiochemical operations involving isotopes of Pu and other actinides. The HP Unit, Radio Chemistry Wing provides essential safety coverage to the personnel of the facility. The lab personnel of RCD/FCD facility at RLG carry out active operations, such operations held in suitable containment systems, under the HP supervision by RHC Unit advising safe work practices. The lab personnel are provided with monitoring programmes viz. TLD, Bio-assay and Lung counting periodically. Presently the dose limit for occupational exposure is 20 mSv per annum with 100 mSv for 5 consecutive calendar years. The present paper on TLD dose report enlists the details of the personnel exposure year wise and highlights the control in personnel exposure due to the safe procedures followed. The decreasing trend in the average personnel exposure over the period 2005 - 2008 validates the practice of adherence to safety procedures, though the amount of activity handled in the facility has increased by a few folds

  6. Lexington Children`s Museum final report on EnergyQuest

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1998-08-01

    EnergyQuest is a museum-wide exhibit that familiarizes children and their families with energy sources, uses, and issues and with the impact of those issues on their lives. It was developed and built by Lexington Children`s Museum with support from the US Department of Energy, Kentucky Utilities, and the Kentucky Coal Marketing and Export Council. EnergyQuest featured six hands-on exhibit stations in each of six museum galleries. Collectively, the exhibits examine the sources, uses and conservation of energy. Each EnergyQuest exhibit reflects the content of its gallery setting. During the first year after opening EnergyQuest, a series of 48 public educational programs on energy were conducted at the Museum as part of the Museum`s ongoing schedule of demonstrations, performances, workshops and classes. In addition, teacher training was conducted.

  7. Children's Auditory Working Memory Performance in Degraded Listening Conditions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Osman, Homira; Sullivan, Jessica R.

    2014-01-01

    Purpose: The objectives of this study were to determine (a) whether school-age children with typical hearing demonstrate poorer auditory working memory performance in multitalker babble at degraded signal-to-noise ratios than in quiet; and (b) whether the amount of cognitive demand of the task contributed to differences in performance in noise. It…

  8. Igf1r+/CD34+ immature ICC are putative adult progenitor cells, identified ultrastructurally as fibroblast-like ICC in Ws/Ws rat colon

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wang, X Y; Albertí, E; White, E J

    2009-01-01

    by ICC in the wild-type rat colon, suggesting them to be immature ICC. In addition, a marked increase in immunoreactivity for insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (Igf1r) occurred, co-localized with CD34 but not with c-Kit. A significantly higher number of Igf1r(+)/CD34(+) cells were found in Ws....../Ws compared to wild-type rat colons. These CD34(+)/Igf1r(+) cells in the Ws/Ws colon occupied the same space as FL-ICC. Hence we propose that a subset of immature ICC (FL-ICC) consists of adult progenitor cells. Immunohistochemistry revealed a reduction of neurons positive for neuronal nitric oxide synthase...

  9. Misconceptions about children`s pain

    OpenAIRE

    Miloseva, Lence; Vukosavljevic-Gvozden, Tanja; Milosev, Vladimir

    2014-01-01

    Managing hospitalized children's pain is challenging for health care professionals. The ethical principles of the duty to benefit another and the duty to do no harm oblige health care professionals to provide pain management to all patients, including children, who are vulnerable because of their constant developmental changes, being ill, and being hospitalized. During the last 20 years, researchers started to show an interest in misconceptions about children`s pain. Literature review showed...

  10. Inflectional Morphology and Dyslexia: Italian Children's Performance in a Nonword Pluralization Task

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vender, Maria; Mantione, Federica; Savazzi, Silvia; Delfitto, Denis; Melloni, Chiara

    2017-01-01

    In this study, we present the results of an original experimental protocol designed to assess the performance in a pluralization task of 52 Italian children divided into two groups: 24 children with developmental dyslexia (mean age 10.0 years old) and 28 typically developing children (mean age 9.11 years old). Our task, inspired by Berko's Wug…

  11. The Investigation of the Relationship between Children's 50m Freestyle Swimming Performances and Motor Performances

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aktug, Zait Burak; Iri, Ruckan; Top, Elif

    2018-01-01

    The aim of the study is to examine the relationship between children's 50 m freestyle swimming performances and motor performances. There were 32 swimmers (male = 21, female = 11), who had been swimming for at least one and a half year, participated in the study. The motor performances of the participating swimmers were determined through the…

  12. Inhibition Performance in Children with Math Disabilities

    OpenAIRE

    Winegar, Kathryn Lileth

    2013-01-01

    This study examined the inhibition deficit hypothesis in children with math disabilities (MD). Children with and without MD were compared on two inhibition tasks that included the random generation of numbers and letters. The results addressed three hypotheses. Weak support was found for the first hypothesis which stated difficulties related to inhibition are significantly related to math performance. I found partial support for this hypothesis in that inhibition was related to math problem s...

  13. Pass the Popcorn: ?Obesogenic? Behaviors and Stigma in Children?s Movies

    OpenAIRE

    Throop, Elizabeth M.; Skinner, Asheley Cockrell; Perrin, Andrew J.; Steiner, Michael J.; Odulana, Adebowale; Perrin, Eliana M.

    2013-01-01

    Objective To determine the prevalence of obesity-related behaviors and attitudes in children?s movies. Design and Methods We performed a mixed-methods study of the top-grossing G- and PG-rated movies, 2006?2010 (4 per year). For each 10-minute movie segment the following were assessed: 1) prevalence of key nutrition and physical activity behaviors corresponding to the American Academy of Pediatrics obesity prevention recommendations for families; 2) prevalence of weight stigma; 3) assessment ...

  14. Academic performance of children born preterm: a meta-analysis and meta-regression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Twilhaar, E Sabrina; de Kieviet, Jorrit F; Aarnoudse-Moens, Cornelieke Sh; van Elburg, Ruurd M; Oosterlaan, Jaap

    2017-08-28

    Advances in neonatal healthcare have resulted in decreased mortality after preterm birth but have not led to parallel decreases in morbidity. Academic performance provides insight in the outcomes and specific difficulties and needs of preterm children. To study academic performance in preterm children born in the antenatal steroids and surfactant era and possible moderating effects of perinatal and demographic factors. PubMed, Web of Science and PsycINFO were searched for peer-reviewed articles. Cohort studies with a full-term control group reporting standardised academic performance scores of preterm children (Academic test scores and special educational needs of preterm and full-term children were analysed using random effects meta-analysis. Random effects meta-regressions were performed to explore the predictive role of perinatal and demographic factors for between-study variance in effect sizes. The 17 eligible studies included 2390 preterm children and 1549 controls. Preterm children scored 0.71 SD below full-term peers on arithmetic (pacademic performance (p=0.006). Preterm children born in the antenatal steroids and surfactant era show considerable academic difficulties. Preterm children with bronchopulmonarydysplasia are at particular risk for poor academic outcome. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

  15. A Wheat SIMILAR TO RCD-ONE Gene Enhances Seedling Growth and Abiotic Stress Resistance by Modulating Redox Homeostasis and Maintaining Genomic Integrity[C][W

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Shuantao; Liu, Shuwei; Wang, Mei; Wei, Tiandi; Meng, Chen; Wang, Meng; Xia, Guangmin

    2014-01-01

    Plant growth inhibition is a common response to salinity. Under saline conditions, Shanrong No. 3 (SR3), a bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) introgression line, performs better than its parent wheat variety Jinan 177 (JN177) with respect to both seedling growth and abiotic stress tolerance. Furthermore, the endogenous reactive oxygen species (ROS) was also elevated in SR3 relative to JN177. The SR3 allele of sro1, a gene encoding a poly(ADP ribose) polymerase (PARP) domain protein, was identified to be crucial for both aspects of its superior performance. Unlike RADICAL-INDUCED CELL DEATH1 and other Arabidopsis thaliana SIMILAR TO RCD-ONE (SRO) proteins, sro1 has PARP activity. Both the overexpression of Ta-sro1 in wheat and its heterologous expression in Arabidopsis promote the accumulation of ROS, mainly by enhancing the activity of NADPH oxidase and the expression of NAD(P)H dehydrogenase, in conjunction with the suppression of alternative oxidase expression. Moreover, it promotes the activity of ascorbate-GSH cycle enzymes and GSH peroxidase cycle enzymes, which regulate ROS content and cellular redox homeostasis. sro1 is also found to be involved in the maintenance of genomic integrity. We show here that the wheat SRO has PARP activity; such activity could be manipulated to improve the growth of seedlings exposed to salinity stress by modulating redox homeostasis and maintaining genomic stability. PMID:24443520

  16. Elevated manganese and cognitive performance in school-aged children and their mothers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Menezes-Filho, Jose A., E-mail: antomen@ufba.br [College of Pharmacy, Federal University of Bahia (Brazil); Public and Environmental Health Program, National School of Public Health, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Brazil); Novaes, Cristiane de O.; Moreira, Josino C.; Sarcinelli, Paula N. [Public and Environmental Health Program, National School of Public Health, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Brazil); Mergler, Donna [Centre de Recherche Interdisciplinaire sur la Biologie, la Sante, la Societe et l' Environnement (CINBIOSE), Universite du Quebec a Montreal (Canada)

    2011-01-15

    Background: Growing evidence suggests that excess manganese (Mn) in children is associated with neurobehavioral impairments. In Brazil, elevated hair Mn concentrations were reported in children living near a ferro-manganese alloy plant. Objectives: We investigated these children's and caregivers' cognitive function in relation to bioindicators of Mn exposure. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the WISC-III was administered to 83 children aged between 6 and 12 years; the Raven Progressive Matrix was administered to the primary caregivers (94% mothers), who likewise responded to a questionnaire on socio demographics and birth history. Mn in hair (MnH) and blood (MnB) and blood lead (PbB) were measured by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS). Results: Children's mean MnB and MnH were 8.2 {mu}g/L (2.7-23.4) and 5.83 {mu}g/g (0.1-86.68), respectively. Mean maternal MnH was 3.50 {mu}g/g (0.10-77.45) and correlated to children's MnH (rho=0.294, p=0.010). Children's MnH was negatively related to Full-Scale Intelligence Quotient (IQ) and Verbal IQ; {beta} coefficients for MnH were -5.78 (95% CI -10.71 to -0.21) and -6.72 (-11.81 to -0.63), adjusted for maternal education and nutritional status. Maternal MnH was negatively associated with performance on the Raven's ({beta}=-2.69, 95% CI -5.43 to 0.05), adjusted for education years, family income and age. Conclusions: These findings confirm that high MnH in children is associated with poorer cognitive performance, especially in the verbal domain. Primary caregiver's IQ is likewise associated to Mn exposure, suggesting that, in this situation, children's cognition may be affected directly and indirectly by Mn exposure.

  17. Craniocervical instability in children with Down’s syndrome

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nikita O Khusainov

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Introduction. Pathology of the craniovertebral zone in children with Down’s syndrome is a very important topic, because of the high risk for developing neurological complications in these patients, after even a minor trauma. Material and methods. We performed a review of the literature highlighting the disorders of the cervical spine in children with Down’s syndrome. Results. We gathered data on the etiology, pathogenesis, and clinical presentation of craniocervical instability in children with Down’s syndrome. We reviewed the existing surgical treatment options, and presented our own clinical cases. We also developed a protocol for the management of these patients. Discussions. Understanding the several forms of craniocervical instability in children with Down’s syndrome is very important. As it is a very dangerous condition that can lead to devastating neurological deficits, all medical specialties working with these patients should be aware of them. There are clinical and radiological criteria for this condition that can help in the management of such patients. Surgical treatment is an effective option, but it has a high complication rate and rarely results in neurological improvement.

  18. Breakfast is associated with the metabolic syndrome and school performance among Taiwanese children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ho, Chia-Yi; Huang, Yi-Chen; Lo, Yuan-Ting C; Wahlqvist, Mark L; Lee, Meei-Shyuan

    2015-01-01

    Skipping breakfast is associated with adverse child health profiles including obesity, higher blood pressure, higher serum cholesterol, and poor cognitive function. We aimed to explore the association between breakfast with school performance and the metabolic syndrome (MetS) in Taiwanese children. Participants were enrolled from the representative Elementary School Children's Nutrition and Health Survey in Taiwan (2001-2002). Diet, waist circumference, blood pressure, blood glucose, triglyceride, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations were assessed in 1287 boys and 1114 girls. Their school and social performances were examined using the modified Scale for Assessing Emotional Disturbance questionnaire. Logistic and linear regression analyses were used to estimate the risk of MetS and also the association between breakfast consumption frequency and school or social performance. When breakfast consumption was regular, overall dietary quality was better. Children who consumed breakfast daily exhibited lower risks of high blood pressure (OR=0.37, 95% CI=0.19-0.71) and of MetS (OR=0.22, 95% CI=0.09-0.51) compared with children who consumed breakfast 0-4 times per week. Furthermore, children who consumed breakfast daily exhibited a higher overall competence (OC) score (β=0.71, pschool performance, a lower risk of high blood pressure, and MetS independent of overall dietary quality. Thus, breakfast on school days is a factor in school performance and health. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. BEHCET’S DISEASE IN CHILDREN

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Z.S. Alekberova

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Behcet’s disease is a systemic vasculitis with unknown etiology. It is characterized by recurrent erosive and ulcer lesions of mucoustunic of mouth and genitalia, frequent lesions of eyes, joints, gastrointestinal tract and central nervous system. Behcet’s disease arises predominantly in young men in the age 20–40 years old; the clinical signs of this disease are forming in children up to the 7–13 years old. Approximately 2–3% of patients with Behcet’s disease are children under 16 years old. The diagnostic criteria of disease, presented in 1990 with International Group of Behcet’s Disease are presented. The comparison of clinical signs of a disease showed bigger frequency of vascular pathology in adults; the rate of HLA-B5 antigen is considerable in children and adults (58,5% and 62,8% accordingly but an aggregation of disease in families of children with Behcet’s disease is higher (12% vs. 1% in adults. Authors presented EULAR recommendations (2008 on the treatment of Behcet’s disease. The peculiarities of treatment of Behcet’s disease are described.Key words: children, Behcet’s disease, aphthous stomatitis, ulcers of genitalia, uveitis, HLA-B5.(Voprosy sovremennoi pediatrii — Current Pediatrics. 2009;8(6:64-70

  20. When children affect parents: Children's academic performance and parental investment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yurk Quadlin, Natasha

    2015-07-01

    Sociologists have extensively documented the ways that parent resources predict children's achievement. However, less is known about whether and how children's academic performance shapes parental investment behaviors. I use data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort (ECLS-K) and longitudinal fixed effects models to examine how changes in teacher assessments are related to changes in the conferral of various parent resources. Overall, I find that the relationship between achievement and investment varies based on the directionality in children's achievement and the type of resource at hand. Children whose performance improves receive a broad range of enrichment resources, while declines in performance are met with corrective educational resources. Results are largely consistent whether language or math assessments are used to predict investment, and also among children whose achievement does not change over time. I discuss these patterns, along with implications for the use of parent resources in education and family research. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Primary school children\\'s perspectives on common diseases and ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Background: Existing school health programmes in Uganda target children above five years for de-worming, oral hygiene and frequent vaccination of girls of reproductive age. Objective:To assess primary school children\\'s perspectives on common diseases they experience and medicines used in order to suggest reforms ...

  2. Handwriting performance of preterm children at school age: a literature review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Julie Souza de Medeiros Rocha

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: At school age, handwriting is on of the most important tasks among the fine motor activities. Good handwriting performance contributes to the child´s school performance. As prematurity impacts on motor development, it may influence handwriting. Objective: To review the specific literature and investigate whether there are differences in handwriting performance at school age between children born preterm and full term. Method: A search was performed in the Capes electronic database, in English and Portuguese, comprising the time period between January 2000 and June 2012. Articles were selected according to the inclusion criteria; the sample, objectives, instruments utilized and outcomes were analyzed. Results: Six articles were included in the study. Data analysis indicates that children born prematurely present poorer handwriting performance and a handicap in the underlying handwriting mechanisms when compared with full term infants. Conclusion: Preterm children without obvious neurological impairment are at increased risk for problems in handwriting development at school age. The small number of recent studies on this topic indicates a need for further research, as well as the development of standardized resources for the motor and handwriting assessment of Brazilian children.

  3. See me! A Discussion on the Quality in Performing Arts for Children Based on a Performative Approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lisa Nagel

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available In this article, the writer discusses and analyses what happens to our evaluation of quality in performing arts for children when we move from the notion of art as an object to art as an event. Erika Fischer-Lichte´s theory on the so-called performative turn in the arts and more specifically, the term the feedback loop, constitutes the article´s theoretical backdrop. Two audience-related episodes, respectively the dance performance BZz BZz-DADA dA bee by ICB Productions (3 - 6 year olds and the theatre performance Thought Lab by Cirka Teater (for 6 year olds and above, serve as starting points for the theoretical discussion. By adopting Siemke Böhnisch’s performative approach to performance analysis, focusing on the terms henvendthet (directed-ness, the actors´ and spectators´ mutual turning to the other and kontakt (connection in relations to the audience, the writer makes it possible to show a dissonance (and its reverse between the performers and the audience in the two respective performances. The term dissonance describes moments of unintended breaks in communication, moments of which the performers are most likely unaware. These moments however become apparent when the audience´s reactions are included in the analysis. The author concludes that by deferring to a performative perspective, we become almost obliged to consider the child audience as qualified judges of quality, as opposed to allowing ourselves to dismiss their interactions as either noise or enthusiasm. Such a perspective is important not only for how we see and evaluate performing arts for children, but also for how artists must think when producing performances for this audience.

  4. Chronic health conditions and school performance among children and youth.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crump, Casey; Rivera, Diana; London, Rebecca; Landau, Melinda; Erlendson, Bill; Rodriguez, Eunice

    2013-04-01

    Chronic health conditions are common and increasing among U.S. children and youth. We examined whether chronic health conditions are associated with low school performance. This retrospective cohort study of 22,730 children and youth (grades 2-11) in San Jose, California, was conducted from 2007 through 2010. Health conditions were defined as chronic if reported in each of the first 2 years, and school performance was measured using standardized English language arts (ELA) and math assessments. Chronic health conditions were independently associated with low ELA and math performance, irrespective of ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or grade level. Adjusted odds ratios for the association between any chronic health condition and low ("basic or below") performance were 1.25 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.16-1.36; P absenteeism had little effect on these results. The strongest associations were found for ADHD, autism, and seizure disorders, whereas a weak association was found for asthma before but not after adjusting for absenteeism, and no associations were found for cardiovascular disorders or diabetes. Chronic neurodevelopmental and seizure disorders, but not cardiovascular disorders or diabetes, were independently associated with low school performance among children and youth. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Performance of modified blood pressure-to-height ratio for identifying hypertension in Chinese and American children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Yuanyuan; Ma, Chuanwei; Yang, Lili; Bovet, Pascal; Xi, Bo

    2018-04-06

    Blood pressure-to-height ratio (BPHR) has been reported to perform well for identifying hypertension (HTN) in adolescents but not in young children. Our study was aimed to evaluate the performance of BPHR and modified BPHR (MBPHR) for screening HTN in children. A total of 5268 Chinese children (boys: 53.1%) aged 6-12 years and 5024 American children (boys: 48.1%) aged 8-12 years were included in the present study. BPHR was calculated as BP/height (mmHg/cm). MBPHR7 was calculated as BP/(height + 7*(13-age)). MBPHR3 was calculated as BP/(height + 3*(13-age)). We used receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis to assess the performance of the three ratios for identifying HTN in children as compared to the 2017 U.S. clinical guideline as the "gold standard". The prevalence of HTN in Chinese and American children was 9.4% and 5.4%, respectively, based on the 2017 U.S. guideline. The AUC was larger for MBPHR3 than BPHR and MBPHR7. All three ratios had optimal negative predictive value (~100%). The positive predictive value (PPV) was higher for MBPHR3 than BPHR in both Chinese (43.9% vs. 37.9%) and American (39.1% vs. 26.3%) children. In contrast, the PPV was higher for MBPHR7 than BPHR in Chinese children (47.4% vs. 37.9%) but not in American children (24.8% vs. 26.3%). In summary, MBPHR3 overall performed better than MBPHR7 and BPHR for identifying HTN in children. However, the three ratios had low PPV (<50%) as compared to the 2017 U.S. guidelines, which makes these ratios of limited use for HTN screening in children.

  6. Performance Monitoring in Children Following Traumatic Brain Injury Compared to Typically Developing Children

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Amy A. Wilkinson PhD

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Children with traumatic brain injury are reported to have deficits in performance monitoring, but the mechanisms underlying these deficits are not well understood. Four performance monitoring hypotheses were explored by comparing how 28 children with traumatic brain injury and 28 typically developing controls (matched by age and sex performed on the stop-signal task. Control children slowed significantly more following incorrect than correct stop-signal trials, fitting the error monitoring hypothesis. In contrast, the traumatic brain injury group showed no performance monitoring difference with trial types, but significant group differences did not emerge, suggesting that children with traumatic brain injury may not perform the same way as controls.

  7. Predictors of Processing-Based Task Performance in Bilingual and Monolingual Children

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buac, Milijana; Gross, Megan; Kaushanskaya, Margarita

    2016-01-01

    In the present study we examined performance of bilingual Spanish-English-speaking and monolingual English-speaking school-age children on a range of processing-based measures within the framework of Baddeley’s working memory model. The processing-based measures included measures of short-term memory, measures of working memory, and a novel word-learning task. Results revealed that monolinguals outperformed bilinguals on the short-term memory tasks but not the working memory and novel word-learning tasks. Further, children’s vocabulary skills and socioeconomic status (SES) were more predictive of processing-based task performance in the bilingual group than the monolingual group. Together, these findings indicate that processing-based tasks that engage verbal working memory rather than short-term memory may be better-suited for diagnostic purposes with bilingual children. However, even verbal working memory measures are sensitive to bilingual children’s language-specific knowledge and demographic characteristics, and therefore may have limited clinical utility. PMID:27179914

  8. Desempenho motor fino e funcionalidade em crianças com síndrome de Down Fine motor performance and functionality in children with Down syndrome

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aline Cirelli Coppede

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available O objetivo do estudo foi comparar crianças com síndrome de Down (SD e crianças típicas quanto ao desempenho motor fino, avaliado pela Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development - Third Edition (BSITD-III, e o desempenho em autocuidado segundo o Inventário Pediátrico de Avaliação de Incapacidade (PEDI; e investigar associação entre ambos os domínios. Participaram 12 crianças típicas e 12 crianças com SD, avaliadas na idade de 2 anos. As crianças com SD apresentaram desempenho motor fino e funcionalidade inferior às crianças típicas, possivelmente por dificuldades em desempenhar tarefas que exijam destreza e coordenação manual, como as que compõem a BSITD-III. Apesar disso, sua pontuação em autocuidado foi adequada para a faixa etária, possivelmente porque as habilidades funcionais exigidas nesse período, como retirar calçados/vestimenta, impõem menor demanda motora fina do que tarefas da BSITD-III. Esse fato pode ter contribuído para o bom desempenho funcional das crianças com SD, e para a ausência de associação entre os domínios. Fatores como os cuidados oferecidos à criança pelos cuidadores, bem como ambientes estimuladores provavelmente também contribuíram para os resultados.The aim of study was to compare typically-developing children and children with Down syndrome (DS for their fine motor performance, measured by the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development - Third Edition (BSITD-III, and for their functional performance in self-care, measured by the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI. Associations between these areas were also investigated. Twelve typically-developing children and 12 children with DS were assessed at the age of 2 years. The children with DS performed poorly in fine motor skills when compared with typical children, which may be explained by the complex motor skills involved in the BSITD-III's tasks. Their self-care scores were also lower in comparison with the

  9. Children's Depression Screener (ChilD-S): development and validation of a depression screening instrument for children in pediatric care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frühe, Barbara; Allgaier, Antje-Kathrin; Pietsch, Kathrin; Baethmann, Martina; Peters, Jochen; Kellnar, Stephan; Heep, Axel; Burdach, Stefan; von Schweinitz, Dietrich; Schulte-Körne, Gerd

    2012-02-01

    The aim of the present study was to develop and validate the Children's Depression Screener (ChilD-S) for use in pediatric care. In two pediatric samples, children aged 9-12 (N(I) = 200; N(II) = 246) completed an explorative item pool (subsample I) and a revised item pool (subsample II). Diagnostic accuracy of each of the 22 items from the revised pool was evaluated in order to select the best items for the brief instrument ChilD-S. Areas under the curve (AUCs) of the revised item pool and the ChilD-S were compared. A diagnostic interview, the Kinder-DIPS, served as gold standard. For the purpose of screening for depressive disorders in children, the eight-item ChilD-S (AUC = 0.97) performed just as well as the revised 22-item pool (AUC = 0.94). For the ChilD-S the optimal cut-off point of ≥11 yielded a sensitivity of 0.91 and a specificity of 0.89. The ChilD-S shows high potential for depression screening of children in pediatric care.

  10. Memory Performance among Children with ADHD

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Afsaneh Zarghi

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: The present post-eventual research study was conducted with the purpose of comparing the memory performance between two distinct groups of 50 healthy children and 50 attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD children (25 girls and 25 boys in Tehran with an age range of 10-12.Methods.The whole students were selected through simple random sampling method and were assessed in children's medical center, the Clinic of Roozbeh Hospital, and Tehran's Andishe primary school (both girls' and boys' branches. The applied tools for data gathering were the Benton test and Wechsler memory sub-test (form A.Results:The results showed a significant difference between Benton test scores and Wechsler memory sub-test scores (i.e. personal and general information, orientation, mind control, logical memory, repeating numbers straightly or reversely, learning and memory among healthy children and those with ADHD.Discussion:memory performance in children with ADHD was weaker than healthy children. In general, with regard to the memory deficit and attention disorder, these patients require both memory and attention rehabilitation for a better quality of l

  11. Memory Performance among Children with ADHD

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Afsaneh Zarghi

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: The present post-eventual research study was conducted with the purpose of comparing the memory performance between two distinct groups of 50 healthy children and 50 attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD children (25 girls and 25 boys in Tehran with an age range of 10-12. Methods: The whole students were selected through simple random sampling method and were assessed in children's medical center, the Clinic of Roozbeh Hospital, and Tehran's Andishe primary school (both girls' and boys' branches. The applied tools for data gathering were the Benton test and Wechsler memory sub-test (form A. Results: The results showed a significant difference between Benton test scores and Wechsler memory sub-test scores (i.e. personal and general information, orientation, mind control, logical memory, repeating numbers straightly or reversely, learning and memory among healthy children and those with ADHD. Discussion: memory performance in children with ADHD was weaker than healthy children. In general, with regard to the memory deficit and attention disorder, these patients require both memory and attention rehabilitation for a better quality of life.

  12. THE EMPOWERMENT OF CHILDREN IN EDITH NESBIT’S THE RAILWAY CHILDREN

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adam Anshori

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available This research is aimed at describing the empowerment of children in Edith Nesbit’s The Railway Children. The problems formulated in the research will be answered in the descriptions consisting of thoughts, actions, and feelings of the main characters in the novel and presenting other characters’ comments dedicated to the main characters. The main source of the research data was Edith Nesbit’s The Railway Children. It is considered as a children’s literature. The focus of the research was events in the novel which showing the empowerment of the main characters. The data consist of thoughts, actions, and feelings of the main characters and presenting other characters’ admirable comments dedicated to the main characters. The data were analyzed inductively by using qualitative content analysis. The instrument of the research was the researcher himself. To get trustworthiness of the data, the researcher used four criteria, namely: credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability. The findings of the research showed that the novel contains of children’s empowerment, which can be divided into three categories. They are Thought Empowerment, Action Empowerment and Feeling Empowerment. As empowerment of children is considered as an important aspect in children’s story and it has great influence to enrich children’s intelligence and emotion in their growing period, The Railway Children can be categorized as a good novel.

  13. Differences between Estimation and Real Performance in School-Age Children: Fundamental Movement Skills

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gabriela Almeida

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Observations in studies of estimation compared to actual performance in motor skills revealed that children are not always accurate and have a tendency to overestimate the maximum distance at which an action can be performed. The relationship between estimated and real motor competences was analyzed for several tasks: standing long jump (SLJ, throwing and kicking, and walking backwards (WB on a balance beam. Children were asked to predict their maximum distance prior to performing those tasks. Participants were 303 children (160 boys, which were between 6 and 10 years of age (M=8.63, SD=1.16. Children’s estimations were compared with their real performance to determine their accuracy. Absolute error (|real performance − estimation| and error tendency, that is, the direction of the error (overestimation, accuracy, and underestimation bias, were calculated. Children had a tendency to overestimate their performance and were more conservative in the WB task, a noncommon action. In general, it is possible to conclude that children, in the studied age span, tend to overestimate their performance, particularly in familiar skills. This fact may be determinant to the development of their motor competences, since they are more likely to engage and persist in motor tasks, but it might also be a problem in terms of child safety because it could increase the occurrence of unintended injuries.

  14. Academic performance of school children with behavioural ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Introduction: Behavioural disorders can have a negative influence on the academic performance of school children. There are no similiar published is no known studies in Nigeria. Objective: To compare the academic performance of primary school children with behavioural disorders with that of their controls. Methods: A ...

  15. Does school breakfast benefit children's educational performance?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fernald, L; Ani, C C; Grantham-mcgregor, S

    1997-09-01

    This article reviews several research studies on the impact of the lack of breakfast among students. Recent data reveal that about 20% of Nigerian children were wasted or had weight-for-height measurements under the 5th percentile of the US National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) standard. In Ghana, 41% of children were underweight or had a weight-for-age under -2 standard deviations of the NCHS standards. In Tanzania, about 34% of children were underweight. Many more students in Africa are attending school, but many are leaving primary school early or failing secondary school examinations. It is argued that poor nutritional status affects children's ability to learn. Research reveals several hypotheses about how breakfast affects children's cognition, behavior, and school performance. Children may not attend school at all due to the inability to purchase food to eat at school, or insufficient food resources at home to provide sufficient energy to walk long distances to school. In four studies, two in the USA and the others in Peru and Jamaica, findings reveal that when undernourished children missed breakfast, they performed worse in tests of cognition. Adequately nourished children's performance was unaffected by missing breakfast. A study in four Jamaican schools found that children had more creative ideas when they received a breakfast for 2 weeks than when they did not receive breakfast. Two Swedish studies found that children with a high-calorie breakfast improved in cognition compared to those receiving a low-calorie breakfast. One study found that children in well-equipped classrooms paid more attention in class after having breakfast. Children in overcrowded classes and poorly equipped schools were less likely to pay attention after breakfast. Long-term effects are less well studied, but findings clearly support the benefits of breakfast.

  16. Social pedagogy in children´s everyday life

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Schwartz, Ida

    A large part of most children’s childhood is about taking part in educational and leisure time activities together with other children across various contexts of childhood. However, children who are in out-of-home care do not always have easy access to these resources. Theoretically the paper dra...... concludes that for children in out-of-home care their possibilities of learning how to conduct their everyday lives are closely related to the ways professionals cooperate across contexts and that puts inter-professional cooperation at the core of social pedagogy....... on a German version of Critical Psychology and discusses how to understand social pedagogy in relation to the support of children’s conduct of everyday life. In general parents coordinate their children´s everyday lives, but for the case of children in out-of-home care, the responsibility of care...... is distributed between several professionals and institutions. The paper builds on two research projects that followed children in out-of-home care in their everyday lives, exploring how professionals work together in order to support children´s agency in communities of children in residential home, school...

  17. Diet, breakfast, and academic performance in children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kleinman, R E; Hall, S; Green, H; Korzec-Ramirez, D; Patton, K; Pagano, M E; Murphy, J M

    2002-01-01

    To determine whether nutrient intake and academic and psychosocial functioning improve after the start of a universal-free school breakfast program (USBP). Information was gathered from 97 inner city students prior to the start of a USBP and again after the program had been in place for 6 months. Students who had total energy intakes of breakfast at school than children who were not at nutritional risk. Six months after the start of the free school breakfast programs, students who decreased their nutritional risk showed significantly greater: improvements in attendance and school breakfast participation, decreases in hunger, and improvements in math grades and behavior than children who did not decrease their nutritional risk. Participation in a school breakfast program enhanced daily nutrient intake and improvements in nutrient intake were associated with significant improvements in student academic performance and psychosocial functioning and decreases in hunger. Copyright 2002 S. Karger AG, Basel

  18. Peer Victimization and Academic Performance in Primary School Children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mundy, Lisa K; Canterford, Louise; Kosola, Silja; Degenhardt, Louisa; Allen, Nicholas B; Patton, George C

    Peer victimization is a common antecedent of poor social and emotional adjustment. Its relationship with objectively measured academic performance is unclear. In this study we aimed to quantify the cross-sectional associations between peer victimization and academic performance in a large population sample of children. Eight- to 9-year-old children were recruited from a stratified random sample of primary schools in Australia. Academic performance was measured on a national achievement test (1 year of learning equals 40 points). Physical and verbal victimization were measured according to child self-report. Multilevel mixed-effects linear regression analyses were conducted. For female children, verbal victimization was associated with poorer academic performance on writing (β = 17.2; 95% confidence interval [CI], -28.2 to -6.2) and grammar/punctuation (β = -20.8; 95% CI, -40.1 to -1.6). Physical victimization was associated with poorer performance on numeracy (male children: β = -29.0; 95% CI, -53.8 to -4.1; female children: β = -30.1; 95% CI, -56.6 to -3.5), and writing (female children: β = -21.5; 95% CI, -40.4 to -2.7). Verbal and physical victimization were associated with poorer performance on reading (male children: β = -31.5; 95% CI, -59.9 to -3.1; female children: β = -30.2; 95% CI, -58.6 to -1.8), writing (female children: β = -25.5; 95% CI, -42.8 to -8.2), spelling (female children: β = -32.3; 95% CI, -59.6 to -4.9), and grammar/punctuation (female children: β = -32.2; 95% CI, -62.4 to -2.0). Children who were physically victimized were 6 to 9 months behind their non-victimized peers on measures of academic performance. There are growing reasons for education systems to invest in the prevention of bullying and promotion of positive peer relationships from the earliest years of school. Copyright © 2017 Academic Pediatric Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Children's Understandings of Characters' Beliefs in Persuasive Arguments: Links with Gender and Theory of Mind

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kolodziejczyk, Anna M.; Bosacki, Sandra L.

    2015-01-01

    This study investigated the role of gender plays in the relation between children's theory of mind (ToM) and persuasion. We explored children's use of the belief information of the characters involved within a persuasive situation. In two studies, children (four- to eight-year-olds) performed a comic strip task that described a…

  20. Achievement test performance in children conceived by IVF.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mains, L; Zimmerman, M; Blaine, J; Stegmann, B; Sparks, A; Ansley, T; Van Voorhis, B

    2010-10-01

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

  1. School Performance and Disciplinary Problems among Abused and Neglected Children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eckenrode, John; And Others

    1993-01-01

    Neglected, or physically or sexually abused, children performed poorer on standardized tests, received lower grades, were more likely to repeat a grade and had more discipline referrals than nonmaltreated children. Among maltreated children, neglected children showed the poorest academic performance, and physically abused children had the most…

  2. Neighbourhood human capital and the development of children׳s emotional and behavioural problems: the mediating role of parenting and schools.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Midouhas, Emily; Kuang, Ye; Flouri, Eirini

    2014-05-01

    This study examined how low neighbourhood human capital (measured by percentage of residents with no qualifications) may be related to trajectories of children׳s emotional and behavioural problems from early-to-middle childhood. It also assessed whether effects of neighbourhood human capital or its pathways were moderated by child nonverbal cognitive ability. Using data on 9850 children in England participating in the Millennium Cohort Study, we found that, after adjusting for key child and family background characteristics, the adverse effects of low neighbourhood human capital on hyperactivity and peer problems remained, and were fully attenuated by the achievement level of children׳s schools. The effect of low neighbourhood human capital on the change in conduct problems over time was robust. Moreover, higher nonverbal ability did not dampen the adverse impact of low neighbourhood human capital on the trajectory of conduct problems or that of low performing schools on hyperactivity and peer problems. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Video game performances are preserved in ADHD children compared with controls.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bioulac, Stéphanie; Lallemand, Stéphanie; Fabrigoule, Colette; Thoumy, Anne-Laure; Philip, Pierre; Bouvard, Manuel Pierre

    2014-08-01

    Although ADHD and excessive video game playing have received some attention, few studies have explored the performances of ADHD children when playing video games. The authors hypothesized that performances of ADHD children would be as good as those of control children in motivating video games tasks but not in the Continuous Performance Test II (CPT II). The sample consisted of 26 ADHD children and 16 control children. Performances of ADHD and control children were compared on three commercially available games, on the repetition of every game, and on the CPT II. ADHD children had lower performances on the CPT II than did controls, but they exhibited equivalent performances to controls when playing video games at both sessions and on all three games. When playing video games, ADHD children present no difference in inhibitory performances compared with control children. This demonstrates that cognitive difficulties in ADHD are task dependent. © 2012 SAGE Publications.

  4. Optimising homing endonuclease gene drive performance in a semi-refractory species: the Drosophila melanogaster experience.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuk-Sang Chan

    Full Text Available Homing endonuclease gene (HEG drive is a promising insect population control technique that employs meganucleases to impair the fitness of pest populations. Our previous studies showed that HEG drive was more difficult to achieve in Drosophila melanogaster than Anopheles gambiae and we therefore investigated ways of improving homing performance in Drosophila. We show that homing in Drosophila responds to increased expression of HEGs specifically during the spermatogonia stage and this could be achieved through improved construct design. We found that 3'-UTR choice was important to maximise expression levels, with HEG activity increasing as we employed Hsp70, SV40, vasa and βTub56D derived UTRs. We also searched for spermatogonium-specific promoters and found that the Rcd-1r promoter was able to drive specific expression at this stage. Since Rcd-1 is a regulator of differentiation in other species, it suggests that Rcd-1r may serve a similar role during spermatogonial differentiation in Drosophila. Contrary to expectations, a fragment containing the entire region between the TBPH gene and the bgcn translational start drove strong HEG expression only during late spermatogenesis rather than in the germline stem cells and spermatogonia as expected. We also observed that the fraction of targets undergoing homing was temperature-sensitive, falling nearly four-fold when the temperature was lowered to 18°C. Taken together, this study demonstrates how a few simple measures can lead to substantial improvements in the HEG-based gene drive strategy and reinforce the idea that the HEG approach may be widely applicable to a variety of insect control programs.

  5. Motor and cognitive performance of overweight preschool children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krombholz, Heinz

    2013-02-01

    Gross and fine motor skills and cognitive performance in obese and overweight children were compared to healthy weight children. Participants were 1,543 children (797 boys and 746 girls) ages 43 to 84 months, attending childcare centers in Munich, Germany. According to German Body Mass Index (BMI) standards for age and sex, 4.6% of the children were classified as obese (percentile greater or equal 97), 6.8% as overweight (percentile greater or equal 90 and less than 97), 5.9% as underweight (percentile less than 10), and 83.1% as being of healthy weight. Dependent variables were physical characteristics (height, weight, skinfold thickness), physical fitness (standing broad jump, shuttle run, hanging), body coordination (balancing forward, balancing backward, lateral jump, hopping), manual dexterity (right and left hand), and cognitive performance (intelligence, verbal ability, concentration). Higher proportions of children from lower socioeconomic and immigrant backgrounds were overweight. There was no association between weight and sex. Overweight children showed lower performance on gross motor skills (coordination and fitness), manual dexterity, and intelligence compared to healthy weight children, even after controlling for the effects of social class and immigration status.

  6. The influence of shyness on children's test performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crozier, W Ray; Hostettler, Kirsten

    2003-09-01

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

  7. Health-related quality of life in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis – child’s and parent’s point of view

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Małgorzata Mańczak

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: To assess the quality of life (QoL of children suffering from juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA in Poland, to compare QoL of children with JIA and healthy children, and to compare children’s and parents’ assessments of QoL. Material and methods: The KIDSCREEN-52 questionnaire (children’s and parents’ version was used to assess the quality of life. The QoL in JIA patients and healthy peers from European and Polish reference groups was compared by the t-test. The Bland-Altman method was used to evaluate child and parent assessment agreement. Results : Eighty-nine questionnaires were obtained from children (median age: 14 years; 62% female; JIA history longer than 1 year and 84 questionnaires from parents. The QoL of JIA patients was lower than in healthy peers from the European reference group in terms of physical well-being (p < 0.001, psychological well-being (p = 0.011, autonomy (p < 0.001 and social support and peers (p < 0.001. The QoL of JIA patients compared with the QoL of children from the Polish reference group was lower only in terms of physical well-being (p < 0.001, whereas it was higher in terms of moods and emotions (p = 0.023, parent relations and home life (p = 0.005 and financial resources (p < 0.001. In most terms the assessment performed by the parent was lower than the child’s. The most significant differences were observed for physical well-being (p < 0.001, psychological well-being (p = 0.016, and self-perception (p = 0.013. Conclusions : The present study is the first assessment of QoL of JIA children in Poland. In our study the quality of life in JIA children was lower than in healthy peers. Discrepancies between the assessment of the child’s QoL performed by the child and the parent were found. Both assessments should be taken into account in clinical practice as well as in research studies.

  8. Motor performance in children with Noonan syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Croonen, Ellen A; Essink, Marlou; van der Burgt, Ineke; Draaisma, Jos M; Noordam, Cees; Nijhuis-van der Sanden, Maria W G

    2017-09-01

    Although problems with motor performance in daily life are frequently mentioned in Noonan syndrome, the motor performance profile has never been systematically investigated. The aim of this study was to examine whether a specific profile in motor performance in children with Noonan syndrome was seen using valid norm-referenced tests. The study assessed motor performance in 19 children with Noonan syndrome (12 females, mean age 9 years 4 months, range 6 years 1 month to 11 years and 11 months, SDS 1 year and 11 months). More than 60% of the parents of the children reported pain, decreased muscle strength, reduced endurance, and/or clumsiness in daily functioning. The mean standard scores on the Visual Motor Integration (VMI) test and Movement Assessment Battery for Children 2, Dutch version (MABC-2-NL) items differed significantly from the reference scores. Grip strength, muscle force, and 6 min Walking Test (6 MWT) walking distance were significantly lower, and the presence of generalized hypermobility was significantly higher. All MABC-2-NL scores (except manual dexterity) correlated significantly with almost all muscle strength tests, VMI total score, and VMI visual perception score. The 6 MWT was only significantly correlated to grip strength. This is the first study that confirms that motor performance, strength, and endurance are significantly impaired in children with Noonan syndrome. Decreased functional motor performance seems to be related to decreased visual perception and reduced muscle strength. Research on causal relationships and the effectiveness of interventions is needed. Physical and/or occupational therapy guidance should be considered to enhance participation in daily life. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  9. Sleep schedules and school performance in Indigenous Australian children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blunden, Sarah; Magee, Chris; Attard, Kelly; Clarkson, Larissa; Caputi, Peter; Skinner, Timothy

    2018-04-01

    Sleep duration and sleep schedule variability have been related to negative health and well-being outcomes in children, but little is known about Australian Indigenous children. Data for children aged 7-9 years came from the Australian Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children and the National Assessment Program-Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN). Latent class analysis determined sleep classes taking into account sleep duration, bedtimes, waketimes, and variability in bedtimes from weekdays to weekends. Regression models tested whether the sleep classes were cross-sectionally associated with grade 3 NAPLAN scores. Latent change score modeling then examined whether the sleep classes predicted changes in NAPLAN performance from grades 3 to 5. Five sleep schedule classes were identified: normative sleep, early risers, long sleep, variable sleep, and short sleep. Overall, long sleepers performed best, with those with reduced sleep (short sleepers and early risers) performing the worse on grammar, numeracy, and writing performance. Latent change score results also showed that long sleepers performed best in spelling and writing and short sleepers and typical sleepers performed the worst over time. In this sample of Australian Indigenous children, short sleep was associated with poorer school performance compared with long sleep, with this performance worsening over time for some performance indicators. Other sleep schedules (eg, early wake times and variable sleep) also had some relationships with school performance. As sleep scheduling is modifiable, this offers opportunity for improvement in sleep and thus performance outcomes for these and potentially all children. Copyright © 2018 National Sleep Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Cognitive stimulation in children at social risk: its transference to school performance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Celina Korzeniowski

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available The present study set out to evaluate the effectiveness of a group cognitive intervention aimed at promoting executive functions in children at social risk. The quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest design included a control group. The sample was made up of 178 children (52% boys, aged 6-10. The children were evaluated by means of a battery of neuropsychological EF tests and a teacher-rated behavioral EF scale. The intervention program included 30 group cognitive stimulation sessions that increased in difficulty and were embedded into school curr´ıcula. Trained children performed better in terms of cognitive flexibility, planning, metacognition and inhibitory control, as compared to their baseline values and to children in the control group. This study provides new evidence of the effectiveness of cognitive interventions for children and of children’s capability to transfer cognitive improvements to daily school activities.

  11. Nutrition and mental performance in children - The NUTRIMENTHE project.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Horton, Claire

    2013-01-01

    The Nutrition And Mental Performance In Children project of the European Union (NUTRIMENTHE) has added to the evidence that maternal diet influences mental performance in childhood. The biological mechanisms have been shown to be complex and to involve genetic variation, as indicated by the work linking genetic variation in the fatty acid desaturase gene cluster to the processing of fatty acids. The role played by a child's diet also needs to be considered and this question is being addressed through the inclusion of post-natal intervention studies in the NUTRIMENTHE project's research plan. This paper summarises progress. © The Author(s) 2013.

  12. Mother’s Happiness with Cognitive - Executive Functions and Facial Emotional Recognition in School Children with Down Syndrome

    Science.gov (United States)

    MALMIR, Maryam; SEIFENARAGHI, Maryam; FARHUD, Dariush D.; AFROOZ, G.Ali; KHANAHMADI, Mohammad

    2015-01-01

    Background: According to the mother’s key roles in bringing up emotional and cognitive abilities of mentally retarded children and respect to positive psychology in recent decades, this research is administered to assess the relation between mother’s happiness level with cognitive- executive functions (i.e. attention, working memory, inhibition and planning) and facial emotional recognition ability as two factors in learning and adjustment skills in mentally retarded children with Down syndrome. Methods: This study was an applied research and data were analyzed by Pearson correlation procedure. Population is included all school children with Down syndrome (9–12 yr) that come from Tehran, Iran. Overall, 30 children were selected as an in access sample. After selection and agreement of parents, the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) was performed to determine the student’s IQ, and then mothers were invited to fill out the Oxford Happiness Inventory (OHI). Cognitive-executive functions were evaluated by tests as followed: Continues Performance Test (CPT), N-Back, Stroop test (day and night version) and Tower of London. Ekman emotion facial expression test was also accomplished for assessing facial emotional recognition in children with Down syndrome, individually. Results: Mother’s happiness level had a positive relation with cognitive-executive functions (attention, working memory, inhibition and planning) and facial emotional recognition in her children with Down syndrome, significantly. Conclusion: Parents’ happiness (especially mothers) is a powerful predictor for cognitive and emotional abilities of their children. PMID:26284205

  13. Effects of Spectral Overlays on Reading Performance of Brazilian Elementary School Children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garcia, Ana Carla Oliveira; Momensohn-Santos, Teresa Maria; Vilhena, Douglas de Araújo

    2018-03-20

    To investigate the effects of spectral overlays on reading performance of Brazilian elementary school children. Sixty-eight children (aged 9-12 years) enrolled in the 5th and 6th grade were included in the study. The Rate of Reading Test (RRT - Brazilian Portuguese version) was used to evaluate reading speed and the Irlen Reading Perceptual Scale was used to allocate the sample according to reading difficulty/discomfort symptoms and to define the optimal spectral overlays. A total of 13% of the children presented an improvement of at least 15% in reading speed with the use of spectral overlays. Pupils with severe reading difficulties tended to have more improvement in RRT with spectral overlays. Children with severe reading discomfort obtained the highest gains in RRT, with an average of 9.6% improvement with intervention, compared to a decrease of -8.2% in the control group. Participants with severe discomfort had an odds ratio of 3.36 to improve reading speed with intervention compared to the control group. The use of spectral overlays can improve reading performance, particularly in those children with severe visual discomfort. © 2018 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  14. Austin Children`s Museum ``Go Power`` project. Final report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1993-10-01

    Go Power, was conceived as an interactive exhibit and related set of activities designed to promote in children and families an understanding and appreciation of energy concepts. Planned in 1990, the project culminated its first phase of activities with colorful, interactive exhibit about the pathways and transformations of energy, on display at the Austin Children`s Museum between February 5th and June 6th, 1993. The project was supported by the US Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, the Lower Colorado River Authority and various local foundations and businesses. This report describes the process, product and outcomes of this project.

  15. Children?s Recall of Fast Food Television Advertising?Testing the Adequacy of Food Marketing Regulation

    OpenAIRE

    Bernhardt, Amy M.; Wilking, Cara; Gilbert-Diamond, Diane; Emond, Jennifer A.; Sargent, James D.

    2015-01-01

    Background and Aim In the United States, the fast food companies McDonald?s and Burger King participate in marketing self-regulation programs that aim to limit emphasis on premiums and promote emphasis of healthy food choices. We determine what children recall from fast food television advertisements aired by these companies. Methods One hundred children aged 3?7 years were shown McDonald?s and Burger King children?s (MDC & BKC) and adult (MDA & BKA) meal ads, randomly drawn from ads that air...

  16. Simulated astigmatism impairs academic-related performance in children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Narayanasamy, Sumithira; Vincent, Stephen J; Sampson, Geoff P; Wood, Joanne M

    2015-01-01

    Astigmatism is an important refractive condition in children. However, the functional impact of uncorrected astigmatism in this population is not well established, particularly with regard to academic performance. This study investigated the impact of simulated bilateral astigmatism on academic-related tasks before and after sustained near work in children. Twenty visually normal children (mean age: 10.8 ± 0.7 years; six males and 14 females) completed a range of standardised academic-related tests with and without 1.50 D of simulated bilateral astigmatism (with both academic-related tests and the visual condition administered in a randomised order). The simulated astigmatism was induced using a positive cylindrical lens while maintaining a plano spherical equivalent. Performance was assessed before and after 20 min of sustained near work, during two separate testing sessions. Academic-related measures included a standardised reading test (the Neale Analysis of Reading Ability), visual information processing tests (Coding and Symbol Search subtests from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children) and a reading-related eye movement test (the Developmental Eye Movement test). Each participant was systematically assigned either with-the-rule (WTR, axis 180°) or against-the-rule (ATR, axis 90°) simulated astigmatism to evaluate the influence of axis orientation on any decrements in performance. Reading, visual information processing and reading-related eye movement performance were all significantly impaired by both simulated bilateral astigmatism (p  0.05). Simulated astigmatism led to a reduction of between 5% and 12% in performance across the academic-related outcome measures, but there was no significant effect of the axis (WTR or ATR) of astigmatism (p > 0.05). Simulated bilateral astigmatism impaired children's performance on a range of academic-related outcome measures irrespective of the orientation of the astigmatism. These findings have

  17. Prevalence of obesity and motor performance capabilities in Tyrolean preschool children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Greier, Klaus; Riechelmann, Herbert; Burtscher, Martin

    2014-07-01

    The childrens' world of movement has changed dramatically during the last decades. As a consequence motor performance decreases particularly in children affected by overweight and obesity. This study analyses the influence of the body mass index (BMI) on motor performance of pre-school children. In a cross-sectional study including 41 kindergartens in Tyrol (Austria), 4- to 5-year-old children (n = 1,063) were recruited. Four BMI groups were used according to a German BMI reference system: Group I (anorexic/underweight), group II (normal weight), group III (overweight) and group IV (obese). Motor performance was assessed by the use of the Karlsruhe Motorik-Screening (KMS 3-6). Out of the 1,063 preschool children (550 ♂, 513 ♀) 7.6 % (n = 81) were overweight and 5.5 % (n = 58) were obese. The results demonstrate that motor performance of under- and overweight preschool-children is not different from children with normal BMI, but obese children had significantly lower motor performance (p obese Tyrolean preschool children is similar to those of non-mountainous areas of Austria and Germany. The fact that motor performance is reduced only in obese children suggests that targeted promotion of physical activity is urgently needed for preschool children particularly considering children with a risk to develop obesity. Besides the efforts of parents, nursery schools are the ideal setting for intervention measures.

  18. Association of ambient air quality with children`s lung function in urban and rural Iran

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Asgari, M.M.; Dubois, A.; Beckett, W.S. [Yale Univ. School of Medicine, New Haven, CT (United States); Asgari, M. [Shaheed Beheshti Univ., Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Gent, J. [John B. Pierce Lab., New Haven, CT (United States)

    1998-05-01

    During the summer of 1994, a cross-sectional epidemiological study, in which the pulmonary function of children in Tehran was compared with pulmonary function in children in a rural town in Iran, was conducted. Four hundred children aged 5--11 y were studied. Daytime ambient nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and particulate matter were measured with portable devices, which were placed in the children`s neighborhoods on the days of study. Levels of these ambient substances were markedly higher in urban Tehran than in rural areas. Children`s parents were questioned about home environmental exposures (including heating source and environmental tobacco smoke) and the children`s respiratory symptoms. Pulmonary function was assessed, both by spirometry and peak expiratory flow meter. Forced expiratory volume in 1 s and forced vital capacity--as a percentage of predicted for age, sex and height--were significantly lower in urban children than in rural children. Both measurements evidenced significant reverse correlations with levels of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and particulate matter. Differences in spirometric lung function were not explained by nutritional status, as assessed by height and weight for age, or by home environmental exposures. Reported airway symptoms were higher among rural children, whereas reported physician diagnosis of bronchitis and asthma were higher among urban children. The association between higher pollutant concentrations and reduced pulmonary function in this urban-rural comparison suggests that there is an effect of urban air pollution on short-term lung function and/or lung growth and development during the preadolescent years.

  19. Chinese Handwriting Performance of Primary School Children with Dyslexia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lam, Sutie S. T.; Au, Ricky K. C.; Leung, Howard W. H.; Li-Tsang, Cecilia W. P.

    2011-01-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate the Chinese handwriting performance of typical children and children with dyslexia, and to examine whether speed and accuracy of handwriting could reliably discriminate these two groups of children. One hundred and thirty-seven children with dyslexia and 756 typical children were recruited from main stream…

  20. Children's auditory working memory performance in degraded listening conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Osman, Homira; Sullivan, Jessica R

    2014-08-01

    The objectives of this study were to determine (a) whether school-age children with typical hearing demonstrate poorer auditory working memory performance in multitalker babble at degraded signal-to-noise ratios than in quiet; and (b) whether the amount of cognitive demand of the task contributed to differences in performance in noise. It was hypothesized that stressing the working memory system with the presence of noise would impede working memory processes in real time and result in poorer working memory performance in degraded conditions. Twenty children with typical hearing between 8 and 10 years old were tested using 4 auditory working memory tasks (Forward Digit Recall, Backward Digit Recall, Listening Recall Primary, and Listening Recall Secondary). Stimuli were from the standardized Working Memory Test Battery for Children. Each task was administered in quiet and in 4-talker babble noise at 0 dB and -5 dB signal-to-noise ratios. Children's auditory working memory performance was systematically decreased in the presence of multitalker babble noise compared with quiet. Differences between low-complexity and high-complexity tasks were observed, with children performing more poorly on tasks with greater storage and processing demands. There was no interaction between noise and complexity of task. All tasks were negatively impacted similarly by the addition of noise. Auditory working memory performance was negatively impacted by the presence of multitalker babble noise. Regardless of complexity of task, noise had a similar effect on performance. These findings suggest that the addition of noise inhibits auditory working memory processes in real time for school-age children.

  1. Chinese handwriting performance in preterm children in grade 2

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chang, Shao-Hsia; Hong, Rong-Bin

    2018-01-01

    Background First graders born prematurely perform poorly on handwriting speed and legibility. However, whether there are specific legibility factors in which preterm children demonstrate difficulty remains unknown. In addition, handwriting performance beyond the first grade and the influence of sex on handwriting performance in preterm children are still unclear. We aimed to investigate the influence of prematurity and sex on multiple dimensions of handwriting in grade two and to identify the contributors to performance. Methods Sixty-three preterm (34 boys and 29 girls) and 67 full-term (27 boys and 40 girls) peers in grade two were included. Class teachers were asked to complete the Chinese Handwriting Evaluation Form. A subgroup of 39 preterm children received assessments on intelligence, visual perception, tactile and kinesthetic sensation, and fine motor skills. Their inattention behavior was rated using a maternal self-report with a behavioral scale. Results Boys born prematurely exhibited poorer performance in the speed dimension than full-term boys (p = 0.008), whereas there was comparable performance in the two groups of girls (p = 0.221). In the dimensions related to legibility, preterm boys (32.4%) had a higher percentage of children with difficulty in the construction dimension than the other groups (preterm girls: 6.9%, full-term boys: 7.4%, full-term girls: 5.0%). However, no group difference was found in the dimensions of accuracy and directionality. Of the sensory-perceptual-motor factors, attention was the most significant predictor of accuracy in performance (p = 0.046) and speed dimensions (p = 0.001) in preterm children. Conclusions Boys appear to be vulnerable to the adverse impacts of preterm birth in terms of performance in the dimensions of speed and construction in grade two. Based on the significant contribution of attention to handwriting performance in preterm children, assessment and intervention in the area of attention is strongly

  2. Young children's beliefs about self-disclosure of performance failure and success.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hicks, Catherine M; Liu, David; Heyman, Gail D

    2015-03-01

    Self-disclosure of performance information involves the balancing of instrumental, learning benefits (e.g., obtaining help) against social costs (e.g., diminished reputation). Little is known about young children's beliefs about performance self-disclosure. The present research investigates preschool- and early school-age children's expectations of self-disclosure in different contexts. In two experiments, 3- to 7-year-old children (total N = 252) heard vignettes about characters who succeeded or failed at solving a puzzle. Both experiments showed that children across all ages reasoned that people are more likely to self-disclose positive than negative performances, and Experiment 2 showed that children across all ages reasoned that people are more likely to self-disclose both positive and negative performances in a supportive than an unsupportive peer environment. Additionally, both experiments revealed changes with age - Younger children were less likely to expect people to withhold their performance information (of both failures and successes) than older children. These findings point to the preschool ages as a crucial beginning to children's developing recognition of people's reluctance to share performance information. © 2014 The British Psychological Society.

  3. The Effects of Low Birth Weight on School Performance and Behavioral Outcomes of Elementary School Children in Oman

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Mazharul Islam

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: Our study aimed to examine the effects of low birth weight (LBW on the school performance and behavior of elementary school children in Oman. Methods: Data were gathered through a cross-sectional survey of nine elementary schools from the Muscat and A’Dhahirah regions. The study utilized a unique database created by linking information from the children’s health cards and current academic and behavioral performance records. Information on children’s performance in various areas such as language, mathematics, science, information technology, sports, and behavior were obtained from the school registers. Birth weight (BW and selected sociodemographic data were obtained from the copy of their health cards kept by each school. A total of 542 elementary school children aged 7–11 years, who had completed grades 2–4, were surveyed.  Results: Data from the school register revealed a very high rate (17.7% of LBW and, overall, 12% of the children exhibited below average performance on selected outcome measures. The below average school performance varied from 5–17% across the six selected areas of school performance. The highest rate of below average performance was observed in science (17%, followed by arithmetic and language (16% each. BW showed significant differential effects on school performance and behavioral outcomes, which remained significant after controlling for the effect of potential confounders. It was found that LBW children were 2–6 times more likely to have poorer school performance in all areas than their normal BW peers. Conclusion: Early intervention programs or special care for LBW children in school could be an effective means of improving educational outcomes and the behavior of these children. Attempts should be made to reduce or prevent poor pregnancy outcomes, which, in turn, would reduce the cost of the health, education, and social services systems.

  4. Suboptimal Performance in Cleft Lip/Palate Children- Who is Responsible?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lakhkar, Bhavana B

    2016-10-01

    Information in this article is from an observational study comparing intelligence in children with cleft lip and palate with normal children. Both groups performed "draw a man test", the investigator noted the attitude and behaviour of children and their parents. The study shows low, but normal intelligence quotient in children with oral defects as compared to normal. The probable reason for sub-normal performance appeared to be overprotective attitude of parents and poor self esteem of children with oral defects.

  5. Walk test and school performance in mouth-breathing children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boas, Ana Paula Dias Vilas; Marson, Fernando Augusto de Lima; Ribeiro, Maria Angela Gonçalves de Oliveira; Sakano, Eulália; Conti, Patricia Blau Margosian; Toro, Adyléia Dalbo Contrera; Ribeiro, José Dirceu

    2013-01-01

    In recent decades, many studies on mouth breathing (MB) have been published; however, little is known about many aspects of this syndrome, including severity, impact on physical and academic performances. Compare the physical performance in a six minutes walk test (6MWT) and the academic performance of MB and nasal-breathing (NB) children and adolescents. This is a descriptive, cross-sectional, and prospective study with MB and NB children submitted to the 6MWT and scholar performance assessment. We included 156 children, 87 girls (60 NB and 27 MB) and 69 boys (44 NB and 25 MB). Variables were analyzed during the 6MWT: heart rate (HR), respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, distance walked in six minutes and modified Borg scale. All the variables studied were statistically different between groups NB and MB, with the exception of school performance and HR in 6MWT. MB affects physical performance and not the academic performance, we noticed a changed pattern in the 6MWT in the MB group. Since the MBs in our study were classified as non-severe, other studies comparing the academic performance variables and 6MWT are needed to better understand the process of physical and academic performances in MB children.

  6. The Role of Food Parenting Skills and the Home Food Environment in Children?s Weight Gain and Obesity

    OpenAIRE

    Gerards, S. M. P. L.; Kremers, S. P. J.

    2015-01-01

    This paper presents an overview to provide readers with an update on the literature about the relation between parental influences (general parenting and food parenting practices) and children?s weight-related outcomes. It first summarizes the evidence regarding the role of food parenting practices in shaping and maintaining children?s nutritional and weight status. It then describes empirical evidence on the relation between general parenting and children?s weight status. This evidence is le...

  7. Signs of abnormal motor performance in preschool children

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martina Šlachtová

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The determination of the level of motor development should be a common part of examinations performed by paediatricians, physiotherapists and also teachers. The importance has been increasing because of the prevalence of developmental coordination disorder. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to find the differences in performance of the selected motor tasks of gross motor function in preschoolers on both quantitative and qualitative parameters. METHODS: In the study 261 children were included, boys and girls aged 4–6 years (the average age 5.4 years attending regular kindergartens. We used motor tasks of standing on one leg and hopping. Significant differences in quantitative parameters were assessed by two-way ANOVA in Statistica (version 9 software. Relative frequency of characters in qualitative parameters was assessed by the test of the difference between two proportions. RESULTS: Significant differences between the age groups appeared in the quantitative parameters comparing 4 and 5 year old children and 4 and 6 year old children. Regardless of gender there were no differences between 5 year and 6 year old children. Overall, the girls mastered the tasks of the test better than the boys in the quantitative parameters of evaluation. From the evaluation of the quality of motor performance the most frequently reached performance in the tasks of the test has been described (relative frequency of characters. Significantly different motor performance from most children of the sample was observed particularly in the associated movements of limbs or trunk and face, showing for a reduced ability of selective relaxation at higher demands of the movement task. CONCLUSIONS: The different motor performance in observed parameters, showing for a reduced ability of selective relaxation, could be regarded as signs of abnormal motor performance in that age category.

  8. Working memory in children predicts performance on a gambling task.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Audusseau, Jean; Juhel, Jacques

    2015-01-01

    The authors investigated whether working memory (WM) plays a significant role in the development of decision making in children, operationalized by the Children's Gambling Task (CGT). A total of 105 children aged 6-7, 8-9, and 10-11 years old carried out the CGT. Children aged 6-7 years old were found to have a lower performance than older children, which shows that the CGT is sensitive to participant's age. The hypothesis that WM plays a significant role in decision making was then tested following two approaches: (a) an experimental approach, comparing between groups the performance on the CGT in a control condition (the CGT only was administered) to that in a double task condition (participants had to carry out a recall task in addition to the CGT); (b) an interindividual approach, probing the relationship between CGT performance and performance on tasks measuring WM efficiency. The between-groups approach evidenced a better performance in the control group. Moreover, the interindividual approach showed that the higher the participants' WM efficiency was, the higher their performance in the CGT was. Taken together, these two approaches yield converging results that support the hypothesis that WM plays a significant role in decision making in children.

  9. Association between vestibular function and motor performance in hearing-impaired children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maes, Leen; De Kegel, Alexandra; Van Waelvelde, Hilde; Dhooge, Ingeborg

    2014-12-01

    The clinical balance performance of normal-hearing (NH) children was compared with the balance performance of hearing-impaired (HI) children with and without vestibular dysfunction to identify an association between vestibular function and motor performance. Prospective study. Tertiary referral center. Thirty-six children (mean age, 7 yr 5 mo; range, 3 yr 8 mo-12 yr 11 mo) divided into three groups: NH children with normal vestibular responses, HI children with normal vestibular responses, and HI children with abnormal vestibular function. A vestibular test protocol (rotatory and collic vestibular evoked myogenic potential testing) in combination with three clinical balance tests (balance beam walking, one-leg hopping, one-leg stance). Clinical balance performance. HI children with abnormal vestibular test results obtained the lowest quotients of motor performance, which were significantly lower compared with the NH group (p beam walking and one-leg stance; p = 0.003 for one-leg hopping). The balance performance of the HI group with normal vestibular responses was better in comparison with the vestibular impaired group but still significantly lower compared with the NH group (p = 0.020 for balance beam walking; p = 0.001 for one-leg stance; not significant for one-leg hopping). These results indicate an association between vestibular function and motor performance in HI children, with a more distinct motor deterioration if a vestibular impairment is superimposed to the auditory dysfunction.

  10. Gait performance of children and adolescents with sensorineural hearing loss.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Melo, Renato de Souza

    2017-09-01

    Several studies have demonstrated that children with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) may exhibit balance disorders, which can compromise the gait performance of this population. Compare the gait performance of normal hearing (NH) children and those with SNHL, considering the sex and age range of the sample, and analyze gait performance according to degrees of hearing loss and etiological factors in the latter group. This is a cross-sectional study that assessed 96 students, 48 NH and 48 with SNHL, aged between 7 and 18 years. The Brazilian version of the Dynamic Gait Index (DGI) was used to analyze gait and the Mann-Whitney test for statistical analysis. The group with SNHL obtained lower average gait performance compared to NH subjects (p=0.000). This was also observed when the children were grouped by sex female and male (p=0.000). The same difference occurred when the children were stratified by age group: 7-18 years (p=0.000). The group with severe and profound hearing loss exhibited worse gait performance than those with mild and moderate loss (p=0.048) and children with prematurity as an etiological factor demonstrated the worst gait performance. The children with SNHL showed worse gait performance compared to NH of the same sex and age group. Those with severe and profound hearing loss and prematurity as an etiological factor demonstrated the worst gait performances. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Energy-efficient ZigBee-based wireless sensor network for track bicycle performance monitoring.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gharghan, Sadik K; Nordin, Rosdiadee; Ismail, Mahamod

    2014-08-22

    In a wireless sensor network (WSN), saving power is a vital requirement. In this paper, a simple point-to-point bike WSN was considered. The data of bike parameters, speed and cadence, were monitored and transmitted via a wireless communication based on the ZigBee protocol. Since the bike parameters are monitored and transmitted on every bike wheel rotation, this means the sensor node does not sleep for a long time, causing power consumption to rise. Therefore, a newly proposed algorithm, known as the Redundancy and Converged Data (RCD) algorithm, was implemented for this application to put the sensor node into sleep mode while maintaining the performance measurements. This is achieved by minimizing the data packets transmitted as much as possible and fusing the data of speed and cadence by utilizing the correlation measurements between them to minimize the number of sensor nodes in the network to one node, which results in reduced power consumption, cost, and size, in addition to simpler hardware implementation. Execution of the proposed RCD algorithm shows that this approach can reduce the current consumption to 1.69 mA, and save 95% of the sensor node energy. Also, the comparison results with different wireless standard technologies demonstrate minimal current consumption in the sensor node.

  12. Energy-Efficient ZigBee-Based Wireless Sensor Network for Track Bicycle Performance Monitoring

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sadik K. Gharghan

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available In a wireless sensor network (WSN, saving power is a vital requirement. In this paper, a simple point-to-point bike WSN was considered. The data of bike parameters, speed and cadence, were monitored and transmitted via a wireless communication based on the ZigBee protocol. Since the bike parameters are monitored and transmitted on every bike wheel rotation, this means the sensor node does not sleep for a long time, causing power consumption to rise. Therefore, a newly proposed algorithm, known as the Redundancy and Converged Data (RCD algorithm, was implemented for this application to put the sensor node into sleep mode while maintaining the performance measurements. This is achieved by minimizing the data packets transmitted as much as possible and fusing the data of speed and cadence by utilizing the correlation measurements between them to minimize the number of sensor nodes in the network to one node, which results in reduced power consumption, cost, and size, in addition to simpler hardware implementation. Execution of the proposed RCD algorithm shows that this approach can reduce the current consumption to 1.69 mA, and save 95% of the sensor node energy. Also, the comparison results with different wireless standard technologies demonstrate minimal current consumption in the sensor node.

  13. Motor performance in children with Noonan syndrome

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Croonen, E.A.; Essink, M.; Burgt, I. van der; Draaisma, J.M.; Noordam, C.; Nijhuis-Van der Sanden, M.W.G.

    2017-01-01

    Although problems with motor performance in daily life are frequently mentioned in Noonan syndrome, the motor performance profile has never been systematically investigated. The aim of this study was to examine whether a specific profile in motor performance in children with Noonan syndrome was seen

  14. Indian Women, Religion and Politics in Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cerasela BASTON-TUDOR

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available This analysis of Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children focuses on the construction of womanhood in postcolonial India, with reference to women’s role in two significant domains, politics and religion, as female characters are assigned the part of either homo politicus or homo religiosus. Within the sphere of politics, women are indissolubly connected to the concept of nation, and Rushdie intertwines personal history with that of the country, using birth metaphors for both children and country. The second domain under scrutiny is set in antithesis with the former, since all women belonging to this class are fundamentally against any political statement, be it Gandhian, peaceful, or otherwise, as their main objective is to follow Islamic laws. Such a complex transfer from one field and type of female character to an opposite one constitutes itself into the challenge of offering a possible interpretation of the novel Midnight’s Children.

  15. Multimedia consultation session recording and playback using Java-based browser in global PACS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martinez, Ralph; Shah, Pinkesh J.; Yu, Yuan-Pin

    1998-07-01

    The current version of the Global PACS software system uses a Java-based implementation of the Remote Consultation and Diagnosis (RCD) system. The Java RCD includes a multimedia consultation session between physicians that includes text, static image, image annotation, and audio data. The JAVA RCD allows 2-4 physicians to collaborate on a patient case. It allows physicians to join the session via WWW Java-enabled browsers or stand alone RCD application. The RCD system includes a distributed database archive system for archiving and retrieving patient and session data. The RCD system can be used for store and forward scenarios, case reviews, and interactive RCD multimedia sessions. The RCD system operates over the Internet, telephone lines, or in a private Intranet. A multimedia consultation session can be recorded, and then played back at a later time for review, comments, and education. A session can be played back using Java-enabled WWW browsers on any operating system platform. The JAVA RCD system shows that a case diagnosis can be captured digitally and played back with the original real-time temporal relationships between data streams. In this paper, we describe design and implementation of the RCD session playback.

  16. Effect of age and gender on children’s reading performance: The possible neural underpinnings

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Filippos Vlachos

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The present study aimed to assess the effect of age and gender on second-grade children’s reading performance. Two hundred and eighty-seven children aged 7.1–8.2 years were divided into two age subgroups (the younger, 85–91 months and the older, 92–98 months and were examined in reading accuracy, fluency, and comprehension tasks. Results showed a significant effect of age in reading performance, with the older children having better scores than younger ones for reading fluency, reading comprehension, and the total reading performance. Gender was not found to play an important role in reading performance. The findings are discussed on the ground of functional brain development and the different rates of cerebral maturation.

  17. The Effect of Motor Performance on Sportive Performance of Children in Different Sports Branches

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aktug, Zait Burak; Iri, Ruckan

    2018-01-01

    The aim of the study is to investigate the relationship between motor performances of children aged 10-14 years and ball striking speeds made by specific technique and to determine motor performance differences between the branches. A total of 64 children (football = 22, volleyball = 19, tennis = 23) aged 10-14 years participated in the study. The…

  18. School performance in cholesteatoma-operated children in Denmark

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Djurhuus, Bjarki; Hansen, Tom Giedsing; Pedersen, Jacob Krabbe

    2016-01-01

    Cholesteatoma in childhood had no long-term effect on school performance for the majority who completed lower secondary school. Aim To investigate whether individuals operated on for cholesteatoma in childhood have impaired school performance in adolescence. Methods All children born in Denmark...... between 1986-1991 with cholesteatoma surgery performed before the age of 15 years were included (cholestetaoma group). A control group consisting of a 5% random sample of all children born in Denmark during the same period was used for comparison. Final marks (average, mathematics, Danish, and English...

  19. School performance in children with type 1 diabetes: a contemporary population-based study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cooper, Matthew N; McNamara, Kaitrin A R; de Klerk, Nicholas H; Davis, Elizabeth A; Jones, Timothy W

    2016-03-01

    Our aim was to examine the school performance of children with type 1 diabetes in comparison to their peers, exploring changes over time, and the impact of clinical factors on school performance. The study included data on 666 children with type 1 diabetes from the Western Australia Children's Diabetes Database. (WACDD), a population-based registry, and 3260 school and school year matched non-diabetic children. Records from the National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) (2008-2011), which examines four educational outcome domains and is administered annually to all years 3, 5, 7, and 9 children in Australia, were sourced for both groups. Clinical data were obtained for the children with diabetes from the WACDD. No significant difference was observed between those with type 1 diabetes and their peers, across any of the tested domains and school years analysed. No decline over time was observed, and no decline following diagnosis was observed. Type 1 diabetes was associated with decreased school attendance, 3% fewer days attended per year. Poorer glycaemic control [higher haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c)] was associated with a lower test score [0.2-0.3 SD per 1% (10.9 mmol/mol) increase in HbA1c], and with poorer attendance [1.8% decrease per 1% (10.9 mmol/mol) increase in HbA1c]. No association was observed with history of severe hypoglycaemia, diabetic ketoacidosis or age of onset and school test scores. These results suggest that type 1 diabetes is not associated with a significant decrement in school performance, as assessed by NAPLAN. The association of poorer glycaemic control with poorer school performance serves as further evidence for clinicians to focus on improving glycaemic control. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  20. CORRELATION BETWEEN ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AND OBESITY IN SCHOOL-CHILDREN FROM ANAND DISTRIC

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dipika P. Shah

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Background: Growing childhood obesity epidemic is concerning the health of future generation in any country. Today’s competitive world is increasing the never ending pressure on children to excel in academic performance to ensure bright future. Hence, it is the need of the hour to understand the correlation between obesity and academic performance for implementation of the policies related to obesity prevention and treatment. Methods: 1034 school children were taken randomly according to inclusion and exclusion criteria, and they were divided into two groups: a 5-11 years and b 12-18 years. BMI (BMI, Waist Circumference (WC, the Waist-Height ratio (WHtR and SSFT (Sum of Skinfold thickness were taken to measure obesity, and the class teacher evaluated academic performance. Results: The prevalence of obesity when assessed by WC revealed highest values as compared to Waist-Height ratio, IOTF-BMI and SSFT. Spearman correlation between obesity (WC and academic performance revealed that there was a significant negative moderate correlation in urban boys (r = -0.4, p0.05 correlation between obesity and academic performance in boys and girls of 12-18 years’ age-group. Conclusions: It is also concluded from the present study that obesity and academic performance of school children were negatively correlated in boys and girls of 5 -11 years of age but it was not found in 12-18 years of age. Influence of various confounding factors could not be isolated which could have also impacted the academic performance of the child.

  1. Determinants of academic performance in children with sickle cell anaemia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ezenwosu, Osita U; Emodi, Ifeoma J; Ikefuna, Anthony N; Chukwu, Barth F; Osuorah, Chidiebere D

    2013-11-19

    Some factors are known to influence the academic performance of children with Sickle Cell Anaemia (SCA). Information on their effects in these children is limited in Nigeria. The factors which influence academic performance of children with SCA in Enugu, Nigeria are determined in this study. Consecutive children with SCA aged 5-11 years were recruited at the weekly sickle cell clinic of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) Enugu, Nigeria. Their age- and sex- matched normal classmates were recruited as controls. The total number of days of school absence for 2009/2010 academic session was obtained for each pair of pupils from the class attendance register. Academic performance was assessed using the average of the overall scores in the three term examinations of same session. Intelligence ability was determined with Draw-A-Person Quotient (DAPQ) using the Draw-A-Person Test while socio-economic status was determined using the occupational status and educational attainment of each parent. Academic performance of children with SCA showed statistically significant association with their socio-economic status (χ2 = 9.626, p = 0.047), and significant correlation with DAPQ (r = 0.394, p = 0.000) and age (r = -0.412, p = 0.000). However, no significant relationship existed between academic performance and school absence in children with SCA (r = -0.080, p = 0.453). Academic performance of children with SCA is influenced by their intelligence ability, age and socio-economic status but not negatively affected by their increased school absenteeism.

  2. Minor Immediate Effects of a Dog on Children’s Reading Performance and Physiology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lisa Schretzmayer

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Literacy is a key factor in occupational success and social integration. However, an increasing number of children lack appropriate reading skills. There is growing evidence that dogs have positive effects on reading performance. We investigated the short-term effects of dogs on reading performance in 36 third-graders and monitored physiological parameters [heart rate (HR, heart rate variability (HRV, and salivary cortisol] as well as behavioral variables. Each child took part in two test sessions at the presence of a tutor, in one of which a dog and its handler were present. To assess reading performance two reading tests were used: two subtests of the standardized “Ein Leseverständnistest für Erst- bis Sechstklässler”, where the children have to carry out time-limited reading tasks, to assess sentence and text comprehension, and repeated reading (RR, where the children have to read the same text twice, to assess reading speed and short-term improvement. Although the dog had no effect on reading performance scores, within the first test session the children improved from the first to the second run of RR when a dog was present but not without dog. The behavior of the children indicated a calming effect of the dog in the first test session with less nervous movements and the children being less talkative. We found no impact of the dog on HR and HRV. However, the excitement about the dog in combination with the unknown situation in the first test session was reflected in a higher difference in the mean HR difference between the two test sessions for the children, who in the first test session had a dog present, compared to the children, who had the dog in the second test session. In the second test session, the children were more aroused with a dog present than with no dog present, as indicated by the area under the curve increase (AUCi of salivary cortisol values. We conclude that the presence of a dog had a minor short-term positive

  3. Visual-motor integration performance in children with severe specific language impairment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nicola, K; Watter, P

    2016-09-01

    This study investigated (1) the visual-motor integration (VMI) performance of children with severe specific language impairment (SLI), and any effect of age, gender, socio-economic status and concomitant speech impairment; and (2) the relationship between language and VMI performance. It is hypothesized that children with severe SLI would present with VMI problems irrespective of gender and socio-economic status; however, VMI deficits will be more pronounced in younger children and those with concomitant speech impairment. Furthermore, it is hypothesized that there will be a relationship between VMI and language performance, particularly in receptive scores. Children enrolled between 2000 and 2008 in a school dedicated to children with severe speech-language impairments were included, if they met the criteria for severe SLI with or without concomitant speech impairment which was verified by a government organization. Results from all initial standardized language and VMI assessments found during a retrospective review of chart files were included. The final study group included 100 children (males = 76), from 4 to 14 years of age with mean language scores at least 2SD below the mean. For VMI performance, 52% of the children scored below -1SD, with 25% of the total group scoring more than 1.5SD below the mean. Age, gender and the addition of a speech impairment did not impact on VMI performance; however, children living in disadvantaged suburbs scored significantly better than children residing in advantaged suburbs. Receptive language scores of the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals was the only score associated with and able to predict VMI performance. A small subgroup of children with severe SLI will also have poor VMI skills. The best predictor of poor VMI is receptive language scores on the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals. Children with poor receptive language performance may benefit from VMI assessment and multidisciplinary

  4. Fundamental movement skill performance of preschool children in relation to family context.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cools, Wouter; De Martelaer, Kristine; Samaey, Christiane; Andries, Caroline

    2011-04-01

    Evidence suggests the development of fundamental movement skill (FMS) is a key factor in promoting long-term physical activity. Low levels of activity among preschool children and the relationship between physical activity and the development of fundamental movement skills underline the need to determine the factors associated with children's development of such skills. As parents play an important role in the socialization process, the aim of this study was to examine correlates of family and neighbourhood characteristics as well as parental behaviour and beliefs on FMS performance in 4- to 6-year-old preschool children. Relationships between preschool children's FMS performance and family contextual variables were examined within a sample of 846 preschool children. Results identified positive associations of FMS performance with parental education, father's physical activity, transport to school by bicycle, and the high value placed by parents high on sport-specific aspects of children's physical activity. Variables negatively associated with preschool children's FMS performance included father-child interaction in TV-viewing and reading books, the high importance placed by parents on winning and performance in children's physical activity. Furthermore, the ambiguity of associations between FMS performance and parental beliefs underlined its complexity.

  5. Reconditioning perovskite films in vapor environments through repeated cation doping

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boonthum, Chirapa; Pinsuwan, Kusuma; Ponchai, Jitprabhat; Srikhirin, Toemsak; Kanjanaboos, Pongsakorn

    2018-06-01

    Perovskites have attracted considerable attention for application as high-efficiency photovoltaic devices owing to their low-cost and low-temperature fabrication. A good surface and high crystallinity are necessary for high-performance devices. We examine the negative effects of chemical ambiences on the perovskite crystal formation and morphology. The repeated cation doping (RCD) technique was developed to remedy these issues by gradually dropping methylammonium ions on top of about-to-form perovskite surfaces to cause recrystallization. RCD promotes pinhole-free, compact, and polygonal-like surfaces under various vapor conditions. Furthermore, it enhances the electronic properties and crystallization. The benefits of RCD extend beyond perovskites under vapor ambiences, as it can improve regular and wasted perovskites.

  6. Young Children's Interest in Live Animals

    Science.gov (United States)

    LoBue, Vanessa; Bloom Pickard, Megan; Sherman, Kathleen; Axford, Chrystal; DeLoache, Judy S.

    2013-01-01

    Animals are important stimuli for humans, and for children in particular. In three experiments, we explored children's affinity for animals. In Experiment 1, 11- to 40-month-old children were presented with a free-play session in which they were encouraged to interact with several interesting toys and two live animals--a fish and a hamster.…

  7. The handwriting performance of children with NF1.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gilboa, Yafit; Josman, Naomi; Fattal-Valevski, Aviva; Toledano-Alhadef, Hagit; Rosenblum, Sara

    2010-01-01

    The objective of this study was to analyze the process and product of handwriting among children with Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1) in comparison to those of Typically Developing (TD) children. Children with NF1 are at risk for some cognitive deficits, a wide range of deficits in perceptual skills and, motor and visual-motor integration skills which may interfere with handwriting competency, which is an essential ingredient for success at school. Participants were 30 NF1 children and 30 age and gender matched TD children, between the ages 8 and 16.08. The handwriting performance of children with NF1 was evaluated with the Beery-Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration (VMI), for copying text and free style writing tasks, using: (1) Computerized Penmanship Evaluation Tool (ComPET) to assess mechanical aspects of the writing process. (2) The Hebrew Handwriting Evaluation (HHE) to examine product legibility. (3) The Six-Trait Writing Model to judge the quality of the written product. Significant differences between the NF1 children and the control group were found in the process and product measures. Significant correlations were found between the VMI, the ComPET, the HHE and the Six-Trait Writing Model variables for both groups. We suggest a possible relationship between executive dysfunction and poor performance in handwriting.

  8. Gender, Parental Beliefs and Children's Mathematics Performance: Insights from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carmichael, Colin

    2014-01-01

    With reports of declining participation in mathematics related careers and low female participation rates, the issue of gender differences in mathematics remains relevant. This study seeks to examine the relationship between: children's sex, parents' beliefs regarding their children's education, and, the children's mathematics performance. Through…

  9. The effects of breakfast on behaviour and academic performance in children and adolescents

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Katie eAdolphus

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available Breakfast consumption is associated with positive outcomes for diet quality, micronutrient intake, weight status and lifestyle factors. Breakfast has been suggested to positively affect learning in children in terms of behaviour, cognitive and school performance. However, these assertions are largely based on evidence which demonstrates acute effects of breakfast on cognitive performance. Less research which examines the effects of breakfast on the ecologically valid outcomes of academic performance or in-class behaviour is available. The literature was searched for articles published between 1950-2013 indexed in Ovid MEDLINE, Pubmed, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, EMBASE databases and PsychINFO. Thirty-six articles examining the effects of breakfast on in-class behaviour and academic performance in children and adolescents were included. The effects of breakfast in different populations were considered, including undernourished or well-nourished children and adolescents from differing socio-economic status (SES backgrounds. The habitual and acute effects of breakfast and the effects of school breakfast programs (SBPs were considered. The evidence indicated a mainly positive effect of breakfast on on-task behaviour in the classroom. There was suggestive evidence that habitual breakfast (frequency and quality and SBPs have a positive effect on children’s academic performance with clearest effects on mathematic and arithmetic grades in undernourished children. Increased frequency of habitual breakfast was consistently positively associated with academic performance. Some evidence suggested that quality of habitual breakfast, in terms of providing a greater variety of food groups and adequate energy, was positively related to school performance. However, these associations can be attributed, in part, to confounders such as SES and to methodological weaknesses such as the subjective nature of the observations of behaviour in class.

  10. Even if the differences were small they were noticeable: Experiences of being a member of a Children's Council in a children's hospital

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mathers, Sandra A.

    2014-01-01

    Background: There is a requirement for health professionals to engage with children in matters relating to their health care and in the evaluation of service delivery. One approach is via a Children's Council within a hospital. Although relatively new to the UK, Councils have been established longer in children's hospitals throughout North America. Main aim: This study sought to explore the experiences of a child Council member within a large children's hospital and assess if a Council was a suitable method for radiographers to engage with children to evaluate services. Method: A single case qualitative study was carried out using a semi-structured telephone interview. The participant has attended a children's hospital since birth and been a Council member from age eight to when his care was transferred to adult services. The interview was audio-taped and the full transcript produced and analysed following the recommendations of Reissman (1993). Main findings: The participant was eager to share his experiences of Council membership and the process by which projects were identified and carried out to their ultimate success or otherwise. Duties of Council members were discussed, engagement with health professionals described, specific topics related to adolescent care in a children's hospital explained and the life lessons learned reported. Conclusions: This study provides a unique insight into the experiences of a member of a Children's Council. The effectiveness of this model to establish engagement with younger patients is demonstrated and could provide a method to establish engagement between radiographers and children

  11. Intestinal permeability to (/sup 51/Cr)EDTA in children with Crohn's disease and celiac disease

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Turck, D.; Ythier, H.; Maquet, E.; Deveaux, M.; Marchandise, X.; Farriaux, J.P.; Fontaine, G.

    1987-07-01

    (/sup 51/Cr)EDTA was used as a probe molecule to assess intestinal permeability in 7 healthy control adults, 11 control children, 17 children with Crohn's disease, and 6 children with untreated celiac disease. After subjects fasted overnight, 75 kBq/kg (= 2 microCi/kg) /sup 51/Cr-labeled EDTA was given by mouth; 24-h urinary excretion of (/sup 51/Cr)EDTA was measured and expressed as a percentage of the total oral dose. Mean and SD were as follows: control adults 1.47 +/- 0.62, control children 1.59 +/- 0.55, and patients with Crohn's disease or celiac disease 5.35 +/- 1.94. The difference between control children and patients was statistically significant (p less than 0.001). These results show that intestinal permeability to (/sup 51/Cr)EDTA is increased among children with active or inactive Crohn's disease affecting small bowel only or small bowel and colon, and with untreated celiac disease. The (/sup 51/Cr)EDTA permeability test could facilitate the decision to perform more extensive investigations in children suspected of small bowel disease who have atypical or poor clinical and biological symptomatology.

  12. School performance and school behavior of children affected by AIDS in China

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tu, Xiaoming; Lv, Yunfei; Li, Xiaoming; Fang, Xiaoyi; Zhao, Guoxiang; Lin, Xiuyun; Hong, Yan; Zhang, Liying; Stanton, Bonita

    2009-01-01

    It is generally recognized that the AIDS epidemic will have a negative effect on the orphans’ school education. However, few studies have been carried out to examine the school performance and school behavior of AIDS orphans and vulnerable children (children living with HIV-infected parents). Using both self-report and teacher evaluation data of 1625 children from rural central China, we examined the impact of parental HIV/AIDS on children's school performances (academic marks, educational expectation, and student leadership) and school behaviors (e.g., aggression, shy/anxious and assertive social skills). Results indicate that AIDS orphans and vulnerable children had disadvantages in school performances in comparison to their peers from the same community who did not experience AIDS-related death and illness in their family (comparison children). AIDS orphans had the lowest academic marks based on the reports of both children and teachers. Educational expectation was significantly lower among AIDS orphans and vulnerable children than comparison children from teacher's perspective. AIDS orphans were significantly more likely to demonstrate aggressive, impulsive and anxious behaviors than non-orphans. Moreover, orphans have more learning difficulties. Vulnerable children were also at a disadvantage on most measures. The data suggest that a greater attention is needed to the school performance and behavior of children affected by AIDS. The findings also indicate that AIDS relief and assistance program for children should go beyond the school attendance and make efforts to improve their school performance and education aspiration. PMID:20107622

  13. Nutritional Status and Cognitive Performance among Children Aged ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Without adequate nutrition, children cannot develop to their full physical and mental potentials. The nutritional status and the cognitive performance of 500 school children aged 5-12 years from urban and rural areas of Enugu State, Nigeria were evaluated. Anthropometric measurements of heights and weights were ...

  14. Study of Ender’s Nailing in Shaft Femur Fractures of Older Children

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ladani HG

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Background: Fractures in shaft femur in children are relatively common. Various methods of treating these fractures starting from non operative to methods like closed intramedullary nailing are at our disposal. Traditionally non operative methods are acceptable and find wide acceptance even today in very young children. However in older children certain problems are encountered like failure to control angulation and shortening, prolonged immobilization which causes very much discomfort & the overgrowth phenomenon. In view of above difficulties, closed intramedullary nailing was attempted in older children and adolescents. I have tried to study 23 cases of shaft femur fractures in older children treated by Ender’s nails. Methodology: 22 pts., out of which one having bilateral # shaft femur (total 23 #s with age ranging from 7 to 16 yrs. were studied. 3 pts. having polio limbs studied separately. Fracture was in upper third shaft femur in 5 pts., middle third in 13 pts., lower third in 3pts. & involving more than one region in 2 pts. Fracture was transverse in 6 pts., spiral in 3 pts., oblique in 12 pts.& comminuted in 2 pts.. Results: Average union time was 10 weeks except in polio pts. where it was delayed. No nonunion, no infection. Excellent hip & knee movements in almost all pts. Out of 20 pts. ( except polio pts. limb length was equal in 17 pts., one pt. was having 1 cm. lengthening & 2 pts. were having shortening ( 1cm. & 2 cm.. Conclusion: Results of this study strongly favor the use of Ender’s nailing in shaft femur fractures in older children. Second surgery of implant removal is mandatory. Closed reduction can usually be achieved if surgery is performed earlier.

  15. Clock face drawing test performance in children with ADHD.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghanizadeh, Ahmad; Safavi, Salar; Berk, Michael

    2013-01-01

    The utility and discriminatory pattern of the clock face drawing test in ADHD is unclear. This study therefore compared Clock Face Drawing test performance in children with ADHD and controls. 95 school children with ADHD and 191 other children were matched for gender ratio and age. ADHD symptoms severities were assessed using DSM-IV ADHD checklist and their intellectual functioning was assessed. The participants completed three clock-drawing tasks, and the following four functions were assessed: Contour score, Numbers score, Hands setting score, and Center score. All the subscales scores of the three clock drawing tests of the ADHD group were lower than that of the control group. In ADHD children, inattention and hyperactivity/ impulsivity scores were not related to free drawn clock test scores. When pre-drawn contour test was performed, inattentiveness score was statistically associated with Number score while none of the other variables of age, gender, intellectual functioning, and hand use preference were associated with that kind of score. In pre-drawn clock, no association of ADHD symptoms with any CDT subscales found significant. In addition, more errors are observed with free drawn clock and Pre-drawn contour than pre-drawn clock. Putting Numbers and Hands setting are more sensitive measures to screen ADHD than Contour and Center drawing. Test performance, except Hands setting, may have already reached a developmental plateau. It is probable that Hand setting deficit in children with ADHD may not decrease from age 8 to 14 years. Performance of children with ADHD is associated with complexity of CDT.

  16. The comparison of balance performance among children with cochlear implantation, post-aural aid and normal children

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arezoo Ahmad pour

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available Background: This cross-sectional study was carried out to compare balance performance between children with cochlear implants and post-aural aid and normal children. Methods: The present study was done on 67 severe to profound hearing impaired children. Of these, 21 children with an average age of 7 years and 4 months (±1.7 wore cochlear implant, 46 children with an average age of 7 years and 7 months (±1.7 wore post-aural aid and 60 children with an average 8 years and one month (±11 months were considered as a control group. All of the children were tested with the 9-stage balance subtest of Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency2 (BOT2. Results: The mean total BOT2 score of hearing impaired children was significantly lower than the normal group (P≤0.001. The mean total BOT2 score among children with cochlear implant, post-aural aids and normal group showed that cochlear implant group significantly performed weaker than the other two groups (P≤0.001. Conclusion: Hearing impaired children particularly children with cochlear implant are exposed to the risk of balance deficit. Hearing impaired children specially those who wear cochlear implants must be screened for vestibular hypofunction.

  17. Children´s and Preschool Teacher´s Photographs of New Preschool Architecture

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rasmussen, Kim

    In an ongoing project (2013-2014) about children´s and preschool teacher´s interactions with and experiences of new architecture/physical environment, young children between 2-5 years and their preschool teachers has photographed the physical and social environment. A numbers of photo...... architecture. The architecture in new childcare-institutions breaks on several points with the former idea of "kindergarten" (small environments with an emphasis on domesticity, development and play). The new preschools in Denmark are bulky, contains many children (some more than 200 children), and are highly...... transparent (widespread use of glass in both interior and exterior walls). The new architecture is based on (neoliberal) ideas of flexibility and puts the emphasis on early childhood learning. But one thing is the ideas of politicians, architects and builders, another is how the buildings are "lived...

  18. Lead exposures in U.S. Children, 2008: implications for prevention.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Levin, Ronnie; Brown, Mary Jean; Kashtock, Michael E; Jacobs, David E; Whelan, Elizabeth A; Rodman, Joanne; Schock, Michael R; Padilla, Alma; Sinks, Thomas

    2008-10-01

    We reviewed the sources of lead in the environments of U.S. children, contributions to children's blood lead levels, source elimination and control efforts, and existing federal authorities. Our context is the U.S. public health goal to eliminate pediatric elevated blood lead levels (EBLs) by 2010. National, state, and local exposure assessments over the past half century have identified risk factors for EBLs among U.S. children, including age, race, income, age and location of housing, parental occupation, and season. Recent national policies have greatly reduced lead exposure among U.S. children, but even very low exposure levels compromise children's later intellectual development and lifetime achievement. No threshold for these effects has been demonstrated. Although lead paint and dust may still account for up to 70% of EBLs in U.S. children, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that >or=30% of current EBLs do not have an immediate lead paint source, and numerous studies indicate that lead exposures result from multiple sources. EBLs and even deaths have been associated with inadequately controlled sources including ethnic remedies and goods, consumer products, and food-related items such as ceramics. Lead in public drinking water and in older urban centers remain exposure sources in many areas. Achieving the 2010 goal requires maintaining current efforts, especially programs addressing lead paint, while developing interventions that prevent exposure before children are poisoned. It also requires active collaboration across all levels of government to identify and control all potential sources of lead exposure, as well as primary prevention.

  19. The effects of auditory stimulation on the arithmetic performance of children with ADHD and nondisabled children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abikoff, H; Courtney, M E; Szeibel, P J; Koplewicz, H S

    1996-05-01

    This study evaluated the impact of extra-task stimulation on the academic task performance of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Twenty boys with ADHD and 20 nondisabled boys worked on an arithmetic task during high stimulation (music), low stimulation (speech), and no stimulation (silence). The music "distractors" were individualized for each child, and the arithmetic problems were at each child's ability level. A significant Group x Condition interaction was found for number of correct answers. Specifically, the nondisabled youngsters performed similarly under all three auditory conditions. In contrast, the children with ADHD did significantly better under the music condition than speech or silence conditions. However, a significant Group x Order interaction indicated that arithmetic performance was enhanced only for those children with ADHD who received music as the first condition. The facilitative effects of salient auditory stimulation on the arithmetic performance of the children with ADHD provide some support for the underarousal/optimal stimulation theory of ADHD.

  20. Trace gluten contamination may play a role in mucosal and clinical recovery in a subgroup of diet-adherent non-responsive celiac disease patients

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-01-01

    Background Patients with persistent symptoms and/or villous atrophy despite strict adherence to a gluten-free diet (GFD) have non-responsive celiac disease (NRCD). A subset of these patients has refractory celiac disease (RCD), yet some NRCD patients may simply be reacting to gluten cross-contamination. Here we describe the effects of a 3-6 month diet of whole, unprocessed foods, termed the Gluten Contamination Elimination Diet (GCED), on NRCD. We aim to demonstrate that this diet reclassifies the majority of patients thought to have RCD type 1 (RCD1). Methods We reviewed the records of all GFD-adherent NRCD patients cared for in our celiac center from 2005-2011 who were documented to have started the GCED. Response to the GCED was defined as being asymptomatic after the diet, with normal villous architecture on repeat biopsy, if performed. Results Prior to the GCED, all patients were interviewed by an experienced dietitian and no sources of hidden gluten ingestion were identified. 17 patients completed the GCED; 15 were female (88%). Median age at start of the GCED was 42 years (range 6-73). Fourteen patients (82%) responded to the GCED. Six patients met criteria for RCD prior to the GCED; 5 (83%) were asymptomatic after the GCED and no longer meet RCD criteria. Of the 14 patients who responded to the GCED, 11 (79%) successfully returned to a traditional GFD without resurgence of symptoms. Conclusions The GCED may be an effective therapeutic option for GFD-adherent NRCD patients. Response to this diet identifies a subgroup of patients, previously classified as RCD1, that is not truly refractory to dietary treatment. Preventing an inaccurate diagnosis of RCD1 avoids immunotherapy. Most patients are able to return to a traditional GFD without return of symptoms. PMID:23448408

  1. Resíduos da construção civil em Araguari-MG : do diagnóstico à proposta de um modelo gerencial proativo

    OpenAIRE

    Marques, Rogério Borges

    2007-01-01

    Levantamentos recentes realizados em diversas cidades brasileiras mostram que os RCD Resíduos da Construção e Demolição representam, em alguns casos, mais de 50% da massa dos resíduos sólidos urbanos. Os municípios têm encontrado dificuldades para gerenciar de forma eficaz as grandes quantidades de RCD e solucionar o problema das deposições irregulares que comprometem a qualidade de vida da população e ocasionam sérios problemas sócio-ambientais e sanitários. Este trabalho fe...

  2. Trapped children: popular images of children with autism in the 1960s and 2000s.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sarrett, Jennifer C

    2011-06-01

    The lay public inherits much of its information about disability and mental illness through the media, which often relies on information from popular scientific works. Autism, as it was defined during the dominance of psychogenic paradigms of mental illness, generated certain tropes surrounding it, many of which have been popularized through media representations. Often inaccurate, these tropes have persisted into contemporary times despite a paradigmatic shift from psychogenic to biological explanations and treatments for mental illness. The current article examines images and articles of children with autism from the 1960s and the early 2000s in major news media and scientific literature to highlight the persistence of themes of fragmentation and the imprisonment of children with autism. While these themes have persisted in psychological and media literature, narratives of people with autism and their families often present a different perspective. This results in two divergent 'realities' of autism being disseminated into the general public.

  3. PERCEPÇÃO DA LEGISLAÇÃO AMBIENTAL, GESTÃO E DESTINAÇÃO FINAL DOS RCD – RESÍDUOS DA CONSTRUÇÃO E DEMOLIÇÃO: UM ESTUDO DE CASO EM PARNAMIRIM/RN/BRASIL

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carlos Henrique Catunda Pinto

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available Sabe-se que a indústria da construção civil produz impactos negativos ao meio ambiente em toda sua cadeia produtiva, sendo que, um dos maiores poluidores desta indústria são os RCD – Resíduos da Construção e Demolição. O presente trabalho tem por finalidade principal analisar a percepção que os construtores associados ao SINDUSCON/RN, atuantes no município de Parnamirim/RN, tem à respeito da legislação ambiental específica vigente, bem como, o modelo de gestão adotado e a destinação final de tais resíduos. Este trabalho é um Estudo de Caso, cuja metodologia de pesquisa adotada é do tipo descritiva, de natureza aplicada e de abordagem quantitativa. Quatorze empresas aceitaram participar da pesquisa, que foi realizada através da aplicação de um questionário com perguntas fechadas e abertas a cada um dos gerentes das quatorze empresas no período de fevereiro a março de 2009. A pesquisa demonstra que uma parte considerável das empresas tem preocupação em atender às exigências da Legislação Ambiental vigente específica. No que se refere à questão da gestão ambiental, faz-se necessário que o Poder Público, conjuntamente com as organizações especializadas, possa oferecer programas específicos na área de gestão ambiental.

  4. Creativity, Emotional Intelligence, and School Performance in Children

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hansenne, Michel; Legrand, Jessica

    2012-01-01

    Previous studies have shown that both creativity and emotional intelligence (EI) were related to children school performance. In this study, we investigated the incremental validity of EI over creativity in an elementary school setting. Seventy-three children aged from 9 to 12 years old were recruited to participate in the study. Verbal and…

  5. Adherence to pharmacotherapy improves school performance in children with rhinitis and asthma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sánchez, J; Sánchez, A; Cardona, R

    2018-03-17

    Adherence to pharmacotherapy reduces symptoms of asthma and rhinitis, however, little is known of its impact on school performance. To evaluate the impact of pharmacotherapy in absenteeism and school performance in a child population. A cross-sectional study, carried out in eight schools. All participants and their parents were given a questionnaire assessing parameters related to respiratory diseases and pharmacotherapy. Data on school performance was obtained from the academic history of each child who participated in the study. Adherence to pharmacotherapy was classified as a correct use of therapy for more than five days per week. 1109 children agreed to participate. Students were divided into two groups: symptomatic (36%) and asymptomatic (63%). The symptomatic group had a higher frequency of school absenteeism (1 vs. 3.1days/year/patient pperformance (failed: 20% vs. 33% pperformance to the asymptomatic group and it was significantly different from the no-adherent group. Respiratory symptoms are associated with poor school performance and with an increase in school absenteeism, but adherence to pharmacotherapy can reduce these negative impacts in children. Copyright © 2018 SEICAP. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  6. Clock Face Drawing Test Performance in Children with ADHD

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ahmad Ghanizadeh

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available  Introduction: The utility and discriminatory pattern of the clock face drawing test in ADHD is unclear. This study therefore compared Clock Face Drawing test performance in children with ADHD and controls.   Material & methods: 95 children with ADHD and 191 school children were matched for gender ratio and age. ADHD symptoms severities were assessed using DSM-IV ADHD checklist and their intellectual functioning was assessed. The participants completed three clock-drawing tasks, and the following four functions were assessed: Contour score, Numbers score, Hands setting score, and Center score    Results: All the subscales scores of the three clock drawing tests of the ADHD group were lower than that of the control group. In ADHD children, inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity scores were not related with free drawn clock test scores. When pre-drawn contour test was performed, inattentiveness score was statistically associated with Number score. None of the other variables of age, gender, intellectual functioning, and hand use preference were associated with Numbers score. In pre-drawn clock, no association of ADHD symptoms with any CDT subscales was significant. In addition, more errors are observed with free drawn clock and Pre-drawn contour than pre-drawn clock.    Conclusion: Putting Numbers and Hands setting are more sensitive measures to screen ADHD than Contour and Center drawing. Test performance, except Hands setting, may have already reached a developmental plateau. It is probable that Hand setting deficit in children with ADHD may not decrease from age 8 to 14 years. Performance of children with ADHD is associated with the complexity of CDT.

  7. Neurocognitive and Behavioral Predictors of Math Performance in Children With and Without ADHD.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Antonini, Tanya N; Kingery, Kathleen M; Narad, Megan E; Langberg, Joshua M; Tamm, Leanne; Epstein, Jeffery N

    2016-02-01

    This study examined neurocognitive and behavioral predictors of math performance in children with and without ADHD. Neurocognitive and behavioral variables were examined as predictors of (a) standardized mathematics achievement scores, (b) productivity on an analog math task, and (c) accuracy on an analog math task. Children with ADHD had lower achievement scores but did not significantly differ from controls on math productivity or accuracy. N-back accuracy and parent-rated attention predicted math achievement. N-back accuracy and observed attention predicted math productivity. Alerting scores on the attentional network task predicted math accuracy. Mediation analyses indicated that n-back accuracy significantly mediated the relationship between diagnostic group and math achievement. Neurocognition, rather than behavior, may account for the deficits in math achievement exhibited by many children with ADHD. © The Author(s) 2013.

  8. Establishing Contextual Control over Symmetry and Asymmetry Performances in Typically Developing Children and Children with Autism

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Connor, Jennifer; Barnes-Holmes, Yvonne; Barnes-Holmes, Dermot

    2011-01-01

    Experiments 1, 2, and 3 investigated generalized contextually controlled symmetry and asymmetry in typically developing children and children with autism. In Experiment 1, eight typically developing children demonstrated the target performances without intervention. In Experiment 2, multiple-exemplar training and the use of familiar stimuli…

  9. Linking immigrant parents' educational expectations and aspirations to their children's school performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Areepattamannil, Shaljan; Lee, Daphnee H L

    2014-01-01

    The authors examined the relationships of parental expectations and aspirations for their children's educational attainment to children's academic performance in school among 783 immigrant-origin children aged 5-18 years in Canada. The results of hierarchical regression analyses, after accounting for student and family background characteristics, indicated that immigrant parents' expectations and aspirations for their children's educational attainment were positively linked to immigrant-origin children's academic performance in school. Implications of these findings are briefly discussed.

  10. The Impact of Video Games in Children-s Learning of Mathematics

    OpenAIRE

    Muhammad Ridhuan Tony Lim Abdullah; Zulqarnain Abu Bakar; Razol Mahari Ali; Ibrahima Faye; Hilmi Hasan

    2012-01-01

    This paper describes a research project on Year 3 primary school students in Malaysia in their use of computer-based video game to enhance learning of multiplication facts (tables) in the Mathematics subject. This study attempts to investigate whether video games could actually contribute to positive effect on children-s learning or otherwise. In conducting this study, the researchers assume a neutral stand in the investigation as an unbiased outcome of the study would render reliable respons...

  11. Cognitive Orientation to (daily) Occupational Performance (CO-OP) with children with Asperger's syndrome who have motor-based occupational performance goals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodger, Sylvia; Brandenburg, Julia

    2009-02-01

    Motor difficulties associated with Asperger's syndrome (AS) are commonly reported, despite these not being diagnostically significant. Cognitive Orientation to daily Occupational Performance (CO-OP) is a verbal problem-solving intervention developed for use with children with developmental coordination disorder to address their motor-based difficulties. This paper reports on two case studies of children with AS illustrating the outcomes of CO-OP to address motor-based occupational performance goals. A case study approach was used to document how two children with AS engaged in 10 weekly sessions of CO-OP addressing child-chosen motor-based occupational performance goals and the outcomes of this intervention. Pre and post-intervention assessment using the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure, Vineland Adaptive Behaviour Scales and the Performance Quality Rating Scale indicated that both children were able to engage in CO-OP intervention to successfully improve their occupational performance. Further research into the application of CO-OP with children with AS is warranted based on preliminary positive findings regarding the efficacy of this intervention to address motor-based performance difficulties in two children with AS.

  12. Scholastic performance and functional connectivity of brain networks in children.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laura Chaddock-Heyman

    Full Text Available One of the keys to understanding scholastic success is to determine the neural processes involved in school performance. The present study is the first to use a whole-brain connectivity approach to explore whether functional connectivity of resting state brain networks is associated with scholastic performance in seventy-four 7- to 9-year-old children. We demonstrate that children with higher scholastic performance across reading, math and language have more integrated and interconnected resting state networks, specifically the default mode network, salience network, and frontoparietal network. To add specificity, core regions of the dorsal attention and visual networks did not relate to scholastic performance. The results extend the cognitive role of brain networks in children as well as suggest the importance of network connectivity in scholastic success.

  13. Relations between School Performance and Depressive Symptoms in Spanish Children

    Science.gov (United States)

    Orgiles, Mireia; Gomez, Marta; Piqueras, Jose A.; Espada, Jose P.

    2014-01-01

    Introduction: Despite data showing the relationship between depression and decreased school performance, there is a lack of studies with Spanish children. The objective of this research is to examine school performance as a function of depression and gender. Method: Participants were 658 Spanish children aged between 8 and 12 years, 49.6% male,…

  14. Variability of Performance: A "Signature" Characteristic of Learning Disabled Children?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fuchs, Douglas; And Others

    Two studies were conducted to compare the performance instability of children (grades 3-9) labeled learning disabled/brain injured (LD/BI) to the performance instability of emotionally handicapped (EH) children. In the first study, 50 LD/BI and 37 EH students were measured on three third grade reading passages twice, once within one sitting and…

  15. Survey on the Relationship between Sleep Habits and Children`s Growth in Ahvaz City 2015

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sara Moradnia

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Background: Exact determination between children's sleep habits and their growth could help us to prevent this risk factor of children's growth disorders. Thus this research was performed to investigate the correlation between sleep habits and growth of preschool children in Ahvaz- Iran. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the data was obtained by using available sampling from 208 children of 3-6 years old that came to a private pediatric clinic in Ahvaz, South West of Iran in 2015 without regard to their gender. Measurement of height and weight of all patients with the meter and scale was performed. After measuring height and weight, stature-for- age and weight-for- age percentiles was calculated using child growth chart calculator of CDC for each child. Information on the onset time of night sleep, time to wake up in the morning and nap duration of children were gathered using researcher made questionnaire. Data analysis was performed with descriptive statistic and Kendall's tau-b statistical test using SPSS-19. Results: Results of this study showed of the 208 children that were evaluated, 32 of them (15.38% was stunted, underweight, or both and 176 (84.6% of them hadn`t any growth disorder. Results of Kendall's tau test showed that there is no significant relationship between the onset time of night sleep, waking up time in the morning, nap duration and neither height-for-age percentile nor weight-for-age percentile of preschool children (P>0.05. Conclusion The results of this study showed that children sleep habits does not affect their stature and weight- percentile. But this isn`t mean that going to sleep late has no effect on children's health, since the establishment of a normal sleep-wake rhythm is essential for both physical and mental development in children, so it is necessary to educate parents regarding the importance of children's sleep.

  16. Clinical and paraclinical aspects of children`s health ten years after the Chernobyl accident

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lukyanova, E M; Antipkine, Y G; Omelchenko, L I; Chernyshov, V P; Apuhovskaya, L I; Ossinskaya, L F [Institute of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kiev (Ukraine)

    1997-09-01

    These investigations are devoted to the problem of medical consequences of Chernobyl catastrophe to the children`s population of Ukraine. Concerning different reports, Chernobyl accident negatively influenced to the children health indexes. Astonishing fact is that among children under radiation action only 2,1% have no functional deflexions (I group of health) and 28% have chronical diseases with frequent aggravation. Our previous investigation in children evacuated from 30 km zone showed unfavourable changes in immune system. We have shown the data of investigation carried out in the frames of National Program ``Children of Chernobyl``. We have studied the morbidity, some immune functional characteristics and metabolism indexes in 2700 children aged 0-15 years, continually living within radiation contaminated territories. The results were compared with the control indexes, obtained during examination of 980 children from relatively ``clean`` regions. 15 refs, 5 figs, 1 tab.

  17. Assessment of lower urinary tract function in children before and after Swenson′s ′pull through′ for Hirschsprung′s disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jindal B

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available Aims: Long-term sequelae in children with Hirschsprung′s disease (HD are usually related to abnormalities in defecation. However, some of these patients also suffer from voiding dysfunction. The aim of this study is to assess and define the effects of Swenson′s ′pull through′ procedure in patients with HD on lower urinary tract function by means of urodynamic studies (UDS performed before and after surgery. Materials and Methods: Six patients with Hirschsprung′s disease underwent UDS before and after the definitive procedure. Parameters observed were maximum cystometric capacity, compliance, unstable detrusor contraction (UDCS, leak point pressure, residual volume, end filling pressure, volume at Pdet < 20 cm H 2 O and volume at Pdet < 30 cm H 2 O. Results: On UDS evaluation, one patient (16.6% showed a small-capacity bladder and one patient (16.6% showed a large-capacity bladder with occasional uninhibited detrusor contraction (UDCS preoperatively. All the children had good compliant bladders. Postoperatively, one child was clinically symptomatic and showed hyporeflexic large-capacity bladder without any UDCS, one patient showed a small-capacity bladder with UDCS. Conclusions: In Hirschsprung′s disease, neurovesical dysfunction may exist preoperatively and though the incidence of postoperative changes in neurovesical function may appear high, a larger study is required for statistical validation. Children who present with urinary problems after surgery should be assessed urodynamically.

  18. Children's difficulty with true belief tasks: Competence deficit or performance problem?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oktay-Gür, Nese; Rakoczy, Hannes

    2017-09-01

    According to the standard picture of explicit theory of mind (ToM) development, children begin to (explicitly) ascribe beliefs to others and themselves from around age 4. The empirical basis of this picture comes from numerous studies consistently showing that children master verbal false belief (FB) tasks from around age 4 while children much younger have no difficulty in mastering structurally analogous true belief (TB) tasks. The standard picture, though, has come under serious attack from recent studies using TB tasks with wider age ranges. These studies have found that, paradoxically, children begin to fail TB tasks once they master FB tasks. Such findings cast doubt on the standard picture and suggest, instead, that FB tasks may be solved by much simpler strategies than proper belief reasoning. In the present study, we tested for the development of FB and TB performance in comprehensive and systematic ways. In particular, we tested the competing predictions of competence accounts (according to which TB failure reflects lack of conceptual competence) versus performance limitation accounts (according to which the standard picture is true yet children from around age 4 fail TB tasks due to performance factors). Studies 1 and 2 showed that performance in a variety of novel TB tasks showed a clear U-shaped curve, with children until age 3 and from age 10 performing competently and children in between failing, with strong negative correlations between TB and FB. Crucially, these patterns were found for various kinds of TB tasks, including those for which existing competence limitation accounts would not even predict any difficulty. Study 3, therefore, directly tested performance limitation accounts in terms of pragmatic and related factors and found that these patterns (failure in TB and negative TB-FB correlations) disappear once the relevant performance factors have been removed from the TB tasks. Taken together, these findings suggest that previous TB findings

  19. Triple Detector SPECT Imaging with 99mTc-DMSA in Adult Patients with Urinary Tract Infection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ryu, Jin Sook; Bea, Woon Gyu; Moon, Dae Hyuk; Lee, Myung Hae; Kim, Soon Bae; Park, Su Kil; Park, Jung Sik; Hong, Chang Gi; Cho, Kyung Sik

    1992-01-01

    Although early diagnosis of urinary tract infection is important, the radiologic evaluation is still controversial because of the low sensitivity and the lack of cost-effectiveness. This study was carried out to evaluate the clinical utility of high resolution triple head 99m Tc-DMSA SPECT imaging in urinary tract infection. We prospectively performed 99m Tc-DMSA planar and SPECT imaging, ultrasound of kidney (US), intravenous pyelography (IVP) and voiding cystourethrography (VCU) in all 60 adult patients with UTI [26 with first episode of acute pyelonephritis (APN), 22 with recurrent APN, and 12 persistent asymptomatic pyuria] and 25 normal persons. To assess reversibility of the renal cortical defect (RCD), 99m Tc-DMSA SPECT was repeated 1 to 8 months later in those patients with abnormal initial findings. Overall detection rate of 99m Tc-DMSA SPECT imaging was 83% (50/60), but planar, US, IVP and VCU showed abnormal findings in 68%, 28%, 32% and 13%, respectively. 25 out of 27 patients with normal or single RCD were all normal in other radiological studies. Only two patients showed vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) on VCU (grade I) and mild hydronephrosis on IVP. But, high proportion of those with multiple RCD showed abnormal findings on US (17/33), IVP (18/33), and VCU (7/33): 67% in any of these 3 studies. Especially, 3 out 7 patients with VUR showed multiple RCD on 99m Tc-DMSA SPECT without any abnormality on IVP or US. 25 normal persons showed normal findings in all studies except one false positive finding on 99m Tc-DMSA SPECT imaging. Follow-up 99m Tc-DMSA SPECT was done in 28 patients (13 with single RCD, 15 with multiple RCD). All 13 patients with single RCD showed improvement. Those with multiple RCD presented improvement in 4, no change in 10, and aggravation in 1 on follow-up studies. With these results, we conclude: 1) 99m Tc-DMSA SPECT imaging is superior to planar imaging, US, IVP or VCU in detection of renal lesion in urinary tract infection. 99m Tc

  20. The Duration of Paid Parental Leave and Children's Scholastic Performance

    OpenAIRE

    Liu, Qian; Nordström Skans, Oskar

    2009-01-01

    We study how the duration of paid parental leave affects the accumulation of cognitive skills among children. We use a reform which extended parental leave benefits from 12 to 15 months for Swedish children born after August 1988 to evaluate the effects of prolonged parental leave on children's test scores and grades at age 16. We show that, on average, the reform had no effect on children's scholastic performance. However, we do find positive effects for children of well-educated mothers, a ...

  1. Children?s perceptions of dissimilarity in parenting styles are associated with internalizing and externalizing behavior

    OpenAIRE

    Berkien, Myra; Louwerse, Anneke; Verhulst, Frank; van der Ende, Jan

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between children?s perception of dissimilarity in parenting styles, and internalizing and externalizing problems in children. Children from the general population (n?=?658) reported on the level of emotional warmth, rejection, and overprotection of both parents by filling out the child version of the Egna Minnen Betr?ffande Uppfostran (EMBU-C) and mothers completed the child behavior checklist (CBCL). Intraclass correlations were compu...

  2. Factors associated with motor performance among overweight and nonoverweight Tyrolean primary school children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruedl, Gerhard; Greier, Klaus; Kirschner, Werner; Kopp, Martin

    2016-01-01

    The increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity among children is often associated with motor deficits. Motor performance among children partly depends on modifiable factors, for example, weight status, electronic media use, sports club participation, and on nonmodifiable factors, for example, sex, age, migration background, or socio-economic status. To evaluate factors associated with motor performance among overweight and nonoverweight Tyrolean primary school children. Height, weight, and sport motor performance of primary school children were measured using the German motor performance test DMT 6-18. In addition, children were asked about migration background, sports club participation, and electronic media use in their room. A total of 304 children (48.7% girls) with a mean age of 8.0 ± 1.2 years were tested. In total, 61 (20.1%) children were overweight or obese. Regarding motor performance, nonoverweight children showed significantly higher total z-scores (106.8 ± 5.7 vs. 102.4 ± 6.8). For the total cohort, results of the multiple linear regression analysis (R (2) = 0.20) revealed that factors male sex (β = 0.12), nonoverweight children (β = 0.28), higher school grade (β = 0.23), sports club participation (β = 0.18),and > 2 weekly lessons of physical education (β = 0.26) were associated with an increased motor performance. For nonoverweight children results of the multiple linear regression analysis (R (2) = 0.09) found that a higher school grade (β = 0.17), sports club participation (β = 0.16),and more than 2 weekly lessons of physical education (β = 0.22) were associated with an increased motor performance. For the overweight children, results of the multiple linear regression analysis (R (2) = 0 .43) showed that no migration background (β = 0.23), a higher school grade (β = 0.55), sports club participation (β = 0.33) and more than 2 weekly lessons of physical

  3. Semivolatile compounds in schools and their influence on cognitive performance of children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hutter, Hans-Peter; Haluza, Daniela; Piegler, Kathrin; Hohenblum, Philipp; Fröhlich, Marina; Scharf, Sigrid; Uhl, Maria; Damberger, Bernhard; Tappler, Peter; Kundi, Michael; Wallner, Peter; Moshammer, Hanns

    2013-08-01

    WHO's Children's Environment and Health Action Plan for Europe (CEHAPE) focuses on improvements of indoor environments where children spend most of their time. To investigate the relationship between school indoor air pollutants and cognitive performance in elementary school children, a multidisciplinary study was planned in all-day schools in Austria. In a cross-sectional study (LuKi study: Air and Children) indoor air pollutants were monitored in nine elementary all-day schools in urban and rural regions of Austria. In addition, school dust and suspended particulates (PM10, PM2.5) were measured, focusing on semivolatile compounds (e.g. phthalates, phosphororganic compounds [POC]). Health status and environmental conditions were determined by parents' questionnaire, cognitive function was measured by Standard Progressive Matrices (SPM). Overall, 596 children (6-8 years of age) were eligible for the study. Cognitive tests were performed in 436 children. Analysis showed significant correlations of tris(2-chlorethyl)-phosphate (TCEP) in PM10 and PM2.5 and school dust samples with cognitive performance. Cognitive performance decreased with increasing concentrations of TCEP. Furthermore, cognitive function decreased significantly with increasing CO2 levels. POC are widely used as plasticizers, flame retardants and floor sealing. This is the first report of a correlation between TCEP in indoor air samples and impairment of cognitive performance in school children. As a precautionary measure, it is recommended to prohibit the use of toxic chemicals and those suspected of a toxic potential in children's environments such as schools.

  4. Sentence-position effects on children's perception and production of English third person singular -s.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sundara, Megha; Demuth, Katherine; Kuhl, Patricia K

    2011-02-01

    Two-year-olds produce third person singular -s more accurately on verbs in sentence-final position as compared with verbs in sentence-medial position. This study was designed to determine whether these sentence-position effects can be explained by perceptual factors. For this purpose, the authors compared 22- and 27-month-olds' perception and elicited production of third person singular -s in sentence-medial versus-final position. The authors assessed perception by measuring looking/listening times to a 1-screen display of a cartoon paired with a grammatical versus an ungrammatical sentence (e.g., She eats now vs. She eat now). Children at both ages demonstrated sensitivity to the presence/absence of this inflectional morpheme in sentence-final, but not sentence-medial, position. Children were also more accurate at producing third person singular -s sentence finally, and production accuracy was predicted by vocabulary measures as well as by performance on the perception task. These results indicate that children's more accurate production of third person singular -s in sentence-final position cannot be explained by articulatory factors alone but that perceptual factors play an important role in accounting for early patterns of production. The findings also indicate that perception and production of inflectional morphemes may be more closely related than previously thought.

  5. Exploring Children's Literature with Authentic Representations of Disability

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rieger, Alicja; McGrail, Ewa

    2015-01-01

    Given the power of children's literature to communicate authentic representations of disability and the potential of humor for nurturing social acceptance, teachers should know how to discuss this literature in the inclusive classroom. The authors analyze authentic children's literature with elements of humor and provide strategies in…

  6. The effects of temporo mandibular joint disorder with clicking symptom on children mastication performance in Deutero Malay race children aged 12-15 years

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Henri Hartman

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available Temporo Mandibular Joint Disorder (TMD could be caused by forward head posture. Articular sound/TMJ clicking is the most often sign and symptom for TMD that could happen in human being. The presence of TMD such as TMJ clicking would cause an imbalance masticatory system. The purpose of this research is to investigate TMJ clicking effects to masticatory performance. This research was cross-sectional study with a type of epidemiology survey. Subject were children aged 12-15 years old Deutero-Malay sub-races Live in Bandung and was taken using multi-stage random sampling technique. Subject; consisted of 24 children as control group and 28 children as TMJ clicking group. Both group were then checked for masticatory performance using multiple sieve method and 20x chewing of artificial test food. Mastication performance value represented by median particle size (MPS particle distribution (b for each group. MPS from TMJ clicking group (3.0571,SD=0.9990 showed higher value than control group (2.28958,SD=0.66838. Statistic analysis with t-test showed that there’s a significant result in both of group (pvalue=0,0024, α = 0,05. Conclussion, temporo mandibular joint clicking subject has lower masticatory performance.

  7. Performance monitoring in medication-naïve children with Tourette Syndrome

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Heike eEichele

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Background: Tourette syndrome (TS is a childhood-onset neurodevelopmental disorder and its impact on cognitive development needs further study. Evidence from neuropsychological, neuroimaging and electrophysiological studies suggest that the decline in tic severity and the ability to suppress tics relate to the development of self-regulatory functions in late childhood and adolescence. Hence, tasks measuring performance monitoring might provide insight into the regulation of tics in children with TS. Method: Twenty-five children with TS, including 14 with comorbid Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD, 39 children with ADHD and 35 typically developing children aged 8-12 years were tested with a modified Eriksen-Flanker task during a 34-channel electroencephalography (EEG recording. Task performance, as well as stimulus-locked and response-locked event-related potentials (ERP were analyzed and compared across groups. Results: Participants did not differ in their behavioral performance. Children with TS showed higher amplitudes of an early P3 component of the stimulus-locked ERPs in ensemble averages and in separate trial outcomes, suggesting heightened orienting and/or attention during stimulus evaluation. In response-locked averages, children with TS had a slightly higher positive complex before the motor response, likely also reflecting a late P3. Groups did not differ in post-response components, particularly in the error-related negativity (ERN and error-related positivity (Pe.Conclusions: These findings suggest that children with TS may employ additional attentional resources as a compensatory mechanism to maintain equal behavioral performance.

  8. Performance Monitoring in Medication-Naïve Children with Tourette Syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eichele, Heike; Eichele, Tom; Bjelland, Ingvar; Høvik, Marie F; Sørensen, Lin; van Wageningen, Heidi; Worren, Marius Kalsås; Hugdahl, Kenneth; Plessen, Kerstin J

    2016-01-01

    Tourette syndrome (TS) is a childhood-onset neurodevelopmental disorder and its impact on cognitive development needs further study. Evidence from neuropsychological, neuroimaging and electrophysiological studies suggests that the decline in tic severity and the ability to suppress tics relate to the development of self-regulatory functions in late childhood and adolescence. Hence, tasks measuring performance monitoring might provide insight into the regulation of tics in children with TS. Twenty-five children with TS, including 14 with comorbid Attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), 39 children with ADHD and 35 typically developing children aged 8-12 years were tested with a modified Eriksen-Flanker task during a 34-channel electroencephalography (EEG) recording. Task performance, as well as stimulus-locked and response-locked event-related potentials (ERP) were analyzed and compared across groups. Participants did not differ in their behavioral performance. Children with TS showed higher amplitudes of an early P3 component of the stimulus-locked ERPs in ensemble averages and in separate trial outcomes, suggesting heightened orienting and/or attention during stimulus evaluation. In response-locked averages, children with TS had a slightly higher positive complex before the motor response, likely also reflecting a late P3. Groups did not differ in post-response components, particularly in the error-related negativity (ERN) and error-related positivity (Pe). These findings suggest that children with TS may employ additional attentional resources as a compensatory mechanism to maintain equal behavioral performance.

  9. Self-rating of daily time management in children: psychometric properties of the Time-S.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sköld, Annika; Janeslätt, Gunnel Kristina

    2017-05-01

    Impaired ability to manage time has been shown in several diagnoses common in childhood. Impaired ability involves activities and participation domain (daily time management, DTM) and body function and structure domain (time-processing ability, TPA). DTM needs to be evaluated from an individual's own perspective. To date, there has been a lack of self-rating instruments for children that focus on DTM. The aim of this study is to describe psychometric properties of Time-S when used in children aged 10-17 years with a diagnosis of ADHD, Autism, CP or mild ID. Further, to test whether TPA correlates with self-rated DTM. Eighty-three children aged 10-17 years participated in the study. Rasch analysis was used to assess psychometric properties. Correlation analysis was performed between Time-S and a measure of TPA. The 21 items of the Time-S questionnaire fit into a unitary construct measuring self-perceived daily management of an individual's time. A non-significant, small correlation was found between TPA and DTM. The results indicate good psychometric properties for the questionnaire. The questionnaire is potentially useful in intervention planning and evaluation.

  10. Inter-individual cognitive variability in children with Asperger’s syndrome

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria Luz Gonzalez-Gadea

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Multiple studies have tried to establish the distinctive profile of individuals with Asperger’s syndrome (AS. However, recent reports suggest that adults with AS feature heterogeneous cognitive profiles. The present study explores inter-individual variability in children with AS through group comparison and multiple case series analysis. All participants completed an extended battery including measures of fluid and crystallized intelligence, executive functions, theory of mind, and classical neuropsychological tests. Significant group differences were found in theory of mind and other domains related to global information processing. However, the AS group showed high inter-individual variability (both sub- and supra-normal performance on most cognitive tasks. Furthermore, high fluid intelligence correlated with less general cognitive impairment, high cognitive flexibility, and speed motor processing. In light of these findings, we propose that children with AS are characterized by a distinct, uneven pattern of cognitive strengths and weaknesses.

  11. Mothers' Early Depressive Symptoms Predict Children's Low Social Competence in First Grade: Mediation by Children's Social Cognition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yiji; Dix, Theodore

    2015-01-01

    Background: This study examined whether social-cognitive processes in children mediate relations between mothers' depressive symptoms across the first 3 years and children's first-grade social competence. Three maladaptive cognitions were examined: self-perceived social inadequacy, hostile attribution, and aggressive response generation.…

  12. Optimised paediatric CT dose at a tertiary children's hospital in Japan: a 4-y single-centre analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakada, Y.; Yamamoto, H.; Nabatame, K.; Obara, S.; Akahane, K.; Blyth, B.J.; Shimada, Y.; Fujiwara, M.; Yokoyama, T.; Shirayama, A.; Date, H.; Hoshioka, A.; Yakami, M.; Miyazaki, O.; Yagi, K.

    2016-01-01

    Since diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) for children are not currently established in Japan, the authors determined local DRLs for the full range of paediatric CT examinations in a single tertiary care children's hospital. A retrospective review of 4801 CT performance records for paediatric patients (<15 y old) who had undergone CT examinations from 2008 to 2011 was conducted. The most frequent examinations were of the head (52 %), followed by cardiac (15 %), temporal bone (9 %), abdomen (7 %), chest (6 %) and others (11 %). Approximately one-third of children received two or more CT scans. The authors' investigation showed that mean CTDI vol and DLP for head, chest and abdomen increased as a function of age. Benchmarking of the results showed that CTDI vol , DLP and effective dose for chest and abdomen examinations in this hospital were below average, whereas those for the head tended to be at or slightly above average of established DRL values from five countries. The results suggest that CT examinations as performed in a tertiary children's hospital in Japan are well optimised. (authors)

  13. Semivolatile compounds in schools and their influence on cognitive performance of children

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hans-Peter Hutter

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: WHO's Children's Environment and Health Action Plan for Europe (CEHAPE focuses on improvements of indoor environments where children spend most of their time. To investigate the relationship between school indoor air pollutants and cognitive performance in elementary school children, a multidisciplinary study was planned in all-day schools in Austria. Materials and Methods: In a cross-sectional study (LuKi study: Air and Children indoor air pollutants were monitored in nine elementary all-day schools in urban and rural regions of Austria. In addition, school dust and suspended particulates (PM10, PM2.5 were measured, focusing on semivolatile compounds (e.g. phthalates, phosphororganic compounds [POC]. Health status and environmental conditions were determined by parents' questionnaire, cognitive function was measured by Standard Progressive Matrices (SPM. Results: Overall, 596 children (6-8 years of age were eligible for the study. Cognitive tests were performed in 436 children. Analysis showed significant correlations of tris(2-chlorethyl-phosphate (TCEP in PM10 and PM2.5 and school dust samples with cognitive performance. Cognitive performance decreased with increasing concentrations of TCEP. Furthermore, cognitive function decreased significantly with increasing CO2 levels. Conclusions: POC are widely used as plasticizers, flame retardants and floor sealing. This is the first report of a correlation between TCEP in indoor air samples and impairment of cognitive performance in school children. As a precautionary measure, it is recommended to prohibit the use of toxic chemicals and those suspected of a toxic potential in children's environments such as schools.

  14. Nutritional quality and marketing strategies of fast food children?s combo meals in Guatemala

    OpenAIRE

    Mazariegos, Sofia; Chac?n, Violeta; Cole, Adam; Barnoya, Joaquin

    2016-01-01

    Background Overweight and obesity prevalence in children is now on the rise in low/middle-income countries, including Guatemala. Fast food consumption is a recognized contributing factor to this rise. Fast food restaurants use health claims, toy giveaways, price incentives and fast service to promote children?s combo meals. This study sought to assess the use of toy giveaways, time to delivery and price incentives as marketing strategies in fast food chain restaurants in Guatemala. In additio...

  15. Comorbidities of asthma in U.S. children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mirabelli, Maria C; Hsu, Joy; Gower, W Adam

    2016-07-01

    Few epidemiologic population-based data are available to describe the wide range of health conditions that affect children with asthma. We conducted this study to identify common comorbidities of asthma during childhood and compare the prevalences of selected comorbidities among children with and without asthma. We analyzed weighted data from the 2012 National Health Interview Survey child sample, a sample of 10,954 U.S. children aged 3-17 years. Information about each child's health, including history of asthma and other health conditions, was provided by an adult proxy respondent. We conducted binomial regression to compare the prevalences of 41 selected health conditions among children with and without current asthma. An estimated 10.4% of children aged 3-17 years (n = 1202) were identified as having current asthma. Nearly all conditions considered were more common among children with than without asthma. Compared to children without asthma, children with asthma had higher prevalences of hay fever or respiratory allergies (prevalence difference [PD]: 30.5%; 95% CI: 26.6, 34.4), eczema or skin allergies (PD: 14.1%; 95% CI: 10.7, 17.5), sinusitis (PD: 11.3%; 95% CI: 8.4, 14.1), food or digestive allergies (PD: 10.4%; 95% CI: 7.7, 13.1), and difficulty with emotions, concentration, behavior, or getting along (PD: 7.9%; 95% CI: 4.7, 11.1). These results highlight the burden of comorbidities among children with asthma. Improved understanding of the impact of comorbidities among children with asthma may help develop best practices for the assessment, treatment, and control of coexisting health conditions. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  16. A Comparison of the School Performance of Sexually Abused, Neglected and Non-Maltreated Children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reyome, Nancy Dodge

    1993-01-01

    Compared the school performance of sexually abused children and neglected children with the performance of two matched groups of nonmaltreated children, those from lower middle class families and from families receiving public assistance. Analyses of children's behavior ratings and school achievement indicated marked cognitive and behavioral…

  17. Relationship between social competence and neurocognitive performance in children with epilepsy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raud, Triin; Kaldoja, Mari-Liis; Kolk, Anneli

    2015-11-01

    Epilepsy may affect a child's social skills and social cognition. The purpose of the study was to examine associations between sociocognitive skills and neurocognitive performance in children with epilepsy. Thirty-five children with epilepsy between the ages of 7 and 12 years (25 with partial and 10 with generalized epilepsy) and 30 controls participated. Theory of Mind (ToM) tasks, Social Cognition Questionnaire proposed by Saltzman-Benaiah and Lalonde (2007), and Social Skills Rating System were used to assess social competence and sociocognitive skills. Neurocognitive performance was assessed using the NEPSY battery. Children with epilepsy demonstrated more difficulties in understanding false belief (pChildren with epilepsy performed significantly worse in attention, executive, verbal, and fine motor tasks (pChildren with generalized epilepsy had more problems in memory tasks (pchildren with partial epilepsy. An age of onset over 9.1 years was positively associated with ToM skills (r=.42, pchildren with better executive functions, and language and visuospatial skills was revealed. The type of epilepsy and age of onset significantly affected ToM skills. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. Effects of gross motor function and manual function levels on performance-based ADL motor skills of children with spastic cerebral palsy

    OpenAIRE

    Park, Myoung-Ok

    2017-01-01

    [Purpose] The purpose of this study was to determine effects of Gross Motor Function Classification System and Manual Ability Classification System levels on performance-based motor skills of children with spastic cerebral palsy. [Subjects and Methods] Twenty-three children with cerebral palsy were included. The Assessment of Motor and Process Skills was used to evaluate performance-based motor skills in daily life. Gross motor function was assessed using Gross Motor Function Classification S...

  19. INTELLECTUAL AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF CHILDREN WITH CONGENITAL HYPOTHYROIDISM IN RELATION TO TIME OF DIAGNOSIS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Madhava Vijaya Kumar

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND Context- Congenital hypothyroidism is an important cause of preventable mental retardation in children. Since, neonatal screening is not done routinely in India, many cases are diagnosed late. Earlier, the diagnosis and initiation of treatment, better will be the outcome. The aim of the study is to assess the effect of time of onset of treatment in intellectual and scholastic performances in children with congenital hypothyroidism. MATERIALS AND METHODS Children were classified into 3 groups. Group 1 were diagnosed and treatment initiated within one month of birth. Group 2, between 1 and 6 months and group 3 after 6 months. General intelligence and IQ were assessed by Malin’s intelligence scale for Indian children. Scholastic performance were evaluated by academic evaluation scale for slow learners and ADHD were diagnosed by DSM-IV criteria. Settings and Design- The study was done in the Paediatric Endocrinology Clinic of Institute of Maternal and Child Health, Department of Paediatrics, Government Medical College, Kozhikode. Study population included children of age group 6-9 years with congenital hypothyroidism. Statistical Methods Used- Statistical analysis was done with SPSS software version 16. The statistical analysis was done by ANOVA test. RESULTS IQ and intellectual outcomes were better in group 1 where treatment was initiated within one month. Similarly, poor academic abilities and increased incidence of ADHD were noted in children in whom diagnosis was made late. CONCLUSION Later the diagnosis more will be the intellectual and scholastic backwardness in children underscoring the importance of universal newborn screening.

  20. Children's and parents' perceptions of care during the peri-radiographic process when the child is seen for a suspected fracture

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Björkman, B.; Enskär, K.; Nilsson, S.

    2016-01-01

    Background: Visiting a Radiology department may elicit both positive and negative feelings for children and parents alike. This study investigated children's and parents' perceptions of care during the peri-radiographic process and whether these perceptions correlated with the child's perceptions of pain and distress. Methods: This study utilized a quantitative descriptive design. Its data was collected in five Radiology departments, two where examinations are performed exclusively on children and three that treat both children and adults. Data collection contained questionnaires from children (n = 110) and their parent (n = 110) as well as children's self-reports of pain and distress. Results: The findings illustrated that the children and their parent were satisfied with the care provided throughout the peri-radiographic process, unrelated to the child's self-reported levels of pain and distress or examination setting (i.e. children's department or general department). The highest scores of satisfaction were ascribed to “the radiographer's kindness and ability to help in a sufficient way,” whereas “available time to ask questions and to meet the child's emotional needs” received the lowest scores. Conclusions: Parents and children alike perceived the radiographers as skilled and sensitive throughout the examination, while radiographers' time allocated to interacting with the child was not perceived be sufficiently covered. - Highlights: • Children seen for an acute radiographic examination were satisfied with the provided care. • The radiographers were perceived as both skilled and sensitive to the children's needs. • Children experienced pain and distress during examination on levels ranging from mild to severe. • The allocated time for the children to ask questions were not sufficiently covered. • It is suggested that routines be implemented to reduce children's pain and distress

  1. Use of computerized tests to evaluate psychomotor performance in children with specific learning disabilities in comparison to normal children

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Santosh Taur

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Background & objectives: Children with specific learning disabilities (SpLD have an unexplained difficulty in acquiring basic academic skills resulting in a significant discrepancy between their academic potential and achievements. This study was undertaken to compare the performance on a battery of six psychomotor tests of children with SpLD and those without any learning disabilities (controls using computerized tests. Methods: In this study, 25 children with SpLD and 25 controls (matched for age, socio-economic status and medium of instruction were given three training sessions over one week. Then children were asked to perform on the six computerized psychomotor tests. Results were compared between the two groups. Results: Children with SpLD fared significantly worse on finger tapping test, choice reaction test, digit picture substitution test and card sorting test compared to the controls ( p <0.05. Interpretation & conclusions: Children with SpLD have impairment of psychomotor skills like attention, sensory-motor coordination and executive functioning. Further research is needed to evaluate if the remedial education plan results in improvement in psychomotor performance of children with SpLD on these selected tests.

  2. Comparison of motor and cognitive performance of children attending public and private day care centers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mariana M. Santos

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Given that environmental factors, such as the school environment, can influence child development, more attention should be paid to the development of children attending day care centers. OBJECTIVE: Todetermine whether there are differences in the gross motor, fine motor, or cognitive performances of children between 1 and3 years-old of similar socioeconomic status attending public and private day care centers full time. METHOD: Participants were divided into 2 groups, 1 of children attending public day care centers (69 children and another of children attending private day care centers (47 children. All children were healthy and regularly attended day care full time for over 4 months. To assess cognitive, gross and fine motor performance, the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development III was used. The Mann-Whitney test was used for comparative analyses between groups of children between 13 and 24 months, 25 and 41 months, and 13 and 41 months. RESULTS: Children in public day care centers exhibited lower scores on the cognitive development scale beginning at 13 months old. The fine and gross motor performance scores were lower in children over the age of 25 months attending public centers. Maternal education was not related to the performance of children in either group. CONCLUSION: The scores of cognitive performance as well as fine and gross motor performance of children of similar socioeconomic status who attend public day care centers are lower than children attending private daycare centers.

  3. The Effect of Colour on Children's Cognitive Performance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brooker, Alice; Franklin, Anna

    2016-01-01

    Background: The presence of red appears to hamper adults' cognitive performance relative to other colours (see Elliot & Maier, 2014, "Ann. Rev. Psychol." 65, 95). Aims and sample: Here, we investigate whether colour affects cognitive performance in 8- and 9-year-olds. Method: Children completed a battery of tasks once in the presence…

  4. A framework for analysis of abortive colony size distributions using a model of branching processes in irradiated normal human fibroblasts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sakashita, Tetsuya; Hamada, Nobuyuki; Kawaguchi, Isao; Ouchi, Noriyuki B; Hara, Takamitsu; Kobayashi, Yasuhiko; Saito, Kimiaki

    2013-01-01

    Clonogenicity gives important information about the cellular reproductive potential following ionizing irradiation, but an abortive colony that fails to continue to grow remains poorly characterized. It was recently reported that the fraction of abortive colonies increases with increasing dose. Thus, we set out to investigate the production kinetics of abortive colonies using a model of branching processes. We firstly plotted the experimentally determined colony size distribution of abortive colonies in irradiated normal human fibroblasts, and found the linear relationship on the log-linear or log-log plot. By applying the simple model of branching processes to the linear relationship, we found the persistent reproductive cell death (RCD) over several generations following irradiation. To verify the estimated probability of RCD, abortive colony size distribution (≤ 15 cells) and the surviving fraction were simulated by the Monte Carlo computational approach for colony expansion. Parameters estimated from the log-log fit demonstrated the good performance in both simulations than those from the log-linear fit. Radiation-induced RCD, i.e. excess probability, lasted over 16 generations and mainly consisted of two components in the early (probability over 5 generations, whereas abortive colony size distribution was robust against it. These results suggest that, whereas short-term RCD is critical to the abortive colony size distribution, long-lasting RCD is important for the dose response of the surviving fraction. Our present model provides a single framework for understanding the behavior of primary cell colonies in culture following irradiation.

  5. Visuospatial working memory in very preterm and term born children--impact of age and performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mürner-Lavanchy, I; Ritter, B C; Spencer-Smith, M M; Perrig, W J; Schroth, G; Steinlin, M; Everts, R

    2014-07-01

    Working memory is crucial for meeting the challenges of daily life and performing academic tasks, such as reading or arithmetic. Very preterm born children are at risk of low working memory capacity. The aim of this study was to examine the visuospatial working memory network of school-aged preterm children and to determine the effect of age and performance on the neural working memory network. Working memory was assessed in 41 very preterm born children and 36 term born controls (aged 7-12 years) using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and neuropsychological assessment. While preterm children and controls showed equal working memory performance, preterm children showed less involvement of the right middle frontal gyrus, but higher fMRI activation in superior frontal regions than controls. The younger and low-performing preterm children presented an atypical working memory network whereas the older high-performing preterm children recruited a working memory network similar to the controls. Results suggest that younger and low-performing preterm children show signs of less neural efficiency in frontal brain areas. With increasing age and performance, compensational mechanisms seem to occur, so that in preterm children, the typical visuospatial working memory network is established by the age of 12 years. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  6. The family role in children׳s sleep disturbances: Results from a cross-sectional study in a Portuguese Urban pediatric population.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martins, Andreia Luís; Chaves, Petra; Papoila, Ana Luísa; Loureiro, Helena Cristina

    2015-11-01

    Sleep Disorders (SlD) are frequently undervalued complaints in childhood. Several factors influence sleep, particularly socio-cultural environment and medical conditions such as breathing disorders. Poor sleep hygiene has physical, educational and social consequences. In Portugal, there are few published studies about children׳s sleep habits and rarely based on validated questionnaires. To study the prevalence of SlD and associated factors, in an outpatient pediatric population of a Primary Health Care Center (PHCC). Cross-sectional study of children admitted to a PHCC on a suburban area of Lisbon. Children Sleep Habits Questionnaire, validated for the Portuguese population (CSHQ-PT) for the screening of SlD (cut-off=44), was applied to parents, as well as a demographic inquiry. Body mass index z-score was evaluated. Children scoring 44 or above were sent to Pediatric Sleep Disorders consultation (PSDC). Parametric and non-parametric tests were used whenever appropriate. From 128 children, 57.8% were male; the median age was 6.0 years (P 25=5.0; P 75=8.0). The median of cohabitants per family was 4.0 (P 25=3.0; P 75=5.0); 21.1% lived in a single-parent family. From CSHQ-PT, 59.4% (76) scored above the cut-off. Data showed that children from a single-parent family have more SlD (p=0.048), particularly parasomnia (p=0.019). Children with sleep disordered breathing (SDB) suffer more daytime sleepiness (p=0.034). From 63 children sent to PSDC, 33 attended. Regarding these children, a difference was found between BMI z-scores of those with and without SDB (p=0.06). Family structure plays a non-negligible role in children's sleep habits. Daily performance of children with SDB may become compromised.

  7. Classroom performance of children with cochlear implants in mainstream education.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Damen, G.W.J.A.; Oever-Goltstein, M.H. van den; Langereis, M.C.; Chute, P.M.; Mylanus, E.A.M.

    2006-01-01

    OBJECTIVES: We compared classroom performance of children with a cochlear implant (CI) with that of their normal-hearing peers in mainstream education. METHODS: Thirty-two CI children in mainstream education, congenitally or prelingually deaf, participated in this study, as did 37 hearing

  8. Motor performance of preschool children

    OpenAIRE

    Słonka Karina; Dyas Manuela; Słonka Tadeusz; Szurmik Tomasz

    2017-01-01

    Słonka Karina, Dyas Manuela, Słonka Tadeusz, Szurmik Tomasz. Motor performance of preschool children. Journal of Education, Health and Sport. 2017;7(8):1308-1323. eISSN 2391-8306. DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1045272 http://ojs.ukw.edu.pl/index.php/johs/article/view/5028 https://pbn.nauka.gov.pl/sedno-webapp/works/836989 The journal has had 7 points in Ministry of Science and Higher Education parametric evaluation. Part B item 1223 (26.01.2017...

  9. Re(con)ceiving Young Children's Curricular Performativity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sellers, Marg

    2010-01-01

    Working (with) Deleuzo-Guattarian philosophical imaginaries opens (to) a multiplicity of possibilities for thinking differently about curriculum, young children and how they perform their curricular understandings. In this article I work (as) rhizome, bringing the imaginaries "becoming" and "milieu" into an early childhood curriculum conversation…

  10. Fatigue and physical performance in children and adolescents receiving chemotherapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hooke, Mary Catherine; Garwick, Ann W; Gross, Cynthia R

    2011-11-01

    To examine the relationship between physical performance and fatigue in child and adolescent cohorts during the first three cycles of chemotherapy. Prospective, observational design. Two pediatric cancer centers in the upper Midwest region of the United States. 16 children and 14 adolescents newly diagnosed with cancer. Standardized instruments were administered during the first and third cycles of chemotherapy. Instruments included physical performance tests (Timed Up and Down Stairs [TUDS] and the 6-Minute Walk Test [6MWT]) and a self-report fatigue scale. Fatigue and physical performance. In the child cohort, physical performance appeared to improve and fatigue diminished from cycle 1 to 3 of chemotherapy. When time on TUDS decreased, fatigue tended to decrease; when 6MWT distance increased, fatigue decreased. In the adolescent cohort, fatigue seemed to decrease but physical performance measures evidenced little change. Correlations between changes in the physical performance variables and fatigue were not significant. Fatigue may decrease early in treatment as disease symptoms resolve. Fatigue in the child cohort was related to physical performance, which is consistent with previous studies that defined fatigue in children as primarily a physical sensation. Findings in the adolescent cohort support research that defined adolescent fatigue as more complex with mental, emotional, and physical components. Knowing how fatigue relates to physical performance in children and adolescents informs the nurse in educating patients and families about symptom management.

  11. Overweight and school performance among primary school children: the PIAMA birth cohort study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Veldwijk, Jorien; Fries, Marieke C E; Bemelmans, Wanda J E; Haveman-Nies, Annemien; Smit, Henriëtte A; Koppelman, Gerard H; Wijga, Alet H

    2012-03-01

    The aim of this study was to assess the association between overweight and school performance among primary school children prospectively and including a broad range of potential confounding factors. In addition it was investigated what factors mediate this association. For this purpose, data of 2,159 12-year-old children who participated in the Prevention and Incidence of Asthma and Mite Allergy (PIAMA) birth cohort study were used. Two indicators of school performance were parental reported when children were 12 years of age and included (i): the score on a standardized achievement test that Dutch children have to complete at the end of their primary education (Cito)-test and (ii): the teacher's advice regarding a child's potential performance level in secondary education. Children's height and weight were measured by a trained research assistant at the age of 8 and by their parents at the age of 12. Overweight was defined using age and gender specific cut-off points. Multivariate regression analyses were performed to assess the association between overweight and school performance. Besides, both confounder and mediation analyses were conducted. Results showed lower Cito-test scores and lower teacher's school-level advice among overweight children. These associations were no longer significant when adjusting for parental educational level, skipping breakfast, and screen time. This study found no independent association between overweight and school performance among primary school children. Results showed strong confounding by parental educational level.

  12. Tower of London test performance in children with poor arithmetic skills.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sikora, M Darryn; Haley, Pat; Edwards, Jay; Butler, Robert W

    2002-01-01

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

  13. Performance IQ in children is associated with blood cadmium concentration in early pregnancy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jeong, Kyoung Sook; Park, Hyewon; Ha, Eunhee; Hong, Yun-Chul; Ha, Mina; Park, Hyesook; Kim, Bung-Nyun; Lee, Bo-Eun; Lee, Soo-Jeong; Lee, Kyung Yeon; Kim, Ja Hyeong; Kim, Yangho

    2015-04-01

    To investigate whether performance IQ in children is associated with maternal blood cadmium concentration in early pregnancy. The present study is a component of the Mothers' and Children's Environmental Health (MOCEH) study, a multi-center birth cohort project in Korea that began in 2006. The study cohort consisted of 119 children whose mothers underwent testing of blood cadmium during early pregnancy. All children were evaluated using the Korean version of the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence, revised edition (WPPSI-R), at 60 months of age. Multivariate linear regression analysis was performed to analyze the correlation between IQ in children and maternal blood cadmium concentration in early pregnancy, after adjustment for covariates. Maternal blood cadmium concentration during early pregnancy was inversely associated with performance IQ, after adjustment for covariates such as sex, educational levels of both parents, family income, and maternal BMI. Maternal blood cadmium concentration, however, was not associated with cognitive IQ. Performance IQ in children is associated with maternal blood cadmium concentration in early pregnancy. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  14. Performance Monitoring in Medication-Naïve Children with Tourette Syndrome

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Eichele, Heike; Eichele, Tom; Bjelland, Ingvar

    2016-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Tourette syndrome (TS) is a childhood-onset neurodevelopmental disorder and its impact on cognitive development needs further study. Evidence from neuropsychological, neuroimaging and electrophysiological studies suggests that the decline in tic severity and the ability to suppress tics...... relate to the development of self-regulatory functions in late childhood and adolescence. Hence, tasks measuring performance monitoring might provide insight into the regulation of tics in children with TS. METHOD: Twenty-five children with TS, including 14 with comorbid Attention-deficit/ hyperactivity...... disorder (ADHD), 39 children with ADHD and 35 typically developing children aged 8-12 years were tested with a modified Eriksen-Flanker task during a 34-channel electroencephalography (EEG) recording. Task performance, as well as stimulus-locked and response-locked event-related potentials (ERP) were...

  15. The Zubrod performance status and the Karnofsky index in quality of life evaluation of children with cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Larissa Helena Vitoriano Polo

    2009-09-01

    Full Text Available Objective: To describe the epidemiologic profile of children undergoingchemotherapy and/or radiotherapy and to assess the quality of lifeduring treatments, by means of the ECOG scale and the Karnofskyindex. Methods: A descriptive exploratory study, with quantitativeapproach. The sample consisted of children with cancer undergoingchemotherapy or radiotherapy. Results: Twenty-four children, mostmales (67%, were interviewed; chemotherapy was the primarytreatment in 56% of them. The most frequent condition was acutelymphoid leukemia in both sexes. Chemotherapy was the treatmentmodality interfering most with the quality of life, altering aspectssuch as: socialization, behavior, nutrition, sleep and rest, performanceof activities. Regarding the ECOG scale, 75% of the patients whoscored 1 were symptomatic, and only 25% of patients scored 0 andwere asymptomatic. As to the Karnofsky index, 25% of patients wereasymptomatic and performed their daily activities, whereas 71%presented with mild symptoms of the disease, yet performed theirdaily activities. Conclusion: A chronic disease, like cancer, changessome aspects in the daily routine of the children and their family.However, individual characteristics must be respected aiming at thechild’s quality of life.

  16. Methylphenidate use and school performance among primary school children: a descriptive study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van der Schans, Jurjen; Çiçek, Rukiye; Vardar, Sefike; Bos, Jens Hj; de Vries, Tjalling W; Hoekstra, Pieter J; Hak, Eelko

    2017-03-29

    There is no conclusive evidence that stimulants have beneficial effects on major associated outcome parameters, particularly school performance. We assessed the differences in school performance among children using methylphenidate at the end of primary school in relation to various parameters of methylphenidate use. We linked children from a pharmacy prescription database with standardized achievement test results at the end of primary school. We explored differences in test scores between current methylphenidate users versus never users and methylphenidate users who stopped treatment at least 6 months before the test, early versus late starters, different dosage of methylphenidate, and concurrent antipsychotic or asthma treatment. Out of the 7736 children, 377 (4.9%) children were treated with methylphenidate at the time of the test. After adjusting for confounders the methylphenidate users (532.58 ± .48) performed significantly lower on the test than never users (534.72 ± .11). Compared with late starters of methylphenidate treatment (536.94 ± 1.51) we found significantly lower test scores for the early starters (532.33 ± .50). Our study indicates that children using methylphenidate still perform less at school compared to their peers. Our study also suggests that earlier start of methylphenidate treatment is associated with a lower school performance compared to children starting later with the treatment. This result could either indicate a limited effect of long term treatment or a more strongly affected group of early starters.

  17. Comparing cognitive performance in illiterate and literate children

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matute, Esmeralda; Montiel, Teresita; Pinto, Noemí; Rosselli, Monica; Ardila, Alfredo; Zarabozo, Daniel

    2012-02-01

    While it is known that the process of becoming literate begins in early childhood and usually involves several years of schooling, research related to cognitive characteristics has been done mostly on illiterate adults, and information concerning illiterate children is therefore limited. The aim of the present study, involving 21 illiterate and 22 literate Mexican children aged 6 to 13, was to investigate the effects of literacy on neuropsychological characteristics during childhood. The children's performance on 16 cognitive domains of the Evaluación Neuropsicológica Infantil (ENI, Child Neuropsychological Assessment) was examined in three mixed within- and between-groups profile analyses. The results suggest that the effect of literacy observed in adults is already evident in children in almost every task analysed. Moreover, the fact that an age effect was detected for the calculation abilities suggests that maths learning is school- and environment-dependent.

  18. Cost Effectiveness of Influenza Vaccine for U.S. Children: Live Attenuated and Inactivated Influenza Vaccine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shim, Eunha; Brown, Shawn T; DePasse, Jay; Nowalk, Mary Patricia; Raviotta, Jonathan M; Smith, Kenneth J; Zimmerman, Richard K

    2016-09-01

    Prior studies showed that live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) is more effective than inactivated influenza vaccine (IIV) in children aged 2-8 years, supporting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations in 2014 for preferential LAIV use in this age group. However, 2014-2015 U.S. effectiveness data indicated relatively poor effectiveness of both vaccines, leading CDC in 2015 to no longer prefer LAIV. An age-structured model of influenza transmission and vaccination was developed, which incorporated both direct and indirect protection induced by vaccination. Based on this model, the cost effectiveness of influenza vaccination strategies in children aged 2-8 years in the U.S. was estimated. The base case assumed a mixed vaccination strategy where 33.3% and 66.7% of vaccinated children aged 2-8 years receive LAIV and IIV, respectively. Analyses were performed in 2014-2015. Using published meta-analysis vaccine effectiveness data (83% LAIV and 64% IIV), exclusive LAIV use would be a cost-effective strategy when vaccinating children aged 2-8 years, whereas IIV would not be preferred. However, when 2014-2015 U.S. effectiveness data (0% LAIV and 15% IIV) were used, IIV was likely to be preferred. The cost effectiveness of influenza vaccination in children aged 2-8 years is highly dependent on vaccine effectiveness; the vaccine type with higher effectiveness is preferred. In general, exclusive IIV use is preferred over LAIV use, as long as vaccine effectiveness is higher for IIV than for LAIV. Copyright © 2016 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. U.S. Children's Picture Books and the Homonormative Subject

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taylor, Nathan

    2012-01-01

    The author examines the role U.S. lesbian- and gay-themed children's picture books play in the deployment of a homonormative subject, how that deployment occurs, and what the consequences are of such a deployment for children; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI) communities; and the larger society. The author, through…

  20. Motor Skill Performance and Sports Participation in Deaf Elementary School Children

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hartman, Esther; Houwen, Suzanne; Visscher, Chris

    2011-01-01

    This study aimed to examine motor performance in deaf elementary school children and its association with sports participation. The population studied included 42 deaf children whose hearing loss ranged from 80 to 120 dB. Their motor skills were assessed with the Movement Assessment Battery for Children, and a questionnaire was used to determine…

  1. Children's mathematical performance: five cognitive tasks across five grades.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moore, Alex M; Ashcraft, Mark H

    2015-07-01

    Children in elementary school, along with college adults, were tested on a battery of basic mathematical tasks, including digit naming, number comparison, dot enumeration, and simple addition or subtraction. Beyond cataloguing performance to these standard tasks in Grades 1 to 5, we also examined relationships among the tasks, including previously reported results on a number line estimation task. Accuracy and latency improved across grades for all tasks, and classic interaction patterns were found, for example, a speed-up of subitizing and counting, increasingly shallow slopes in number comparison, and progressive speeding of responses especially to larger addition and subtraction problems. Surprisingly, digit naming was faster than subitizing at all ages, arguing against a pre-attentive processing explanation for subitizing. Estimation accuracy and speed were strong predictors of children's addition and subtraction performance. Children who gave exponential responses on the number line estimation task were slower at counting in the dot enumeration task and had longer latencies on addition and subtraction problems. The results provided further support for the importance of estimation as an indicator of children's current and future mathematical expertise. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Olympic weightlifting and plyometric training with children provides similar or greater performance improvements than traditional resistance training.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chaouachi, Anis; Hammami, Raouf; Kaabi, Sofiene; Chamari, Karim; Drinkwater, Eric J; Behm, David G

    2014-06-01

    A number of organizations recommend that advanced resistance training (RT) techniques can be implemented with children. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Olympic-style weightlifting (OWL), plyometrics, and traditional RT programs with children. Sixty-three children (10-12 years) were randomly allocated to a 12-week control OWL, plyometric, or traditional RT program. Pre- and post-training tests included body mass index (BMI), sum of skinfolds, countermovement jump (CMJ), horizontal jump, balance, 5- and 20-m sprint times, isokinetic force and power at 60 and 300° · s(-1). Magnitude-based inferences were used to analyze the likelihood of an effect having a standardized (Cohen's) effect size exceeding 0.20. All interventions were generally superior to the control group. Olympic weightlifting was >80% likely to provide substantially better improvements than plyometric training for CMJ, horizontal jump, and 5- and 20-m sprint times, whereas >75% likely to substantially exceed traditional RT for balance and isokinetic power at 300° · s(-1). Plyometric training was >78% likely to elicit substantially better training adaptations than traditional RT for balance, isokinetic force at 60 and 300° · s(-1), isokinetic power at 300° · s(-1), and 5- and 20-m sprints. Traditional RT only exceeded plyometric training for BMI and isokinetic power at 60° · s(-1). Hence, OWL and plyometrics can provide similar or greater performance adaptations for children. It is recommended that any of the 3 training modalities can be implemented under professional supervision with proper training progressions to enhance training adaptations in children.

  3. Interlimb coordination and academic performance in elementary school children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    da Silva Pacheco, Sheila Cristina; Gabbard, Carl; Ries, Lilian Gerdi Kittel; Bobbio, Tatiana Godoy

    2016-10-01

    The specific mechanisms linking motor ability and cognitive performance, especially academic achievement, are still unclear. Whereas the literature provides an abundance of information on fine and visual-motor skill and cognitive attributes, much less has been reported on gross motor ability. This study examined interlimb coordination and its relationship to academic performance in children aged 8-11 years. Motor and academic skills were examined in 100 Brazilian children using the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency and the Academic Performance Test. Participants were grouped into low (75%) academic achievers. There was a significant difference between groups for Total Motor Composite (P academic performance and Body Coordination. Of the subtests of Body Coordination (Bilateral Coordination and Balance), Bilateral Coordination accounted for the highest impact on academic performance. Of interest here, that subtest consists primarily of gross motor tasks involving interlimb coordination. Overall, there was a positive relationship between motor behavior, in particular activities involving interlimb coordination, and academic performance. Application of these findings in the area of early assessment may be useful in the identification of later academic problems. © 2016 Japan Pediatric Society.

  4. The effects of background white noise on memory performance in inattentive school children

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sikström Sverker

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Noise is typically conceived of as being detrimental for cognitive performance; however, a recent computational model based on the concepts of stochastic resonance and dopamine related internal noise postulates that a moderate amount of auditive noise benefit individuals in hypodopaminergic states. On the basis of this model we predicted that inattentive children would be enhanced by adding background white noise while attentive children's performance would deteriorate. Methods Fifty-one secondary school pupils carried out an episodic verbal free recall test in two noise conditions. In the high noise condition, verb-noun sentences were presented during auditory background noise (white noise, 78 dB, and in the low noise condition sentences were presented without noise. Results Exposure to background noise improved performance for inattentive children and worsened performance for attentive children and eliminated episodic memory differences between attentive and inattentive school children. Conclusions Consistent with the model, our data show that cognitive performance can be moderated by external background white noise stimulation in a non-clinical group of inattentive participants. This finding needs replicating in a larger sample using more noise levels but if replicated has great practical applications by offering a non-invasive way to improve school results in children with attentional problems.

  5. The effects of background white noise on memory performance in inattentive school children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Söderlund, Göran B W; Sikström, Sverker; Loftesnes, Jan M; Sonuga-Barke, Edmund J

    2010-09-29

    Noise is typically conceived of as being detrimental for cognitive performance; however, a recent computational model based on the concepts of stochastic resonance and dopamine related internal noise postulates that a moderate amount of auditive noise benefit individuals in hypodopaminergic states. On the basis of this model we predicted that inattentive children would be enhanced by adding background white noise while attentive children's performance would deteriorate. Fifty-one secondary school pupils carried out an episodic verbal free recall test in two noise conditions. In the high noise condition, verb-noun sentences were presented during auditory background noise (white noise, 78 dB), and in the low noise condition sentences were presented without noise. Exposure to background noise improved performance for inattentive children and worsened performance for attentive children and eliminated episodic memory differences between attentive and inattentive school children. Consistent with the model, our data show that cognitive performance can be moderated by external background white noise stimulation in a non-clinical group of inattentive participants. This finding needs replicating in a larger sample using more noise levels but if replicated has great practical applications by offering a non-invasive way to improve school results in children with attentional problems.

  6. Effects of methylphenidate on acute math performance in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grizenko, Natalie; Cai, Emmy; Jolicoeur, Claude; Ter-Stepanian, Mariam; Joober, Ridha

    2013-11-01

    Examine the short-term (acute) effects of methylphenidate (MPH) on math performance in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and what factors predict improvement in math performance. One hundred ninety-eight children with ADHD participated in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized crossover MPH trial. Math response to MPH was determined through administration of math problems adjusted to their academic level during the Restricted Academic Situation Scale (RASS). Student t tests were conducted to assess change in math performance with psychostimulants. Correlation between change on the RASS and change on the math performance was also examined. Linear regression was performed to determine predictor variables. Children with ADHD improved significantly in their math with MPH (P math performance on MPH was highly correlated. A child's age at baseline and Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT)-Numerical Operations standard scores at baseline accounted for 15% of variances for acute math improvement. MPH improves acute math performance in children with ADHD. Younger children with lower math scores (as assessed by the WIAT) improved most on math scores when given psychostimulants. NCT00483106.

  7. PACER Performance of Children Aged 11-14 With Attention-Deficit Hyperactive Disorder.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martinson, Timothy; Butterfield, Stephen A; Mason, Craig A; Tu, Shihfen; Lehnhard, Robert A; Nightingale, Christopher J

    2018-05-01

    The purposes of this study were to examine the performance on the progressive aerobic cardiovascular endurance run (PACER) test in children with and without attention-deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) over the course of a school year, and also to investigate the possible influence of age, sex, school sport participation, and body mass index on results. Utilizing a repeated measures design, 892 middle school children aged 11-14 years (mean = 12.25, SD = 0.94) including 55 children with ADHD participated. While controlling for age, sex, sports participation, and body mass index, children were tested on the PACER 3 times during the school year. Procedures specified in the FITNESSGRAM test manual were explicitly followed. Hierarchical linear modeling was applied to analyze the data. Children with ADHD performed 8.6 fewer laps at intercept (baseline), than did healthy children without ADHD (t 878  = -6.20, P < .001). However, no significant differences emerged for time (slope). In addition, no significant interactions were found for ADHD with age, sex, sports participation, or body mass index. A diagnosis of ADHD, independent of selected predictor variables, explained lower PACER performance.

  8. Atypical neural substrates of Embedded Figures Task performance in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Philip S; Foss-Feig, Jennifer; Henderson, Joshua G; Kenworthy, Lauren E; Gilotty, Lisa; Gaillard, William D; Vaidya, Chandan J

    2007-10-15

    Superior performance on the Embedded Figures Task (EFT) has been attributed to weak central coherence in perceptual processing in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The present study used functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine the neural basis of EFT performance in 7- to 12-year-old ASD children and age- and IQ-matched controls. ASD children activated only a subset of the distributed network of regions activated in controls. In frontal cortex, control children activated left dorsolateral, medial and dorsal premotor regions whereas ASD children only activated the dorsal premotor region. In parietal and occipital cortices, activation was bilateral in control children but unilateral (left superior parietal and right occipital) in ASD children. Further, extensive bilateral ventral temporal activation was observed in control, but not ASD children. ASD children performed the EFT at the same level as controls but with reduced cortical involvement, suggesting that disembedded visual processing is accomplished parsimoniously by ASD relative to typically developing brains.

  9. Fluctuations in Elementary School Children's Working Memory Performance in the School Context

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dirk, Judith; Schmiedek, Florian

    2016-01-01

    Children experience good and bad days in their performance. Although this phenomenon is well-known to teachers, parents, and students it has not been investigated empirically. We examined whether children's working memory performance varies systematically from day to day and to which extent fluctuations at faster timescales (i.e., occasions,…

  10. Responsiveness of the ACTIVLIM-CP questionnaire measuring global activity performance in children with cerebral palsy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paradis, Julie; Arnould, Carlyne; Thonnard, Jean-Louis; Houx, Laëtitia; Pons-Becmeur, Christelle; Renders, Anne; Brochard, Sylvain; Bleyenheuft, Yannick

    2018-06-04

    To investigate the responsiveness of the ACTIVLIM-CP questionnaire after two evidence-based interventions for children with cerebral palsy (CP). Seventy-five children with CP either participated in an intensive motor-skill learning intervention (hand-arm bimanual intensive therapy including lower extremities [HABIT-ILE], n=47) or received botulinum neurotoxin-A (BoNT-A) injection(s) into lower extremities combined with conventional physical therapy (n=28). All children were assessed three times: at baseline (T 0 ; before HABIT-ILE/the day of BoNT-A injection), at T 1 (last day of HABIT-ILE/6wks after BoNT-A injection), and at follow-up (T 2 ; 3-4mo after the beginning of intervention). Parents completed ACTIVLIM-CP and three other activity questionnaires. Responsiveness was analysed using group (based on intervention), subgroup (based on gross motor function level), and individual approaches. For the HABIT-ILE group, significant improvements in ACTIVLIM-CP were observed for the T 0 -T 1 period (pCP demonstrated high responsiveness after HABIT-ILE, showing that this scale may be used to investigate global activity performance in clinical trials focusing on improving daily life activities. Good responsiveness of ACTIVLIM-CP questionnaire during intensive motor-skill learning intervention. Higher responsiveness for children in Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) levels III and IV versus I and II after intensive intervention. ACTIVLIM-CP is useful to identify children improving their performance after botulinum neurotoxin-A injection. © 2018 Mac Keith Press.

  11. Social withdrawal in children moderates the association between parenting styles and the children s own socioemotional development

    OpenAIRE

    Zarra-Nezhad, Maryam; Kiuru, Noona; Aunola, Kaisa; Zarra-Nezhad, Mansour; Ahonen, Timo; Poikkeus, Anna-Maija; Lerkkanen, Marja-Kristiina; Nurmi, Jari-Erik

    2014-01-01

    Background: Social withdrawal in early childhood is a risk factor for later socioemotional difficulties. This study examined the joint effects of children’s social withdrawal and mothers’ and fathers’ parenting styles on children’s socioemotional development. Based on diatheses-stress, vantage sensitivity, and differential susceptibility models, socially withdrawn children were assumed to be more prone to parental influences than others. Methods: Teachers rated 314 children on pro...

  12. Mother-Toddler Affect Exchanges and Children's Mastery Behaviours during Preschool Years

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Jun; Morgan, George A.; Biringen, Zeynep

    2014-01-01

    This study examined the longitudinal relations of mother-child affect exchanges at 18?months with children's mastery motivation at 39?months. Observation and questionnaire data were collected from mother-child dyads when children were 18?months; 43 mothers again rated their children's mastery motivation at 39?months. Results suggested…

  13. Refractory coeliac disease in a country with a high prevalence of clinically-diagnosed coeliac disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ilus, T; Kaukinen, K; Virta, L J; Huhtala, H; Mäki, M; Kurppa, K; Heikkinen, M; Heikura, M; Hirsi, E; Jantunen, K; Moilanen, V; Nielsen, C; Puhto, M; Pölkki, H; Vihriälä, I; Collin, P

    2014-02-01

    Refractory coeliac disease (RCD) is thought to be a rare disorder, but the accurate prevalence is unknown. We aimed to identify the prevalence of and the risk factors for developing RCD in a Finnish population where the clinical detection rate of coeliac disease is high. The study involved 11 hospital districts in Finland where the number of treated RCD patients (n = 44), clinically diagnosed coeliac disease patients (n = 12 243) and adult inhabitants (n = 1.7 million) was known. Clinical characteristics at diagnosis of coeliac disease between the RCD patients and patients with uncomplicated disease were compared. The prevalence of RCD was 0.31% among diagnosed coeliac disease patients and 0.002% in the general population. Of the enrolled 44 RCD patients, 68% had type I and 23% type II; in 9% the type was undetermined. Comparing 886 patients with uncomplicated coeliac disease with these 44 patients that developed RCD later in life, the latter were significantly older (median 56 vs 44 years, P coeliac disease. Patients with evolving RCD had more severe symptoms at the diagnosis of coeliac disease, including weight loss in 36% (vs. 16%, P = 0.001) and diarrhoea in 54% (vs. 38%, P = 0.050). Refractory coeliac disease is very rare in the general population. Patients of male gender, older age, severe symptoms or seronegativity at the diagnosis of coeliac disease are at risk of future refractory coeliac disease and should be followed up carefully. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  14. Parental perceptions of the impacts the built environment has on young children׳s health: a qualitative examination and lay assessment amongst residents in four Scottish communities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teedon, Paul; Gillespie, Morag; Lindsay, Kate; Baker, Keith

    2014-07-01

    The built environment is important for children׳s health and development. Qualitative research in four communities in Scotland explored with groups of parents of young children their lay perceptions of their local environment with specific reference to its impact upon their children׳s health. Valuing most strong supportive communities; good quality public spaces and social housing, parents׳ key concerns included anti-social behaviour, incivility and a range of locally-specific concerns. As knowledgeable key gatekeepers to children׳s use of home environments and public spaces, parent׳s qualitative lay input is important for the development of children׳s effective use of outdoor spaces and the built environment over the long term. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Evaluating health worker performance in Benin using the simulated client method with real children

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rowe Alexander K

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The simulated client (SC method for evaluating health worker performance utilizes surveyors who pose as patients to make surreptitious observations during consultations. Compared to conspicuous observation (CO by surveyors, which is commonly done in developing countries, SC data better reflect usual health worker practices. This information is important because CO can cause performance to be better than usual. Despite this advantage of SCs, the method’s full potential has not been realized for evaluating performance for pediatric illnesses because real children have not been utilized as SCs. Previous SC studies used scenarios of ill children that were not actually brought to health workers. During a trial that evaluated a quality improvement intervention in Benin (the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness [IMCI] strategy, we conducted an SC survey with adult caretakers as surveyors and real children to evaluate the feasibility of this approach and used the results to assess the validity of CO. Methods We conducted an SC survey and a CO survey (one right after the other of health workers in the same 55 health facilities. A detailed description of the SC survey process was produced. Results of the two surveys were compared for 27 performance indicators using logistic regression modeling. Results SC and CO surveyors observed 54 and 185 consultations, respectively. No serious problems occurred during the SC survey. Performance levels measured by CO were moderately higher than those measured by SCs (median CO – SC difference = 16.4 percentage-points. Survey differences were sometimes much greater for IMCI-trained health workers (median difference = 29.7 percentage-points than for workers without IMCI training (median difference = 3.1 percentage-points. Conclusion SC surveys can be done safely with real children if appropriate precautions are taken. CO can introduce moderately large positive biases, and these biases might

  16. School absence and its effect on school performance for children born with orofacial clefts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bell, Jane; Raynes-Greenow, Camille; Turner, Robin; Bower, Carol; Dodson, Alan; Hancock, Kirsten; Nassar, Natasha

    2017-07-17

    School absence is associated with lower performance on standardized tests. Children born with orofacial clefts (OFC) are likely to have more absence than children without OFC; however, school absence for children with OFC has not been quantified. We aimed to describe school absence and its relationship with school performance for children with and without OFC. Population-based record-linked cohort study of children (402 with OFC, 1789 without OFC) enrolled in schools in Western Australia, 2008 to 2012. We compared median school absence rates using Wilcoxon rank tests, and investigated the impact of school absence on standardized scores from reading, numeracy, and writing tests, using multivariable models fitted by generalized estimating equations. In Semester 1, at each primary school year level, children without OFC and children with cleft lip only or cleft palate only had similar median absence rates (approximately 1 week). Children with cleft lip and palate had significantly higher absence rates in Years 4 to 6 (between 1 and 2 weeks). During secondary school, median absence rates were higher (2 weeks) for all children, but not statistically different between children with and without OFC. Higher absence was significantly associated with lower standardized reading, numeracy, and writing scores. However, having a cleft of any type had little influence on the association between absence and test scores. School absence affected school performance for all children. Absence did not differentially disadvantage children born with OFC, suggesting current practices to identify and support children with OFC are minimizing effects of their absence on school performance. Birth Defects Research 109:1048-1056, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  17. Foreign body in children?s airways

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    Cassol Vitor

    2003-01-01

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: To determine the clinical characteristics and the results of bronchoscopic treatment of children due to foreign body aspiration in a university hospital. METHOD: Time series of children who underwent bronchoscopies for foreign bodies aspirated into the airway between March 1993 and July 2002. Each patient was analyzed for age, sex, initial clinical diagnosis, nature and location of the foreign body, duration of symptoms between aspiration and bronchoscopy, radiological findings, results of bronchoscopic removal, complications of bronchoscopy and presence of foreign bodies in the airways. RESULTS: Thirty-four children, 20 (59% boys, ages ranging from nine months to nine years (median = 23 months. In 32 (94% children the foreign body was removed by rigid bronchoscope, and two resulted in thoracotomy. Foreign bodies were more frequent in children under three years of age (66%. A clinical history of foreign body inhalation was obtained in 27 (80% cases. Most of the foreign bodies removed were organic (65% and more frequently found in the right bronchial tree (59%. Foreign bodies were removed within 24 hours in 18 (53% cases. The most frequent radiographic findings were: unilateral air trapping, atelectasis and radiopac foreign body. Major bronchoscopy complications occurred in seven children (22%, and there were no deaths. CONCLUSIONS: More attention is necessary to the respiratory symptoms of aspirations, mainly in boys at early ages, with clinical history and compatible radiological findings. Most foreign bodies removed were of organic nature. In this case series, therapeutic rigid bronchoscopy was effective with few complications.

  18. Academic Performance and Lifestyle Behaviors in Australian School Children: A Cluster Analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dumuid, Dorothea; Olds, Timothy; Martín-Fernández, Josep-Antoni; Lewis, Lucy K; Cassidy, Leah; Maher, Carol

    2017-12-01

    Poor academic performance has been linked with particular lifestyle behaviors, such as unhealthy diet, short sleep duration, high screen time, and low physical activity. However, little is known about how lifestyle behavior patterns (or combinations of behaviors) contribute to children's academic performance. We aimed to compare academic performance across clusters of children with common lifestyle behavior patterns. We clustered participants (Australian children aged 9-11 years, n = 284) into four mutually exclusive groups of distinct lifestyle behavior patterns, using the following lifestyle behaviors as cluster inputs: light, moderate, and vigorous physical activity; sedentary behavior and sleep, derived from 24-hour accelerometry; self-reported screen time and diet. Differences in academic performance (measured by a nationally administered standardized test) were detected across the clusters, with scores being lowest in the Junk Food Screenies cluster (unhealthy diet/high screen time) and highest in the Sitters cluster (high nonscreen sedentary behavior/low physical activity). These findings suggest that reduction in screen time and an improved diet may contribute positively to academic performance. While children with high nonscreen sedentary time performed better academically in this study, they also accumulated low levels of physical activity. This warrants further investigation, given the known physical and mental benefits of physical activity.

  19. [Association between speed and endurance performance with sleep duration in children and adolescents].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, T Q; Dong, B; Zhang, W J; Gao, D S; Dong, Y H; Ma, J; Ma, Y H

    2018-06-18

    To analyze the association between sleep duration and athletic performance, and provide scientific basis to improve the 50 m and endurance performance in children and adolescents. All the 119 462 subjects aged 9-15 years in both genders were sampled from 2014 National Physical Fitness and Health Surveillance by using stratified random cluster sampling method, to measure the height, weight, 50 meters and endurance performance and investigate sleep duration with questionnaire. Their body mass indexes (BMI) were calculated and the students' 50 m, endurance run scores and sleep durations were assessed. Binary Logistic regression was used to analyze the difference between the different sleep groups, and multifactor Logistic regression was used to analyze the relationship between the sleep condition and athletic performance. The prevalence of insufficient sleep was 94.67% in the total subjects, the prevalence was higher among the girls (95.26%)than the boys (94.09%, χ 2 =80.99, Pchildren with sufficient sleep had better performance in 50 m and endurance run scores( χ 2 50 m =10.10, P 50 m <0.01; χ 2 endurance run =21.76, Pchildren with adequate sleep showed better results(OR 50 m =1.14, 95%CI 50 m =1.05-1.23, P 50 m endurance run =1.21, 95%CI endurance run =1.11-1.31, P endurance run endurance run scores in the boys with adequate sleep were higher (Pendurance run excellent rates in the girls of different sleep conditions. The excellent rates of 50 m and endurance run in the urban children and the endurance rate in the rural children and adolescents with adequate sleep were higher than those with insufficient sleep (Psleep groups in rural areas. The 50 m and endurance run excellent rates of the children and adolescents with adequate sleep in each grade were higher than those of the children in the same grade with insufficient sleep (P primary students' endurance performance Children and adolescents with normal BMI and overweight who slept well had better

  20. Protecting the Children: Early Years of the King’s Orphan Schools in Van Diemen’s Land

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lucy Frost

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available In the second decade of the 21st century, the Australian government has encountered a barrage of criticism from people outraged by its treatment of refugees. The Immigration Minister, accused of failing in his obligation to act as guardian of asylum-seeking children, has talked ‘tough’. Nearly two hundred years earlier, when Lieutenant-Governor George Arthur confronted the problems of administering Australia’s second colony, Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania, his approach was radically different. This paper considers how the colony under Arthur struggled with the government’s responsibility to protect vulnerable children in its midst.

  1. Relationship between children's performance-based motor skills and child, parent, and teacher perceptions of children's motor abilities using self/informant-report questionnaires.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lalor, Aislinn; Brown, Ted; Murdolo, Yuki

    2016-04-01

    Occupational therapists often assess the motor skill performance of children referred to them as part of the assessment process. This study investigated whether children's, parents' and teachers' perceptions of children's motor skills using valid and reliable self/informant-report questionnaires were associated with and predictive of children's actual motor performance, as measured by a standardised performance-based motor skill assessment. Fifty-five typically developing children (8-12 years of age), their parents and classroom teachers were recruited to participate in the study. The children completed the Physical Self-Description Questionnaire (PSDQ) and the Self-Perception Profile for Children. The parents completed the Developmental Profile III (DP-III) and the Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire, whereas the teachers completed the Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire and the Teacher's Rating Scale of Child's Actual Behavior. Children's motor performance composite scores were determined using the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, Second Edition (BOT-2). Spearman's rho correlation coefficients were calculated to identify if significant correlations existed and multiple linear regression was used to identify whether self/informant report data were significant predictors of children's motor skill performance. The child self-report scores had the largest number of significant correlations with the BOT-2 composites. Regression analysis found that the parent report DP-III Physical subscale was a significant predictor of the BOT-2 Manual Coordination composite and the child-report questionnaire PSDQ. Endurance subscale was a significant predictor of the BOT-2 Strength and Agility composite. The findings support the use of top-down assessment methods from a variety of sources when evaluating children's motor abilities. © 2016 Occupational Therapy Australia.

  2. Trajectories of Resilience during Dyadic Task Performance among Children Six to Seven Years of Age

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mykkänen, Arttu; Kronqvist, Eeva-Liisa; Järvelä, Sanna

    2013-01-01

    The aim of this study is to analyse resilience displayed by young children in dyadic task performance situations. Data were collected by videotaping children (aged six to seven years; N?=?40) during a geometrical task performance. Results describe ways in which children confronted the challenges during task performance, and the order in which the…

  3. Fabry’s disease in children: analysis of personal observations, treatment possibilities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. N. Semyachkina

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available The article is devoted to the rare disease of the lysosomal storage disease group – Fabry’s disease. The disease is associated with the sphingolipids dysmetabolism, is caused by the accumulation of the globotriosylceramide (Gb3 and othersphingolipidsin the organism tissues and cells; it is characterized by the progression and severity of the course. The diagnostic results of 6 patient children aged from 5 to 17 years are analyzed; 2 boys and 4 girls from 3 families. The hereditary burden with a large number of the disease cases, 16 patients in 3 families including 6 children, comes under notice. All 6 children were diagnosed with Fabry’s disease based on the genealogical analysis as well as biochemical and molecular genetic examination. The activity of α-galactosidase A enzyme in the blood leukocytes was significantly decreased in two boys, insignificantly decreased in two sisters, and was normal in two girls. When performing the molecular genetic analysis, 3 mutations in exon 5 of GLA gene were identified. It has been established that the damages of cardiovascularsystem and nervoussystem, kidneys and visual organ, depression of the perspiratory gland function shall be considered as the first clinical signs of the disease in the children; it seems likely that the angiokeratoma appearance is characteristic only for boys. The presence of the non-specific symptoms and signs of the connective tissue dysplasia is noteworthy. The emphasis is made towards the importance of the early Fabry’s disease diagnosis, as it is essential for the timely (prior to appearance of the clinical symptoms and signs beginning of the pathogenic treatment with the enzyme replacement drug. 

  4. The Influence of Art on children´s art expression in school practice

    OpenAIRE

    VÁŇOVÁ, Jana

    2010-01-01

    Diploma Thesis ?The Influence of Art on Children´s Art Expression in School Practice? Deals with Evaluation of Possibilities Arttherapeutic Elements of Roznov Art Therapy and the Ways of Use Receptive Art Therapy in Art Lessons at Secondary School. There is Described Children´s Art Expression in the Age between 12 and 15 and Possible Impact of Art Form on Shaping Children´s Art Expression. It Evaluates the Importance of Methodical Intervention of Roznov Art Therapy Elements.

  5. Effects of Backpack Carriage on Dual-Task Performance in Children During Standing and Walking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beurskens, Rainer; Muehlbauer, Thomas; Grabow, Lena; Kliegl, Reinhold; Granacher, Urs

    2016-01-01

    Primary school children perform parts of their everyday activities while carrying school supplies and being involved in attention-demanding situations. Twenty-eight children (8-10 years old) performed a 1-legged stance and a 10 m walking test under single- and dual-task situations in unloaded (i.e., no backpack) and loaded conditions (i.e., backpack with 20% of body mass). Results showed that load carriage did not significantly influence children's standing and walking performance (all p > .05), while divided attention affected all proxies of walking (all p attention interactions was detected. The single application of attentional but not load demand negatively affects children's walking performance. A combined application of both did not further deteriorate their gait behavior.

  6. Teachers' Ability and Help Attributions and Children's Math Performance and Task Persistence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tõeväli, Paula-Karoliina; Kikas, Eve

    2016-01-01

    The present longitudinal study examined the reciprocal relationships between teachers' causal attributions and children's math performance and task persistence. In total, 760 elementary school children and their teachers participated in this study. The children were tested in math twice, at the end of the second and third grades. At both time…

  7. Simulation of leakage current measurement on medical devices using helmholtz coil configuration with different current flow

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sutanto, E.; Chandra, F.; Dinata, R.

    2017-05-01

    Leakage current measurement which can follow IEC standard for medical device is one of many challenges to be answered. The IEC 60601-1 has defined that the limit for a leakage current for Medical Device can be as low as 10 µA and as high as 500 µA, depending on which type of contact (applied part) connected to the patient. Most people are using ELCB (Earth-leakage circuit breaker) for safety purpose as this is the most common and available safety device in market. One type of ELCB devices is RCD (Residual Current Device) and this RCD type can measure the leakage current directly. This work will show the possibility on how Helmholtz Coil Configuration can be made to be like the RCD. The possibility is explored by comparing the magnetic field formula from each device, then it proceeds with a simulation using software EJS (Easy Java Simulation). The simulation will make sure the concept of magnetic field current cancellation follows the RCD concept. Finally, the possibility of increasing the measurement’s sensitivity is also analyzed. The sensitivity is needed to see the possibility on reaching the minimum leakage current limit defined by IEC, 0.01mA.

  8. Simulation of leakage current measurement on medical devices using helmholtz coil configuration with different current flow

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sutanto, E; Chandra, F; Dinata, R

    2017-01-01

    Leakage current measurement which can follow IEC standard for medical device is one of many challenges to be answered. The IEC 60601-1 has defined that the limit for a leakage current for Medical Device can be as low as 10 µA and as high as 500 µA, depending on which type of contact (applied part) connected to the patient. Most people are using ELCB (Earth-leakage circuit breaker) for safety purpose as this is the most common and available safety device in market. One type of ELCB devices is RCD (Residual Current Device) and this RCD type can measure the leakage current directly. This work will show the possibility on how Helmholtz Coil Configuration can be made to be like the RCD. The possibility is explored by comparing the magnetic field formula from each device, then it proceeds with a simulation using software EJS (Easy Java Simulation). The simulation will make sure the concept of magnetic field current cancellation follows the RCD concept. Finally, the possibility of increasing the measurement’s sensitivity is also analyzed. The sensitivity is needed to see the possibility on reaching the minimum leakage current limit defined by IEC, 0.01mA. (paper)

  9. COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE OF STUNTED PRE-SCHOOL CHILDREN UNDERGOING NUTRITIONAL RECOVERY TREATMENT.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Silva, Thaíse Morais; Bueno, Nassib Bezerra; Azevedo, Maria de Lourdes da Silva Gomes de; Clemente, Ana Paula Grotti; Florêncio, Telma Maria de Menezes Toledo

    2018-01-01

    To determine if the treatment of stunted children offered at a specialized center influences their cognitive performance. Two groups of children from vulnerable families were selected, one consisting of stunted children being treated at the Nutrition Education and Recovery Center (CREN), and the other group of eutrophic children from a local, public day care center. At CREN, children are treated in a day-hospital system (9 hours/day, 5 days/week), receiving medical, nutritional and psycho-pedagogical support. All children were submitted to the Denver-II Development Screening Test and had their development and the height-for-age index assessed at 3 moments: at the beginning of the follow-up, and after 6 and 12 months. The socioeconomic status, according to the Brazilian Economic Classification Criteria, was assessed at the beginning of the follow-up. Data were treated by prevalence ratios for cross-sectional baseline analysis, using the Poisson regression, and by pooled prevalence ratios for longitudinal analysis, using a generalized equation estimation model, both adjusted by age, sex and economic status. Seventy-four children were included, 37 for each group. There were no differences in age, sex and socioeconomic status between groups. In the longitudinal analysis, the CREN group showed better performance in the personal-social domain (pooled prevalence ratio: 0.89; 95% confidence interval - 95%IC 0.82-0.95), with no differences in the other domains. The treatment offered at CREN satisfactorily improved the social skills of the treated children, without changing other domains.

  10. Reduced anaerobic and aerobic performance in children with primary ciliary dyskinesia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simsek, Senem; Inal-Ince, Deniz; Cakmak, Aslihan; Emiralioglu, Nagehan; Calik-Kutukcu, Ebru; Saglam, Melda; Vardar-Yagli, Naciye; Ozcelik, Hayriye Ugur; Sonbahar-Ulu, Hazal; Bozdemir-Ozel, Cemile; Kiper, Nural; Arikan, Hulya

    2018-05-01

    Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) restricts lifestyle and increases morbidity. The aim of the study was to investigate anaerobic and aerobic performance in children with PCD and their healthy counterparts. Thirty-one children with PCD and 29 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects were studied. Pulmonary function, hand grip strength (HGS), quadriceps strength (QMS), physical activity, anaerobic capacity (muscle power sprint test), and aerobic performance (modified shuttle walk test (MSWT)) were determined. Pulmonary function, HGS, QMS, mean anaerobic power (MAP), and MSWT distance in PCD were significantly lower than those of healthy subjects (p aerobic performance is impaired in PCD from the early stages. Age determines anaerobic performance. Gender is the determinant of aerobic performance. Whether skeletal muscle characteristics and sex-related changes in body composition affect anaerobic and aerobic capacity in PCD children warrants further study. What is Known: • Exercise performance is determined by anaerobic and aerobic power. • Few studies have shown that PCD patients have lower aerobic performance which is associated with impaired lung function. What is New: • The present research indicated that both anaerobic and aerobic exercise capacity determined using field testing is impaired in PCD from the early stages. • Anaerobic capacity was found to be independently associated with age in PCD. Higher aerobic performance is independently associated with male gender.

  11. Blended Approach to Occupational Performance (BAOP: Guidelines Enabling Children with Autism

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jordan M. Skowronski

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The performance of daily activities is impacted by motor impairments in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD. Research has recently demonstrated the prevalence and specificity of motor impairments in people with ASD. The motor learning of individuals with ASD is partially intact, and evidence suggests that a method to alter skill learning and repeated practice of motor sequences might be beneficial. Aiming to use this knowledge to guide occupational therapy interventions, initial guidelines for children with ASD blended Cognitive Orientation to daily Occupational Performance (CO-OP with virtual reality (VR were created. An expert panel reviewed the initial guidelines. The results from the semi-structured expert panel discussion were to (a increase the number of sessions, (b provide more visuals to children, and (c use VR as a reinforcer. Guidelines were revised accordingly. The revised guidelines, called Blended Approach to Occupational Performance (BAOP, are ready for further testing.

  12. The Apples of Academic Performance: Associations Between Dietary Patterns and Academic Performance in Australian Children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pearce, Karma; Golley, Rebecca; Lewis, Lucy; Cassidy, Leah; Olds, Timothy; Maher, Carol

    2018-06-01

    The purpose of this study was to determine whether there was an association between dietary patterns and children's academic performance. This cross-sectional study involved 315 children aged 9-11 years from 26 schools in Australia. Academic performance was measured in 4 domains (reading, writing, numeracy, and language-subdomains: spelling, grammarm and punctuation) using the National Assessment Program in Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN). A self-reported child questionnaire collected dietary intake data. "Core" (healthy) and "noncore" (unhealthy) dietary patterns were derived using principal components analysis. The noncore pattern was associated with lower NAPLAN scores across all academic domains (mean: -12.6, 95% CI: -18.7 to -6.4, r 2 = .073, p Academic performance was deleteriously associated with a nutrient-poor, energy-dense diet, yet not associated with a nutritious diet. © 2018, American School Health Association.

  13. The Effects of Maximal Intensity Exercise on Cognitive Performance in Children

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    Samuel Roy David

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available High intensity physical exercise has previously been found to lead to a decline in cognitive performance of adults. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of maximal intensity exercise on cognitive performance of children. Using a repeated-measures design, 20 children and adolescents aged 8-17 years completed a battery of tests measuring memory and attention. Forward and Backward Digit Span tests, the Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT and the Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST were performed at baseline, immediately after, and one hour after a maximal cardiopulmonary exercise test. Forward and Backward Digit Span scores significantly improved post-recovery compared with baseline measurements. There was a significant decrease in RAVLT scores post-exercise, which returned to baseline values after recovery. The DSST test scores were mildly elevated from post-exercise to after recovery. Maximal intensity exercise in children and adolescents may result in both beneficial and detrimental cognitive effects, including transient impairment in verbal learning. Cognitive functions applying short term memory improve following a recovery period. Parents, educators and coaches should consider these changes in memory and attention following high-intensity exercise activities in children.

  14. Narrative performance of gifted African American school-aged children from low-income backgrounds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mills, Monique T

    2015-02-01

    This study investigated classroom differences in the narrative performance of school-age African American English (AAE)-speaking children in gifted and general education classrooms. Forty-three children, Grades 2-5, each generated fictional narratives in response to the book Frog, Where Are You? (Mayer, 1969). Differences in performance on traditional narrative measures (total number of communication units [C-units], number of different words, and mean length of utterance in words) and on AAE production (dialect density measure) between children in gifted and general education classrooms were examined. There were no classroom-based differences in total number of C-units, number of different words, and mean length of utterance in words. Children in gifted education classrooms produced narratives with lower dialect density than did children in general educated classrooms. Direct logistic regression assessed whether narrative dialect density measure scores offered additional information about giftedness beyond scores on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Fourth Edition (Dunn & Dunn, 2007), a standard measure of language ability. Results indicated that a model with only Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Fourth Edition scores best discriminated children in the 2 classrooms. African American children across gifted and general education classrooms produce fictional narratives of similar length, lexical diversity, and syntax complexity. However, African American children in gifted education classrooms may produce lower rates of AAE and perform better on standard measures of vocabulary than those in general education classrooms.

  15. Teeth grinding, oral motor performance and maximal bite force in cerebral palsy children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Botti Rodrigues Santos, Maria Teresa; Duarte Ferreira, Maria Cristina; de Oliveira Guaré, Renata; Guimarães, Antonio Sergio; Lira Ortega, Adriana

    2015-01-01

    Identify whether the degree of oral motor performance is related to the presence of teeth grinding and maximal bite force values in children with spastic cerebral palsy. Ninety-five spastic cerebral palsy children with and without teeth grinding, according to caregivers' reports, were submitted to a comprehensive oral motor performance evaluation during the feeding process using the Oral Motor Assessment Scale. Maximal bite force was measured using an electronic gnathodynamometer. The teeth grinding group (n = 42) was younger, used anticonvulsant drugs, and was more frequently classified within the subfunctional oral motor performance category. Teeth grinding subfunctional spastic cerebral palsy children presented lower values of maximal bite force. The functional groups showing the presence or absence of teeth grinding presented higher values of maximal bite force compared with the subfunctional groups. In spastic cerebral palsy children, teeth grinding is associated with the worse oral motor performance. © 2015 Special Care Dentistry Association and Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  16. Functional performance of school children diagnosed with developmental delay up to two years of age

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dornelas, Lílian de Fátima; Magalhães, Lívia de Castro

    2016-01-01

    Abstract Objective: To compare the functional performance of students diagnosed with developmental delay (DD) up to two years of age with peers exhibiting typical development. Methods: Cross-sectional study with functional performance assessment of children diagnosed with DD up to two years of age compared to those with typical development at seven to eight years of age. Each group consisted of 45 children, selected by non-random sampling, evaluated for motor skills, quality of home environment, school participation and performance. ANOVA and the Binomial test for two proportions were used to assess differences between groups. Results: The group with DD had lower motor skills when compared to the typical group. While 66.7% of children in the typical group showed adequate school participation, receiving aid in cognitive and behavioral tasks similar to that offered to other children at the same level, only 22.2% of children with DD showed the same performance. Although 53.3% of the children with DD achieved an academic performance expected for the school level, there were limitations in some activities. Only two indicators of family environment, diversity and activities with parents at home, showed statistically significant difference between the groups, with advantage being shown for the typical group. Conclusions: Children with DD have persistent difficulties at school age, with motor deficit, restrictions in school activity performance and low participation in the school context, as well as significantly lower functional performance when compared to children without DD. A systematic monitoring of this population is recommended to identify needs and minimize future problems. PMID:26553573

  17. Functional performance of school children diagnosed with developmental delay up to two years of age

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lílian de Fátima Dornelas

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Objective: To compare the functional performance of students diagnosed with developmental delay (DD up to two years of age with peers exhibiting typical development. Methods: Cross-sectional study with functional performance assessment of children diagnosed with DD up to two years of age compared to those with typical development at seven to eight years of age. Each group consisted of 45 children, selected by non-random sampling, evaluated for motor skills, quality of home environment, school participation and performance. ANOVA and the Binomial test for two proportions were used to assess differences between groups. Results: The group with DD had lower motor skills when compared to the typical group. While 66.7% of children in the typical group showed adequate school participation, receiving aid in cognitive and behavioral tasks similar to that offered to other children at the same level, only 22.2% of children with DD showed the same performance. Although 53.3% of the children with DD achieved an academic performance expected for the school level, there were limitations in some activities. Only two indicators of family environment, diversity and activities with parents at home, showed statistically significant difference between the groups, with advantage being shown for the typical group. Conclusions: Children with DD have persistent difficulties at school age, with motor deficit, restrictions in school activity performance and low participation in the school context, as well as significantly lower functional performance when compared to children without DD. A systematic monitoring of this population is recommended to identify needs and minimize future problems.

  18. Physical Fitness and Academic Performance in Primary School Children with and without a Social Disadvantage

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Greeff, J. W.; Hartman, E.; Mullender-Wijnsma, M. J.; Bosker, R. J.; Doolaard, S.; Visscher, C.

    2014-01-01

    This study examined the differences between children with a low socioeconomic status [socially disadvantaged children (SDC)] and children without this disadvantage (non-SDC) on physical fitness and academic performance. In addition, this study determined the association between physical fitness and academic performance, and investigated the…

  19. Children with minimal sensorineural hearing loss: prevalence, educational performance, and functional status.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bess, F H; Dodd-Murphy, J; Parker, R A

    1998-10-01

    This study was designed to determine the prevalence of minimal sensorineural hearing loss (MSHL) in school-age children and to assess the relationship of MSHL to educational performance and functional status. To determine prevalence, a single-staged sampling frame of all schools in the district was created for 3rd, 6th, and 9th grades. Schools were selected with probability proportional to size in each grade group. The final study sample was 1218 children. To assess the association of MSHL with educational performance, children identified with MSHL were assigned as cases into a subsequent case-control study. Scores of the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills (4th Edition) (CTBS/4) then were compared between children with MSHL and children with normal hearing. School teachers completed the Screening Instrument for Targeting Education Risk (SIFTER) and the Revised Behavior Problem Checklist for a subsample of children with MSHL and their normally hearing counterparts. Finally, data on grade retention for a sample of children with MSHL were obtained from school records and compared with school district norm data. To assess the relationship between MSHL and functional status, test scores of all children with MSHL and all children with normal hearing in grades 6 and 9 were compared on the COOP Adolescent Chart Method (COOP), a screening tool for functional status. MSHL was exhibited by 5.4% of the study sample. The prevalence of all types of hearing impairment was 11.3%. Third grade children with MSHL exhibited significantly lower scores than normally hearing controls on a series of subtests of the CTBS/4; however, no differences were noted at the 6th and 9th grade levels. The SIFTER results revealed that children with MSHL scored poorer on the communication subtest than normal-hearing controls. Thirty-seven percent of the children with MSHL failed at least one grade. Finally, children with MSHL exhibited significantly greater dysfunction than children with normal hearing

  20. Once Upon a Time: How Jewish Children's Stories Impact Moral Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deitcher, Howard

    2013-01-01

    Research studies demonstrate the efficacy of the story-sharing experience on children's moral development. This article explores how the triadic relationship between a Jewish children's story, the child, and the parent storyteller can impact the youngster's moral growth. Using examples from two leading projects in Jewish…

  1. Individual Differences Influencing Immediate Effects of Internal and External Focus Instructions on Children's Motor Performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Abswoude, Femke; Nuijen, Nienke B; van der Kamp, John; Steenbergen, Bert

    2018-06-01

    A large pool of evidence supports the beneficial effect of an external focus of attention on motor skill performance in adults. In children, this effect has been studied less and results are inconclusive. Importantly, individual differences are often not taken into account. We investigated the role of working memory, conscious motor control, and task-specific focus preferences on performance with an internal and external focus of attention in children. Twenty-five children practiced a golf putting task in both an internal focus condition and external focus condition. Performance was defined as the average distance toward the hole in 3 blocks of 10 trials. Task-specific focus preference was determined by asking how much effort it took to apply the instruction in each condition. In addition, working memory capacity and conscious motor control were assessed. Children improved performance in both the internal focus condition and external focus condition (ŋ p 2  = .47), with no difference between conditions (ŋ p 2  = .01). Task-specific focus preference was the only factor moderately related to the difference between performance with an internal focus and performance with an external focus (r = .56), indicating better performance for the preferred instruction in Block 3. Children can benefit from instruction with both an internal and external focus of attention to improve short-term motor performance. Individual, task-specific focus preference influenced the effect of the instructions, with children performing better with their preferred focus. The results highlight that individual differences are a key factor in the effectiveness in children's motor performance. The precise mechanisms underpinning this effect warrant further research.

  2. On the Relations between Parents' Ideals and Children's Autonomy

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Ruyter, Doret J.; Schinkel, Anders

    2013-01-01

    In this article Doret J. de Ruyter and Anders Schinkel argue that parents' ideals can enhance children's autonomy, but that they may also have a detrimental effect on the development of children's autonomy. After describing the concept of "ideals" and elucidating a systems theoretical conception of autonomy, de Ruyter and…

  3. The fear in Clarice Lispector’s children

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carolina Prospero

    2008-12-01

    Full Text Available In this work, we seek to investigate the theme of fear in Clarice Lispector’s short stories which include children as main characters. Fear is present in many of the author’s narratives, taking on a distinctive role in the development of her stories. Regarding childhood, it appears as a response to the prematurity of the discoveries the author imposes on her characters. Comparing Lispector’s texts to some of the most famous short stories in horror literature – such as Edgar Allan Poe’s William Wilson and The Black Cat – we hope to clarify the elements that bring the author closer and further from this literary genre, investigating her role in this tradition.

  4. Assimilation and emerging health disparities among new generations of U.S. children

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Erin Hamilton

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available This article shows that the prevalence of four common child health conditions increases across generations (from first-generation immigrant children to second-generation U.S.-born children of immigrants to third-and-higher-generation children within each of four major U.S. racial/ethnic groups. In the third-plus generation, black and Hispanic children have higher rates of nearly all conditions. Health care, socioeconomic status, parents' health, social support, and neighborhood conditions influence child health and help explain third-and-higher-generation racial/ethnic disparities. However, these factors do not explain the generational pattern. The generational pattern may reflect cohort changes, selective ethnic attrition, unhealthy assimilation, or changing responses to survey questions among immigrant groups.

  5. Cognitive factors contributing to spelling performance in children with prenatal alcohol exposure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Glass, Leila; Graham, Diana M; Akshoomoff, Natacha; Mattson, Sarah N

    2015-11-01

    Heavy prenatal alcohol exposure is associated with impaired school functioning. Spelling performance has not been comprehensively evaluated. We examined whether children with heavy prenatal alcohol exposure demonstrate deficits in spelling and related abilities, including reading, and tested whether there are unique underlying mechanisms for observed deficits in this population. Ninety-six school-age children made up 2 groups: children with heavy prenatal alcohol exposure (AE, n = 49) and control children (CON, n = 47). Children completed select subtests from the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test-Second Edition and the NEPSY-II. Group differences and relations between spelling and theoretically related cognitive variables were evaluated using multivariate analysis of variance and Pearson correlations. Hierarchical regression analyses were used to assess contributions of group membership and cognitive variables to spelling performance. The specificity of these deficits and underlying mechanisms was tested by examining the relations between reading ability, group membership, and cognitive variables. Groups differed significantly on all variables. Group membership and phonological processing significantly contributed to spelling performance, whereas for reading, group membership and all cognitive variables contributed significantly. For both reading and spelling, group × working memory interactions revealed that working memory contributed independently only for alcohol-exposed children. Alcohol-exposed children demonstrated a unique pattern of spelling deficits. The relation of working memory to spelling and reading was specific to the AE group, suggesting that if prenatal alcohol exposure is known or suspected, working memory ability should be considered in the development and implementation of explicit instruction. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

  6. [Functional performance of school children diagnosed with developmental delay up to two years of age].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dornelas, Lílian de Fátima; Magalhães, Lívia de Castro

    2016-01-01

    To compare the functional performance of students diagnosed with developmental delay (DD) up to two years of age with peers exhibiting typical development. Cross-sectional study with functional performance assessment of children diagnosed with DD up to two years of age compared to those with typical development at seven to eight years of age. Each group consisted of 45 children, selected by non-random sampling, evaluated for motor skills, quality of home environment, school participation and performance. ANOVA and the Binomial test for two proportions were used to assess differences between groups. The group with DD had lower motor skills when compared to the typical group. While 66.7% of children in the typical group showed adequate school participation, receiving aid in cognitive and behavioral tasks similar to that offered to other children at the same level, only 22.2% of children with DD showed the same performance. Although 53.3% of the children with DD achieved an academic performance expected for the school level, there were limitations in some activities. Only two indicators of family environment, diversity and activities with parents at home, showed statistically significant difference between the groups, with advantage being shown for the typical group. Children with DD have persistent difficulties at school age, with motor deficit, restrictions in school activity performance and low participation in the school context, as well as significantly lower functional performance when compared to children without DD. A systematic monitoring of this population is recommended to identify needs and minimize future problems. Copyright © 2015 Sociedade de Pediatria de São Paulo. Publicado por Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

  7. Protecting Sudan’s children

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Julia Freedson

    2007-07-01

    Full Text Available The protection and well-being of children in Sudan are at a crucial juncture. While children in the South are enjoying improved security and access to services, those in Darfur continue to face appalling levels of violence and denial of basic services. Protection of children must be at the forefront of efforts to bring peace and stability to Sudan.

  8. Keeping the Spirits Up: The Effect of Teachers’ and Parents’ Emotional Support on Children’s Working Memory Performance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vandenbroucke, Loren; Spilt, Jantine; Verschueren, Karine; Baeyens, Dieter

    2017-01-01

    Working memory, used to temporarily store and mentally manipulate information, is important for children’s learning. It is therefore valuable to understand which (contextual) factors promote or hinder working memory performance. Recent research shows positive associations between positive parent–child and teacher–student interactions and working memory performance and development. However, no study has yet experimentally investigated how parents and teachers affect working memory performance. Based on attachment theory, the current study investigated the role of parent and teacher emotional support in promoting working memory performance by buffering the negative effect of social stress. Questionnaires and an experimental session were completed by 170 children from grade 1 to 2 (Mage = 7 years 6 months, SD = 7 months). Questionnaires were used to assess children’s perceptions of the teacher–student and parent–child relationship. During an experimental session, working memory was measured with the Corsi task backward (Milner, 1971) in a pre- and post-test design. In-between the tests stress was induced in the children using the Cyberball paradigm (Williams et al., 2000). Emotional support was manipulated (between-subjects) through an audio message (either a weather report, a supportive message of a stranger, a supportive message of a parent, or a supportive message of a teacher). Results of repeated measures ANOVA showed no clear effect of the stress induction. Nevertheless, an effect of parent and teacher support was found and depended on the quality of the parent–child relationship. When children had a positive relationship with their parent, support of parents and teachers had little effect on working memory performance. When children had a negative relationship with their parent, a supportive message of that parent decreased working memory performance, while a supportive message from the teacher increased performance. In sum, the current study

  9. Narrative Performance of Gifted African American School-Aged Children From Low-Income Backgrounds

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-01-01

    Purpose This study investigated classroom differences in the narrative performance of school-age African American English (AAE)-speaking children in gifted and general education classrooms. Method Forty-three children, Grades 2–5, each generated fictional narratives in response to the book Frog, Where Are You? (Mayer, 1969). Differences in performance on traditional narrative measures (total number of communication units [C-units], number of different words, and mean length of utterance in words) and on AAE production (dialect density measure) between children in gifted and general education classrooms were examined. Results There were no classroom-based differences in total number of C-units, number of different words, and mean length of utterance in words. Children in gifted education classrooms produced narratives with lower dialect density than did children in general educated classrooms. Direct logistic regression assessed whether narrative dialect density measure scores offered additional information about giftedness beyond scores on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test–Fourth Edition (Dunn & Dunn, 2007), a standard measure of language ability. Results indicated that a model with only Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test–Fourth Edition scores best discriminated children in the 2 classrooms. Conclusion African American children across gifted and general education classrooms produce fictional narratives of similar length, lexical diversity, and syntax complexity. However, African American children in gifted education classrooms may produce lower rates of AAE and perform better on standard measures of vocabulary than those in general education classrooms. PMID:25409770

  10. The impact of oral health on the academic performance of disadvantaged children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seirawan, Hazem; Faust, Sharon; Mulligan, Roseann

    2012-09-01

    We measured the impact of dental diseases on the academic performance of disadvantaged children by sociodemographic characteristics and access to care determinants We performed clinical dental examinations on 1495 disadvantaged elementary and high school students from Los Angeles County public schools. We matched data with academic achievement and attendance data provided by the school district and linked these to the child's social determinants of oral health and the impact of oral health on the child's school and the parents' school or work absences. Students with toothaches were almost 4 times more likely to have a low grade point average. About 11% of students with inaccessible needed dental care missed school compared with 4% of those with access. Per 100 elementary and high school-aged children, 58 and 80 school hours, respectively, are missed annually. Parents averaged 2.5 absent days from work or school per year because of their children's dental problems. Oral health affects students' academic performance. Studies are needed that unbundle the clinical, socioeconomic, and cultural challenges associated with this epidemic of dental disease in children.

  11. Caffeine effects on learning, performance, and anxiety in normal school-age children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bernstein, G A; Carroll, M E; Crosby, R D; Perwien, A R; Go, F S; Benowitz, N L

    1994-01-01

    The purpose of this investigation was to study the acute effects of caffeine on learning, performance, and anxiety in normal prepubertal children. Twenty-one children were evaluated in a double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover design. Subjects were studied during four sessions, 1 week apart, under the following conditions: baseline, placebo, 2.5 mg/kg caffeine, and 5.0 mg/kg caffeine. Subjects were randomized to order of placebo and the two dosages of caffeine. Dependent measures included tests of attention, manual dexterity, short-term memory, and processing speed. Anxiety rating scales were also administered. Saliva samples were analyzed for caffeine levels. Caffeine improved performance on two of four measures of the Test of Variables of Attention and on a test of manual dexterity in the dominant hand. There was a trend toward increased current level of self-reported anxiety after caffeine on a visual analogue measure of anxiety. Children reported feeling significantly less "sluggish" after caffeine ingestion than after placebo ingestion. In a small sample size, there was indication that caffeine enhanced performance on a test of attention and on a motor task. Children also reported feeling less "sluggish" but somewhat more anxious. Because caffeine is so widely available and frequently consumed by children, these results are important and need replication.

  12. Gross Motor Performance and Physical Fitness in Children with Psychiatric Disorders

    Science.gov (United States)

    Emck, Claudia; Bosscher, Ruud J.; van Wieringen, Piet C. W.; Doreleijers, Theo; Beek, Peter J.

    2011-01-01

    Aim: Gross motor performance appears to be impaired in children with psychiatric disorders but little is known about which skill domains are affected in each disorder, nor about possible accompanying deficits in physical fitness. The present study has sought to provide information about these issues in children with emotional, behavioural, and…

  13. Impact of extrinsic factors on fine motor performance of children attending day care

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carolina Corsi

    Full Text Available Abstract Objective: To assess the impact of extrinsic factors on fine motor performance of children aged 2-years old. Methods: 73 children attending public and 21 private day care centers were assessed. Day care environment was evaluated using the Infant/Toddler Environment Rating Scale-Revised Edition (ITERS-R, fine motor performance was assessed through the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development-III (BSITD-III, socioeconomic data, maternal education and time of start at the day care were collected through interviews. Spearman's correlation coefficient was calculated to assess the association between the studied variables. Results: The time at the day care was positively correlated with the children's performance in some fine motor tasks of the BSITD-III, showing that the activities developed in day care centers were important for the refinement of specific motor skills, while the overall fine motor performance by the scale was associated with maternal education and the ITERS-R scale sub-item “language and understanding”. Conclusions: Extrinsic factors such as higher maternal education and quality of day care centers are associated with fine motor performance in children attending day care.

  14. Impact of extrinsic factors on fine motor performance of children attending day care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Corsi, Carolina; Santos, Mariana Martins Dos; Marques, Luísa de Andrade Perez; Rocha, Nelci Adriana Cicuto Ferreira

    2016-12-01

    To assess the impact of extrinsic factors on fine motor performance of children aged two years old. 73 children attending public and 21 private day care centers were assessed. Day care environment was evaluated using the Infant/Toddler Environment Rating Scale - Revised Edition (ITERS-R), fine motor performance was assessed through the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development - III (BSITD-III), socioeconomic data, maternal education and time of start at the day care were collected through interviews. Spearman's correlation coefficient was calculated to assess the association between the studied variables. The time at the day care was positively correlated with the children's performance in some fine motor tasks of the BSITD-III, showing that the activities developed in day care centers were important for the refinement of specific motor skills, while the overall fine motor performance by the scale was associated with maternal education and the ITERS-R scale sub-item "language and understanding". Extrinsic factors such as higher maternal education and quality of day care centers are associated with fine motor performance in children attending day care. Copyright © 2016 Sociedade de Pediatria de São Paulo. Publicado por Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

  15. Children's Ability to Answer Different Types of Questions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salomo, Dorothe; Lieven, Elena; Tomasello, Michael

    2013-01-01

    Young children answer many questions every day. The extent to which they do this in an adult-like way -- following Grice's Maxim of Quantity by providing the requested information, no more no less -- has been studied very little. In an experiment, we found that two-, three- and four-year-old children are quite skilled at answering…

  16. Iraq’s children pay the price of war

    OpenAIRE

    Leila Billing

    2007-01-01

    Iraq’s ruinous wars, crippling sanctions and ongoing violence have had a devastating effect on children. Shootings and bombings have killed, injured and orphaned thousands but the biggest killer is illness transmitted through unclean water and exacerbated by under-nutrition.

  17. Autistic traits and neuropsychological performance in 6- to-10-year-old children: a population-based study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hyseni, Fjola; Blanken, Laura M E; Muetzel, Ryan; Verhulst, Frank C; Tiemeier, Henning; White, Tonya

    2018-04-23

    Clinical studies of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) provide evidence for poorer neuropsychological performance within specific domains compared to age, gender, and sometimes IQ-matched controls. Since recent evidence suggests that autistic symptoms form a spectrum that extends into the general population, it was our goal to evaluate the nature of the relationship between autistic traits and neuropsychological performance across the continuum in the general population. We examined neuropsychological performance across five different domains in 1019 6-to-10-year-old children participating in a population-based study of child development. Autistic traits were assessed when the children were 6 years of age using the Social Responsiveness Scale and ASD diagnoses were obtained via medical records. Neuropsychological functioning was measured using the NEPSY-II-NL and included the domains of attention and executive function, memory and learning, sensorimotor functioning, language, and visuospatial functioning. We found that children with higher autistic traits showed significantly lower neuropsychological performance in all domains investigated and that this association remained even after excluding children with the highest autistic traits or confirmed ASD. When comparing 41 children with confirmed ASD diagnosis to typically developing controls, children with ASD showed significantly lower neuropsychological performance across all domains. Taken together, our results suggest that children with both ASD and subclinical autistic traits have lower neuropsychological performance. Thus, this may provide an understanding of why some children without an ASD diagnosis may require some additional assistance within academic settings.

  18. Appearances Are Deceiving: Observing the World as It Looks and How It Really Is—Theory of Mind Performances Investigated in 3-, 4-, and 5-Year-Old Children

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lucia Bigozzi

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Appearance-reality (AR distinction understanding in preschoolers is worth of further consideration. This also goes for its relationship with false-belief (FB understanding. This study helped fill these gaps by assessing 3-, 4-, and 5-year-old children’s performances on an appearance-reality distinction task and by investigating relationships with unexpected location, deceptive content, and deception comprehension task performances. 91 preschoolers participated in this study divided into 3 groups: (1 37 children, M-age 3.4 years; (2 23 children, M-age 4.5 years; (3 31 children, M-age 5.4 years. A developmental trend was found where appearance-reality distinction understanding was significantly influenced by age. If wrong answers were particularly high by 3-year-old children, they greatly decreased by 4- and 5-year-old children. 3-year-old children also tended to fail in FB tasks; instead 4- and 5-year-old children performed AR tasks better than FB tasks. Theoretical and practical implications were discussed.

  19. The Influence of Immigrant Parent Legal Status on U.S.-Born Children's Academic Abilities: The Moderating Effects of Social Service Use

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brabeck, Kalina M.; Sibley, Erin; Taubin, Patricia; Murcia, Angela

    2016-01-01

    The present study investigated the relationship between immigrant parent legal status and academic performance among U.S.-born children, ages 7-10. Building on previous research and a social ecological framework, the study further explored how social service use moderates the relationship between parent legal status and academic performance.…

  20. Efficiency of Traumeel S Application in Combined Therapy of Acute Sinusitis in Children

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    O.I. Smiian

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available The article presents the results of researches on the effect of combination bioregulatory drug Traumeel S, manufactured by Biologische Heilmittel Heel GmbH, on the clinical efficacy of treatment for acute sinusitis in children on the background of basic therapy. Evaluation of treatment efficacy was performed by determining the integrated hematological indices, calculated on the basis of indicators of clinical blood tests and markers of inflammation (total protein and its fractions, C-reactive protein. The inclusion of Traumeel S into the treatment regimens in patients with acute sinusitis showed significantly more rapid decline in leukocyte index of intoxication, and the completion of inflammation. This medicine is effective and well tolerated by patients.

  1. Sleep, School Performance, and a School-Based Intervention among School-Aged Children: A Sleep Series Study in China

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Shenghui; Arguelles, Lester; Jiang, Fan; Chen, Wenjuan; Jin, Xingming; Yan, Chonghuai; Tian, Ying; Hong, Xiumei; Qian, Ceng; Zhang, Jun; Wang, Xiaobin; Shen, Xiaoming

    2013-01-01

    Background Sufficient sleep during childhood is essential to ensure a transition into a healthy adulthood. However, chronic sleep loss continues to increase worldwide. In this context, it is imperative to make sleep a high-priority and take action to promote sleep health among children. The present series of studies aimed to shed light on sleep patterns, on the longitudinal association of sleep with school performance, and on practical intervention strategy for Chinese school-aged children. Methods and Findings A serial sleep researches, including a national cross-sectional survey, a prospective cohort study, and a school-based sleep intervention, were conducted in China from November 2005 through December 2009. The national cross-sectional survey was conducted in 8 cities and a random sample of 20,778 children aged 9.0±1.61 years participated in the survey. The five-year prospective cohort study included 612 children aged 6.8±0.31 years. The comparative cross-sectional study (baseline: n = 525, aged 10.80±0.41; post-intervention follow-up: n = 553, aged 10.81±0.33) was undertaken in 6 primary schools in Shanghai. A battery of parent and teacher reported questionnaires were used to collect information on children’s sleep behaviors, school performance, and sociodemographic characteristics. The mean sleep duration was 9.35±0.77 hours. The prevalence of daytime sleepiness was 64.4% (sometimes: 37.50%; frequently: 26.94%). Daytime sleepiness was significantly associated with impaired attention, learning motivation, and particularly, academic achievement. By contrast, short sleep duration only related to impaired academic achievement. After delaying school start time 30 minutes and 60 minutes, respectively, sleep duration correspondingly increased by 15.6 minutes and 22.8 minutes, respectively. Moreover, intervention significantly improved the sleep duration and daytime sleepiness. Conclusions Insufficient sleep and daytime sleepiness commonly existed and

  2. Learning trajectories for speech motor performance in children with specific language impairment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Richtsmeier, Peter T; Goffman, Lisa

    2015-01-01

    Children with specific language impairment (SLI) often perform below expected levels, including on tests of motor skill and in learning tasks, particularly procedural learning. In this experiment we examined the possibility that children with SLI might also have a motor learning deficit. Twelve children with SLI and thirteen children with typical development (TD) produced complex nonwords in an imitation task. Productions were collected across three blocks, with the first and second blocks on the same day and the third block one week later. Children's lip movements while producing the nonwords were recorded using an Optotrak camera system. Movements were then analyzed for production duration and stability. Movement analyses indicated that both groups of children produced shorter productions in later blocks (corroborated by an acoustic analysis), and the rate of change was comparable for the TD and SLI groups. A nonsignificant trend for more stable productions was also observed in both groups. SLI is regularly accompanied by a motor deficit, and this study does not dispute that. However, children with SLI learned to make more efficient productions at a rate similar to their peers with TD, revealing some modification of the motor deficit associated with SLI. The reader will learn about deficits commonly associated with specific language impairment (SLI) that often occur alongside the hallmark language deficit. The authors present an experiment showing that children with SLI improved speech motor performance at a similar rate compared to typically developing children. The implication is that speech motor learning is not impaired in children with SLI. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Perceptions of children: low academic performance, school and family

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gabriela Maffei Moreira-Malagolli

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Seizing children's perceptions is a challenge for family members, teachers and researchers. Aware of this, this article was the result of three researches developed in the years 2006 and 2010 and aims to appropriate discourses of children / students of the 4th grade / 5th year of Elementary School to understand how they conceived and experienced situations of low performance School. From the Bioecological Perspective of Human Development, semi-structured interviews with children were organized. The results showed that the children who participated in the three studies understood the family as a point of support, support and affection. They recognized the figure of the teacher, highlighting the affective relationship they had with her. In addition, they also revealed feeling guilty about their learning difficulties, expressing anguish and sadness. Attention must be paid to the child's educational trajectory in order to prevent the child from reaching the 5th grade with lags or even to acquire the idea that the course of schooling is painful.

  4. Working memory and fine motor skills predict early numeracy performance of children with cerebral palsy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van Rooijen, Maaike; Verhoeven, Ludo; Steenbergen, Bert

    2016-01-01

    Early numeracy is an important precursor for arithmetic performance, academic proficiency, and work success. Besides their apparent motor difficulties, children with cerebral palsy (CP) often show additional cognitive disturbances. In this study, we examine whether working memory, non-verbal intelligence, linguistic skills, counting and fine motor skills are positively related to the early numeracy performance of 6-year-old children with CP. A total of 56 children (M = 6.0, SD = 0.61, 37 boys) from Dutch special education schools participated in this cross-sectional study. Of the total group, 81% of the children have the spastic type of CP (33% unilateral and 66% bilateral), 9% have been diagnosed as having diskinetic CP, 8% have been diagnosed as having spastic and diskinetic CP and 2% have been diagnosed as having a combination of diskinetic and atactic CP. The children completed standardized tests assessing early numeracy performance, working memory, non-verbal intelligence, sentence understanding and fine motor skills. In addition, an experimental task was administered to examine their basic counting performance. Structural equation modeling showed that working memory and fine motor skills were significantly related to the early numeracy performance of the children (β = .79 and p working memory and early numeracy (β = .57, p working memory for early numeracy performance in children with CP and they warrant further research into the efficacy of intervention programs aimed at working memory training.

  5. Motor-Enriched Learning Activities Can Improve Mathematical Performance in Preadolescent Children

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beck, Mikkel M.; Lind, Rune R.; Geertsen, Svend S.; Ritz, Christian; Lundbye-Jensen, Jesper; Wienecke, Jacob

    2016-01-01

    Objective: An emerging field of research indicates that physical activity can benefit cognitive functions and academic achievements in children. However, less is known about how academic achievements can benefit from specific types of motor activities (e.g., fine and gross) integrated into learning activities. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate whether fine or gross motor activity integrated into math lessons (i.e., motor-enrichment) could improve children's mathematical performance. Methods: A 6-week within school cluster-randomized intervention study investigated the effects of motor-enriched mathematical teaching in Danish preadolescent children (n = 165, age = 7.5 ± 0.02 years). Three groups were included: a control group (CON), which received non-motor enriched conventional mathematical teaching, a fine motor math group (FMM) and a gross motor math group (GMM), which received mathematical teaching enriched with fine and gross motor activity, respectively. The children were tested before (T0), immediately after (T1) and 8 weeks after the intervention (T2). A standardized mathematical test (50 tasks) was used to evaluate mathematical performance. Furthermore, it was investigated whether motor-enriched math was accompanied by different effects in low and normal math performers. Additionally, the study investigated the potential contribution of cognitive functions and motor skills on mathematical performance. Results: All groups improved their mathematical performance from T0 to T1. However, from T0 to T1, the improvement was significantly greater in GMM compared to FMM (1.87 ± 0.71 correct answers) (p = 0.02). At T2 no significant differences in mathematical performance were observed. A subgroup analysis revealed that normal math-performers benefitted from GMM compared to both CON 1.78 ± 0.73 correct answers (p = 0.04) and FMM 2.14 ± 0.72 correct answers (p = 0.008). These effects were not observed in low math-performers. The effects were partly

  6. Reference values for venous and capillary S100B in children

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Astrand, Ramona; Romner, Bertil; Lanke, Jan

    2011-01-01

    The current management guidelines for pediatric mild head injury (MHI) liberally recommend computed tomography (CT) and frequent admission. Serum protein S100B, currently used in management of adult head injury, has recently shown potential for reducing unnecessary CT scans after pediatric mild h...... head injury. Capillary sampling in children is commonly used when venous sampling fails or is inappropriate. We present reference values for both venous and capillary samples of protein S100B in children....

  7. An additional ultrasonographic sign of Hashimoto’s lymphocytic thyroiditis in children

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wojciech Kosiak

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available We present an additional sonographic sign of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HLT, increasing the specifi city of this method in pediatric populations. Methods: A total of 98 children (mean age 12.7 years, range 7–17 years were selected from the registry of the endocrinology outpatient department. All subjects met the diagnostic criteria for HLT. All children underwent a prospective thyroid ultrasound examination with special attention paid to the presence of lymph nodes adjacent to the thyroid gland. In order to form a control group, we analyzed 102 healthy volunteers and 94 children with cervical lymphadenopathy, age- and sex-matched with the main study group. Results: The ultrasound of the thyroid revealed typical sonographic signs of autoimmune thyroid disease in all children with HLT and in none of the individuals in the control groups. In 96 children (98% from the HLT group, at least 2 lymph nodes adjacent to the lower part of the thyroid gland lobes localized on one or both sides of the thyroid were detected. No lymph nodes adjacent to the lower part of the thyroid lobes were found in healthy children or children with cervical lymphadenopathy. Conclusions: Lymph nodes adjacent to the lower part of the thyroid lobes are an additional ultrasound sign of pediatric Hashimoto’s lymphocytic thyroiditis, with 98% sensitivity and 100% specifi city.

  8. Children's Antisocial Behavior, Mental Health, Drug Use, and Educational Performance After Parental Incarceration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murray, Joseph; Farrington, David P.; Sekol, Ivana

    2012-01-01

    Unprecedented numbers of children experience parental incarceration worldwide. Families and children of prisoners can experience multiple difficulties after parental incarceration, including traumatic separation, loneliness, stigma, confused explanations to children, unstable childcare arrangements, strained parenting, reduced income, and home, school, and neighborhood moves. Children of incarcerated parents often have multiple, stressful life events before parental incarceration. Theoretically, children with incarcerated parents may be at risk for a range of adverse behavioral outcomes. A systematic review was conducted to synthesize empirical evidence on associations between parental incarceration and children's later antisocial behavior, mental health problems, drug use, and educational performance. Results from 40 studies (including 7,374 children with incarcerated parents and 37,325 comparison children in 50 samples) were pooled in a meta-analysis. The most rigorous studies showed that parental incarceration is associated with higher risk for children's antisocial behavior, but not for mental health problems, drug use, or poor educational performance. Studies that controlled for parental criminality or children's antisocial behavior before parental incarceration had a pooled effect size of OR = 1.4 (p children with incarcerated parents, compared with peers. Effect sizes did not decrease with number of covariates controlled. However, the methodological quality of many studies was poor. More rigorous tests of the causal effects of parental incarceration are needed, using randomized designs and prospective longitudinal studies. Criminal justice reforms and national support systems might be needed to prevent harmful consequences of parental incarceration for children. PMID:22229730

  9. The effects of breakfast on behavior and academic performance in children and adolescents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adolphus, Katie; Lawton, Clare L; Dye, Louise

    2013-01-01

    Breakfast consumption is associated with positive outcomes for diet quality, micronutrient intake, weight status and lifestyle factors. Breakfast has been suggested to positively affect learning in children in terms of behavior, cognitive, and school performance. However, these assertions are largely based on evidence which demonstrates acute effects of breakfast on cognitive performance. Less research which examines the effects of breakfast on the ecologically valid outcomes of academic performance or in-class behavior is available. The literature was searched for articles published between 1950-2013 indexed in Ovid MEDLINE, Pubmed, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, EMBASE databases, and PsychINFO. Thirty-six articles examining the effects of breakfast on in-class behavior and academic performance in children and adolescents were included. The effects of breakfast in different populations were considered, including undernourished or well-nourished children and adolescents from differing socio-economic status (SES) backgrounds. The habitual and acute effects of breakfast and the effects of school breakfast programs (SBPs) were considered. The evidence indicated a mainly positive effect of breakfast on on-task behavior in the classroom. There was suggestive evidence that habitual breakfast (frequency and quality) and SBPs have a positive effect on children's academic performance with clearest effects on mathematic and arithmetic grades in undernourished children. Increased frequency of habitual breakfast was consistently positively associated with academic performance. Some evidence suggested that quality of habitual breakfast, in terms of providing a greater variety of food groups and adequate energy, was positively related to school performance. However, these associations can be attributed, in part, to confounders such as SES and to methodological weaknesses such as the subjective nature of the observations of behavior in class.

  10. Verbal and Operant Responses of Young Children to Vocal Versus Instrumental Song Performances.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sims, Wendy L.; Cassidy, Jane W.

    1997-01-01

    Reports on a study that investigated the effects of the presence or absence of lyrics in children's musical selections on young children's responses to music. The children responded to either recorded lullabies performed by a women singing, or a solo instrument, or separate pieces with and without lyrics. (MJP)

  11. Iraq’s children pay the price of war

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Leila Billing

    2007-06-01

    Full Text Available Iraq’s ruinous wars, crippling sanctions and ongoing violence have had a devastating effect on children. Shootings and bombings have killed, injured and orphaned thousands but the biggest killer is illness transmitted through unclean water and exacerbated by under-nutrition.

  12. Italy’s ‘Zampa’ law: increasing protection for unaccompanied children

    OpenAIRE

    Joseph Lelliott

    2018-01-01

    Italy has enacted comprehensive legislation to protect the rights of unaccompanied children arriving in Italy. While flaws remain in Italy’s treatment of these particularly vulnerable migrants, the country’s protection-focused approach sets an example to other countries.

  13. Atypical neural substrates of Embedded Figures Task performance in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

    OpenAIRE

    Lee, Philip S.; Foss-Feig, Jennifer; Henderson, Joshua G.; Kenworthy, Lauren E.; Gilotty, Lisa; Gaillard, William D.; Vaidya, Chandan J.

    2007-01-01

    Superior performance on the Embedded Figures Task (EFT) has been attributed to weak central coherence in perceptual processing in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The present study used functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine the neural basis of EFT performance in 7-12 year old ASD children and age and IQ matched controls. ASD children activated only a subset of the distributed network of regions activated in controls. In frontal cortex, control children activated left dorsolateral, ...

  14. CHILDREN´S DRAWINGS – RESOURCE FOR DEVELOPMENT AND OBSERVATION OF PERCEPTION OF NUMBERS OF CHILDREN

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gabriela Pavlovičová

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available Children´s drawing is one of the most appropriate approach to knowing children, their individuality and also their perceptions. Child is not always able to express their thoughts precisely, because their vocabulary is still incomplete and is gained just lately. In our paper we concentrate on drawing as a communication means, with which we can obtain primary numerical conceptions of children. We deal with observation of children’s perceptions of number. We investigate process in which to numerical information the conceptions of numbers are assigned. The numerical information is word three and the child’s drawing is used to mediate the numerical conceptions of children. The activity was realized with the children in the kindergarten. We analyzed draw children’s conceptions of number 3 and created concept map from those drawings.

  15. Balance Performance of Deaf Children With and Without Cochlear Implants

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Amir-Abbas Ebrahimi

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available  The aim of this study was to compare the static and dynamic balance performance of deaf children with and without cochlear implants. This is a cross-sectional study of 145 school children, aged between 7 and 12 years comprising 85 children with congenital or early acquired bilateral profound sensorineural hearing loss (the hearing loss group and 60 normal hearing aged-matched control counterparts were assessed using the balance subtest of Bruininks-Oseretsky test of Motor Proficiency (BOTMP. The hearing loss group, 50 without cochlear implants (the non-implant group and 35 of them with unilateral cochlear implants (the implant group were recruited from schools for the deaf and normal hearing children (the control group randomly selected from two randomly selected elementary schools of Tehran city. The scores were analyzed using one-way ANOVA. The total score of deaf children especially the implant group were significantly lower than the control group P<0.001. The balance performance of the control group was better than the implant group in all of the items as well as the non-implant group except the fourth tested item (walking forward on a line (P<0.05. The balance score of the implant group was significantly lower than the non-implant group except for the third tested item (standing on the preferred leg on a balance beam with eyes closed. The findings suggested that deaf children, specifically those with cochlear implants are at risk for motor and balance deficits. Thus, vestibular and motor evaluations, as well as interventions to improve balance and motor skills, should be prioritized for this population.

  16. Poor Executive Functions among Children with Moderate-into-Severe Asthma: Evidence from WCST Performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taha, Haitham

    2017-01-01

    Executive functions (EFs) measures of 27 asthmatic children, with general learning difficulties, were tested by using the Wisconsin card sorting test (WCST), and were compared to the performances of 30 non-asthmatic children with general learning difficulties. The results revealed that the asthmatic group has poor performance through all the WCST psychometric parameters and especially the perseverative errors one. The results were discussed in light of the postulation that poor EFs could be associated with the learning difficulties of asthmatic children. Neurophysiological framework has been suggested to explain the etiology of poor EFs among children with moderate into severe asthma.

  17. PSYCHOSOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS OF FAMILIES WITH ICSI CHILDREN AND THESE CHILDREN’S DEVELOPMENT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vislava Globelnik Velikonja

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Background. The aim of the study was to find whether children conceived through ICSI and their families differ from the children conceived in normally fertile families. Methods. The study group (SG consisted of 41 children aged 3 years conceived through ICSI: 22 boys, 19 girls, 6 pairs of twins, and the control group (CG of 41 children matched for sex, age and twin pairs. Family characteristics were assessed using a self-administered questionnaire on family characteristics, conception, pregnancy, labour and delivery, and postpartum period. The children’s development was assessed using the Developmental Čuturić Scale, and the parents filled in the questionnaire from SPP-3 on signs of inadequate child’s adaptation. The mother’s personality was assessed using the BFQ. Differences between the groups were analyzed using SPSS for Windows. Results. Comparison between the SG and CG showed the following statistically significant differences: in the SG mothers were older, the ICSI child was more frequently the only child, the mean duration of infertility treatment was 4 years, in most couples pregnancy occurred by the 3rd ICSI attempt, the family had a better socio-economic status. During the pregnancy, the SG mothers were less ambivalent towards pregnancy and the relationship between the partners improved, after delivery their psychic condition deteriorated, they were more concerned whether their child would develop normally. In the SG parents’ opinion, the quality of life improved after their baby’s birth; they described their children as more demanding and more restless. More ICSI children were cared after by their grand parents than their CG peers that mostly attended kindergarten. The development of all children was normal. Although the sum of signs of inadequate adaptation was comparable between the groups, the ICSI children demonstrated stronger intensity of individual sings. Factor analysis showed very heterogenic latent structure

  18. Factors that influence children?s gambling attitudes and consumption intentions: lessons for gambling harm prevention research, policies and advocacy strategies

    OpenAIRE

    Pitt, Hannah; Thomas, Samantha L.; Bestman, Amy; Daube, Mike; Derevensky, Jeffrey

    2017-01-01

    Background Harmful gambling is a public health issue that affects not only adults but also children. With the development of a range of new gambling products, and the marketing for these products, children are potentially exposed to gambling more than ever before. While there have been many calls to develop strategies which protect children from harmful gambling products, very little is known about the factors that may influence children?s attitudes towards these products. This study aimed to...

  19. The effect of family violence on children's academic performance and behavior.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dyson, J. L.

    1990-01-01

    Homicide perpetrated by an acquaintance or a close family member is the leading cause of death among blacks. Black children adversely affected by these violent occurrences suffer posttraumatic stress disorder. The purpose of this study is to illustrate how damage caused to black children from exposure to violence is reflected in behavior problems and poor school performance. PMID:2304094

  20. Effects of Mindfulness-Based Intervention to Improve Task Performance for Children with Intellectual Disabilities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Jeongil; Kwon, Miyoung

    2018-01-01

    Background: Task performance is a critical factor for learning in individuals with intellectual disabilities. This study aimed to examine mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) to improve task performance for children with intellectual disability (ID). Methods: Three elementary school children with ID participated in the study. A multiple baseline…

  1. Positron Emission Tomography-Scanner at Children`s Hospital of Michigan at Detroit, Michigan

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1992-12-31

    The Department of Energy has prepared an environmental assessment (EA), DOE/EA-0795, to support the DOE decision to provide a grant of $7,953,600 to be used in support of a proposed Positron Emission Tomography Scanner at Children`s Hospital of Michigan at Detroit, Michigan. Based upon the analysis in the EA, DOE has determined that the proposed action is not a major Federal action significantly affected the quality of the human environment within the meaning of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). Therefore, the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement is not required and DOE is issuing this Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI).

  2. Preterm children have unfavorable motor, cognitive, and functional performance when compared to term children of preschool age

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eliane F. Maggi

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Objective: to compare the motor coordination, cognitive, and functional development of preterm and term children at the age of 4 years. Methods: this was a cross‐sectional study of 124 four‐year‐old children, distributed in two different groups, according to gestational age and birth weight, paired by gender, age, and socioeconomic level. All children were evaluated by the Movement Assessment Battery for Children – second edition (MABC‐2, the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI, and the Columbia Mental Maturity Scale (CMMS. Results: preterm children had worse performance in all tests, and 29.1% of the preterm and 6.5% of term groups had scores on the MABC‐2 indicative of motor coordination disorder (p = 0.002. In the CMMS (p = 0.034, the median of the standardized score for the preterm group was 99.0 (± 13.75 and 103.0 (± 12.25 for the term group; on the PEDI, preterm children showed more limited skill repertoire (p = 0.001 and required more assistance from the caregiver (p = 0.010 than term children. Conclusion: this study reinforced the evidence that preterm children from different socioeconomic backgrounds are more likely to have motor, cognitive, and functional development impairment, detectable before school age, than their term peers. Resumo: Objetivo: comparar o desenvolvimento da coordenação motora, o desenvolvimento cognitivo e o desempenho funcional de crianças nascidas pré‐termo e a termo, aos quatro anos de idade. Métodos: estudo transversal com 124 crianças de quatro anos de idade, distribuídas em dois grupos distintos, de acordo com a idade gestacional e peso ao nascimento, pareadas com relação ao sexo, idade e nível socioeconômico. Todas as crianças foram avaliadas pelos testes Movement Assessment Battery for Children – Second Edition (MABC‐2, Inventário de Avaliação Pediátrica de Incapacidade (PEDI e Escala de Maturidade Mental Colúmbia (EMMC. Resultados: as crianças pr

  3. Speaking, writing, and memory span in children: output modality affects cognitive performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grabowski, Joachim

    2010-02-01

    Low-level processes of children's written language production are cognitively more costly than those involved in speaking. This has been shown by French authors who compared oral and written memory span performance. The observed difficulties of children's, but not of adults' low-level processes in writing may stem from graphomotoric as well as from orthographic inadequacies. We report on five experiments designed to replicate and expand the original results. First, the French results were successfully replicated for German third-graders, and for university students. Then, the developmental changes of the cognitive costs of writing were examined during primary school, comparing the performance of second- and fourth-graders. Next, we show that unpractised writing modes, which were experimentally induced, also lead to a decrease of memory performance in adults, which supports the assumption that a lack of graphomotoric automation is responsible for the observed effects in children. However, unpractised handwriting yields clearer results than unpractised typing. Lastly, we try to separate the influences of graphomotoric as opposed to orthographic difficulties by having the words composed through pointing on a "spelling board". This attempt, however, has not been successful, probably because the pointing to letters introduced other low-level costs. In sum, throughout the four years of primary school, German children show worse memory span performance in writing compared to oral recall, with an overall increase in both modalities. Thus, writing had not fully caught up with speaking regarding the implied cognitive costs by the end of primary school. Therefore, conclusions relate to the question of how to assess properly any kind of knowledge and abilities through language production. Los procesos de bajo nivel en la producción de lenguaje escrito en niños son más costosos a nivel cognitivo que los que están implicados en el habla. Esto ha sido demostrado por autores

  4. Cognitive Performance and Competence Characteristics of Lower- and Middle-Class Preschool Children

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goldstein, David; And Others

    1978-01-01

    Reports two experiments to assess the usefulness of an alternative position to the "deficit hypothesis" and the "differences hypothesis," namely, that environmental/situational factors attenuate the performance of lower-class children, but that their competence, while genotypically equivalent to that of middle-class children,…

  5. Performance of children with developmental dyslexia on high and low topological entropy artificial grammar learning task.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Katan, Pesia; Kahta, Shani; Sasson, Ayelet; Schiff, Rachel

    2017-07-01

    Graph complexity as measured by topological entropy has been previously shown to affect performance on artificial grammar learning tasks among typically developing children. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of graph complexity on implicit sequential learning among children with developmental dyslexia. Our goal was to determine whether children's performance depends on the complexity level of the grammar system learned. We conducted two artificial grammar learning experiments that compared performance of children with developmental dyslexia with that of age- and reading level-matched controls. Experiment 1 was a high topological entropy artificial grammar learning task that aimed to establish implicit learning phenomena in children with developmental dyslexia using previously published experimental conditions. Experiment 2 is a lower topological entropy variant of that task. Results indicated that given a high topological entropy grammar system, children with developmental dyslexia who were similar to the reading age-matched control group had substantial difficulty in performing the task as compared to typically developing children, who exhibited intact implicit learning of the grammar. On the other hand, when tested on a lower topological entropy grammar system, all groups performed above chance level, indicating that children with developmental dyslexia were able to identify rules from a given grammar system. The results reinforced the significance of graph complexity when experimenting with artificial grammar learning tasks, particularly with dyslexic participants.

  6. The influence of classroom peers on cognitive performance in children with behavioural problems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bevington, J; Wishart, J G

    1999-03-01

    Identifying factors linked to underachievement is fundamental to understanding the associated academic difficulties and crucial to the development of effective intervention strategies. Underachievement in a number of academic domains has been shown to be associated with behavioural problems in the classroom but the nature of the association and direction of any causal link has yet to be clarified. This study explored the association between poor academic achievement and behavioural problems by examining the direct effects of peer presence on classroom performance in children with identified behavioural difficulties. Specifically, it was hypothesised that independent performance on a cognitive task would decrease as number of classroom peers present increased. A total of 24 children attending two special schools for children with emotional and behavioural difficulties participated in the study. Age range was 9-14 years. A within-subjects design was used in which performance on a set of perceptual/conceptual matching tasks was assessed under three conditions: the child working alone, alongside one other peer, or within a group of six. Measures of non-verbal intelligence and academic attainment were collected, along with teacher ratings of the severity of each child's problem behaviour. Performance was found to be significantly influenced by peer presence, both in terms of number of correct responses and time taken to complete the matching tasks. Direction of effects on these two performance indicators differed according to number of peers present. Findings highlight the importance of contextual factors in determining classroom performance in children with behavioural difficulties. Given the current pressure to educate all children in mainstream classes, findings have implications for classroom management.

  7. Effort testing in children: can cognitive and symptom validity measures differentiate malingered performances?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rambo, Philip L; Callahan, Jennifer L; Hogan, Lindsey R; Hullmann, Stephanie; Wrape, Elizabeth

    2015-01-01

    Recent efforts have contributed to significant advances in the detection of malingered performances in adults during cognitive assessment. However, children's ability to purposefully underperform has received relatively little attention. The purpose of the present investigation was to examine children's performances on common intellectual measures, as well as two symptom validity measures: the Test of Memory Malingering and the Dot-Counting Test. This was accomplished through the administration of measures to children ages 6 to 12 years old in randomly assigned full-effort (control) and poor-effort (treatment) conditions. Prior to randomization, children's general intellectual functioning (i.e., IQ) was estimated via administration of the Kaufman Brief Intellectual Battery-Second Edition (KBIT-2). Multivariate analyses revealed that the conditions significantly differed on some but not all administered measures. Specifically, children's estimated IQ in the treatment condition significantly differed from the full-effort IQ initially obtained from the same children on the KBIT-2, as well as from the IQs obtained in the full-effort control condition. These findings suggest that children are fully capable of willfully underperforming during cognitive testing; however, consistent with prior investigations, some measures evidence greater sensitivity than others in evaluating effort.

  8. Task-irrelevant novel sounds improve attentional performance in children with and without ADHD

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jana eTegelbeckers

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Task-irrelevant salient stimuli involuntarily capture attention and can lead to distraction from an ongoing task, especially in children with ADHD. However, there has been tentative evidence that the presentation of novel sounds can have beneficial effects on cognitive performance. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the influence of novel sounds compared to no sound and a repeatedly presented standard sound on attentional performance in children and adolescents with and without ADHD. We therefore had 32 patients with ADHD and 32 typically developing children and adolescents (8 to 13 years executed a flanker task in which each trial was preceded either by a repeatedly presented standard sound (33%, an unrepeated novel sound (33% or no auditory stimulation (33%. Task-irrelevant novel sounds facilitated attentional performance similarly in children with and without ADHD, as indicated by reduced omission error rates, reaction times, and reaction time variability without compromising performance accuracy. By contrast, standard sounds, while also reducing omission error rates and reaction times, led to increased commission error rates. Therefore, the beneficial effect of novel sounds exceeds cueing of the target display by potentially increased alerting and/or enhanced behavioral control.

  9. FAMILY’S ECONOMIC LEVEL AND CULTURE CORRELATE WITH NUTRITIONAL STATUS OF CHILDREN UNDER FIVE YEARS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abdul Muhith

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Nutrition is an important thing for human life. Variety in family’s economic level and culture have effect on family’s eating habit. Family with higher economic status have big opportunity to met under fi ve year’s nutrition. Cultural diversity on each family has an impact on the difference of raw food selection, processing methods, and presentation of food. The purpose of this study was to determine the correlation between family’s economic level and culture with nutritional status of children under fi ve year. Method: Research design was observational analytic with cross sectional approach. The population were mother and their children under fi ve years at Desa Jatigono Kunir, Kabupaten Lumajang. Sampel were 184 respondents, taken by using cluster sampling. Independent variables were family’s economic level and culture. Dependent variable was nutritional status of children under fi ve years. Data were collected by using questionnaire and observational sheet. Then, data were analyzed by using Spearman Rho Test with α<0.05. Result: The results showed that 140 (76.1% respondents have low economic level, 105 (57.1% respondents have negative culture in children’s nutrition, and 89 (48% respondents have good nutritional status. The result of Spearman-rho test showed that family’s economic level (p=0.000 and culture (0.019 have correlated with nutritional status of children under five years. Discussion: It can be concluded that family’s economic level and culture have correlated with nutritional status of children under fi ve years. Nurses should develop health education and counseling to improve family’s knowledge about nutrition, so children will have good nutritional status. Keywords: economic level, family’s culture, nutritional status, children under five years

  10. Free and Cued Recall Memory Performance in Children with Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hager, Lisa D.

    This study investigated the effects of organization at input and cued retrieval on the free- and cued-recall memory performance of children (all male and between the ages of 8 and 12) with and without attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Children with ADHD (N=20) recalled significantly fewer words/pictures than children without ADHD…

  11. Effects of interactive games on motor performance in children with spastic cerebral palsy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    AlSaif, Amer A; Alsenany, Samira

    2015-06-01

    [Purpose] Motor control and muscle strength impairments are the prime reasons for motor behavior disorders in children with spastic cerebral palsy. These impairments lead to histological changes in muscle growth and the learning of motor skills. Therefore, such children experience reduced muscle force generation and decreased muscle flexibility. We investigated the effect of training with Nintendo Wii Fit games on motor performance in children with spastic cerebral palsy. [Subjects and Methods] Forty children with cerebral palsy spastic diplegia aged 6-10 years diagnosed with level-3 functional capabilities according to the Gross Motor Classification System (GMFCS) were enrolled. Participants were divided randomly into equal groups: group (A) that practiced with the Nintendo Wii Fit game for at least 20 minutes/day for 12 weeks and group (B) that underwent no training (control group). The Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2 (mABC-2) was used to assess motor performance, because it mainly involves motor tasks very similar to those involved in playing Nintendo Wii Fit games, e.g., goal-directed arm movements, balancing, and jumping. [Results] There were significant improvements in the subscales of the motor performance test of those who practiced with the Nintendo Wii, while the control group showed no significant changes. [Conclusion] Using motion interactive games in home rehabilitation is feasible for children with cerebral palsy.

  12. Resiliency and the subjective evaluation of health in mothers of children with Asperger’s syndrome

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arleta Kasprzak

    2014-02-01

    Full Text Available Background Parents caring for children with developmental disorders are exposed to much higher levels of stress than parents of typically developing children. It has also been proved that parents of children with developmental disorders experience mental health deterioration, a sense of guilt, physical weakness, fatigue and exhaustion. Resiliency conditions cognitive and emotional flexibility, and enables an individual to adjust their own behavior to particular circumstances. The present study aims to verify whether there is a relationship between resiliency and the subjective evaluation of health under stress in a group of mothers of children with Asperger’s syndrome. Participants and procedure The three measures used in the study were The Polish Resiliency Assessment Scale, The Subjective Evaluation of Health Scale, and a personal questionnaire. A group of 31 mothers of children with Asperger’s syndrome and a group of 31 mothers whose children were not chronically ill and developed typically were examined. Results Mothers of children with Asperger’s syndrome have similar levels of resiliency and its contributing factors compared to mothers with healthy children. However, when compared to mothers of healthy children, mothers of children with Asperger’s syndrome show a more negative subjective evaluation of health. Moreover, we found that some resiliency factors (The ability to tolerate failures and view life as a challenge, and Optimism in life and the ability to focus in adversity correlate positively only in the group of mothers of children with Asperger’s syndrome. Conclusions Findings obtained in the study allow us to consider resiliency along with having a healthy child, as a factor contributing to a positive evaluation of health.

  13. Follow the Liar: The Effects of Adult Lies on Children's Honesty

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hays, Chelsea; Carver, Leslie J.

    2014-01-01

    Recent research shows that most adults admit they lie to children. We also know that children learn through modeling and imitation. To date there are no published studies that examine whether lying to children has an effect on children's honesty. We aimed to bridge the gap in this literature by examining the effects of adults' lies on…

  14. A case study comparing children???s motivation using a virtual world,video and print material to learn global citizenship.

    OpenAIRE

    O'Tuathail, Padraic

    2011-01-01

    non-peer-reviewed The last decade has seen an enormous surge in the use of virtual worlds by both adults and children. Educators are keen to discover how this technology can be transferred to the classroom to facilitate effective learning. The aim of this study was to compare children???s motivation with three media components: a virtual world, video and print materials. The intervention involved 27 children in first class in a primary school using components of the Panwapa website over...

  15. Polyphony of midnight’s children: dispersion of voices and genres in Midnight’s Children = Polifonia dos filhos de meia-noite: dispersão de vozes e gêneros em Midnight’s Children

    OpenAIRE

    Uma Viswanathan

    2010-01-01

    This paper explores the aspect of polyphony in Salman Rushdie’s novelMidnight’s Children (1981). The essence of polyphony in a novel, following Mikhail Bakhtin, is the presence or use of different independent voices that are not merged into one dominant voice. The author, the protagonist, the narrator, the various other characters, the reader, the form and the content of the text, and even the voices from the world outside the text, all these participate in the polyphony. We are invited to ex...

  16. Travel Writing in Children and Adolescent’s Literature in Iran

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maryam Jalali

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Today children's literature and its place have attracted in the collection of literature, according to many writers the world. Making fun of the text by writer is best way to communicate with the Children and Adolescents. Travel writing is considered as an interdisciplinary literature combined by literature, history, geography and sociology. It is written both in verse and prose. Writing Travel writing is well- established in adults’ literature. Although several Travels writing have been written   in adults’ literature domain, it is not well-established in children and adolescents literature, so the experts and the writers of children and adolescents books should pay more attention to this issue. Children’s Travels writing don’t differ from the adults’ one in first definition. However, there are some differences from structure and theme towards their special addressees with the adults’ ones. Keywords: children, literature, Travel writing, Iran

  17. The relation between salivary sIgA level and caries incidence in Down syndrome children

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rosdiana Rosdiana

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available Background: Down syndrome or Trisomy 21 is a genetic disorder caused by extra chromosome on chromosome 21. Down syndrome child, however, has good resistance against caries, and some of them even are caries-free. It is because the level of salivary sIgA in Down syndrome children is equal or even higher than that in normal children. Purpose: This review was aimed to review the relation between salivary sIgA level and caries incidence in Down syndrome children. Reviews: Down syndrome is a collection of symptoms caused by chromosomal abnormality that has a number of physical and mental disorders. Down syndrome children, nevertheless, have significantly lower incidence of caries than normal children. These conditions are thought to relate to characteristics of oral cavity and the level of salivary sIgA in Down syndrome children. Caries is a disease of dental hard tissues caused by the fermentation of sucrose into glucans by glucosyltransferase enzymes (GTF of Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans. One of proteins in saliva that acts as a defense mechanism is imunoglubulin. Secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA inhibits the activity of S. mutans as bacteria causing caries forming glucan. This immunoglobulin, sIgA, is the most abundant immunoglobulin in saliva. The level of salivary sIgA in Down syndrome children is significantly higher than that in normal children. Conclusion: Besides factors of tooth eruption delays, wide spaces among teeth, microdontia, pH, and high saliva contents (calcium, sodium, bicarbonate, the low incidence of caries in Down syndrome children is also related with the higher level of salivary sIgA in Down syndrome children than that in normal children.Latar belakang: Sindroma Down atau Trisomi 21 merupakan kelainan genetik yaitu adanya kromosom ekstra pada kromosom 21. Anak sindroma Down memiliki resistensi yang baik terhadap karies dan sebagian dari mereka bebas karies. Kadar sIgA saliva anak sindroma Down sama atau bahkan lebih tingi

  18. Young Children's Reasoning about the Effects of Emotional and Physiological States on Academic Performance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amsterlaw, Jennifer; Lagattuta, Kristin Hansen; Meltzoff, Andrew N.

    2009-01-01

    This study assessed young children's understanding of the effects of emotional and physiological states on cognitive performance. Five, 6-, 7-year-olds, and adults (N = 96) predicted and explained how children experiencing a variety of physiological and emotional states would perform on academic tasks. Scenarios included: (a) negative and positive…

  19. Children's exposure to indoor air in urban nurseries-part I: CO2 and comfort assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Branco, P.T.B.S.; Alvim-Ferraz, M.C.M.; Martins, F.G.; Sousa, S.I.V.

    2015-01-01

    Indoor air quality (IAQ) in nurseries is an emerging case-study. Thus, this study, as the Part I of the larger study “Children's exposure to indoor air in urban nurseries”, aimed to: i) evaluate nurseries’ indoor concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), a global IAQ indicator, in class and lunch rooms; ii) assess indoor comfort parameters–temperature (T) and relative humidity (RH); and iii) analyse them according to guidelines and references for IAQ, comfort and children's health. Indoor continuous measurements were performed. Non-compliances with guidelines were found in comfort parameters, which could cause discomfort situations and also microbial proliferation. Exceedances in CO 2 concentrations were also found and they were caused by poor ventilation and high classroom occupation. More efficient ventilation and control of comfort parameters, as well as to reduce occupation by reviewing Portuguese legislation on that matter, would certainly improve IAQ and comfort in nurseries and consequently safeguard children's health. - Highlights: • High occupation and poor ventilation were main determinants of IAQ in nurseries. • T and RH indoor values found in nurseries are likely to cause thermal discomfort. • Building characteristics and an inadequate ventilation determined T and RH values. • High CO 2 concentrations found could indicate accumulation of other air pollutants

  20. Performance of post-mortem CT compared to autopsy in children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krentz, Beatriz V; Alamo, Leonor; Grimm, Jochen; Dédouit, Fabrice; Bruguier, Christine; Chevallier, Christine; Egger, Coraline; Da Silva, Luiz F F; Grabherr, Silke

    2016-07-01

    Radiological techniques such as non-enhanced post-mortem computed tomography (PMCT) play an increasingly important role in death investigations, especially in cases of non-medicolegal context of death, where the consent of the next of kin is required to perform autopsy. Such consent is often difficult to obtain for deceased children, and radiological methods may be an acceptable alternative. The aim of our study was to evaluate the performance of PMCT explorations compared to medicolegal conventional autopsies in children and its potential usefulness in non-medicolegal situations. We retrospectively reviewed a group of 26 children aged 0-12 years who died of different causes, which were investigated by both conventional autopsy and PMCT. We compared the findings extracted from radiological and autopsy reports. All findings were grouped according to their importance with respect to cause of death and to the anatomical structure they covered: organs, vascular system, soft tissue, and skeletal system. A significantly larger number of findings were detected by autopsy compared to PMCT. Autopsy proved to be superior to PMCT, notably at detecting organ, soft tissue, and vascular findings, while PMCT was superior at detecting bone findings. However, no statistically significant differences were found between the methods concerning the essential findings used to define the cause of death. In children, PMCT was less sensitive than conventional autopsy for detecting general findings. However, most essential findings were detected by both methods. PMCT was superior to autopsy for the detection of bone lesions in children. Up to today, very rare literature exists concerning PMCT in children, especially in a forensic setting. This article investigates the advantages and limitations of PMCT compared to autopsy in a unique study group and discusses possibilities for future developments.

  1. Increased Educational Attainment among U.S. Mothers and their Children's Academic Expectations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Augustine, Jennifer

    2017-12-01

    Existing research provides strong evidence that children with more educated parents have higher academic expectations for themselves, but has yet to consider how an increase in the education of lower educated mothers might alter the expectations of their children. In light of the historic increase in U.S. mothers' pursuit of additional education, this study investigates this timely question using data from a nationally representative, intergenerational sample of U.S. children and mothers participating in the National Longitudinal Surveys of Youth ( n mothers = 3,265; n children = 8,027). Combining random and fixed effects procedures, the findings revealed that that an increase in mothers' educational attainment is linked to an increase in their children's expectations to earn a Bachelor's degree. Increased maternal education did not, however, buffer against the risk that children will downgrade these expectations upon approaching the end of high school. These results have theoretical importance to traditional models of status attainment, which typically view parental education as a stable feature of family background; extend a small but burgeoning literature that explores whether and why increased maternal education improves the mobility prospects of their children; and speak to current two-generation policy approaches that aim to leverage trends in mothers education to reduce inequality for future generations.

  2. Functional handwriting performance in school-age children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duval-White, Cherie J; Jirikowic, Tracy; Rios, Dianne; Deitz, Jean; Olson, Heather Carmichael

    2013-01-01

    Handwriting is a critical skill for school success. Children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) often present with fine motor and visual-motor impairments that can affect handwriting performance, yet handwriting skills have not been systematically investigated in this clinical group. This study aimed to comprehensively describe handwriting skills in 20 school-age children with FASD. Children were tested with the Process Assessment of the Learner, 2nd Edition (PAL-II), and the Visuomotor Precision subtest of NEPSY, a developmental neuropsychological assessment. Participants performed below average on PAL-II measures of handwriting legibility and speed and on NEPSY visual-motor precision tasks. In contrast, PAL-II measures of sensorimotor skills were broadly within the average range. Results provide evidence of functional handwriting challenges for children with FASD and suggest diminished visual-motor skills and increased difficulty as task complexity increases. Future research is needed to further describe the prevalence and nature of handwriting challenges in this population. Copyright © 2013 by the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.

  3. Relationship between Tasks Performed, Personality Traits, and Sleep Bruxism in Brazilian School Children - A Population-Based Cross-Sectional Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Serra-Negra, Junia Maria; Paiva, Saul Martins; Abreu, Mauro Henrique; Flores-Mendoza, Carmen Elvira; Pordeus, Isabela Almeida

    2013-01-01

    Background Tasks can be instruments of stress and may affect the health of children. Sleep bruxism is a multifactorial sleep-related movement disorder that affects children and adults. The aim of the present study was to analyze the association between children’s tasks, personality traits and sleep bruxism. Methods And Findings A cross-sectional, population-based study of 652 randomly selected Brazilian schoolchildren (52% of whom were female), aged from 7 to 10 years was conducted in the city of Belo Horizonte, Brazil. A questionnaire based on criteria proposed by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) was completed by parents. In addition, the Neuroticism and Responsibility sub-scales of the Big Five Questionnaire for Children (BFQ-C) were administered to the children. Psychological tests were administered and evaluated by psychologists. The Social Vulnerability Index from the city council database was used to determine the social classification of the families. Chi-square and Poisson regression statistical tests were used with a 95% confidence interval. The majority of families were classified as having low social vulnerability (61.3%), whereas, 38.7% were classified as having high social vulnerability. Regarding extracurricular activities, the majority of girls performed household work (56.4%) and some artistic activity (51.3%) while sporting activities were most common among boys (61%). The results of the Poisson regression model indicated that sleep bruxism was most prevalent in children who scored highly in the Neuroticism sub-scale, and who frequently performed household tasks. Conclusion Children whose personality domain has a high level of Neuroticism and who perform household chores imposed by the family are more vulnerable to sleep bruxism. PMID:24244614

  4. Children exhibit different performance patterns in explicit and implicit theory of mind tasks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oktay-Gür, Nese; Schulz, Alexandra; Rakoczy, Hannes

    2018-04-01

    Three studies tested scope and limits of children's implicit and explicit theory of mind. In Studies 1 and 2, three- to six-year-olds (N = 84) were presented with closely matched explicit false belief tasks that differed in whether or not they required an understanding of aspectuality. Results revealed that children performed equally well in the different tasks, and performance was strongly correlated. Study 3 tested two-year-olds (N = 81) in implicit interactive versions of these tasks and found evidence for dis-unity: children performed competently only in those tasks that did not require an understanding of aspectuality. Taken together, the present findings suggest that early implicit and later explicit theory of mind tasks may tap different forms of cognitive capacities. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Comparison of Social Skills, Mental Health and Academic Performance in Children with Divorced, Divorcing and Intact Parents

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    حسین قمری گیوی

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study was to compare social skills, mental health and academic performance in children with divorced, divorcing and intact parents. The study sample included 481 children with divorced parents and 419 children with divorcing parents, who were matched to 500 children with normal parents. The participants responded to the Matson's Social Skills Scale and Goldenberg's Mental Health Questionnaire. To assess the academic performance GPA was used. The data were analyzed by multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA and Scheffe post hoc test. The Findings showed that children with divorced and divorcing parents had more average scores of the components of physical symptoms, anxiety, social dysfunction, depression and general mental disorder than those of children with normal parents. Also children with divorcing parents had more scores in components of social dysfunction, depression and general mental disorder than children with divorced parents had. Social skills scores and academic performance in children with normal parents were higher than those of divorced parents’ children and children with divorced parents had higher scores than children with divorcing parents. Hence, due to the harm and the conesquences of divorce on children, strategies for minimalizing these conesquences should be planed.

  6. Improving children?s health and development in British Columbia through nurse home visiting: a randomized controlled trial protocol

    OpenAIRE

    Catherine, Nicole L. A.; Gonzalez, Andrea; Boyle, Michael; Sheehan, Debbie; Jack, Susan M.; Hougham, Kaitlyn A.; McCandless, Lawrence; MacMillan, Harriet L.; Waddell, Charlotte

    2016-01-01

    Background Nurse-Family Partnership is a nurse home visitation program that aims to improve the lives of young mothers and their children. The program focuses on women who are parenting for the first time and experiencing socioeconomic disadvantage. Nurse visits start as early in pregnancy as possible and continue until the child reaches age two years. The program has proven effective in the United States ? improving children?s mental health and development and maternal wellbeing, and showing...

  7. Effectiveness of Information Processing Strategy Training on Academic Task Performance in Children with Learning Disabilities: A Pilot Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sutinun Juntorn

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Learning disabilities (LD can be associated with problems in the four stages of information processing used in learning: input, throughput, output, and feedback. These problems affect the child’s ability to learn and perform activities in daily life, especially during academic activities. This study is a pilot study aimed at investigating the effectiveness of information processing strategy training using a combination of two approaches that address the ability to apply processing strategies during academic activities in children with LD. The two approaches are the Perceive, Recall, Plan, and Perform (PRPP System of Intervention, which is a strategy training intervention, and the Four-Quadrant Model (4QM of Facilitated Learning approach, which is a systematic facilitator technique. Twenty children with LD were assigned to two groups: the experimental group (n=10 and the control group (n=10. Children in the experimental group received the intervention twice a week for 6 consecutive weeks. Each treatment session took approximately 50 minutes. Children in the control group received traditional intervention twice a week for 6 consecutive weeks. The results indicated that the combination of the PRPP System of Intervention and the 4QM may improve the participants’ ability to apply information processing strategies during academic activities.

  8. Children´s sun protection need not conflict with health promoting physical activity

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Söderström, Margareta; Boldemann, Cecilia; Wester, Ulf

    and vegetation influenced UV-exposure and also children´s physical activity measured with step-counters. In Malmö access to spacious outdoor play settings with vegetation decreased sunburn risk and increased physical activity during children´s free play in May - also during long stay outdoor. Results from...... Raleigh in April also indicate that vegetation is sunprotective when children play. Favourable outdoor environment may promote both sun protection and physical activity in a Nordic spring or summer climate, while for physical activity, this might not be so pronounced at a southern mid-latitude due...

  9. Sequential-Simultaneous Analysis of Japanese Children's Performance on the Japanese McCarthy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ishikuma, Toshinori; And Others

    This study explored the hypothesis that Japanese children perform significantly better on simultaneous processing than on sequential processing. The Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC) served as the criterion of the two types of mental processing. Regression equations to predict Sequential and Simultaneous processing from McCarthy…

  10. Association between Body Composition and Motor Performance in Preschool Children

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tanja H. Kakebeeke

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Objective: Being overweight makes physical movement more difficult. Our aim was to investigate the association between body composition and motor performance in preschool children. Methods: A total of 476 predominantly normal-weight preschool children (age 3.9 ± 0.7 years; m/f: 251/225; BMI 16.0 ± 1.4 kg/m2 participated in the Swiss Preschoolers' Health Study (SPLASHY. Body composition assessments included skinfold thickness, waist circumference (WC, and BMI. The Zurich Neuromotor Assessment (ZNA was used to assess gross and fine motor tasks. Results: After adjustment for age, sex, socioeconomic status, sociocultural characteristics, and physical activity (assessed with accelerometers, skinfold thickness and WC were both inversely correlated with jumping sideward (gross motor task β-coefficient -1.92, p = 0.027; and -3.34, p = 0.014, respectively, while BMI was positively correlated with running performance (gross motor task β-coefficient 9.12, p = 0.001. No significant associations were found between body composition measures and fine motor tasks. Conclusion: The inverse associations between skinfold thickness or WC and jumping sideward indicates that children with high fat mass may be less proficient in certain gross motor tasks. The positive association between BMI and running suggests that BMI might be an indicator of fat-free (i.e., muscle mass in predominately normal-weight preschool children.

  11. Pointing to "That": Deixis and Shared Intentionality in Young Children's Collaborative Group Work

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murphy, Carol

    2014-01-01

    In this article I present examples of young children's interaction in collaborative group work in mathematics and consider how the children shared intentions, that is, how they influenced the thinking of another. By analysing the children's use of deixis as an aspect of indexicality, I examined how the students pointed out mathematical…

  12. Quantificação e classificação dos resíduos procedentes da construção civil e demolição no município de Pelotas, RS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alessandra Buss Tessaro

    Full Text Available A construção civil é um dos setores econômicos de maior impacto no meio ambiente. Entre os impactos causados por essa atividade, pode-se citar o elevado volume de resíduos gerados, que, na maioria dos municípios brasileiros, são depositados irregularmente, intensificando os problemas de saneamento nas áreas urbanas. Em virtude disso, algumas ações vêm sendo tomadas pelo Governo Federal, entre as quais se pode citar a criação de uma resolução que estabelece a elaboração e implantação de um plano integrado de gerenciamento de resíduos da construção civil com base nas características de cada região. O objetivo do presente artigo é apresentar os resultados do diagnóstico qualitativo e quantitativo da produção de resíduos de construção e demolição (RCD no município de Pelotas-RS, elaborado com o auxílio de um software. O diagnóstico final resultante da pesquisa foi que são produzidos diariamente no referido município 315,08 m³ de RCD a uma taxa de geração per capita de 1,23 kg/hab.ano. A densidade dos RCD encontrada foi de 1,28 ton/m³, e a composição gravimétrica mostrou que 88% dos RCD produzidos referem-se aos resíduos classe A, os quais tem grande potencial para reutilização e reciclagem.

  13. The effects of background white noise on memory performance in inattentive school children

    OpenAIRE

    S?derlund, G?ran BW; Sikstr?m, Sverker; Loftesnes, Jan M; Sonuga-Barke, Edmund J

    2010-01-01

    Abstract Background Noise is typically conceived of as being detrimental for cognitive performance; however, a recent computational model based on the concepts of stochastic resonance and dopamine related internal noise postulates that a moderate amount of auditive noise benefit individuals in hypodopaminergic states. On the basis of this model we predicted that inattentive children would be enhanced by adding background white noise while attentive children's performance would deteriorate. Me...

  14. Lateralized theta wave connectivity and language performance in 2- to 5-year-old children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kikuchi, Mitsuru; Shitamichi, Kiyomi; Yoshimura, Yuko; Ueno, Sanae; Remijn, Gerard B; Hirosawa, Tetsu; Munesue, Toshio; Tsubokawa, Tsunehisa; Haruta, Yasuhiro; Oi, Manabu; Higashida, Haruhiro; Minabe, Yoshio

    2011-10-19

    Recent neuroimaging studies support the view that a left-lateralized brain network is crucial for language development in children. However, no previous studies have demonstrated a clear link between lateralized brain functional network and language performance in preschool children. Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is a noninvasive brain imaging technique and is a practical neuroimaging method for use in young children. MEG produces a reference-free signal, and is therefore an ideal tool to compute coherence between two distant cortical rhythms. In the present study, using a custom child-sized MEG system, we investigated brain networks while 78 right-handed preschool human children (32-64 months; 96% were 3-4 years old) listened to stories with moving images. The results indicated that left dominance of parietotemporal coherence in theta band activity (6-8 Hz) was specifically correlated with higher performance of language-related tasks, whereas this laterality was not correlated with nonverbal cognitive performance, chronological age, or head circumference. Power analyses did not reveal any specific frequencies that contributed to higher language performance. Our results suggest that it is not the left dominance in theta oscillation per se, but the left-dominant phase-locked connectivity via theta oscillation that contributes to the development of language ability in young children.

  15. Individual Differences in Children's and Parents' Generic Language

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gelman, Susan A.; Ware, Elizabeth A.; Kleinberg, Felicia; Manczak, Erika M.; Stilwell, Sarah M.

    2014-01-01

    Generics ("'Dogs' bark") convey important information about categories and facilitate children's learning. Two studies with parents and their 2- or 4-year-old children (N = 104 dyads) examined whether individual differences in generic language use are as follows: (a) stable over time, contexts, and domains, and (b) linked…

  16. Brazilian children performance on Rey’s auditory verbal learning paradigm Desempenho de crianças brasileiras no paradigma de aprendizagem auditivo-verbal de Rey

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rosinda Martins Oliveira

    2008-03-01

    Full Text Available The Rey Auditory Verbal Learning paradigm is worldwide used in clinical and research settings. There is consensus about its psychometric robustessness and that its various scores provide relevant information about different aspects of memory and learning. However, there are only a few studies in Brazil employing this paradigm and none of them with children. This paper describes the performance of 119 Brazilian children in a version of Rey´s paradigm. The correlations between scores showed the internal consistency of this version. Also, the pattern of results observed was very similar to that observed in foreign studies with adults and children. There was correlation between age in months and recall scores, showing that age affects the rhythm of learning. These results were discussed based on the information processing theory.O paradigma de aprendizagem auditivo-verbal de Rey é utilizado em todo o mundo, tanto em pesquisa quanto na clínica. Há consenso sobre sua robustez psicométrica e de que seus vários escores fornecem informações relevantes sobre diferentes aspectos da memória e da aprendizagem. No entanto, existem apenas alguns poucos estudos no Brasil envolvendo este paradigma e nenhum deles com crianças. Este artigo descreve o desempenho de 119 crianças brasileiras em uma versão do paradigma de Rey. As correlações entre escores mostraram a consistência interna desta versão. Além disso, o padrão de resultados encontrado foi muito similar àquele observado em estudos estrangeiros com adultos e crianças. Verificou-se correlação entre idade em meses e os escores de evocação, mostrando que a idade afeta o ritmo de aprendizagem. Estes resultados foram discutidos a partir da teoria do processamento da informação.

  17. Stability of cognitive performance in children with mild intellectual disability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jenni, Oskar G; Fintelmann, Sylvia; Caflisch, Jon; Latal, Beatrice; Rousson, Valentin; Chaouch, Aziz

    2015-05-01

    Longitudinal studies that have examined cognitive performance in children with intellectual disability more than twice over the course of their development are scarce. We assessed population and individual stability of cognitive performance in a clinical sample of children with borderline to mild non-syndromic intellectual disability. Thirty-six children (28 males, eight females; age range 3-19y) with borderline to mild intellectual disability (Full-scale IQ [FSIQ] 50-85) of unknown origin were examined in a retrospective clinical case series using linear mixed models including at least three assessments with standardized intelligence tests. Average cognitive performance remained remarkably stable over time (high population stability, drop of only 0.38 IQ points per year, standard error=0.39, p=0.325) whereas individual stability was at best moderate (intraclass correlation of 0.58), indicating that about 60% of the residual variation in FSIQ scores can be attributed to between-child variability. Neither sex nor socio-economic status had a statistically significant impact on FSIQ. Although intellectual disability during childhood is a relatively stable phenomenon, individual stability of IQ is only moderate, likely to be caused by test-to-test reliability (e.g. level of child's cooperation, motivation, and attention). Therefore, clinical decisions and predictions should not rely on single IQ assessments, but should also consider adaptive functioning and previous developmental history. © 2014 Mac Keith Press.

  18. A branching process model for the analysis of abortive colony size distributions in carbon ion-irradiated normal human fibroblasts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sakashita, Tetsuya; Kobayashi, Yasuhiko; Hamada, Nobuyuki; Kawaguchi, Isao; Hara, Takamitsu; Saito, Kimiaki

    2014-01-01

    A single cell can form a colony, and ionizing irradiation has long been known to reduce such a cellular clonogenic potential. Analysis of abortive colonies unable to continue to grow should provide important information on the reproductive cell death (RCD) following irradiation. Our previous analysis with a branching process model showed that the RCD in normal human fibroblasts can persist over 16 generations following irradiation with low linear energy transfer (LET) γ-rays. Here we further set out to evaluate the RCD persistency in abortive colonies arising from normal human fibroblasts exposed to high-LET carbon ions (18.3 MeV/u, 108 keV/μm). We found that the abortive colony size distribution determined by biological experiments follows a linear relationship on the log–log plot, and that the Monte Carlo simulation using the RCD probability estimated from such a linear relationship well simulates the experimentally determined surviving fraction and the relative biological effectiveness (RBE). We identified the short-term phase and long-term phase for the persistent RCD following carbon-ion irradiation, which were similar to those previously identified following γ-irradiation. Taken together, our results suggest that subsequent secondary or tertiary colony formation would be invaluable for understanding the long-lasting RCD. All together, our framework for analysis with a branching process model and a colony formation assay is applicable to determination of cellular responses to low- and high-LET radiation, and suggests that the long-lasting RCD is a pivotal determinant of the surviving fraction and the RBE. (author)

  19. Male-driven reproductive and agonistic character displacement in darters and its implications for speciation in allopatry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fuller, Rebecca C

    2018-01-01

    Abstract Selection against hybridization can cause mating traits to diverge between species in sympatry via reproductive character displacement (RCD). Additionally, selection against interspecific fighting can cause aggressive traits to diverge between sympatric species via agonistic character displacement (ACD). By directly affecting conspecific recognition traits, RCD and ACD between species can also incidentally cause divergence in mating and fighting traits among populations within a species [termed cascade RCD (CRCD) and cascade ACD]. Here, we demonstrate patterns consistent with male-driven RCD and ACD in 2 groups of darters (orangethroat darter clade Ceasia and rainbow darter Etheostoma caeruleum). In both groups, males that occur in sympatry (between Ceasia and E. caeruleum) have higher levels of preference for mating and fighting with conspecifics over heterospecifics than do males from allopatry. This is consistent with RCD and ACD. We also found patterns consistent with CRCD and cascade ACD among species of Ceasia. Ceasia males that are sympatric to E. caeruleum (but allopatric to one another) also have heightened preferences for mating and fighting with conspecific versus heterospecific Ceasia. In contrast, Ceasia males that are allopatric to E. caeruleum readily mate and fight with heterospecific Ceasia. We suggest that RCD and ACD between Ceasia and E. caeruleum has incidentally led to divergence in mating and fighting traits among Ceasia species. This study is unique in that male preferences evolve via both RCD (male preference for conspecific females) and ACD (male preference to fight conspecific males) which leads to subsequent divergence among allopatric lineages. PMID:29492043

  20. Performance patterns in Conners' CPT among children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and dyslexia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Monica Carolina Miranda

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available This study investigated the performance of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD and dyslexia using Conners' Continuous Performance Test (CCPT. The clinical groups were composed of 52 children with ADHD and 32 children with dyslexia. Performance in the CCPT was evaluated using ANCOVA to compare the clinical groups with the normative Brazilian sample. The ADHD group performed worse than the normative sample in almost all of the measurements, except for reaction time and response style. The dyslexia group scored higher on commissions, variability, perseverations and inconsistency in the reaction time over the six time blocks (Hit SE Block Change than the children in the normative Brazilian sample. The ADHD and dyslexia groups differed in omission measurements, Hit RT SE, variability, perseverations, Hit RT Interstimulus Intervals (ISI Change and Hit SE ISI Change. We thus found that the dyslexia group had specific deficit patterns, with greater response to non-target stimuli, greater perseveration and response variability, and difficulties in hit reaction time as the test progressed.

  1. Exploring Young Children's Self-Efficacy Beliefs Related to Mathematical and Nonmathematical Tasks Performed in Kindergarten: Abused and Neglected Children and Their Peers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tirosh, Dina; Tsamir, Pessia; Levenson, Esther; Tabach, Michal; Barkai, Ruthi

    2013-01-01

    This article reports on young children's self-efficacy beliefs and their corresponding performance of mathematical and nonmathematical tasks typically encountered in kindergarten. Participants included 132 kindergarten children aged 5-6 years old. Among the participants, 69 children were identified by the social welfare department as being abused…

  2. Parenting style of Chinese fathers in Hong Kong: correlates with children's school-related performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tam, Vicky C W; Lam, Rebecca S Y

    2003-01-01

    This study investigates parenting styles among Chinese fathers in Hong Kong as perceived by their school-age children. Four parenting styles, namely inductive, indulgent, indifferent, and dictatorial parenting, are assessed using the Parent Behavior Report (1988). Data were collected through a questionnaire survey on a sample of 1011 Primary Three to Five Chinese students from six schools in Hong Kong and 471 fathers. Findings show that among Chinese fathers, the least common parenting style is inductive, while the other three styles are of similar occurrence. Chi-square analysis shows no significant association between children's grade level and father's parenting style. However, there is a significant association with gender, with fathers more likely to be perceived as dictatorial with boys and indulgent with girls. The effect of paternal styles on children's school-related performance is also examined. MANOVA results show that significant differences are found among children of the four paternal style groups with respect to academic performance, interest in school work, aspiration for education, involvement in extracurricular activities, and efficacy for self-regulated learning. Post-hoc tests reveal that children's performance is similar between the groups with indulgent and inductive fathers, and between children of indifferent and dictatorial fathers, with the former groups performing better than the latter in general. Findings are discussed with regard to research on parenting style and paternal behavior, as well as understanding the roles of fathers in Chinese families in the socio-cultural context in Hong Kong.

  3. Effect of Wii-intervention on balance of children with poor motor performance

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mombarg, Remo; Jelsma, Dorothee; Hartman, Esther

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of training with the Wii-balance board on balance and balance-related skills of children with poor motor performance. Twenty-nine children (23 boys, 6 girls; aged 7-12 years) participated in this study and were randomly assigned to an

  4. Effect of Wii-intervention on balance of children with poor motor performance

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mombarg, Remo; Jelsma, Dorothee; Hartman, Esther

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of training with the Wii-balance board on balance and balance-related skills of children with poor motor performance. Twenty-nine children (23 boys, 6 girls; aged 7–12 years) participated in this study and were randomly assigned to an

  5. Language and False-Belief Task Performance in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farrar, M. Jeffrey; Seung, Hye Kyeung; Lee, Hyeonjin

    2017-01-01

    Purpose: Language is related to false-belief (FB) understanding in both typically developing children and children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The current study examined the role of complementation and general language in FB understanding. Of interest was whether language plays similar or different roles in the groups' FB performance.…

  6. Sleep and academic performance in Indigenous Australian children from a remote community: an exploratory study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cooper, Patrick; Kohler, Mark; Blunden, Sarah

    2012-02-01

    Disruptions to sleep in childhood are associated with poor behaviour and deficits in academic performance and executive function. Although academic performance of indigenous children from remote communities in Australia is documented as well below that of non-indigenous children, the extent of sleep disruption and its contribution to academic performance among this population has not been assessed. This pilot study aimed to objectively assess the sleep of remote indigenous children and the association between sleep disruption and both academic performance and executive function. Twenty-one children from a remote Australian indigenous community aged 6-13 years wore actigraphy for two consecutive nights, reported subjective sleepiness, and were objectively assessed for academic performance (Wechsler Individual Achievement Test, 2nd Edition) and executive function (NEuroloPSYcological Assessment-II). Results show marked reduction in sleep time, sleep fragmentation, academic performance and auditory attention compared with non-indigenous norms. Sleep duration was not associated with performance, possibly because of reduced sleep and performance observed across the entire group. Sleep fragmentation was associated with reduced reading and numerical skills (P sleep of indigenous children in remote communities is an important area of future inquiry, and our initial findings of poor sleep and an association between sleep disruption and academic performance may have important implications for intervention strategies aimed at 'closing the gap'. Further studies should assess a broader range of demographic, social and economic factors to better understand the associations reported here and guide future intervention. © 2012 The Authors. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health © 2012 Paediatrics and Child Health Division (Royal Australasian College of Physicians).

  7. Parents experiences and opinions about childrenˈs emotions

    OpenAIRE

    Prašnikar, Barbara

    2013-01-01

    Different authors may give different interpretations of emotions, however everyone agrees, that emotions affect all areas of life: health, learning, interpersonal relationships and behaviour. The development of emotion alongside the broader environment and heredity, is also largely influenced by teachers in kindergarten who may have beneficial effects on the emotional development of preschool children. With conversation, storytelling, explanations ... they develop children’s communication s...

  8. Phonological Awareness and Vocabulary Performance of Monolingual and Bilingual Preschool Children with Hearing Loss

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lund, Emily; Werfel, Krystal L.; Schuele, C. Melanie

    2015-01-01

    This pilot study compared the phonological awareness skills and vocabulary performance of English monolingual and Spanish-English bilingual children with and without hearing loss. Preschool children with varying degrees of hearing loss (n = 18) and preschool children without hearing loss (n = 19) completed measures of phonological awareness and…

  9. (51Cr)EDTA intestinal permeability in children with cow's milk intolerance

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schrander, J.J.; Unsalan-Hooyen, R.W.; Forget, P.P.; Jansen, J. (Academic Hospital Maastricht (Netherlands))

    1990-02-01

    Making use of ({sup 51}Cr)EDTA as a permeability marker, we measured intestinal permeability in a group of 20 children with proven cow's milk intolerance (CMI), a group of 17 children with similar complaints where CMI was excluded (sick controls), and a group of 12 control children. ({sup 51}Cr)EDTA test results (mean +/- SD) were 6.85 +/- 3.64%, 3.42 +/- 0.94%, and 2.61 +/- 0.67% in the group with CMI, the sick control, and the control group, respectively. When compared to both control groups, patients with cow's milk intolerance (CMI) showed a significantly increased small bowel permeability. We conclude that the ({sup 51}Cr)EDTA test can be helpful for the diagnosis of cow's milk intolerance.

  10. Perceived parenting style and mother’s behavior in maintaining dental health of children with Down syndrome

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Siti Fitria Ulfah

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Background: The number of children with down syndrome in Surabaya has reached 924 children. Prevalence of gingivitis and dental caries (91% and 93.8%, respectively occurs in children with down syndrome aged 6 to 20 years. Oral and dental health problems are found in children with down syndrome because they have physical and motoric limitation in maintaining oral and dental hygiene, thus require parental care from mother. Perceived parenting style includes responsiveness and demandingness. Perceived parenting is crucial for mother whose children have Down syndrome in order to guide their health behavior, particularly to maintain oral and dental health. Purpose: The study aimed to analyze correlation between perceived parenting style and mother’s behavior in maintaining dental health of children with Down syndrome. Method: This cross sectional analytical study involved 40 mothers of children aged 7-13 years with Down syndrome enrolled in Special Education Elementary Schools Surabaya and Association of Parents of Children with Down syndrome Surabaya. Data of perceived parenting style (responsiveness and demandingness and mother’s behavior in maintaining dental health were obtained by questionnaire. Composition of each item in questionnaire of perceived parenting style and mother’s behavior in maintaining dental health of children with Down syndrome was passed through validity and reliability test. Data analysis was carried out using multiple linear regression correlation test. Result: This present study showed that perceived parenting style is significantly correlated with mother’s behavior in maintaining dental health of children with Down syndrome (R = 0.630, p = 0.000, with perceived parental responsiveness as a strong predictor. Mean score and standard deviation of perceived parental responsiveness and demandingness were 33.00±2.99 and 15.55±1.99, respectively. Conclusion: Perceived maternal parenting style in children with Down

  11. Elevated manganese and cognitive performance in school-aged children and their mothers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Menezes-Filho, José A; Novaes, Cristiane de O; Moreira, Josino C; Sarcinelli, Paula N; Mergler, Donna

    2011-01-01

    Growing evidence suggests that excess manganese (Mn) in children is associated with neurobehavioral impairments. In Brazil, elevated hair Mn concentrations were reported in children living near a ferro-manganese alloy plant. We investigated these children's and caregivers' cognitive function in relation to bioindicators of Mn exposure. In this cross-sectional study, the WISC-III was administered to 83 children aged between 6 and 12 years; the Raven Progressive Matrix was administered to the primary caregivers (94% mothers), who likewise responded to a questionnaire on socio demographics and birth history. Mn in hair (MnH) and blood (MnB) and blood lead (PbB) were measured by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS). Children's mean MnB and MnH were 8.2 μg/L (2.7-23.4) and 5.83 μg/g (0.1-86.68), respectively. Mean maternal MnH was 3.50 μg/g (0.10-77.45) and correlated to children's MnH (rho=0.294, p=0.010). Children's MnH was negatively related to Full-Scale Intelligence Quotient (IQ) and Verbal IQ; β coefficients for MnH were -5.78 (95% CI -10.71 to -0.21) and -6.72 (-11.81 to -0.63), adjusted for maternal education and nutritional status. Maternal MnH was negatively associated with performance on the Raven's (β=-2.69, 95% CI -5.43 to 0.05), adjusted for education years, family income and age. These findings confirm that high MnH in children is associated with poorer cognitive performance, especially in the verbal domain. Primary caregiver's IQ is likewise associated to Mn exposure, suggesting that, in this situation, children's cognition may be affected directly and indirectly by Mn exposure. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Elevated manganese and cognitive performance in school-aged children and their mothers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Menezes-Filho, Jose A.; Novaes, Cristiane de O.; Moreira, Josino C.; Sarcinelli, Paula N.; Mergler, Donna

    2011-01-01

    Background: Growing evidence suggests that excess manganese (Mn) in children is associated with neurobehavioral impairments. In Brazil, elevated hair Mn concentrations were reported in children living near a ferro-manganese alloy plant. Objectives: We investigated these children's and caregivers' cognitive function in relation to bioindicators of Mn exposure. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the WISC-III was administered to 83 children aged between 6 and 12 years; the Raven Progressive Matrix was administered to the primary caregivers (94% mothers), who likewise responded to a questionnaire on socio demographics and birth history. Mn in hair (MnH) and blood (MnB) and blood lead (PbB) were measured by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS). Results: Children's mean MnB and MnH were 8.2 μg/L (2.7-23.4) and 5.83 μg/g (0.1-86.68), respectively. Mean maternal MnH was 3.50 μg/g (0.10-77.45) and correlated to children's MnH (rho=0.294, p=0.010). Children's MnH was negatively related to Full-Scale Intelligence Quotient (IQ) and Verbal IQ; β coefficients for MnH were -5.78 (95% CI -10.71 to -0.21) and -6.72 (-11.81 to -0.63), adjusted for maternal education and nutritional status. Maternal MnH was negatively associated with performance on the Raven's (β=-2.69, 95% CI -5.43 to 0.05), adjusted for education years, family income and age. Conclusions: These findings confirm that high MnH in children is associated with poorer cognitive performance, especially in the verbal domain. Primary caregiver's IQ is likewise associated to Mn exposure, suggesting that, in this situation, children's cognition may be affected directly and indirectly by Mn exposure.

  13. Implicit and Explicit Memory Performance in Children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aloisi, Bruno A.; McKone, Elinor; Heubeck, Bernd G.

    2004-01-01

    The present investigation examined implicit and explicit memory in 20 children diagnosed with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) and 20 matched controls. Consistent with previous research, children with AD/HD performed more poorly than controls on an explicit test of long-term memory for pictures. New results were that (a) there was…

  14. Does Home Internet Use Influence the Academic Performance of Low-Income Children?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jackson, Linda A.; von Eye, Alexander; Biocca, Frank A.; Barbatsis, Gretchen; Zhao, Yong; Fitzgerald, Hiram E.

    2006-01-01

    HomeNetToo is a longitudinal field study designed to examine the antecedents and consequences of home Internet use in low-income families http://www.HomeNetToo.org). The study was done between December 2000 and June 2002. Among the consequences considered was children's academic performance. Participants were 140 children, mostly African…

  15. Individual Differences in Moral Development: Does Intelligence Really Affect Children?s Moral Reasoning and Moral Emotions?

    OpenAIRE

    Bei?ert, Hanna M.; Hasselhorn, Marcus

    2016-01-01

    This study investigates the relationship between intelligence and individual differences in children’s moral development across a range of different moral transgressions. Taking up prior research that showed morality and intelligence to be related in adolescents and adults, the current study wants to test if these findings can be extended to younger children. The study was designed to address some of the shortcomings in prior research by examining young children aged between 6 years; 4 months...

  16. Parental Activity as Influence on Childrenˋs BMI Percentiles and Physical Activity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nanette Erkelenz, Susanne Kobel, Sarah Kettner, Clemens Drenowatz, Jürgen M. Steinacker and the Research Group "Join the Healthy Boat - Primary School"

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Parents play a crucial role in the development of their children’s lifestyle and health behaviour. This study aims to examine associations between parental physical activity (PA and children’s BMI percentiles (BMIPCT, moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA as well as participation in organised sports. Height and body weight was measured in 1615 in German children (7.1 ± 0.6 years, 50.3% male and converted to BMIPCT. Parental BMI was calculated based on self-reported height and body weight. Children’s MVPA and sports participation as well as parental PA were assessed via parental questionnaire. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA, controlling for age and family income was used to examine the association between parental and children’s PA levels as well as BMIPCT. 39.7% of the parents classified themselves as physically active and 8.3% of children were classified as overweight or obese. Lower BMIPCT were observed with both parents being physically active (44.5 ± 26.3 vs. 50.2 ± 26.9 and 52.0 ± 28.4, respectively. There was no association between parental and children’s PA levels but children with at least one active parent displayed a higher participation in organised sports (102.0 ± 96.6 and 117.7 ± 123.6 vs. 73.7 ± 100.0, respectively. Children of active parents were less likely to be overweight and obese. The lack of association between subjectively assessed parental PA and child MVPA suggests that parental support for PA in children is more important than parents being a role model. More active parents, however, may be more likely to facilitate participation in organised sports. These results underline the importance of the inclusion of parents in health promotion and obesity prevention programmes in children.

  17. Stochastic Spectral and Conjugate Descent Methods

    KAUST Repository

    Kovalev, Dmitry

    2018-02-11

    The state-of-the-art methods for solving optimization problems in big dimensions are variants of randomized coordinate descent (RCD). In this paper we introduce a fundamentally new type of acceleration strategy for RCD based on the augmentation of the set of coordinate directions by a few spectral or conjugate directions. As we increase the number of extra directions to be sampled from, the rate of the method improves, and interpolates between the linear rate of RCD and a linear rate independent of the condition number. We develop and analyze also inexact variants of these methods where the spectral and conjugate directions are allowed to be approximate only. We motivate the above development by proving several negative results which highlight the limitations of RCD with importance sampling.

  18. Stochastic Spectral and Conjugate Descent Methods

    KAUST Repository

    Kovalev, Dmitry; Gorbunov, Eduard; Gasanov, Elnur; Richtarik, Peter

    2018-01-01

    The state-of-the-art methods for solving optimization problems in big dimensions are variants of randomized coordinate descent (RCD). In this paper we introduce a fundamentally new type of acceleration strategy for RCD based on the augmentation of the set of coordinate directions by a few spectral or conjugate directions. As we increase the number of extra directions to be sampled from, the rate of the method improves, and interpolates between the linear rate of RCD and a linear rate independent of the condition number. We develop and analyze also inexact variants of these methods where the spectral and conjugate directions are allowed to be approximate only. We motivate the above development by proving several negative results which highlight the limitations of RCD with importance sampling.

  19. Comparação do desempenho funcional de crianças portadoras de síndrome de Down e crianças com desenvolvimento normal aos 2 e 5 anos de idade Comparison of functional performance among children with Down syndrome and children with age-appropriate development at 2 and 5 years of age

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marisa Cotta Mancini

    2003-06-01

    Full Text Available OBJETIVO: Comparar o desempenho funcional de crianças portadoras de síndrome de Down (SD com crianças normais (DN, aos 2 e 5 anos de idade. MÉTODO: Quarenta crianças foram alocadas em quatro grupos (n=10: 1 crianças com SD de 2 anos; 2 crianças com SD de 5 anos; 3 crianças normais de 2 anos; 4 crianças normais de 5 anos. Todas foram avaliadas pelo teste funcional PEDI, que quantifica o desempenho infantil (habilidades e independência em três áreas: auto-cuidado, mobilidade e função social. Testes de análises de variância fatorial foram utilizados para comparar médias dos grupos e testar fatores de interação idade x patologia. Contrastes pré-planejados foram usados para identificar as comparações bivariadas significativas. RESULTADOS: Os fatores idade e patologia foram significativos nas três áreas de desempenho de habilidades e de independência. O fator de interação idade x patologia mostrou-se significativo nas habilidades de auto-cuidado e mobilidade, e na independência em mobilidade e função social. Comparações bivariadas indicaram que aos dois anos, o desempenho de crianças normais é superior nas três áreas de habilidades funcionais e de independência. Entretanto, aos 5 anos, diferenças significativas entre os grupos foram observadas nas habilidades de auto-cuidado e de função social e na independência em auto-cuidado e em função social. CONCLUSÃO: Resultados informam áreas de desempenho onde o atraso apresentado por crianças com SD manifesta-se funcionalmente, aos dois e cinco anos de idade. Dados indicam que as diferenças observadas entre os dois grupos são influenciadas pela idade, não permanecendo constante ao longo do desenvolvimento.OBJECTIVE: To compare the functional performance of Down's syndrome (DS children with normally developing children (ND, at 2 and 5 years of age. METHOD: Forty children were allocated into four groups (n=10: 1 children with DS with 2 years of age; 2 children

  20. Consistent Performance Differences between Children and Adults Despite Manipulation of Cue-Target Variables

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jessie-Raye Bauer

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Two behavioral experiments assessed the plasticity and short-term improvement of task switching in 215 children and adults. Specifically, we studied manipulations of cued attention to different features of a target stimulus as a way to assess the development of cognitive flexibility. Each experiment had multiple levels of difficulty via manipulation of number of cued features (2–4 and number of response options (2 or 4. Working memory demand was manipulated across the two experiments. Impact of memory demand and task level manipulations on task accuracy and response times were measured. There were three overall goals: First, these task manipulations (number of cued features, response choices, and working memory load were tested to assess the stability of group differences in performance between children ages 6–16 years and adults 18–27 years, with the goal of reducing age group differences. Second, age-related transitions to adult-level performance were examined within subgroups of the child sample. Third, short-term improvement from the beginning to the end of the study session was measured to probe whether children can improve with task experience. Attempts to use task manipulations to reduce age differences in cued task switching performance were unsuccessful: children performed consistently worse and were more susceptible to task manipulations than adults. However, across both studies, adult-like performance was observed around mid-adolescence, by ages 13-16 years. Certain task manipulations, especially increasing number of response options when working memory demand was low, produced differences from adults even in the oldest children. Interestingly, there was similar performance improvement with practice for both child and adult groups. The higher memory demand version of the task (Experiment 2 prompted greater short-term improvement in accuracy and response times than the lower memory demand version (Experiment 1. These results

  1. Preterm children have unfavorable motor, cognitive, and functional performance when compared to term children of preschool age.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maggi, Eliane F; Magalhães, Lívia C; Campos, Alexandre F; Bouzada, Maria Cândida F

    2014-01-01

    to compare the motor coordination, cognitive, and functional development of preterm and term children at the age of 4 years. this was a cross-sectional study of 124 four-year-old children, distributed in two different groups, according to gestational age and birth weight, paired by gender, age, and socioeconomic level. All children were evaluated by the Movement Assessment Battery for Children - second edition (MABC-2), the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI), and the Columbia Mental Maturity Scale (CMMS). preterm children had worse performance in all tests, and 29.1% of the preterm and 6.5% of term groups had scores on the MABC-2 indicative of motor coordination disorder (p=0.002). In the CMMS (p=0.034), the median of the standardized score for the preterm group was 99.0 (± 13.75) and 103.0 (± 12.25) for the term group; on the PEDI, preterm children showed more limited skill repertoire (p=0.001) and required more assistance from the caregiver (p=0.010) than term children. this study reinforced the evidence that preterm children from different socioeconomic backgrounds are more likely to have motor, cognitive, and functional development impairment, detectable before school age, than their term peers. Copyright © 2014 Sociedade Brasileira de Pediatria. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

  2. Extravesical (modified Gregoir Lich versus intravesical (Cohen′s ureteric reimplantation for vesicoureteral reflux in children: A single center experience

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Krishnamoorthy Sriram

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: There are multiple techniques for surgical correction of vesicoureteral reflux (VUR. We compared the outcomes of extravesical versus Cohen′s reimplantation for VUR in children. Methods: Records of all children (n = 118 who underwent reimplantation for VUR between 2003 and 2014 were analyzed (male: female = 43:75. Children with secondary VUR, duplication anomalies, and ectopic ureter were excluded from our study. Extravesical reimplantation (EVR was performed bilateral in 32 children (Group 1a and unilateral in 19 (Group 1b, while bilateral Cohen′s reimplantation was performed in 67 (Group 2. Parameters compared were length of the surgical procedure, average duration of stay in the hospital, postoperative bladder spasms, significant hematuria >72 h, and long-term complications. Results: The mean age at operation was 15 months in Group 1, and 36 months in Group 2. The mean duration of surgery was significantly less (P = 0.0001 in Group 1a (n = 32; mean 104 min; standard deviation [SD] 18 min compared to Group 2 (n = 67; mean 128 min; SD 15 min. The mean (SD postoperative stay was significantly lower (P = 0.0001 at 4.5 (1.5 days in Group 1a compared to 6.5 (0.5 days in Group 2. Postoperative bladder spasms were significantly lower (P = 0.03 at 10/32 in Group 1a compared to 37/67 in Group 2. All patients responded well with anticholinergics. Postoperative hematuria and bladder spasms were significantly lower (P = 0.03 in Group 1a compared to Group 2. There was no significant difference in persistent VUR between Group 1 and Group 2. At 1 year follow, none of them had any evidence of ureteral obstruction. Conclusions: EVR has lower operative time, less postoperative discomfort and shorter hospital stay compared to Cohen′s reimplantation. Both techniques are equally effective in treating reflux.

  3. Estimate of S-values for children due to six positron emitting radionuclides used in PET examinations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Belinato, Walmir; Santos, William S.; Perini, Ana P.; Neves, Lucio P.; Caldas, Linda V. E.; Souza, Divanizia N.

    2017-11-01

    Positron emission tomography (PET) has revolutionized the diagnosis of cancer since its conception. When combined with computed tomography (CT), PET/CT performed in children produces highly accurate diagnoses from images of regions affected by malignant tumors. Considering the high risk to children when exposed to ionizing radiation, a dosimetric study for PET/CT procedures is necessary. Specific absorbed fractions (SAF) were determined for monoenergetic photons and positrons, as well as the S-values for six positron emitting radionuclides (11C, 13N, 18F, 68Ga, 82Rb, 15O), and 22 source organs. The study was performed for six pediatric anthropomorphic hybrid models, including the newborn and 1 year hermaphrodite, 5 and 10-year-old male and female, using the Monte Carlo N-Particle eXtended code (MCNPX, version 2.7.0). The results of the SAF in source organs and S-values for all organs showed to be inversely related to the age of the phantoms, which includes the variation of body weight. The results also showed that radionuclides with higher energy peak emission produces larger auto absorbed S-values due to local dose deposition by positron decay. The S-values for the source organs are considerably larger due to the interaction of tissue with non-penetrating particles (electrons and positrons) and present a linear relationship with the phantom body masses. The results of the S-values determined for positron-emitting radionuclides can be used to assess the radiation dose delivered to pediatric patients subjected to PET examination in clinical settings. The novelty of this work is associated with the determination of auto absorbed S-values, in six new pediatric virtual anthropomorphic phantoms, for six emitting positrons, commonly employed in PET exams.

  4. Assessment of physical performance using the 6-minute walk test in children receiving treatment for cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hooke, Mary C; Garwick, Ann W; Neglia, Joseph P

    2013-01-01

    The study of physical performance in children with cancer is emerging as an important variable in symptom research. Studies have shown that children with cancer experience deficits in physical performance during treatment that may be present years after therapy. The aim of this study was to determine if distance on the 6-minute walk test (6MWT) changed in children during the first 3 cycles of cancer treatment and to compare the distances walked with healthy norms. This is a secondary data analysis of 19 boys and 10 girls, aged 6 to 17 years, who were newly diagnosed with cancer and were part of a larger study that measured changes in fatigue and physical performance during the first 3 cycles of chemotherapy. Participants performed the 6MWT between days 15 and 29 of the first and third cycles of chemotherapy. Pediatric cancer patients did not have a significant change in the distance walked at cycle 3 of chemotherapy compared with cycle 1. When compared with 2 different normative data sets for healthy children, most children with cancer performed significantly below their peers. Children had poor strength and endurance after 3 cycles of chemotherapy even when their disease was responding to treatment. Interventions are needed to promote rehabilitation and maintenance of physical performance, as both are important to quality of life and ongoing child development. Children receiving cancer treatment who are ambulatory may appear to be functioning normally but are in fact severely deconditioned compared with their healthy peers.

  5. BREAKFAST HABIT AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AMONG SUBURBAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CHILDREN

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Putu Ayu Widyanti

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available Normal 0 false false false IN X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Academic performance is affected by a numbers of factors. Age, gender, nutritional status, and breakfast habits are some factors that have relation with academic performance. Nutritional statues among school children still to be concerned. Breakfast habit is important thing to do before school to maintain enough calories to study and work well. The aim of this study was to determine the association of breakfast habits and academic performance especially in suburban elementary school children. An analytic cross sectional study conducted in children aged 6-12 years who studied at SD 1 Taro, Gianyar regency, Bali. There were 178 students participated in this study. We found 3 factors associated with academic performance i.e. breakfast, gender, and age with OR=2.56 (95% CI 1.16 to 5.66, P=0.02; OR=0.32 (95% CI 0.15 to 0.70, P=0.04; OR=6.52 (95% CI 2.73 to 15.53, P<0.0001, respectively. We conclude there was an association between breakfast habits and academic performance. /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}

  6. Classroom Performance and Adaptive Skills in Children with Epilepsy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huberty, Thomas J.; And Others

    1992-01-01

    Studied relationships of age at onset, seizure syndrome, seizure type, and seizure frequency to classroom performance and adaptive skills of 131 children with epilepsy. Epilepsy syndrome and frequency of seizures significantly related to some analyses. Results suggest that seizure disorder associated with diffuse or multifocal brain insult can…

  7. Personality Factors in Elementary School Children: Contributions to Academic Performance over and above Executive Functions?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Neuenschwander, Regula; Cimeli, Patrizia; Rothlisberger, Marianne; Roebers, Claudia M.

    2013-01-01

    Unique contributions of Big Five personality factors to academic performance in young elementary school children were explored. Extraversion and Openness (labeled "Culture" in our study) uniquely contributed to academic performance, over and above the contribution of executive functions in first and second grade children (N = 446). Well…

  8. Motor performance of preschool children

    OpenAIRE

    Karina Słonka; Manuela Dyas; Tadeusz Słonka; Tomasz Szurmik

    2017-01-01

    Introduction: Pre‑school age is a period of intensive development when children shape their posture, habits and motor memory. Movement is child's physiological need.  Motive activity supports not only physical development, but also psychical, intellectual and social.   Aim: The aim of the study is to assess motor ability in preschool children from the city of Opole and District Dobrzeń Wielki. Materials and methods: The research involved 228 children, aged 5 and 6. The method used in...

  9. Oral health knowledge of health care workers in special?children?s center

    OpenAIRE

    Wyne, Amjad; Hammad, Nouf; Splieth, Christian

    2015-01-01

    Objective: To determine the oral health knowledge of health care workers in special children?s center. Methods: A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect following information: demographics, oral hygiene practices, importance of fluoride, dental visits, cause of tooth decay, gingival health, and sources of oral health information. The study was conducted at Riyadh Center for Special Children in Riyadh City from December 2013 to May 2014. Results: All 60 health care workers in the ...

  10. MEASURING CHILDREN'S FOOD SECURITY IN U.S. HOUSEHOLDS, 1995-99

    OpenAIRE

    Nord, Mark; Bickel, Gary

    2002-01-01

    The capacity to accurately measure the food security status of children in household surveys is an essential tool for monitoring food insecurity and hunger at the most severe levels in U.S. households and for assessing programs designed to prevent or ameliorate these conditions. USDA has developed a children's food security scale to meet this measurement need. The scale is calculated from 8 questions in the 18-item food security survey module that ask specifically about food-related experienc...

  11. Determination of the Pre-Hospital Practices Performed for Children with Burn Injuries

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mehtap Kavurmaci

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Aim: The objective of this study was to determine the first aid practices performed and, effecting factors in burn injuries in before hospital admission. Material and Method: The study was conducted in burn centers of two hospitals in the Erzurum, between December 2013 and August 2014. The population was consisted of inpatient children aged 0-12 years who were treated in burn centers of related hospitals and their mothers at the date of the study. The study was carried out with a total of 121 children and their mothers who met the research inclusion criteria. Questionnaire data was used to collect data. In data analysis, percentage distributions, means and chi-square test were used. Results: It was found that, children%u2019 mothers applicate the cold water first when the burns ocur (57.9%, secondly only applying cold water (27.3%, then the mothers took off their children to hospital not to any application (75.2%, burn wound on the olive oil riding (10.7%, burn wound yogurt riding (8.3%. Discussion: As a result, it was determined that children%u2019 mothers don%u2019t have an adequate level of first-aid knowledge, and younger mothers with low levels of education living in rural areas perform incorrect first aid practices.

  12. Vital signs: sodium intake among U.S. school-aged children - 2009-2010.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cogswell, Mary E; Yuan, Keming; Gunn, Janelle P; Gillespie, Cathleen; Sliwa, Sarah; Galuska, Deborah A; Barrett, Jan; Hirschman, Jay; Moshfegh, Alanna J; Rhodes, Donna; Ahuja, Jaspreet; Pehrsson, Pamela; Merritt, Robert; Bowman, Barbara A

    2014-09-12

    A national health objective is to reduce average U.S. sodium intake to 2,300 mg daily to help prevent high blood pressure, a major cause of heart disease and stroke. Identifying common contributors to sodium intake among children can help reduction efforts. Average sodium intake, sodium consumed per calorie, and proportions of sodium from food categories, place obtained, and eating occasion were estimated among 2,266 school-aged (6–18 years) participants in What We Eat in America, the dietary intake component of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2009–2010. U.S. school-aged children consumed an estimated 3,279 mg of sodium daily with the highest total intake (3,672 mg/d) and intake per 1,000 kcal (1,681 mg) among high school–aged children. Forty-three percent of sodium came from 10 food categories: pizza, bread and rolls, cold cuts/cured meats, savory snacks, sandwiches, cheese, chicken patties/nuggets/tenders, pasta mixed dishes, Mexican mixed dishes, and soups. Sixty-five percent of sodium intake came from store foods, 13% from fast food/pizza restaurants, 5% from other restaurants, and 9% from school cafeteria foods. Among children aged 14–18 years, 16% of total sodium intake came from fast food/pizza restaurants versus 11% among those aged 6–10 years or 11–13 years (plunch (29%), snacks (16%), and breakfast (15%). Sodium intake among school-aged children is much higher than recommended. Multiple food categories, venues, meals, and snacks contribute to sodium intake among school-aged children supporting the importance of populationwide strategies to reduce sodium intake. New national nutrition standards are projected to reduce the sodium content of school meals by approximately 25%–50% by 2022. Based on this analysis, if there is no replacement from other sources, sodium intake among U.S. school-aged children will be reduced by an average of about 75–150 mg per day and about 220–440 mg on days children consume school meals.

  13. Cognitive, motor, behavioural and academic performances of children born preterm: a meta-analysis and systematic review involving 64 061 children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allotey, J; Zamora, J; Cheong-See, F; Kalidindi, M; Arroyo-Manzano, D; Asztalos, E; van der Post, Jam; Mol, B W; Moore, D; Birtles, D; Khan, K S; Thangaratinam, S

    2018-01-01

    Preterm birth may leave the brain vulnerable to dysfunction. Knowledge of future neurodevelopmental delay in children born with various degrees of prematurity is needed to inform practice and policy. To quantify the long-term cognitive, motor, behavioural and academic performance of children born with different degrees of prematurity compared with term-born children. PubMed and Embase were searched from January 1980 to December 2016 without language restrictions. Observational studies that reported neurodevelopmental outcomes from 2 years of age in children born preterm compared with a term-born cohort. We pooled individual estimates of standardised mean differences (SMD) and odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals using a random effects model. We included 74 studies (64 061 children). Preterm children had lower cognitive scores for FSIQ (SMD: -0.70; 95% CI: -0.73 to -0.66), PIQ (SMD: -0.67; 95% CI: -0.73 to -0.60) and VIQ (SMD: -0.53; 95% CI: -0.60 to -0.47). Lower scores for preterm children in motor skills, behaviour, reading, mathematics and spelling were observed at primary school age, and this persisted to secondary school age, except for mathematics. Gestational age at birth accounted for 38-48% of the observed IQ variance. ADHD was diagnosed twice as often in preterm children (OR: 1.6; 95% CI: 1.3-1.8), with a differential effect observed according to the severity of prematurity (I 2 = 49.4%, P = 0.03). Prematurity of any degree affects the cognitive performance of children born preterm. The poor neurodevelopment persists at various ages of follow up. Parents, educators, healthcare professionals and policy makers need to take into account the additional academic, emotional and behavioural needs of these children. Adverse effect of preterm birth on a child's neurodevelopment persists up to adulthood. © 2017 Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

  14. Physical fitness and academic performance in primary school children with and without a social disadvantage

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    de Greeff, J. W.; Hartman, Esther; Mullender-Wijnsma, M. J.; Bosker, Roel J; Doolaard, Simone; Visscher, Chris

    2014-01-01

    This study examined the differences between children with a low socioeconomic status [socially disadvantaged children (SDC)] and children without this disadvantage (non-SDC) on physical fitness and academic performance. In addition, this study determined the association between physical fitness and

  15. Prevalence of Principles of Piaget’s Theory Among 4-7-year-old Children and their Correlation with IQ

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marwaha, Sugandha; Vashist, Binny

    2017-01-01

    Introduction Cognitive development is a major area of human development and was extensively studied by Jean Piaget. He proposed that the development of intellectual abilities occurs in a series of relatively distinct stages and that a child’s way of thinking and viewing the world is different at different stages. Aim To assess Piaget’s principles of the intuitive stage of preoperational period among 4-7-year-old children relative to their Intelligence quotient (IQ). Materials and Methods Various characteristics as described by Jean Piaget specific for the age group of 4-7 years along with those of the previous (preconceptual stage of preoperational period) and successive periods (concrete operations) were analysed using various experiments in 300 children. These characteristics included the concepts of perceptual and cognitive egocentrism, centration and reversibility. IQ of the children was measured using Seguin form board test. Inferential statistics were performed using Chi-square test and Kruskal Wallis test. The level of statistical significance was set at 0.05. Results The prevalence of perceptual and cognitive egocentrism was 10.7% and 31.7% based on the experiments and 33% based on the interview question. Centration was present in 96.3% of the children. About 99% children lacked the concept of reversibility according to the clay experiment while 97.7% possessed this concept according to the interview question. The mean IQ score of children who possessed perceptual egocentrism, cognitive egocentrism and egocentrism in dental setting was significantly higher than those who lacked these characteristics. Conclusion Perceptual egocentrism had almost disappeared and prevalence of cognitive egocentrism decreased with increase in age. Centration and lack of reversibility were appreciated in most of the children. There was a gradual reduction in the prevalence of these characters with increasing age. Mean IQ score of children who possessed perceptual egocentrism

  16. Effects of interactive games on motor performance in children with spastic cerebral palsy

    OpenAIRE

    AlSaif, Amer A.; Alsenany, Samira

    2015-01-01

    [Purpose] Motor control and muscle strength impairments are the prime reasons for motor behavior disorders in children with spastic cerebral palsy. These impairments lead to histological changes in muscle growth and the learning of motor skills. Therefore, such children experience reduced muscle force generation and decreased muscle flexibility. We investigated the effect of training with Nintendo Wii Fit games on motor performance in children with spastic cerebral palsy. [Subjects and Method...

  17. Homonormativity in Children's Literature: An Intersectional Analysis of Queer-Themed Picture Books

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lester, Jasmine Z.

    2014-01-01

    Effective social justice movements, including those at the level of children's literature, address the ways different forms of oppression intersect and affect the experiences of diverse queer identities. Children's literature can help combat heteronormative discourse by instilling at a young age the inherent value of all people.…

  18. Gestational age and birth weight in relation to school performance of 10-year-old children: a follow-up study of children born after 32 completed weeks

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kirkegaard, Ida; Obel, Carsten; Hedegaard, Morten

    2006-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Children born extremely premature (weight (weight. Much less is known about children of higher gestational ages and birth weights. We studied gestational age...... after 32 completed weeks and birth weight in relation to the child's school performance at the age of 10 years. METHODS: We performed a follow-up study of 5319 children born between January 1990 and June 1992. We got the information on birth weight and gestational age from birth registration forms; when...... the children were between 9 and 11 years of age, we gathered information about their school performance (reading, spelling, and arithmetic) from questionnaires completed by the parents and the children's primary school teachers. RESULTS: The association between birth weight and reading, as well as spelling...

  19. RESIDUOS DE LA CONSTRUCCIÓN: UNA OPCIÓN PARA LA RECUPERACIÓN DE SUELOS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Erica Mejía Restrepo

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available La disposición final de residuos de la construcción y demolición (RCD puede generar impactos ambientales negativos como la degradación y erosión de suelos, destrucción de la vegetación y pérdida de servicios ambientales. Los procesos de restauración buscan la integridad ecológica de estas zonas, lo cual incluye el reacondicionamiento físico, químico y biológico de estos terrenos degradados. El objetivo de este trabajo fue caracterizar química y mineralógicamente los RCD generados en la ciudad de Medellín y determinar su uso potencial en la biorremediación de suelos degradados por la minería. A través de las técnicas de difracción de rayos X y microscopia óptica de luz plana polarizada se ha encontrado en los RCD minerales tales como cuarzo, calcita, wallostonita, albita, anatasa, actinolita. Estos minerales al aplicarse a suelos degradados pueden mejorar las propiedades físicas de estos (aireación, infiltración, así como aportar nutrientes esenciales (Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, Ni o benéficos para las plantas (Na, Si, Cu. Los resultados obtenidos sugieren que los RCD tienen un alto potencial para ser usados en la bioremediación de terrenos degradados por minería.

  20. Why are our children wasting: Determinants of wasting among under 5s in Ghana.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Darteh, Eugene Kofuor Maafo; Acquah, Evelyn; Darteh, Florie

    2017-09-01

    Wasting is one of the indicators of malnutrition known to contribute to the deaths occurring from childhood malnutrition. It is the measure of body mass in relation to body length used to explain recent nutritional status. This paper examines the determinants of wasting among under 5s in Ghana. Data were drawn from the 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey children's records file to examine the determinants of wasting among children. A total of 2720 children under 5 years with valid anthropometric data were used. Data on wasting were collected by measuring the weight and height of all children under 5 years of age. Bi-variate and multi-variate statistics are used to examine the determinants of wasting. The bi-variate analysis showed significant differences ( p 5s according to age of the child, region, and wealth status. On the other hand, the multi-variate analysis revealed that the odds of wasting were lower among children aged 24-35 months (Odds ratio (OR) = 0.37; p 5s. Also, efforts should be made by the relevant government agencies and other stakeholders to strengthen the socio-economic status of mothers to enable them to provide adequate nutrition and improve access to health insurance for their children in order to reduce the incidence of wasting among these children.

  1. Effects of Episodic Future Thinking and Self-Projection on Children's Prospective Memory Performance.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anett Kretschmer-Trendowicz

    Full Text Available The present study is the first to investigate the benefits of episodic future thinking (EFT at encoding on prospective memory (PM in preschool (age: M = 66.34 months, SD = 3.28 and primary school children (age: M = 88.36 months, SD = 3.12. A second aim was to examine if self-projection influences the possible effects of EFT instructions. PM was assessed using a standard PM paradigm in children with a picture-naming task as the ongoing activity in which the PM task was embedded. Further, two first- and two second-order ToM tasks were administered as indicator of children's self-projection abilities. Forty-one preschoolers and 39 school-aged children were recruited. Half of the participants in each age group were instructed to use EFT as a strategy to encode the PM task, while the others received standard PM instructions. Results revealed a significant age effect, with school-aged children significantly outperforming preschoolers and a significant effect of encoding condition with overall better performance when receiving EFT instructions compared to the standard encoding condition. Even though the interaction between age group and encoding condition was not significant, planned comparisons revealed first evidence that compared to the younger age group, older children's PM benefitted more from EFT instructions during intention encoding. Moreover, results showed that although self-projection had a significant impact on PM performance, it did not influence the effects of EFT instructions. Overall, results indicate that children can use EFT encoding strategies to improve their PM performance once EFT abilities are sufficiently developed. Further, they provide first evidence that in addition to executive functions, which have already been shown to influence the development of PM across childhood, self-projection seems to be another key mechanism underlying this development.

  2. How do NHS organisations plan research capacity development? Strategies, strengths, and opportunities for improvement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gee, Melanie; Cooke, Jo

    2018-03-22

    Research that is integral into a 'learning healthcare system' can promote cost effective services and knowledge creation. As such, research is defined as a 'core function' in UK health service organisations, and is often planned through research and development (R&D) strategies that aim to promote research activity and research capacity development (RCD). The discussion focuses around the content of ten R&D strategies for healthcare organisations in England and Scotland, with respect to RCD. These organisations were engaged with a research interest network called ACORN (Addressing Organisational Capacity to do Research Network) that included two Scottish Health Boards, four community and mental health trusts, two provincial district hospitals, and two teaching hospitals. We undertook a thematic documentary analysis of the R&D strategies which identified 11 'core activities' of RCD. The potential for building research capacity in these 'core activities' was established by reviewing them through the lens of a RCD framework. Core activities aimed to 'hard wire' RCD into health organisations. They demonstrated a complex interplay between developing a strong internal organisational infrastructure, and supporting individual career planning and skills development, in turn enabled by organisational processes. They also included activities to build stronger inter-organisational relationships and networks. Practitioner, manager and patient involvement was a cross cutting theme. The potential to demonstrate progress was included in plans through monitoring activity across all RCD principles. Strategies were primarily aimed at research production rather than research use. Developing 'actionable dissemination' was poorly addressed in the strategies, and represents an area for improvement. We describe strengths of RCD planning activities, and opportunities for improvement. We explore how national policy and research funders can influence health systems' engagement in research.

  3. No Woman's Land (Performance)

    OpenAIRE

    Garton, Rosie; Rippel, IIdiko

    2017-01-01

    'No Woman's Land' (performance) is 1 hr 15 minute large-scale, multi-media performance work. In 1945, Ildikó’s grandmother Lucia Rippel, expelled from her place of birth, walked 220 miles across the fractured landscape of Europe, with her two small children and all her belongings dragged in a cart. In 2015, Ildikó and Rosie retraced her footsteps, crossing borders, climbing fences, bleeding, crying and blistering, carrying their flat-pack children. The performance is a response to ou...

  4. Toxic metals in children's toys and jewelry: Coupling bioaccessibility with risk assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cui, Xin-Yi; Li, Shi-Wei; Zhang, Shu-Jun; Fan, Ying-Ying; Ma, Lena Q.

    2015-01-01

    A total of 45 children's toys and jewelry were tested for total and bioaccessible metal concentrations. Total As, Cd, Sb, Cr, Ni, and Pb concentrations were 0.22–19, 0.01–139, 0.1–189, 0.06–846, 0.14–2894 and 0.08–860,000 mg kg −1 . Metallic products had the highest concentrations, with 3–7 out of 13 samples exceeding the European Union safety limit for Cd, Pb, Cr, or Ni. However, assessment based on hazard index >1 and bioaccessible metal showed different trends. Under saliva mobilization or gastric ingestion, 11 out of 45 samples showed HI >1 for As, Cd, Sb, Cr, or Ni. Pb with the highest total concentration showed HI <1 for all samples while Ni showed the most hazard with HI up to 113. Our data suggest the importance of using bioaccessibility to evaluate health hazard of metals in children's toys and jewelry, and besides Pb and Cd, As, Ni, Cr, and Sb in children's products also deserve attention. - Highlights: • Contamination of toxic metals in children's toys and jewelry (TJ) were studied. • Metals including Pb, Cd, Cr, and Ni in some TJ exceeded the EU safety limits. • Hazard index of TJ was assessed based on bioaccessible metals via saliva mobilization and oral ingestion. • Hazard index was >> 1 for Ni, and unacceptable for As, Cd, Cr, and Sb in some TJ. - Assessment of health hazard of children's toys and jewelry based on bioaccessible metals suggested that besides Pb and Cd, As, Ni, Cr, and Sb in children's products deserve attention

  5. Foundations of Children's Self-Concepts about Everyday Activities: Identities and Comparative Contexts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fisher, Laurel

    2014-01-01

    Children's motivations to engage in everyday activities draw on their experiences in thinking of oneself and the activities. In theory, these personal and social realities provide the complex foundations of self-concepts. The aim of this project was to define the foundations of children's self-concepts about everyday activities; to focus…

  6. Beyond adoption status: Post-adoptive parental involvement and children's reading and math performance from kindergarten to first grade.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tan, Tony Xing; Kim, Eun Sook; Baggerly, Jennifer; Mahoney, E Emily; Rice, Jessica

    2017-01-01

    In this study, we went beyond adoption status to examine the associations between postadoption parental involvement and children's reading and math performance from kindergarten to first grade. Secondary data on a sample of adopted children and nonadopted children were drawn from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Class of 1998 to 1999 (ECLS-K). Weighted data on the children's reading performance were available for 13,900 children (181 were adopted); weighted data on the children's math performance were available for 14,128 children (184 were adopted). Descriptive data showed no group difference in reading scores at all 3 Waves but adopted children scored lower than nonadopted children in math at Wave 2 (Spring of kindergarten) and Wave 3 (Spring of first grade). However, controlling for 6 covariates, latent growth modeling showed that adoption status was unrelated to Wave 1 reading and math scores or subsequent growth rate. Rather, parents' beliefs on skills needed to succeed in kindergarten were a significant predictor of reading and math performance at Wave 1 and subsequent growth rates, and parents' educational expectation was a significant predictor of growth rate in reading and math. Our findings highlight the importance of parental involvement in adopted children's learning. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

  7. Use of Donkey Milk in Children with Cow’s Milk Protein Allergy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paolo Polidori

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available Human breast milk is the best nutritional support that insures the right development and influences the immune status of the newborn infant. However, when it is not possible to breast feed, it may be necessary to use commercial infant formulas that mimic, where possible, the levels and types of nutrients present in human milk. Despite this, some formula-fed infant develops allergy and/or atopic disease compared to breast-fed infants. Cow’s milk allergy can be divided into immunoglobulin IgE mediated food allergy and non-IgE-mediated food allergy. Most infants with cow’s milk protein allergy (CMPA develop symptoms before 1 month of age, often within 1 week after introduction of cow’s milk-based formula. Donkey milk may be considered a good substitute for cow’s milk in feeding children with CMPA since its composition is very similar to human milk. Donkey milk total protein content is low (1.5–1.8 g/100 g, very close to human milk. A thorough analysis of the donkey milk protein profile has been performed in this study; the interest was focused on the milk proteins considered safe for the prevention and treatment of various disorders in humans. The content of lactoferrin, lactoperoxidase and lysozyme, peptides with antimicrobial activity, able to stimulate the development of the neonatal intestine, was determined. Donkey milk is characterized by a low casein content, with values very close to human milk; the total whey protein content in donkey milk ranges between 0.49 and 0.80 g/100 g, very close to human milk (0.68–0.83 g/100 g. Among whey proteins, α-lactalbumin average concentration in donkey milk is 1.8 mg/mL. The results of this study confirmed the possibility of using donkey milk in feeding children with CMPA.

  8. Children’s Sleep Comic: development of a new diagnostic tool for children with sleep disorders

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schwerdtle, Barbara; Kanis, Julia; Kahl, Lena; Kübler, Andrea; Schlarb, Angelika A

    2012-01-01

    Background A solid diagnosis of sleep disorders in children should include both self-ratings and parent ratings. However, there are few standardized self-assessment instruments to meet this need. The Children’s Sleep Comic is an adapted version of the unpublished German questionnaire “Freiburger Kinderschlafcomic” and provides pictures for items and responses. Because the drawings were outdated and allowed only for qualitative analysis, we revised the comic, tested its applicability in a target sample, and suggest a procedure for quantitative analysis. Methods All items were updated and pictures were newly drawn. We used a sample of 201 children aged 5–10 years to test the applicability of the Children’s Sleep Comic in young children and to run a preliminary analysis. Results The Children’s Sleep Comic comprises 37 items covering relevant aspects of sleep disorders in children. Application took on average 30 minutes. The procedure was well accepted by the children, as reflected by the absence of any dropouts. First comparisons with established questionnaires indicated moderate correlations. Conclusion The Children’s Sleep Comic is appropriate for screening sleep behavior and sleep problems in children. The interactive procedure can foster a good relationship between the investigator and the child, and thus establish the basis for successful intervention if necessary. PMID:23620683

  9. Association Between Prenatal Valproate Exposure and Performance on Standardized Language and Mathematics Tests in School-aged Children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elkjær, Lars Skou; Bech, Bodil Hammer; Sun, Yuelian; Laursen, Thomas Munk; Christensen, Jakob

    2018-02-19

    Valproate sodium is used for the treatment of epilepsy and other neuropsychiatric disorders in women of childbearing potential. However, there are concerns about impaired cognitive development in children who have been exposed to valproate during pregnancy. To estimate the association between long-term school performance and prenatal exposure to valproate and a number of other antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). In a prospective, population-based cohort study conducted from August 1, 2015, to May 31, 2017, data used in the study were provided by Statistics Denmark on April 15, 2016. All children born alive in Denmark between 1997 and 2006 (n = 656 496) were identified. From this cohort, children who did not participate in the national tests, with presumed coding errors in gestational age and children missing information on their mother's educational level or household income were excluded (n = 177 469) leaving 479 027 children for the analyses. Children were identified and linked across national registers that had information on exposure, covariates, and outcome. The primary outcome was performance in national tests, an academic test taken by students in Danish primary and lower secondary state schools. We assessed performance in Danish and mathematics at different grades among valproate-exposed children and compared their performance with that of unexposed children and children exposed to another AED (lamotrigine). Test scores were standardized to z scores and adjusted for risk factors. Difference in standardized z scores in Danish and mathematics tests among valproate-exposed children compared with unexposed and lamotrigine-exposed children. Of the 656 496 children identified, 479 027 children who participated in the national tests were evaluated, including children exposed to the following AEDs in monotherapy: valproate, 253; phenobarbital, 86; oxcarbazepine, 236; lamotrigine, 396; clonazepam, 188; and carbamazepine, 294. The mean (SD) age of the 244 095

  10. Physical Exertion and Immediate Classroom Mental Performance Among Elementary School Children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gabbard, Carl

    This study was designed (1) to investigate the relationship between physical exertion and mental performance in elementary school children and (2) to determine if male or female mental performances are more affected by physical exertion. A total of 95 second graders participated in six treatments of induced physical exertion during their regularly…

  11. Music lessons improve auditory perceptual and cognitive performance in deaf children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rochette, Françoise; Moussard, Aline; Bigand, Emmanuel

    2014-01-01

    Despite advanced technologies in auditory rehabilitation of profound deafness, deaf children often exhibit delayed cognitive and linguistic development and auditory training remains a crucial element of their education. In the present cross-sectional study, we assess whether music would be a relevant tool for deaf children rehabilitation. In normal-hearing children, music lessons have been shown to improve cognitive and linguistic-related abilities, such as phonetic discrimination and reading. We compared auditory perception, auditory cognition, and phonetic discrimination between 14 profoundly deaf children who completed weekly music lessons for a period of 1.5-4 years and 14 deaf children who did not receive musical instruction. Children were assessed on perceptual and cognitive auditory tasks using environmental sounds: discrimination, identification, auditory scene analysis, auditory working memory. Transfer to the linguistic domain was tested with a phonetic discrimination task. Musically trained children showed better performance in auditory scene analysis, auditory working memory and phonetic discrimination tasks, and multiple regressions showed that success on these tasks was at least partly driven by music lessons. We propose that musical education contributes to development of general processes such as auditory attention and perception, which, in turn, facilitate auditory-related cognitive and linguistic processes.

  12. Music lessons improve auditory perceptual and cognitive performance in deaf children

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Françoise eROCHETTE

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Despite advanced technologies in auditory rehabilitation of profound deafness, deaf children often exhibit delayed cognitive and linguistic development and auditory training remains a crucial element of their education. In the present cross-sectional study, we assess whether music would be a relevant tool for deaf children rehabilitation. In normal-hearing children, music lessons have been shown to improve cognitive and linguistic-related abilities, such as phonetic discrimination and reading. We compared auditory perception, auditory cognition, and phonetic discrimination between 14 profoundly deaf children who completed weekly music lessons for a period of 1.5 to 4 years and 14 deaf children who did not receive musical instruction. Children were assessed on perceptual and cognitive auditory tasks using environmental sounds: discrimination, identification, auditory scene analysis, auditory working memory. Transfer to the linguistic domain was tested with a phonetic discrimination task. Musically-trained children showed better performance in auditory scene analysis, auditory working memory and phonetic discrimination tasks, and multiple regressions showed that success on these tasks was at least partly driven by music lessons. We propose that musical education contributes to development of general processes such as auditory attention and perception, which, in turn, facilitate auditory-related cognitive and linguistic processes.

  13. Methylphenidate use and school performance among primary school children : a descriptive study

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van der Schans, Jurjen; Cicek, Rukiye; Vardar, Sefike; Bos, Jens H. J.; de Vries, Tjalling W.; Hoekstra, Pieter J.; Hak, Eelko

    2017-01-01

    Background: There is no conclusive evidence that stimulants have beneficial effects on major associated outcome parameters, particularly school performance. We assessed the differences in school performance among children using methylphenidate at the end of primary school in relation to various

  14. Breakfast, plasma glucose and beta-hydroxybutyrate, body mass index and academic performance in children from Extremadura, Spain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Torres, M D; Carmona, I; Campillo, C; Pérez, G; Campillo, J E

    2007-01-01

    Nutritional aspects of breakfast, plasma levels of glucose and beta-hydroxybutyrate, body mass index and academic performance have been studied in urban and rural children (Extremadura, Spain). Representative samples of schoolchildren (3 to 12 years old, random cluster-sampling in schools). Children's mean caloric intake with breakfast was 331 kcal. Rural population ingested more carbohydrates (46,9 +/- 12,3% versus 43,3 +/- 13,2% of the total caloric intake) and fewer lipids (40,5 +/- 11,8% versus 43,9 +/- 12,8% of the total caloric intake) than the urban population. Academic performance was significantly better in the children inhabiting the rural zone than in those of the urban zone. The glycaemia was higher in the urban than in the rural children, and that the contrary was the case for the beta-hydroxybutyrate values. Neither glucose nor beta-hydroxybutyrate levels were correlated with academic performance values. BMI was significantly increased in the urban versus rural children. The present results emphasize the importance of breakfast and life style in the weight and the academic performance of children.

  15. Performance of Clinical Signs in the Diagnosis of Dehydration in Children with Acute Gastroenteritis

    OpenAIRE

    Hoxha, Teuta; Xhelili, Luan; Azemi, Mehmedali; Avdiu, Muharrem; Ismaili-Jaha, Vlora; Efendija-Beqa, Urata; Grajcevci-Uka, Violeta

    2015-01-01

    Background: Acute evaluation and treatment of children presenting with dehydration represent one of the most common situation in the pediatric emergency department. To identify dehydration in infants and children before treatment, a number of symptoms and clinical signs have been evaluated. The aim of the study was to describe the performance of clinical signs in detecting dehydration in children. Methods: Two hundred children aged 1 month to 5 year were involved in our prospective study. The...

  16. Differences in {sup 99m}Tc-HMPAO brain SPET perfusion imaging between Tourette's syndrome and chronic tic disorder in children

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chiu, N.-T.; Lee, B.-F. [Dept. of Nuclear Medicine, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan (Taiwan); Chang, Y.-C. [Dept. of Pediatrics, Kaohsiung Chang Kang Children' s Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan (Taiwan); Huang, C.-C. [Dept. of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan (Taiwan); Wang, S.-T. [Dept. of Public Health, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan (Taiwan)

    2001-02-01

    Early differential diagnosis between Tourette's syndrome and chronic tic disorder is difficult but important because both the outcome and the treatment of these two childhood-onset diseases are distinct. We assessed the sensitivity and specificity of brain single-photon emission tomography (SPET) perfusion imaging in distinguishing the two diseases, and characterized their different cerebral perfusion patterns. Twenty-seven children with Tourette's syndrome and 11 with chronic tic disorder (mean age 9.5 and 8.6 years, respectively) underwent brain SPET with technetium-99m hexamethylpropylene amine oxime (HMPAO). Visual interpretation and semi-quantitative analysis of SPET images were performed. On visual interpretation, 22 of 27 (82%) of the Tourette's syndrome group had lesions characterized by decreased perfusion. The left hemisphere was more frequently involved. None of the children with chronic tic disorder had a visible abnormality. Semi-quantitative analysis showed that, compared with children with chronic tic disorder, children with Tourette's syndrome had significantly lower perfusion in the left lateral temporal area and asymmetric perfusion in the dorsolateral frontal, lateral and medial temporal areas. In conclusion, using the visual approach, brain SPET perfusion imaging is sensitive and specific in differentiating Tourette's syndrome and chronic tic disorder. The perfusion difference between the two groups, demonstrated by semi-quantitative analysis, may be related more to the co-morbidity in Tourette's syndrome than to tics per se. (orig.)

  17. Motor Skill Performance by Low SES Preschool and Typically Developing Children on the PDMS-2

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Ting; Hoffmann, Chelsea; Hamilton, Michelle

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to compare the motor skill performance of preschool children from low socioeconomic (SES) backgrounds to their age matched typically developing peers using the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales-2 (PDMS-2). Sixty-eight children (34 low SES and 34 typically developing; ages 3-5) performed the PDMS-2. Standard scores…

  18. Mediators of methylphenidate effects on math performance in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Froehlich, Tanya E; Antonini, Tanya N; Brinkman, William B; Langberg, Joshua M; Simon, John O; Adams, Ryan; Fredstrom, Bridget; Narad, Megan E; Kingery, Kathleen M; Altaye, Mekibib; Matheson, Heather; Tamm, Leanne; Epstein, Jeffery N

    2014-01-01

    Stimulant medications, such as methylphenidate (MPH), improve the academic performance of children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, the mechanism by which MPH exerts an effect on academic performance is unclear. We examined MPH effects on math performance and investigated possible mediation of MPH effects by changes in time on-task, inhibitory control, selective attention, and reaction time variability. Children with ADHD aged 7 to 11 years (N = 93) completed a timed math worksheet (with problems tailored to each individual's level of proficiency) and 2 neuropsychological tasks (Go/No-Go and Child Attention Network Test) at baseline, then participated in a 4-week, randomized, controlled, titration trial of MPH. Children were then randomly assigned to their optimal MPH dose or placebo for 1 week (administered double-blind) and repeated the math and neuropsychological tasks (posttest). Baseline and posttest videorecordings of children performing the math task were coded to assess time on-task. Children taking MPH completed 23 more math problems at posttest compared to baseline, whereas the placebo group completed 24 fewer problems on posttest versus baseline, but the effects on math accuracy (percent correct) did not differ. Path analyses revealed that only change in time on-task was a significant mediator of MPH's improvements in math productivity. MPH-derived math productivity improvements may be explained in part by increased time spent on-task, rather than improvements in neurocognitive parameters, such as inhibitory control, selective attention, or reaction time variability.

  19. Impact of low vision rehabilitation on functional vision performance of children with visual impairment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ganesh, Suma; Sethi, Sumita; Srivastav, Sonia; Chaudhary, Amrita; Arora, Priyanka

    2013-09-01

    To evaluate the impact of low vision rehabilitation on functional vision of children with visual impairment. The LV Prasad-Functional Vision Questionnaire, designed specifically to measure functional performance of visually impaired children of developing countries, was used to assess the level of difficulty in performing various tasks pre and post visual rehabilitation in children with documented visual impairment. Chi-square test was used to assess the impact of rehabilitation intervention on functional vision performance; a P visual acuity prior to the introduction of low vision devices (LVDs) was 0.90 ± 0.05 for distance and for near it was 0.61 ± 0.05. After the intervention, the acuities improved significantly for distance (0.2 ± 0.27; P visual rehabilitation was especially found in those activities related to their studying lifestyle like copying from the blackboard (P visual rehabilitation, especially with those activities which are related to their academic output. It is important for these children to have an early visual rehabilitation to decrease the impairment associated with these decreased visual output and to enhance their learning abilities.

  20. Duplex investigations in children: Are clinical signs in children with venous disorders relevant?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Birgitte Maessen-Visch, M; Smeets, L; van Vleuten, C

    2015-12-01

    Ultra sound colored duplex sonography is the preferred method in diagnosing chronic venous disease. Data in children on incidence, indications, and results are lacking. From the total of 9180 duplex investigations performed in our hospital from 2009 to 2012, data on indication and results of the investigation as well as patient characteristics were evaluated retrospectively for the proportion of pediatric patients. Duplex investigations were performed 49 times in 38 children (6-18 years), with an average of 1.3 times (1-6 times) per child. Forty percent showed abnormalities: 17 times deep venous thrombosis was suspected; deep venous thrombosis was objectified in 18%. In the 21 investigations performed for varicosis-related complaints, varicose veins or venous malformations were objectified in 57%. Edema was never a symptom of chronic venous disease. Duplex investigation is not often performed in children. In children with established deep venous thrombosis, a family history with deep venous thrombosis is common. In general, edema was not seen in children with varicose veins and, therefore, does not seem a reliable clinical sign at young age. © The Author(s) 2014.

  1. Associations Between Academic and Motor Performance in a Heterogeneous Sample of Children With Learning Disabilities

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Vuijk, Pieter Jelle; Hartman, Esther; Mombarg, Remo; Scherder, Erik; Visscher, Chris

    2011-01-01

    A heterogeneous sample of 137 school-aged children with learning disabilities (IQ > 80) attending special needs schools was examined on the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (MABC). The results show that compared to the available norm scores, 52.6% of the children tested performed below the

  2. Performance test for prototype game for children with adhd

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bahana, R.; Gaol, F. L.; Wiguna, T.; Hendric, S. W. H. L.; Soewito, B.; Nugroho, E.; Dirgantoro, B. P.; Abdurachman, E.

    2018-03-01

    The gaming industry has become one of the fastest growing industries in the world. In recent years there have been several studies that have used games, especially computer-based ones to improve the executive function of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) especially in working memory improvements. There are still several obstacles in using computer-based games that have been circulating today in Indonesia. The aim of this research is to develop and create a prototype game that can be used to improve working memory of children with ADHD using Bahasa Indonesia. The prototype game application is a race game with matching colors and memory work tasks; developed using Construct2. Players will play as a driver, delivering certain fruits to specific homes with different colors. The game also included visuospatial tasks such as remembering the objects. For performance test, CPU utilization, average FPS and image memory usage has been tested in several browsers. In conclusion, the performance tests results show that the first type of the prototype game is good enough to be played in desktop or laptop.

  3. Relationship between anthropometric indicators and cognitive performance in Southeast Asian school-aged children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sandjaja; Poh, Bee Koon; Rojroonwasinkul, Nipa; Le Nyugen, Bao Khanh; Budiman, Basuki; Ng, Lai Oon; Soonthorndhada, Kusol; Xuyen, Hoang Thi; Deurenberg, Paul; Parikh, Panam

    2013-09-01

    Nutrition is an important factor in mental development and, as a consequence, in cognitive performance. Malnutrition is reflected in children's weight, height and BMI curves. The present cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the association between anthropometric indices and cognitive performance in 6746 school-aged children (aged 6-12 years) of four Southeast Asian countries: Indonesia; Malaysia; Thailand; Vietnam. Cognitive performance (non-verbal intelligence quotient (IQ)) was measured using Raven's Progressive Matrices test or Test of Non-Verbal Intelligence, third edition (TONI-3). Height-for-age z-scores (HAZ), weight-for-age z-scores (WAZ) and BMI-for-age z-scores (BAZ) were used as anthropometric nutritional status indices. Data were weighted using age, sex and urban/rural weight factors to resemble the total primary school-aged population per country. Overall, 21% of the children in the four countries were underweight and 19% were stunted. Children with low WAZ were 3·5 times more likely to have a non-verbal IQ < 89 (OR 3·53 and 95% CI 3·52, 3·54). The chance of having a non-verbal IQ < 89 was also doubled with low BAZ and HAZ. In contrast, except for severe obesity, the relationship between high BAZ and IQ was less clear and differed per country. The odds of having non-verbal IQ levels < 89 also increased with severe obesity. In conclusion, undernourishment and non-verbal IQ are significantly associated in 6-12-year-old children. Effective strategies to improve nutrition in preschoolers and school-aged children can have a pronounced effect on cognition and, in the longer term, help in positively contributing to individual and national development.

  4. Temporal features of word-initial /s/+stop clusters in bilingual Mandarin-English children and monolingual English children and adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Jing

    2018-03-01

    This study investigated the durational features of English word-initial /s/+stop clusters produced by bilingual Mandarin (L1)-English (L2) children and monolingual English children and adults. The participants included two groups of five- to six-year-old bilingual children: low proficiency in the L2 (Bi-low) and high proficiency in the L2 (Bi-high), one group of age-matched English children, and one group of English adults. Each participant produced a list of English words containing /sp, st, sk/ at the word-initial position followed by /a, i, u/, respectively. The absolute durations of the clusters and cluster elements and the durational proportions of elements to the overall cluster were measured. The results revealed that Bi-high children behaved similarly to the English monolinguals whereas Bi-low children used a different strategy of temporal organization to coordinate the cluster components in comparison to the English monolinguals and Bi-high children. The influence of language experience and continuing development of temporal features in children were discussed.

  5. Danish children´s upbringing as consumers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Flemming; Nielsen, Jens Carsten

    2004-01-01

    The paper describes Danish 5-18 year olds children's situation in year 2000 based on TNSGallup'squantitative annual children- and youth index. The focus is on the following topics:Children's economy and saving ability, children and the emerging electronic world, brandawareness, transaction...... knowledge and shopping, media use and, interest and activities.KeywordsChildren's consumption, children's money spending, children's purchasing, children'sinterest and activities...

  6. Views of the Family by Chinese and U.S. Children: A Comparative Study of Kinetic Family Drawings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nuttall, Ena Vasquez; And Others

    1988-01-01

    Compared family drawings of Chinese (People's Republic of China) and United States (U.S.) elementary school children. Chinese children depicted parents and grandparents more frequently, reflecting the Chinese tendency to perceive themselves as members of nuclear and extended families, whereas U.S. children expressed more individualism and…

  7. The Structure and Dark Halo Core Properties of Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burkert, A.

    2015-08-01

    The structure and dark matter halo core properties of dwarf spheroidal galaxies (dSphs) are investigated. A double-isothermal (DIS) model of an isothermal, non-self-gravitating stellar system embedded in an isothermal dark halo core provides an excellent fit to the various observed stellar surface density distributions. The stellar core scale length a* is sensitive to the central dark matter density ρ0,d. The maximum stellar radius traces the dark halo core radius {r}c,d. The concentration c* of the stellar system, determined by a King profile fit, depends on the ratio of the stellar-to-dark-matter velocity dispersion {σ }*/{σ }d. Simple empirical relationships are derived that allow us to calculate the dark halo core parameters ρ0,d, {r}c,d, and σd given the observable stellar quantities σ*, a*, and c*. The DIS model is applied to the Milky Way’s dSphs. All dSphs closely follow the same universal dark halo scaling relations {ρ }0,d× {r}c,d={75}-45+85 M⊙ pc-2 that characterize the cores of more massive galaxies over a large range in masses. The dark halo core mass is a strong function of core radius, {M}c,d˜ {r}c,d2. Inside a fixed radius of ˜400 pc the total dark matter mass is, however, roughly constant with {M}d=2.6+/- 1.4× {10}7 M⊙, although outliers are expected. The dark halo core densities of the Galaxy’s dSphs are very high, with {ρ }0,d ≈ 0.2 M⊙ pc-3. dSphs should therefore be tidally undisturbed. Evidence for tidal effects might then provide a serious challenge for the CDM scenario.

  8. From Elephant God to Man Dog: Hybridity, Mimicry, and the Homo Sacer in Salman Rushdie’s MIDNIGHT’S CHILDREN

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peter Arnds

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children is a work of pastiche. As such it is typically postmodern, literature patched together from other literary texts. Using Grass’s Tin Drum and the German postwar cultural-political situation as a model, Rushdie copies Grass in re-enchanting a secularized country grappling with the memory of genocide through a set of mythological paradigms. By drawing on postcolonial theory and the biopolitical concept of the homo sacer this essay analyses Rushdie’s particular brand of what I have termed as mythical realism in view of its close amalgamation of hybridity with mimicry, subversive mockery, and liminality between the human and the animal, typical features of the postmodern novel trying to come to terms with war and genocide. It is the aim of this study to examine the functions of these key features for Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children for lifting the corks of forgetting and disclosing the concealment of India’s past.

  9. Cultural factors affecting the differential performance of Israeli and Palestinian children on the Loewenstein Occupational Therapy Cognitive Assessment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Josman, Naomi; Abdallah, Taisir M; Engel-Yeger, Batya

    2010-01-01

    Cognitive performance is essential for children's functioning and may also predict school readiness. The suitability of Western standardized assessments for cognitive performance among children from different cultures needs to be elaborated. This study referred to the existence of differences in cognitive performance between and within children from the middle-east-Israeli and Palestinian on the Loewenstein Occupational Therapy Cognitive Assessment (LOTCA), by elucidating cultural effects on the construct validity of the LOTCA using factor analysis. Participants included 101 Israeli and 125 Palestinian children from kindergarten, first and second grade who underwent the LOTCA. Factor analysis revealed four factors underlying items on the LOTCA, explaining the differences found between Israeli and Palestinian children in most of LOTCA subtests. Culture may affect the construct validity of the LOTCA and may explain the difference in performance between both cultural groups. LOTCA's validity as well as the validity of other instruments on which norms and decisions regarding the child's development and performance are made should be further evaluated among children from different cultural backgrounds. 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Relation Between Mathematical Performance, Math Anxiety, and Affective Priming in Children With and Without Developmental Dyscalculia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kucian, Karin; Zuber, Isabelle; Kohn, Juliane; Poltz, Nadine; Wyschkon, Anne; Esser, Günter; von Aster, Michael

    2018-01-01

    Many children show negative emotions related to mathematics and some even develop mathematics anxiety. The present study focused on the relation between negative emotions and arithmetical performance in children with and without developmental dyscalculia (DD) using an affective priming task. Previous findings suggested that arithmetic performance is influenced if an affective prime precedes the presentation of an arithmetic problem. In children with DD specifically, responses to arithmetic operations are supposed to be facilitated by both negative and mathematics-related primes (= negative math priming effect ).We investigated mathematical performance, math anxiety, and the domain-general abilities of 172 primary school children (76 with DD and 96 controls). All participants also underwent an affective priming task which consisted of the decision whether a simple arithmetic operation (addition or subtraction) that was preceded by a prime (positive/negative/neutral or mathematics-related) was true or false. Our findings did not reveal a negative math priming effect in children with DD. Furthermore, when considering accuracy levels, gender, or math anxiety, the negative math priming effect could not be replicated. However, children with DD showed more math anxiety when explicitly assessed by a specific math anxiety interview and showed lower mathematical performance compared to controls. Moreover, math anxiety was equally present in boys and girls, even in the earliest stages of schooling, and interfered negatively with performance. In conclusion, mathematics is often associated with negative emotions that can be manifested in specific math anxiety, particularly in children with DD. Importantly, present findings suggest that in the assessed age group, it is more reliable to judge math anxiety and investigate its effects on mathematical performance explicitly by adequate questionnaires than by an affective math priming task.

  11. Relation Between Mathematical Performance, Math Anxiety, and Affective Priming in Children With and Without Developmental Dyscalculia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Karin Kucian

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Many children show negative emotions related to mathematics and some even develop mathematics anxiety. The present study focused on the relation between negative emotions and arithmetical performance in children with and without developmental dyscalculia (DD using an affective priming task. Previous findings suggested that arithmetic performance is influenced if an affective prime precedes the presentation of an arithmetic problem. In children with DD specifically, responses to arithmetic operations are supposed to be facilitated by both negative and mathematics-related primes (=negative math priming effect.We investigated mathematical performance, math anxiety, and the domain-general abilities of 172 primary school children (76 with DD and 96 controls. All participants also underwent an affective priming task which consisted of the decision whether a simple arithmetic operation (addition or subtraction that was preceded by a prime (positive/negative/neutral or mathematics-related was true or false. Our findings did not reveal a negative math priming effect in children with DD. Furthermore, when considering accuracy levels, gender, or math anxiety, the negative math priming effect could not be replicated. However, children with DD showed more math anxiety when explicitly assessed by a specific math anxiety interview and showed lower mathematical performance compared to controls. Moreover, math anxiety was equally present in boys and girls, even in the earliest stages of schooling, and interfered negatively with performance. In conclusion, mathematics is often associated with negative emotions that can be manifested in specific math anxiety, particularly in children with DD. Importantly, present findings suggest that in the assessed age group, it is more reliable to judge math anxiety and investigate its effects on mathematical performance explicitly by adequate questionnaires than by an affective math priming task.

  12. Relation Between Mathematical Performance, Math Anxiety, and Affective Priming in Children With and Without Developmental Dyscalculia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kucian, Karin; Zuber, Isabelle; Kohn, Juliane; Poltz, Nadine; Wyschkon, Anne; Esser, Günter; von Aster, Michael

    2018-01-01

    Many children show negative emotions related to mathematics and some even develop mathematics anxiety. The present study focused on the relation between negative emotions and arithmetical performance in children with and without developmental dyscalculia (DD) using an affective priming task. Previous findings suggested that arithmetic performance is influenced if an affective prime precedes the presentation of an arithmetic problem. In children with DD specifically, responses to arithmetic operations are supposed to be facilitated by both negative and mathematics-related primes (=negative math priming effect).We investigated mathematical performance, math anxiety, and the domain-general abilities of 172 primary school children (76 with DD and 96 controls). All participants also underwent an affective priming task which consisted of the decision whether a simple arithmetic operation (addition or subtraction) that was preceded by a prime (positive/negative/neutral or mathematics-related) was true or false. Our findings did not reveal a negative math priming effect in children with DD. Furthermore, when considering accuracy levels, gender, or math anxiety, the negative math priming effect could not be replicated. However, children with DD showed more math anxiety when explicitly assessed by a specific math anxiety interview and showed lower mathematical performance compared to controls. Moreover, math anxiety was equally present in boys and girls, even in the earliest stages of schooling, and interfered negatively with performance. In conclusion, mathematics is often associated with negative emotions that can be manifested in specific math anxiety, particularly in children with DD. Importantly, present findings suggest that in the assessed age group, it is more reliable to judge math anxiety and investigate its effects on mathematical performance explicitly by adequate questionnaires than by an affective math priming task.

  13. Determinants of gross motor skill performance in children with visual impairments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haibach, Pamela S; Wagner, Matthias O; Lieberman, Lauren J

    2014-10-01

    Children with visual impairments (CWVI) generally perform poorer in gross motor skills when compared with their sighted peers. This study examined the influence of age, sex, and severity of visual impairment upon locomotor and object control skills in CWVI. Participants included 100 CWVI from across the United States who completed the Test of Gross Motor Development II (TGMD-II). The TGMD-II consists of 12 gross motor skills including 6 object control skills (catching, kicking, striking, dribbling, throwing, and rolling) and 6 locomotor skills (running, sliding, galloping, leaping, jumping, and hopping). The full range of visual impairments according to United States Association for Blind Athletes (USABA; B3=20/200-20/599, legally blind; B2=20/600 and up, travel vision; B1=totally blind) were assessed. The B1 group performed significantly worse than the B2 (0.000 ≤ p ≤ 0.049) or B3 groups (0.000 ≤ p ≤ 0.005); however, there were no significant differences between B2 and B3 except for the run (p=0.006), catch (p=0.000), and throw (p=0.012). Age and sex did not play an important role in most of the skills, with the exception of boys outperforming girls striking (p=0.009), dribbling (p=0.013), and throwing (p=0.000), and older children outperforming younger children in dribbling (p=0.002). The significant impact of the severity of visual impairment is likely due to decreased experiences and opportunities for children with more severe visual impairments. In addition, it is likely that these reduced experiences explain the lack of age-related differences in the CWVI. The large disparities in performance between children who are blind and their partially sighted peers give direction for instruction and future research. In addition, there is a critical need for intentional and specific instruction on motor skills at a younger age to enable CWVI to develop their gross motor skills. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Eye gaze performance for children with severe physical impairments using gaze-based assistive technology-A longitudinal study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Borgestig, Maria; Sandqvist, Jan; Parsons, Richard; Falkmer, Torbjörn; Hemmingsson, Helena

    2016-01-01

    Gaze-based assistive technology (gaze-based AT) has the potential to provide children affected by severe physical impairments with opportunities for communication and activities. This study aimed to examine changes in eye gaze performance over time (time on task and accuracy) in children with severe physical impairments, without speaking ability, using gaze-based AT. A longitudinal study with a before and after design was conducted on 10 children (aged 1-15 years) with severe physical impairments, who were beginners to gaze-based AT at baseline. Thereafter, all children used the gaze-based AT in daily activities over the course of the study. Compass computer software was used to measure time on task and accuracy with eye selection of targets on screen, and tests were performed with the children at baseline, after 5 months, 9-11 months, and after 15-20 months. Findings showed that the children improved in time on task after 5 months and became more accurate in selecting targets after 15-20 months. This study indicates that these children with severe physical impairments, who were unable to speak, could improve in eye gaze performance. However, the children needed time to practice on a long-term basis to acquire skills needed to develop fast and accurate eye gaze performance.

  15. Optimization of protocol in computerized tomography scans of children's chest

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lima, L.T.A.; Roberto, W. dos S.; Mourão Filho, A.P.

    2017-01-01

    The diffusion of the Computed Tomography (CT) has promoted a significant increase of the dose absorbed by patients. This technique showed a high growth as a result of clinical cases of medical emergencies, neoplasia and pediatric traumas. The risks of stochastic effects are greater for children due to tissue radiosensitivity coupled with longer life expectancy. In the present work, a cylindrical simulator was used, representing an adult thorax made of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), and a second simulator object of the same material was developed in oblong format including the axillary regions, based on the dimensions of the patient's thorax one-year-old pediatric population. The scanning on the adult simulator object was performed with the chest radiograph diagnostic service with a 120 kV supply voltage and in the pediatric simulator object were performed optimized scans with 120, 100 and 80 kV. This work compared the dose variation absorbed by the pediatric simulator object mentioned by the change in the tube supply voltage

  16. Receptive and expressive language performance in children with and without Cleft Lip and Palate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lamônica, Dionísia Aparecida Cusin; Silva-Mori, Mariana Jales Felix da; Ribeiro, Camila da Costa; Maximino, Luciana Paula

    2016-01-01

    To compare the performance in the abilities of receptive and expressive language of children with cleft lip and palate with that of children without cleft lip and palate with typical 12 to 36-month chronological development. The sample consisted of 60 children aged 12 and 36 months: 30 with cleft lip and palate diagnosis and 30 without cleft lip and palate diagnosis with typical development. The groups were paired according to gender, age (in months), and socioeconomic level. The procedures consisted of analysis of medical records, anamnesis with family members, and valuation of the Early Language Milestone Scale (ELMS). The chart analysis showed 63.34% of the children with unilateral cleft lip and palate, 16.66% with bilateral incisive transforamen cleft, and 20% with post-foramen cleft. Children with cleft lip and palate underwent surgeries (lip repair and/or palatoplasty) at the recommended ages and participated in early intervention programs; 40% presented recurrent otitis history, and 50% attended schools. Statistical analysis included the use of the Mann Whitney test with significance level of p cleft lip and palate showed statistically significant low performance in receptive and expressive language compared with children without cleft lip and palate.

  17. Dopamine transporter density in the basal ganglia assessed with {sup 123}I-IPT SPECT in children with Tourette's deosoder

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yoo, Y. H.; Cheon, K. A.; Yoon, M. J.; Kim, C. H.; Lee, J. D. [Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Kim, H. H.; Choi, T. H. [Gachon Medical School, Incheon (Korea, Republic of)

    2002-07-01

    Previous studies in patients with Tourette's disorder (TD) provided evidences of presynaptic dopaminergic dysfunction, demonstrating increased dopamine transporter densities. We investigated dopamine transporter densities using {sup 123}I-IPT SPECT in drug-naive children with TD and postulated that dopamine transporter density reflected dopamine concentrations. 9 drug-naive children with ADHD and 8 normal children were included in the study. We performed brain SPECT 2 hours after administration of {sup 123}I-IPT and made both quantitative and qualitative analyses for assessment of specific/nonspecific DAT binding ratio in the BG. We then investigated correlation between the severity of tics in children with TD assessed with the YGTSS and specific/nonspecific binding ratio on BG. Drug-naive children with TD showed a significantly increased specific/nonspecific DAT binding ratio in the BG compared with normal children. We found no significant correlation between severity of tics assessed with YGTSS in children with TD and specific/nonspecific DAT binding ratio in BG. These findings support the hypothesis of dopamine dysregulation in presynaptic dopamine function of BG being involved in pathophysiology of TD.

  18. Measuring stigma in children receiving mental health treatment: Validation of the Paediatric Self-Stigmatization Scale (PaedS).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaushik, A; Papachristou, E; Dima, D; Fewings, S; Kostaki, E; Ploubidis, G B; Kyriakopoulos, M

    2017-06-01

    Research on the impact of stigma associated with mental illness in children is scarce. Considering the known negative effects of stigma associated with mental illness in adults, it is crucial to explore the stigma experienced by children who access mental health treatment. However, no scale measuring self-stigmatization in younger children is available to date. This study aimed to develop and validate such a scale, the Paediatric Self-Stigmatization Scale (PaedS). A total of 156 children (119 receiving outpatient and 37 receiving inpatient treatment), aged 8-12 years, completed the PaedS, the Self-Perception Profile for Children and the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL - Child Report, ages 8-12). In addition, parents completed the PedsQL (Parent Report for Children, ages 8-12), the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and a modified subscale of the PaedS measuring the children's rejection by others due to their mental health difficulties. A confirmatory factor analysis showed that a four-factor structure, comprising Societal Devaluation, Personal Rejection, Self-Stigma and Secrecy scales, had excellent fit to the data (CFI=0.95; TLI=0.95; RMSEA=0.05). Child-reported PaedS scores were positively correlated with parental-reported PaedS scores and negatively with PedsQL, the SDQ, and 5 out of 6 subscales of the Self-Perception Profile for Children, suggesting adequate convergent validity (all P-values<0.05). The PaedS is a valid instrument, which is hoped to advance the understanding of self-stigmatization in children with mental health difficulties and contribute to its prevention. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  19. Intergenerational effects of parental substance-related convictions and adult drug treatment court participation on children's school performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gifford, Elizabeth J; Sloan, Frank A; Eldred, Lindsey M; Evans, Kelly E

    2015-09-01

    This study examined the intergenerational effects of parental conviction of a substance-related charge on children's academic performance and, conditional on a conviction, whether completion of an adult drug treatment court (DTC) program was associated with improved school performance. State administrative data from North Carolina courts, birth records, and school records were linked for 2005-2012. Math and reading end-of-grade test scores and absenteeism were examined for 5 groups of children, those with parents who: were not convicted on any criminal charge, were convicted on a substance-related charge and not referred by a court to a DTC, were referred to a DTC but did not enroll, enrolled in a DTC but did not complete, and completed a DTC program. Accounting for demographic and socioeconomic factors, the school performance of children whose parents were convicted of a substance-related offense was worse than that of children whose parents were not convicted on any charge. These differences were statistically significant but substantially reduced after controlling for socioeconomic characteristics; for example, mother's educational attainment. We found no evidence that parent participation in an adult DTC program led to improved school performance of their children. While the children of convicted parents fared worse on average, much--but not all--of this difference was attributed to socioeconomic factors, with the result that parental conviction remained a risk factor for poorer school performance. Even though adult DTCs have been shown to have other benefits, we could detect no intergenerational benefit in improved school performance of their children. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

  20. Actual motor performance and self-perceived motor competence in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder compared with healthy siblings and peers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fliers, Ellen A; de Hoog, Marieke L A; Franke, Barbara; Faraone, Stephen V; Rommelse, Nanda N J; Buitelaar, Jan K; Nijhuis-van der Sanden, Maria W G

    2010-01-01

    : Children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) frequently experience comorbid motor problems, developmental coordination disorder. Also, children with ADHD are said to overestimate their abilities in the cognitive and social domain, the so-called "Positive Illusory Bias." In this cross-sectional study, the relationship between actual motor performance and perceived motor competence was examined. Motor performance was assessed using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children in 100 children and adolescents (age 6-17 years), including 32 children with ADHD combined type, 18 unaffected siblings, and 50 healthy control children. ADHD was diagnosed using Parent and Teacher questionnaires and a clinical interview. Perceived motor competence and interest in the motor domain were rated with the Dutch supplement scale to Harters' Self-Perception Profile for Children, especially focusing on the motor domain (m-CBSK). Children with ADHD had poorer motor performance than unaffected siblings and control children, especially in the field of manual dexterity. However, no relationship was found between motor performance and perceived motor competence. Only children with the very lowest motor performance had a significantly lowered perception of their motor competence. Interest in the motor domain and motor self-perception was positively correlated. Children with ADHD performed poorer on the Movement Assessment Battery for Children, but generally overestimated their own motor competence.

  1. Motor Performance in Relation with Sustained Attention in Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Solmaz Solouki

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available Objective: Present study compares relationship between motor performance, sustained attention and impulse control in children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and normal children. Materials & Methods: In this descriptive-analytic study, 21 boys with ADHD and 21 normal boys in the age range of 7- 10 years old were participated. Motor performance by using Bruininks Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency and sustained attention and impulse control by using Continuous Performance Test were evaluated. Results: Analysis by T-Test and Mann-Whitney revealed significant difference between ADHD group and normal group in gross, fine and battery motor performance also sustained attention and impulse control (P<0.0001. Analysis by Z-Fisher test indicated no significant difference between Correlation Coefficient of inattention and gross motor performance in two groups (P=0.276 but significant difference between Correlation Coefficient of inattention and fine (P<0.0001 and battery (P<0.0001 motor performance were shown. Correlation Coefficient impulsivity and gross (P=0.379, fine (P=0.92 and battery (P=0.562 motor performance shown no significant difference between two groups. Conclusion: According to study results there was a positive relation between sustained attention and impulse control and most of motor performance in both groups. Therefore these findings help Occupational Therapist to determine rehabilitation priorities and to use exact strategies in order to enhance motor performance in children.

  2. Children's selective trust decisions: rational competence and limiting performance factors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hermes, Jonas; Behne, Tanya; Bich, Anna Elisa; Thielert, Christa; Rakoczy, Hannes

    2018-03-01

    Recent research has amply documented that even preschoolers learn selectively from others, preferring, for example, reliable over unreliable and competent over incompetent models. It remains unclear, however, what the cognitive foundations of such selective learning are, in particular, whether it builds on rational inferences or on less sophisticated processes. The current study, therefore, was designed to test directly the possibility that children are in principle capable of selective learning based on rational inference, yet revert to simpler strategies such as global impression formation under certain circumstances. Preschoolers (N = 75) were shown pairs of models that either differed in their degree of competence within one domain (strong vs. weak or knowledgeable vs. ignorant) or were both highly competent, but in different domains (e.g., strong vs. knowledgeable model). In the test trials, children chose between the models for strength- or knowledge-related tasks. The results suggest that, in fact, children are capable of rational inference-based selective trust: when both models were highly competent, children preferred the model with the competence most predictive and relevant for a given task. However, when choosing between two models that differed in competence on one dimension, children reverted to halo-style wide generalizations and preferred the competent models for both relevant and irrelevant tasks. These findings suggest that the rational strategies for selective learning, that children master in principle, can get masked by various performance factors. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  3. Peer Relationships, Social Behaviours, Academic Performance and Loneliness in Korean Primary School Children

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shin, Yoolim

    2007-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate how different forms of peer relationships offer children unique support for loneliness and to examine the direct as well as indirect effects of social behaviours and academic performance through the mediation of peer relationships on the prediction of loneliness in Korean children. Four hundred and…

  4. An Examination of Children's Oral Storytelling in a First Grade Storytelling Circle

    Science.gov (United States)

    West, Jean Ann

    2012-01-01

    The purposes of this naturalistic, descriptive study were to examine the stories that children in one first grade classroom told in a storytelling circle, how the children's knowledge, in-school experiences, and out-of-school experiences were reflected in their stories, and how the children used their knowledge and experiences as tools to…

  5. God(s) Know(s): Developmental and Cross-Cultural Patterns in Children Drawings

    OpenAIRE

    Konyushkova, Ksenia; Arvanitopoulos, Nikolaos; Robert, Zhargalma Dandarova; Brandt, Pierre-Yves; Süsstrunk, Sabine

    2015-01-01

    This paper introduces a novel approach to data analysis designed for the needs of specialists in psychology of religion. We detect developmental and cross-cultural patterns in children's drawings of God(s) and other supernatural agents. We develop methods to objectively evaluate our empirical observations of the drawings with respect to: (1) the gravity center, (2) the average intensities of the colors \\emph{green} and \\emph{yellow}, (3) the use of different colors (palette) and (4) the visua...

  6. Children?s oral health-related quality of life and associated factors: Mid-term changes after dental treatment under general anesthesia

    OpenAIRE

    Baghdadi, Ziad D.

    2015-01-01

    Objectives: This study aimed to document the mid-term effects of comprehensive dental treatment under general anesthesia (DTGA) on parent-assessed children?s oral health-related quality of life (COHRQoL). A second aim was to examine some epidemiological factors associated with COHRQoL and treatment outcome. Study Design: A pretest-posttest design was followed in which parents were surveyed using the Child Oral Health Quality of Life Questionnaire before and 6-9 months after their children (ag...

  7. Changes in air pollution and children`s health in East Germany between 1991 and 1994

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kraemer, U.; Schlipkoeter, H.W.; Dolgner, R. [Medical Inst. of Environmental Hygiene, Duesseldorf (Germany); Willer, H.M. [State Inst. of Hygiene, Magdeburg (Germany)

    1995-12-31

    Already in the 1960s a lot of cross-sectional studies were conducted to determine the effects of air-pollution on respiratory diseases or symptoms of children. According to the then dominating type of air-pollution, effects of SO{sub 2} and TSP were mainly studied. Usually SO{sub 2} and TSP were highly correlated and their effects could not be separated satisfactorily. Such a high correlation was not seen when comparing annual mean concentrations in different towns of East and West Germany in 1989. The range of SO{sub 2} values was from 20 to 310 g/m{sup 3} whereas the range of TSP was narrower, from 65 to 123 {mu}g/m{sup 3} In 1991 therefore a study was started to compare the effects of different types and amounts of air pollution on children`s health. The results of the first cross-sectional study, in 1991, were presented at the 9{sup th} World Clean Air Congress. It was found that airway diseases and respiratory symptoms were clearly related to the SO{sub 2} pollution load. This was not true for allergic manifestations. Since 1990 there is a considerable reduction of SO{sub 2} pollution in East Germany. The aim of this presentation is to show that the associations which had been found on an spatial scale can be seen on an temporal scale, too. (author)

  8. Changes in air pollution and children`s health in East Germany between 1991 and 1994

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kraemer, U; Schlipkoeter, H W; Dolgner, R [Medical Inst. of Environmental Hygiene, Duesseldorf (Germany); Willer, H M [State Inst. of Hygiene, Magdeburg (Germany)

    1996-12-31

    Already in the 1960s a lot of cross-sectional studies were conducted to determine the effects of air-pollution on respiratory diseases or symptoms of children. According to the then dominating type of air-pollution, effects of SO{sub 2} and TSP were mainly studied. Usually SO{sub 2} and TSP were highly correlated and their effects could not be separated satisfactorily. Such a high correlation was not seen when comparing annual mean concentrations in different towns of East and West Germany in 1989. The range of SO{sub 2} values was from 20 to 310 g/m{sup 3} whereas the range of TSP was narrower, from 65 to 123 {mu}g/m{sup 3} In 1991 therefore a study was started to compare the effects of different types and amounts of air pollution on children`s health. The results of the first cross-sectional study, in 1991, were presented at the 9{sup th} World Clean Air Congress. It was found that airway diseases and respiratory symptoms were clearly related to the SO{sub 2} pollution load. This was not true for allergic manifestations. Since 1990 there is a considerable reduction of SO{sub 2} pollution in East Germany. The aim of this presentation is to show that the associations which had been found on an spatial scale can be seen on an temporal scale, too. (author)

  9. How Much Are Harry Potter's Glasses Worth? Children's Monetary Evaluation of Authentic Objects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gelman, Susan A.; Frazier, Brandy N.; Noles, Nicholaus S.; Manczak, Erika M.; Stilwell, Sarah M.

    2015-01-01

    Adults attach special value to objects that link to notable people or events--authentic objects. We examined children's monetary evaluation of authentic objects, focusing on four kinds: celebrity possessions (e.g., Harry Potter's glasses), original creations (e.g., the very first teddy bear), personal possessions (e.g., your…

  10. Effects of school-based deworming on hemoglobin level, growth development and school performance of primary school children in North Sumatera

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pasaribu, A. P.; Angellee, J.; Pasaribu, S.

    2018-03-01

    Worm infestation is mainly caused by soil-transmitted helminths (STH) infecting one-third of the world’s population, where the most affected are primary school children. This chronic, long-lasting infection can affect the growth aspects in children. A school-based deworming is one of the treatments recommended by WHO to counterattack worm infection in primary school children. To evaluate the effect of school-based deworming on the hemoglobin level, growth and school performance of primary school children, an open randomized clinical trial was conducted on 165 targeted populations in SukaKaro village, North Sumatra; 156 of which were then chosen based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. The samples’ feces- sampling, hemoglobin level, and growth chart data were recorded on the first day of study before any treatment was given. They were then divided into two groups; the first group of 80 samples did not receive any treatment, while the second group of 76 samples received 400mg of albendazole as part of a school-based deworming program. The samples were being followed up after sixth months of study. In conclusion, albendazole is able to improve the hemoglobin level, growth development, and school performance of the samples, although there were no significant differences between the two groups.

  11. Normal weight children have higher cognitive performance - Independent of physical activity, sleep, and diet.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hjorth, Mads F; Sørensen, Louise B; Andersen, Rikke; Dyssegaard, Camilla B; Ritz, Christian; Tetens, Inge; Michaelsen, Kim F; Astrup, Arne; Egelund, Niels; Sjödin, Anders

    2016-10-15

    Aside from the health consequences, observational studies indicate that being overweight may also negatively affect cognitive function. However, existing evidence has to a large extent not controlled for the possible confounding effect of having different lifestyles. Therefore, the objective was to examine the independent associations between weight status and lifestyle indicators with cognitive performance in 8-11year old Danish children. The analyses included 828 children (measured in 2011-2012) each having one to three measurement occasions separated by approximately 100days. Dietary intake, physical activity, sedentary time, and sleep duration were measured using dietary records and accelerometers. The Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire was used to access sleep problems and the Andersen test was carried out to estimate cardio-respiratory fitness (CRF). Weight status (underweight, normal weight, and overweight/obese) was defined according to body mass index and cognitive performance was assessed using the d2-test of attention, a reading test, and a math test. A linear mixed model including a number of fixed and random effects was used to test associations between lifestyle indicators as well as BMI category and cognitive performance. After adjustment for demographics, socioeconomics, and multiple lifestyle indicators, normal weight children had higher cognitive test scores than overweight/obese and underweight children of up to 89% and 48% of expected learning within one school year (Pbreakfast consumption, fewer sleep problems, higher CRF, less total physical activity, more sedentary time, and less light physical activity were associated with higher cognitive performance independently of each other in at least one of the three cognitive tests (Pperformance compared to overweight/obese as well as underweight children, independent of multiple lifestyle indicators. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Children's exposure to indoor air in urban nurseries-part I: CO{sub 2} and comfort assessment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Branco, P.T.B.S.; Alvim-Ferraz, M.C.M.; Martins, F.G.; Sousa, S.I.V., E-mail: sofia.sousa@fe.up.pt

    2015-07-15

    Indoor air quality (IAQ) in nurseries is an emerging case-study. Thus, this study, as the Part I of the larger study “Children's exposure to indoor air in urban nurseries”, aimed to: i) evaluate nurseries’ indoor concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}), a global IAQ indicator, in class and lunch rooms; ii) assess indoor comfort parameters–temperature (T) and relative humidity (RH); and iii) analyse them according to guidelines and references for IAQ, comfort and children's health. Indoor continuous measurements were performed. Non-compliances with guidelines were found in comfort parameters, which could cause discomfort situations and also microbial proliferation. Exceedances in CO{sub 2} concentrations were also found and they were caused by poor ventilation and high classroom occupation. More efficient ventilation and control of comfort parameters, as well as to reduce occupation by reviewing Portuguese legislation on that matter, would certainly improve IAQ and comfort in nurseries and consequently safeguard children's health. - Highlights: • High occupation and poor ventilation were main determinants of IAQ in nurseries. • T and RH indoor values found in nurseries are likely to cause thermal discomfort. • Building characteristics and an inadequate ventilation determined T and RH values. • High CO{sub 2} concentrations found could indicate accumulation of other air pollutants.

  13. Different effects of adding white noise on cognitive performance of sub-, normal and super-attentive school children.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Suzannah K Helps

    Full Text Available Noise often has detrimental effects on performance. However, because of the phenomenon of stochastic resonance (SR, auditory white noise (WN can alter the "signal to noise" ratio and improve performance. The Moderate Brain Arousal (MBA model postulates different levels of internal "neural noise" in individuals with different attentional capacities. This in turn determines the particular WN level most beneficial in each individual case-with one level of WN facilitating poor attenders but hindering super-attentive children. The objective of the present study is to find out if added WN affects cognitive performance differently in children that differ in attention ability.Participants were teacher-rated super- (N = 25; normal- (N = 29 and sub-attentive (N = 36 children (aged 8 to 10 years. Two non-executive function (EF tasks (a verbal episodic recall task and a delayed verbal recognition task and two EF tasks (a visuo-spatial working memory test and a Go-NoGo task were performed under three WN levels. The non-WN condition was only used to control for potential differences in background noise in the group testing situations.There were different effects of WN on performance in the three groups-adding moderate WN worsened the performance of super-attentive children for both task types and improved EF performance in sub-attentive children. The normal-attentive children's performance was unaffected by WN exposure. The shift from moderate to high levels of WN had little further effect on performance in any group.The predicted differential effect of WN on performance was confirmed. However, the failure to find evidence for an inverted U function challenges current theories. Alternative explanations are discussed. We propose that WN therapy should be further investigated as a possible non-pharmacological treatment for inattention.

  14. Different effects of adding white noise on cognitive performance of sub-, normal and super-attentive school children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Helps, Suzannah K; Bamford, Susan; Sonuga-Barke, Edmund J S; Söderlund, Göran B W

    2014-01-01

    Noise often has detrimental effects on performance. However, because of the phenomenon of stochastic resonance (SR), auditory white noise (WN) can alter the "signal to noise" ratio and improve performance. The Moderate Brain Arousal (MBA) model postulates different levels of internal "neural noise" in individuals with different attentional capacities. This in turn determines the particular WN level most beneficial in each individual case-with one level of WN facilitating poor attenders but hindering super-attentive children. The objective of the present study is to find out if added WN affects cognitive performance differently in children that differ in attention ability. Participants were teacher-rated super- (N = 25); normal- (N = 29) and sub-attentive (N = 36) children (aged 8 to 10 years). Two non-executive function (EF) tasks (a verbal episodic recall task and a delayed verbal recognition task) and two EF tasks (a visuo-spatial working memory test and a Go-NoGo task) were performed under three WN levels. The non-WN condition was only used to control for potential differences in background noise in the group testing situations. There were different effects of WN on performance in the three groups-adding moderate WN worsened the performance of super-attentive children for both task types and improved EF performance in sub-attentive children. The normal-attentive children's performance was unaffected by WN exposure. The shift from moderate to high levels of WN had little further effect on performance in any group. The predicted differential effect of WN on performance was confirmed. However, the failure to find evidence for an inverted U function challenges current theories. Alternative explanations are discussed. We propose that WN therapy should be further investigated as a possible non-pharmacological treatment for inattention.

  15. Blood Transfusion in Children: The Refusal of Jehovah’s Witness Parents’

    Science.gov (United States)

    Conti, Adelaide; Capasso, Emanuele; Casella, Claudia; Fedeli, Piergiorgio; Salzano, Francesco Antonio; Policino, Fabio; Terracciano, Lucia; Delbon, Paola

    2018-01-01

    Abstract In Italy, both parents have parental responsibility; as a general principle they have the power to give or withhold consent to medical procedures on their children, including consent for blood transfusion; however these rights are not absolute and exist only to promote the welfare of children. Methods The Authors discuss ethical and legal framework for Jehovah’s Witness parents’ refusal of blood transfusion in Italy. They searched national judgments concerning Jehovah’s Witness parents’ refusal of blood transfusion – and related comments – in national legal databases and national legal journals, and literature on medical literature databases. Results In the case of Jehovah’s Witness parents’ refusal of blood transfusion for their child, Italian Courts adopt measures that prevents the parents from exercise their parental responsibility not in the child’s best interest. Discussion In the event that refusal by the parents, outside of emergency situations, exposes the child’s health to serious risk, health workers must proceed by notifying the competent authority, according also to the Italian Code of Medical Ethics. Conclusion When the patient is a minor, the child’s best interest always come first. PMID:29666843

  16. Allocation of Parental Time and the Long-Term Effect on Children´s Education

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rasmussen, Astrid Würtz

    of market-provided childcare vs. the quality of parental childcare is crucial for parents´ time use decisions but availability of paternal childcare does not directly affect the mother´s childcare decision. The effect of parental childcare time on children´s educational outcome is tested using Danish time......This paper empirically and theoretically links parental time use decisions to child development in a household with two full-time employed parents. Both parents. time spent on childcare is explicitly taken into account as well as childcare bought in the market. It is shown that the quality...... use data combined with administrative register data. I find a statistically signi.cant positive association between mothers´ childcare time on weekdays and children´s outcomes as well as a positive association between fathers´ childcare time on weekends and children´s outcomes. Parents.time spent...

  17. ANÁLISE DA VIABILIDADE TÉCNICA DE UTILIZAÇÃO DE RESÍDUOS DE CONSTRUÇÃO E DEMOLIÇÃO NA FABRICAÇÃO DE BLOCOS DE VEDAÇÃO (doi:10.5216/reec.V10i3.32651

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Leonardo Carvalho Mesquita

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available RESUMO: No Brasil, os resíduos de construção civil e demolição (RCD chegam a atingir 60% da massa total de resíduos sólidos urbanos (RSU produzidos, com geração per capita em torno de 500 kg/(hab. ano. O objetivo desse trabalho foi analisar a viabilidade técnica da utilização de agregados produzidos pela britagem de RCD em substituição aos materiais convencionais (areia, seixo, pedra britada e pó de pedra na produção de blocos vazados de concreto simples para alvenaria de vedação. O agregado reciclado foi caracterizado e, a partir de um traço padrão utilizado por uma empresa de pré-moldados, foram produzidos cinco novos traços de concreto em que se variou a relação entre os agregados naturais (areia artificial e areia lavada e os agregados de RCD. Os blocos produzidos foram levados à ruptura aos 28 dias, tendo apresentado valores de resistência característica à compressão entre 2,5 MPa (com adição de areia e sem RCD e 4,3 MPa (com RCD e sem a adição de areia, superiores ao estabelecido em norma. Conclui-se que a utilização de agregados reciclados de RCD é uma alternativa viável para substituir a brita convencional na produção de blocos vazados de vedação, contribuindo para minimizar o passivo ambiental, dando um destino adequado para os RCD e, principalmente, reduzindo a extração de agregados naturais. ABSTRACT: In Brazil, construction and demolition waste (CDW reach up to 60% of the total mass of solid waste (MSW produced, with per capita generation of approximately 500 kg/(inhabitant.year. The objective of this paper is to analyze the technical feasibility of using recycled CDW aggregates replacing the conventional materials (sand, pebble, crushed stone and stone dust in the production of concrete sealing blocks. The recycled aggregate was characterized and, from a trace pattern used by the partner company five new concrete mixtures were produced considering different ratios between natural

  18. Physical fitness and academic performance in primary school children with and without a social disadvantage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Greeff, J W; Hartman, E; Mullender-Wijnsma, M J; Bosker, R J; Doolaard, S; Visscher, C

    2014-10-01

    This study examined the differences between children with a low socioeconomic status [socially disadvantaged children (SDC)] and children without this disadvantage (non-SDC) on physical fitness and academic performance. In addition, this study determined the association between physical fitness and academic performance, and investigated the possible moderator effect of SDC. Data on 544 children were collected and analysed (130 SDC, 414 non-SDC, mean age = 8.0 ± 0.7). Physical fitness was measured with tests for cardiovascular and muscular fitness. Academic performance was evaluated using scores on mathematics, spelling and reading. SDC did not differ on physical fitness, compared with non-SDC, but scored significantly lower on academic performance. In the total group, multilevel analysis showed positive associations between cardiovascular fitness and mathematics (β = 0.23), and between cardiovascular fitness and spelling (β = 0.16), but not with reading. No associations were found between muscular fitness and academic performance. A significant interaction effect between SDC and cardiovascular fitness was found for spelling. To conclude, results showed a specific link between cardiovascular fitness and mathematics, regardless of socioeconomic status. SDC did moderate the relationship between cardiovascular fitness and spelling. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  19. Children's biological responsivity to acute stress predicts concurrent cognitive performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roos, Leslie E; Beauchamp, Kathryn G; Giuliano, Ryan; Zalewski, Maureen; Kim, Hyoun K; Fisher, Philip A

    2018-04-10

    Although prior research has characterized stress system reactivity (i.e. hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, HPAA; autonomic nervous system, ANS) in children, it has yet to examine the extent to which biological reactivity predicts concurrent goal-directed behavior. Here, we employed a stressor paradigm that allowed concurrent assessment of both stress system reactivity and performance on a speeded-response task to investigate the links between biological reactivity and cognitive function under stress. We further investigated gender as a moderator given previous research suggesting that the ANS may be particularly predictive of behavior in males due to gender differences in socialization. In a sociodemographically diverse sample of young children (N = 58, M age = 5.38 yrs; 44% male), individual differences in sociodemographic covariates (age, household income), HPAA (i.e. cortisol), and ANS (i.e. respiratory sinus arrhythmia, RSA, indexing the parasympathetic branch; pre-ejection period, PEP, indexing the sympathetic branch) function were assessed as predictors of cognitive performance under stress. We hypothesized that higher income, older age, and greater cortisol reactivity would be associated with better performance overall, and flexible ANS responsivity (i.e. RSA withdrawal, PEP shortening) would be predictive of performance for males. Overall, females performed better than males. Two-group SEM analyses suggest that, for males, greater RSA withdrawal to the stressor was associated with better performance, while for females, older age, higher income, and greater cortisol reactivity were associated with better performance. Results highlight the relevance of stress system reactivity to cognitive performance under stress. Future research is needed to further elucidate for whom and in what situations biological reactivity predicts goal-directed behavior.

  20. Academic Performance and Lifestyle Behaviors in Australian School Children: A Cluster Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dumuid, Dorothea; Olds, Timothy; Martín-Fernández, Josep-Antoni; Lewis, Lucy K.; Cassidy, Leah; Maher, Carol

    2017-01-01

    Poor academic performance has been linked with particular lifestyle behaviors, such as unhealthy diet, short sleep duration, high screen time, and low physical activity. However, little is known about how lifestyle behavior patterns (or combinations of behaviors) contribute to children's academic performance. We aimed to compare academic…

  1. Preschool Children's Performance on Profiling Elements of Prosody in Speech-Communication (PEPS-C)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gibbon, Fiona E.; Smyth, Heather

    2013-01-01

    Profiling Elements of Prosody in Speech-Communication (PEPS-C) has not been used widely to assess prosodic abilities of preschool children. This study was therefore aimed at investigating typically developing 4-year-olds' performance on PEPS-C. PEPS-C was presented to 30 typically developing 4-year-olds recruited in southern Ireland. Children were…

  2. Development of Working Memory and Performance in Arithmetic: A Longitudinal Study with Children

    Science.gov (United States)

    López, Magdalena

    2014-01-01

    Introduction: This study has aimed to investigate the relationship between the development of working memory and performance on arithmetic activities. Method: We conducted a 3-year longitudinal study of a sample of 90 children, that was followed during the first, second and third year of primary school. All children were tested on measures of WM…

  3. Children's Depression Screener (ChilD-S): Development and Validation of a Depression Screening Instrument for Children in Pediatric Care

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fruhe, Barbara; Allgaier, Antje-Kathrin; Pietsch, Kathrin; Baethmann, Martina; Peters, Jochen; Kellnar, Stephan; Heep, Axel; Burdach, Stefan; von Schweinitz, Dietrich; Schulte-Korne, Gerd

    2012-01-01

    The aim of the present study was to develop and validate the Children's Depression Screener (ChilD-S) for use in pediatric care. In two pediatric samples, children aged 9-12 (NI = 200; NII = 246) completed an explorative item pool (subsample I) and a revised item pool (subsample II). Diagnostic accuracy of each of the 22 items from the revised…

  4. Cantonese tone production performance of mainstream school children with hearing impairment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheung, Karen K L; Lau, Ada H Y; Lam, Joffee H S; Lee, Kathy Y S

    2014-12-01

    This study investigated the Cantonese tone production ability of children with hearing impairment studying in mainstream schools. The participants were 87 Cantonese-speaking children with mild-to-profound degrees of hearing loss aged 5.92-13.58 in Hong Kong. Most of the children were fitted with hearing aids (n = 65); 17 of them had profound hearing impairment, one who had severe hearing loss had cochlear implantation, and four who had mild hearing loss were without any hearing device. The Hong Kong Cantonese Articulation Test was administered, and the tones produced were rated by two of the authors and a speech-language pathologist. Group effects of tones, hearing loss level, and also an interaction of the two were found to be significant. The children with profound hearing impairment performed significantly worse than most of the other children. Tone 1 was produced most accurately, whereas tone 6 productions were the poorest. No relationship was found between the number of years of mainstreaming and tone production ability. Tone production error pattern revealed that confusion patterns in tone perception coincided with those in production. Tones having a similar fundamental frequency (F0) at the onset also posed difficulty in tone production for children with hearing impairment.

  5. Misuse of booster cushions - an observation study of children's performance during buckling up.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Osvalder, Anna-Lisa; Bohman, Katarina

    2008-10-01

    Booster cushions are effective tools to protect children from injuries in car crashes, but there remains a large amount of misuse. The aim of this study was to assess potential misuse of booster cushions in an observational laboratory study, and to identify whether booster cushion design, age or clothing had any effect. 130 Swedish children from the ages of 4-12 years participated. Each child buckled up on an integrated and on an aftermarket booster cushion in the rear seat. The older children also buckled up with seat belt only. Interviews, observations and body measurements were performed. Time to buckle up and amount of belt slack were registered. Photographs were taken to document misuse. Results showed that 77% failed to perform correct belt routing on the aftermarket cushion, independent of age, although they were familiar with this system. The misuse rate for the integrated cushion was only 4%. No misuse was found for seat belt only. Few children tightened the belt. The belt slack increased when wearing winter jackets. This indicates the importance of adding pretensioners to the rear seat. Sled tests with HIII&TNO 6y dummies were also performed for the most frequent misuse situations found. The main conclusion is that an integrated booster cushion has many advantages compared to an aftermarket cushion regarding both safety and comfort. It is easy and quick to handle, has few possibilities for misuse, has an intuitive design, the buckling up sequence is equal to buckling up with an ordinary seat belt, and younger children can buckle up correctly.

  6. Performance on verbal and low-verbal false belief tasks: evidence from children with Williams syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van Herwegen, Jo; Dimitriou, Dagmara; Rundblad, Gabriella

    2013-01-01

    Previous studies that have investigated the relationship between performance on theory of mind (ToM) tasks and verbal abilities in individuals with Williams syndrome (WS) have reported contradictory findings with some showing that language abilities aid performance on ToM tasks while others have found that participants with WS fail these tasks because of their verbal demands. The current study investigated this relationship again comparing performance on a classical change-location task to two newly developed low-verbal tasks, one change-location task and one unexpected content task. Thirty children with WS (aged 5-17;01 years) and 30 typically developing (TD) children (aged between 2;10 years and 9;09 years), who were matched for vocabulary comprehension scores were included in the study. Although performance in the WS group was significantly poorer compared to the TD group on all three tasks, performance was not predicted by their receptive vocabulary or grammatical ability scores. In addition, ToM abilities in both groups depended on the cognitive demands of the task at hand. This finding shows that performance on ToM tasks in WS is not necessarily hindered by their delayed language abilities but rather by the task administered. This could potentially affect the diagnosis of developmental disorders, such as Autism Spectrum Disorders, and comparison of ToM abilities across developmental disorders. Readers of this article should be able to (1) describe the current state of theory of mind research in Williams syndrome, (2) identify which cognitive abilities might explain performance on theory of mind tasks in both typically developing children and in children with Williams syndrome, and (3) interpret the importance of task demands when assessing children's theory of mind abilities. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. The role of affordances in children's learning performance and efficiency when using virtual manipulative mathematics touch-screen apps

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moyer-Packenham, Patricia S.; Bullock, Emma K.; Shumway, Jessica F.; Tucker, Stephen I.; Watts, Christina M.; Westenskow, Arla; Anderson-Pence, Katie L.; Maahs-Fladung, Cathy; Boyer-Thurgood, Jennifer; Gulkilik, Hilal; Jordan, Kerry

    2016-03-01

    This paper focuses on understanding the role that affordances played in children's learning performance and efficiency during clinical interviews of their interactions with mathematics apps on touch-screen devices. One hundred children, ages 3 to 8, each used six different virtual manipulative mathematics apps during 30-40-min interviews. The study used a convergent mixed methods design, in which quantitative and qualitative data were collected concurrently to answer the research questions (Creswell and Plano Clark 2011). Videos were used to capture each child's interactions with the virtual manipulative mathematics apps, document learning performance and efficiency, and record children's interactions with the affordances within the apps. Quantitized video data answered the research question on differences in children's learning performance and efficiency between pre- and post-assessments. A Wilcoxon matched pairs signed-rank test was used to explore these data. Qualitative video data was used to identify affordance access by children when using each app, identifying 95 potential helping and hindering affordances among the 18 apps. The results showed that there were changes in children's learning performance and efficiency when children accessed a helping or a hindering affordance. Helping affordances were more likely to be accessed by children who progressed between the pre- and post-assessments, and the same affordances had helping and hindering effects for different children. These results have important implications for the design of virtual manipulative mathematics learning apps.

  8. Serendipity in Refractory Celiac Disease: Full Recovery of Duodenal Villi and Clinical Symptoms after Fecal Microbiota Transfer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Beurden, Yvette H; van Gils, Tom; van Gils, Nienke A; Kassam, Zain; Mulder, Chris J J; Aparicio-Pagés, Nieves

    2016-09-01

    Treatment of refractory celiac disease type II (RCD II) and preventing the development of an enteropathy associated T-cell lymphoma in these patients is still difficult. In this case report, we describe a patient with RCD II who received fecal microbiota transfer as treatment for a recurrent Clostridium difficile infection, and remarkably showed a full recovery of duodenal villi and disappearance of celiac symptoms. This case suggests that altering the gut microbiota may hold promise in improving the clinical and histological consequences of celiac disease and/or RCD II.

  9. Effect of Group Setting on Gross Motor Performance in Children 3-5 Years Old with Motor Delays.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fay, Deanne; Wilkinson, Tawna; Wagoner, Michelle; Brooks, Danna; Quinn, Lauren; Turnell, Andrea

    2017-02-01

    The purpose of this study was to evaluate differences in gross motor performance of children 3-5 years of age with motor delays when assessed individually compared to assessment in a group setting among peers with typical development (TD). Twenty children with motor delays and 42 children with TD were recruited from a preschool program. A within-subject repeated measures design was used; each child with delay was tested both in an individual setting and in a group setting with two to four peers with TD. Testing sessions were completed 4-8 days apart. Ten different motor skills from the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales-2 were administered. Performance of each item was videotaped and scored by a blinded researcher. Overall gross motor performance was significantly different (p < .05) between the two settings, with 14 of 20 children demonstrating better performance in the group setting. In particular, children performed better on locomotion items (p < .05). The higher scores for locomotion in the group setting may be due to the influence of competition, motivation, or modeling. Assessing a child in a group setting is recommended as part of the evaluation process.

  10. Technical tips to perform safe and effective ultrasound guided steroid joint injections in children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parra, Dimitri A

    2015-01-01

    The aim of this article is to describe the technique used to perform ultrasound guided steroid joint injections in children in a group of joints that can be injected using ultrasound as the only image guidance modality. The technique is described and didactic figures are provided to illustrate key technical concepts. It is very important to be familiar with the sonographic appearance of the pediatric joints and the developing bone when performing ultrasound-guided joint injections in children.

  11. Motor performance and functional ability in preschool- and early school-aged children with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: a cross-sectional study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Takken Tim

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Objective To describe the level of motor performance and functional skills in young children with JIA. Methods In a cross-sectional study in 56 preschool-aged (PSA and early school- aged children (ESA with JIA according to ILAR classification, motor performance was measured with the Bayley Scales of Infant Development II (BSID2 and the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (M-ABC. Functional skills were measured with the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI. Disease outcome was measured with a joint count on swelling/range of joint motion, functional ability and joint pain. Results Twenty two PSA children (mean age 2.1 years with a mean Developmental Index of the BSID2 of 77.9 indicating a delayed motor performance; 45% of PSA children showed a severe delayed motor performance. Mean PEDI scores were normal, 38% of PSA scored below -2 SD in one or more domains of the PEDI. Thirty four ESA children (mean age 5.2 years with a mean M-ABC 42.7, indicating a normal motor performance, 12% of ESA children had an abnormal score. Mean PEDI scores showed impaired mobility skills, 70% of ESA children scored below -2 SD in one or more domains of the PEDI. Disease outcome in both age groups demonstrated low to moderate scores. Significant correlations were found between age at disease onset, disease duration and BSID2 or M-ABC and between disease outcome and PEDI in both age cohorts. Conclusion More PSA children have more impaired motor performance than impaired functional skills, while ESA children have more impairment in functional skills. Disease onset and disease duration are correlated with motor performance in both groups. Impaired motor performance and delayed functional skills is primarily found in children with a polyarticular disease course. Clinical follow up and rehabilitation programs should also focus on motor performance and functional skills development in young children with JIA.

  12. [Evaluation of the effect of hospital clown's performance about anxiety in children subjected to surgical intervention].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cantó, M A Gutiérrez; Quiles, J M Ortigosa; Vallejo, O Girón; Pruneda, R Ruiz; Morote, J Sánchez; Piñera, M J Guirao; Carmona, G Zambudio; Fuentes, M J Astillero; Collado, I Castaño; Barón, Cárceles

    2008-10-01

    To be hospitalized is a highly distressing event for children. At present, a resort used in Spain and other countries to reduce children's anxiety in the health context are hospital's clown. We studied the effect of the hospital's clowns about the anxiety in children that going to be operated. We recruited 60 children aged 6 to 10 years scheduled to undergo elective surgery. 30 children would have clowns before the surgery (case group) and 30 would not have them (control group). In the case group, two clowns performed for children. We measured the anxiety with several scales (STAIC, CCPH, faces scale), after the performance and until 7 days after the surgery. The outcomes show both groups a tendency to increase anxiety but the children of the case group showed less increase at the anxiety's score. In the control group is showed that the children are more alterated at seven days from the discharge. Children that receive the clown's care, have tendency to be less distressing and with less fear that another ones, measurement by STAIC and faces scale, and these results are maintained seven days after the discharge.

  13. Language performance and auditory evoked fields in 2- to 5-year-old children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoshimura, Yuko; Kikuchi, Mitsuru; Shitamichi, Kiyomi; Ueno, Sanae; Remijn, Gerard B; Haruta, Yasuhiro; Oi, Manabu; Munesue, Toshio; Tsubokawa, Tsunehisa; Higashida, Haruhiro; Minabe, Yoshio

    2012-02-01

    Language development progresses at a dramatic rate in preschool children. As rapid temporal processing of speech signals is important in daily colloquial environments, we performed magnetoencephalography (MEG) to investigate the linkage between speech-evoked responses during rapid-rate stimulus presentation (interstimulus interval language performance in 2- to 5-year-old children (n = 59). Our results indicated that syllables with this short stimulus interval evoked detectable P50m, but not N100m, in most participants, indicating a marked influence of longer neuronal refractory period for stimulation. The results of equivalent dipole estimation showed that the intensity of the P50m component in the left hemisphere was positively correlated with language performance (conceptual inference ability). The observed positive correlations were suggested to reflect the maturation of synaptic organisation or axonal maturation and myelination underlying the acquisition of linguistic abilities. The present study is among the first to use MEG to study brain maturation pertaining to language abilities in preschool children. © 2012 The Authors. European Journal of Neuroscience © 2012 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  14. Life satisfaction and school performance of children exposed to classic and cyber peer bullying.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bilić, Vesna; Flander, Gordana Buljan; Rafajac, Branko

    2014-03-01

    This paper analyses the relationship between the exposure of school children to various forms of peer bullying (classic/cyber) and their life satisfaction in the domain of school, family, friends and school performance. The sample included 562 children from rural and urban areas of Croatia who were attending the seventh and the eighth grade of primary school. Results show that children were more often exposed to classic forms of peer bullying, especially verbal, and then physical bullying. On the other hand, cyber bullying most often comprises harassment in forums, blogs, chats or social networks, then on the web, by e-mail and mobile phone. Almost half of the examinees knew the identity of the bully, while a minority believes that bullies are the same ones who also physically abuse them at school. We found that children exposed to all forms of both classic and cyber bullying, unlike their peers who do not have such experience, show less satisfaction with friends, while those exposed to physical and cyber bullying show dissatisfaction with their family, too. However no statistically significant difference was found in their satisfaction with school. Children exposed to physical bullying showed poorer school performance, poorer achievement in Croatian and math, while children exposed to verbal and cyber bullying and children who were not exposed to such forms of bullying showed no differences in their school achievement.

  15. Children´s magazines

    OpenAIRE

    BJALKOVOVÁ, Nela

    2014-01-01

    Thesis deals with the study of children's magazines with a focus on students first primary school. The work is focused on the use of language, graphic design, the aim and content of magazines for this age group. Furthermore, there also addresses the issue of online magazines compared to arbitrarily marketable magazines. The theoretical part focuses on the individual child reading a history of the magazine. The thesis is conducted to map the problems of children's magazines with a focus on pra...

  16. Video gaming in children improves performance on a virtual reality trainer but does not yet make a laparoscopic surgeon.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosenthal, Rachel; Geuss, Steffen; Dell-Kuster, Salome; Schäfer, Juliane; Hahnloser, Dieter; Demartines, Nicolas

    2011-06-01

    In children, video game experience improves spatial performance, a predictor of surgical performance. This study aims at comparing laparoscopic virtual reality (VR) task performance of children with different levels of experience in video games and residents. A total of 32 children (8.4 to 12.1 years), 20 residents, and 14 board-certified surgeons (total n = 66) performed several VR and 2 conventional tasks (cube/spatial and pegboard/fine motor). Performance between the groups was compared (primary outcome). VR performance was correlated with conventional task performance (secondary outcome). Lowest VR performance was found in children with low video game experience, followed by those with high video game experience, residents, and board-certified surgeons. VR performance correlated well with the spatial test and moderately with the fine motor test. The use of computer games can be considered not only as pure entertainment but may also contribute to the development of skills relevant for adequate performance in VR laparoscopic tasks. Spatial skills are relevant for VR laparoscopic task performance.

  17. Mathematics Anxiety in Young Children: Concurrent and Longitudinal Associations with Mathematical Performance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vukovic, Rose K.; Kieffer, Michael J.; Bailey, Sean P.; Harari, Rachel R.

    2013-01-01

    This study explored mathematics anxiety in a longitudinal sample of 113 children followed from second to third grade. We examined how mathematics anxiety related to different types of mathematical performance concurrently and longitudinally and whether the relations between mathematics anxiety and mathematical performance differed as a function of…

  18. Listener-Performer Synchronicity in Recorded Performances of Chopin’s Mazurkas

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mitchell Ohriner

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Studies of duration in music performance since the 1980s have focused on the role of duration in the communication of musical structure, in particular grouping and metric structure. This article posits a broader view of duration in performance; that performers choose durations to facilitate or inhibit listener-performer synchronicity. Listeners who maintain synchronicity are continually rewarded for making accurate predictions of when events will happen, and thus the loss of synchronicity might hazard feelings of frustration or isolation. Performers, by choosing durations that are difficult to predict, can therefore enlist these feelings in dynamic narratives of synchronicity that augment trajectories in the score. The article explores two such narratives, found in two idiosyncratic renditions of passages of Chopin’s mazurkas and echoed by seventeen participants’ attempts to synchronize with them. By ascribing significance not only to the choices of performers and composers but also to how individual listeners attend to those choices, the article aims to widen the circle of agencies ascribed with the ability to affect the meaning of musical works.

  19. The Performance of Fundamental Gross Motor Skills by Children Enrolled in Head Start.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Woodard, Rebecca J.; Yun, Joonkoo

    2001-01-01

    This study sought to descriptively evaluate the performance of fundamental gross motor skills among Head Start children. Levels of performance were compared and contrasted with performance profiles of the Test of Gross Motor Development. Findings suggest that Head Start curriculum should focus on the importance of developing fundamental gross…

  20. The role of children’s literature in the patriotism, and the upbringing of Kurdish children

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Muhamad Farhang Muzzafar

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Children’s literature, despite being a relatively young branch of literature in general, is an important factor in the upbringing of children. Its basic aims have been obvious but not simple to achieve – to develop a child’s personality, provide educational experiences and encourage him to read. Along with areas such as art, theater, puppetry, music, movement and field trips, literature is also an object of children’s attention. Moreover it provides an opportunity to gain experience and learn a lesson, as children are usually open to fairytale-like content. Because of that, a magic world of adventures usually becomes a part of the educational process, imparting moral patterns and exposing them to various experiences, values and attitudes. Listening to stories told by parents, nannies, and teachers, which are later read by children themselves, is an activity beloved by children from all over the world. This research focuses especially on Kurdish experiences in terms of children’s literature and its role in bringing up a child. It indicates essential differences between contents, aims and circumstances upon which certain stories occurred. It provides an explanation of their role in developing a mature personality and patriotism41 upbringing among Kurdish children.

  1. Behavior and neurocognitive performance in children aged 5-10 years who snore compared to controls.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blunden, S; Lushington, K; Kennedy, D; Martin, J; Dawson, D

    2000-10-01

    Sleep disordered breathing in children is a common but largely underdiagnosed problem. It ranges in severity from primary snoring to obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). Preliminary evidence suggests that children with severe OSAS show reduced neurocognitive performance, however, less is known about children who snore but do not have severe upper airway obstruction. Participants included 16 children referred to the Ear, Nose and Throat/Respiratory departments of a Children's Hospital for evaluation of snoring and 16 non-snoring controls aged 5-10 years. Overnight polysomnography (PSG) was carried out in 13 children who snored and 13 controls. The PSG confirmed the presence of primary snoring in seven and very mild OSAS (as evidenced by chest wall paradox) in eight children referred for snoring while controls showed a normal sleep pattern. To test for group differences in neurocognitive functioning and behavior, children underwent one day of testing during which measures of intelligence, memory, attention, social competency, and problematic behavior were collected. Compared to controls, children who snored showed significantly impaired attention and, although within the normal range, lower memory and intelligence scores. No significant group differences were observed for social competency and problematic behavior. These findings suggest that neurocognitive performance is reduced in children who snore but are otherwise healthy and who do not have severe OSAS. They further imply that the impact of mild sleep disordered breathing on daytime functioning may be more significant than previously realized with subsequent implications for successful academic and developmental progress.

  2. Differences between the production of [s] and [ʃ] in the speech of adults, typically developing children, and children with speech sound disorders: An ultrasound study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Francisco, Danira Tavares; Wertzner, Haydée Fiszbein

    2017-01-01

    This study describes the criteria that are used in ultrasound to measure the differences between the tongue contours that produce [s] and [ʃ] sounds in the speech of adults, typically developing children (TDC), and children with speech sound disorder (SSD) with the phonological process of palatal fronting. Overlapping images of the tongue contours that resulted from 35 subjects producing the [s] and [ʃ] sounds were analysed to select 11 spokes on the radial grid that were spread over the tongue contour. The difference was calculated between the mean contour of the [s] and [ʃ] sounds for each spoke. A cluster analysis produced groups with some consistency in the pattern of articulation across subjects and differentiated adults and TDC to some extent and children with SSD with a high level of success. Children with SSD were less likely to show differentiation of the tongue contours between the articulation of [s] and [ʃ].

  3. 7 CFR 1781.14 - Planning, options, and appraisals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... designated agent when a WS loan, WS advance or RCD loan is made. (d) Options and appraisals related to the purchase of real estate for which a WS loan, WS advance, or RCD loan is made must be developed in...

  4. Majority Children's Evaluation of Acculturation Preferences of Immigrant and Emigrant Peers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Verkuyten, Maykel; Thijs, Jochem; Sierksma, Jellie

    2014-01-01

    Using an experimental design, native majority group children (8-13 years, N = 842) evaluated acculturation strategies (assimilation, integration, and separation) adopted by immigrant and emigrant peers. There were medium to large effects of the perceived acculturation strategies on children's peer evaluations. Overall, assimilation was valued…

  5. The inclusion of children with down’s syndrome into the relational psychomotricity: a case study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Atos Prinz Falkenbach

    2008-05-01

    Full Text Available This article is the result of an investigative process using Down’s syndrome children gathered with “normal” children in relational psychomotricity sessions. It aimed at studying the relationship among the protagonist children of the study with the other children, the teachers and the objects, as well as investigating their behavioral effects during regular relational psychomotricity sessions. It was a qualitative study that used different instruments for data collecting, such as: interviews, observations, descriptive memories, and the documents analysis. The analysis and interpretation of the results allowed the development of the following variables: a manifestations of Down’s syndrome and behaviors presented by the protagonist children of the study; b imitation and rhythm of the group as a stimulus for the development of the mental processes; c the pedagogical action as a mediator of children relationship. The study showed that the pedagogical intervention into the relational psychomotricity practice in an eclectic group allowed the extension of the social and affectionate relations of these children, as well as diversified and enriched their playing and exercising behavior.

  6. Sequence specific motor performance gains after memory consolidation in children and adolescents.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shoshi Dorfberger

    Full Text Available Memory consolidation for a trained sequence of finger opposition movements, in 9- and 12-year-old children, was recently found to be significantly less susceptible to interference by a subsequent training experience, compared to that of 17-year-olds. It was suggested that, in children, the experience of training on any sequence of finger movements may affect the performance of the sequence elements, component movements, rather than the sequence as a unit; the latter has been implicated in the learning of the task by adults. This hypothesis implied a possible childhood advantage in the ability to transfer the gains from a trained to the reversed, untrained, sequence of movements. Here we report the results of transfer tests undertaken to test this proposal in 9-, 12-, and 17-year-olds after training in the finger-to-thumb opposition sequence (FOS learning task. Our results show that the performance gains in the trained sequence partially transferred from the left, trained hand, to the untrained hand at 48-hours after a single training session in the three age-groups tested. However, there was very little transfer of the gains from the trained to the untrained, reversed, sequence performed by either hand. The results indicate sequence specific post-training gains in FOS performance, as opposed to a general improvement in performance of the individual, component, movements that comprised both the trained and untrained sequences. These results do not support the proposal that the reduced susceptibility to interference, in children before adolescence, reflects a difference in movement syntax representation after training.

  7. Sequence specific motor performance gains after memory consolidation in children and adolescents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dorfberger, Shoshi; Adi-Japha, Esther; Karni, Avi

    2012-01-01

    Memory consolidation for a trained sequence of finger opposition movements, in 9- and 12-year-old children, was recently found to be significantly less susceptible to interference by a subsequent training experience, compared to that of 17-year-olds. It was suggested that, in children, the experience of training on any sequence of finger movements may affect the performance of the sequence elements, component movements, rather than the sequence as a unit; the latter has been implicated in the learning of the task by adults. This hypothesis implied a possible childhood advantage in the ability to transfer the gains from a trained to the reversed, untrained, sequence of movements. Here we report the results of transfer tests undertaken to test this proposal in 9-, 12-, and 17-year-olds after training in the finger-to-thumb opposition sequence (FOS) learning task. Our results show that the performance gains in the trained sequence partially transferred from the left, trained hand, to the untrained hand at 48-hours after a single training session in the three age-groups tested. However, there was very little transfer of the gains from the trained to the untrained, reversed, sequence performed by either hand. The results indicate sequence specific post-training gains in FOS performance, as opposed to a general improvement in performance of the individual, component, movements that comprised both the trained and untrained sequences. These results do not support the proposal that the reduced susceptibility to interference, in children before adolescence, reflects a difference in movement syntax representation after training.

  8. Development of modularity in the neural activity of children's brains

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, Man; Deem, Michael W

    2015-01-01

    We study how modularity of the human brain changes as children develop into adults. Theory suggests that modularity can enhance the response function of a networked system subject to changing external stimuli. Thus, greater cognitive performance might be achieved for more modular neural activity, and modularity might likely increase as children develop. The value of modularity calculated from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data is observed to increase during childhood development and peak in young adulthood. Head motion is deconvolved from the fMRI data, and it is shown that the dependence of modularity on age is independent of the magnitude of head motion. A model is presented to illustrate how modularity can provide greater cognitive performance at short times, i.e. task switching. A fitness function is extracted from the model. Quasispecies theory is used to predict how the average modularity evolves with age, illustrating the increase of modularity during development from children to adults that arises from selection for rapid cognitive function in young adults. Experiments exploring the effect of modularity on cognitive performance are suggested. Modularity may be a potential biomarker for injury, rehabilitation, or disease. (paper)

  9. Homeless Children in America: Challenges for the 1990s.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rafferty, Yvonne

    The 1980s brought an unprecedented rise in the number of homeless families with children. That there may be as many as three million homeless persons in the United States, with families representing one-third of this population, indicates that homelessness is a social problem of catastrophic proportions. This paper finds that while Federal…

  10. Avaliação do uso de resíduos de construção e demolição reciclados como corretivo da acidez do solo

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paulo Renato Orlandi Lasso

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available A geração e o armazenamento de resíduos de construção civil e demolição (RCD constituem-se em um problema ambiental, pois representam mais de 50 % do total de resíduos sólidos gerados nos médios e grandes centros urbanos. Porém, como o calcário é uma das principais matérias-primas utilizadas na fabricação do cimento e da cal hidratada e, consequentemente, de concretos, argamassas e reboques, a reciclagem desses materiais pode fornecer, em princípio, um subproduto com potencial para correção da acidez dos solos. Este estudo teve o objetivo de avaliar a utilização de resíduos de construção e demolição reciclados como corretivos de acidez do solo. Utilizaram-se RCD-R provenientes de concretos, argamassas e reboques (material cinza, que foram caracterizados inicialmente por fluorescência e difratometria de raios-X. O desempenho dos RCD-R cinza como corretivo de acidez foi avaliado pela produção de matéria seca da alfafa (Medicago sativa cv. Crioula e pela medida dos atributos químicos do solo. Os resultados sugerem que os RCD-R cinza (origem de concretos apresentam características interessantes para utilização como corretivos da acidez de solos, porém em concentrações superiores a 24 t ha-1, quando aplicados em área total.

  11. The proportion of expenditure on children to family’s income in Saudi Arabia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nisreen Al-Banawi

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Saudi Arabia has witnessed enormous socio-economic changes for the last two decades. Due to this, the standard living of most Saudi people has been improved noticeably. Accordingly, that affects on the consumption expenditure of the Saudi family particularly on the children which has been increased substantially. However, no studies with respect to cost of children have yet been undertaken in Saudi Arabia. This study is to estimate the proportion of expenditure on children, to family’s income in Saudi Arabia by estimating the cost of children in Saudi Arabia; using Jeddah as a case study. In the study, the cost of children is taken to be money expenditure that is the amount that parents actually spent on their children. The study involves a sample of (1500 respondents from the city of Jeddah. Also, explores attitudes and opinions towards certain topics related to cost of children and the family. The study highlights that cost of children rise proportionately to family income, children age, and their numbers.

  12. A longitudinal study of childhood obesity, weight status change, and subsequent academic performance in Taiwanese children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Li-Jung; Fox, Kenneth R; Ku, Po-Wen; Wang, Ching-Hui

    2012-09-01

    This study examined the association among childhood obesity, weight status change, and subsequent academic performance at 6-year follow-up. First-grade students from one elementary school district in Taichung City, Taiwan were followed for 6 years (N = 409). Academic performance was extracted from the school records at the end of each grade. Weight and height were measured at the beginning of each grade. A weight change variable was created based on each child's weight status difference at grades 1 and 6. A multivariate linear regression model for predicting academic performance at grade 6 was developed with adjustment for individual characteristics and family factors. A latent growth curve (LGC) showed the association between changes in body mass index (BMI) and in academic performance across a 6-year period. BMI in children increased significantly across 6 years. The rate of increase in BMI over 6 years was higher for children with higher baseline BMIs than it was for children with lower baseline BMIs. However, BMI changes were not significantly associated with changes of academic performance. There was no significant relationship between initial obesity or change in weight status and subsequent academic performance. It appears that either being or becoming overweight/obese did not impact academic achievement for these Taiwanese children. © 2012, American School Health Association.

  13. Children's agenda-based regulation: The effects of prior performance and reward on elementary school children's study choices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lipowski, Stacy; Ariel, Robert; Tauber, Sarah K; Dunlosky, John

    2017-12-01

    The main goal of the current experiments was to examine the influence of monitoring and reward on elementary school children's study decisions. First and third graders studied names for 10 animals (e.g., "The elephant's name is Suzy") and then were given a cued recall test on which they were shown the animal and needed to recall the name. Next, they were given an opportunity to restudy the animal-name pairs, and some of these pairs were slated to earn a reward (a sticker) if correctly recalled. In Experiment 1, both groups of children were (a) more likely to restudy previously unrecalled pairs than previously recalled pairs and (b) more likely to restudy pairs that were slated to receive a reward. In Experiment 2, we further explored children's use of reward using a forced-choice selection task. Namely, during selection, pairs were presented in dyads where one pair was slated for a reward and the other pair was not, and the children could choose only one pair from each dyad for restudy. Both first and third graders chose to restudy pairs slated for a reward. Thus, even young elementary school children consider both rewards and performance monitoring when regulating their learning. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Cultural Factors Affecting the Differential Performance of Israeli and Palestinian Children on the Loewenstein Occupational Therapy Cognitive Assessment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Josman, Naomi; Abdallah, Taisir M.; Engel-Yeger, Batya

    2010-01-01

    Cognitive performance is essential for children's functioning and may also predict school readiness. The suitability of Western standardized assessments for cognitive performance among children from different cultures needs to be elaborated. This study referred to the existence of differences in cognitive performance between and within children…

  15. Children?s Feedback Preferences in Response to an Experimentally Manipulated Peer Evaluation Outcome: The Role of Depressive Symptoms

    OpenAIRE

    Reijntjes, Albert; Dekovic, Maja; Vermande, Marjolijn; Telch, Michael J.

    2007-01-01

    The present study examined the linkage between pre-adolescent children?s depressive symptoms and their preferences for receiving positive vs. negative feedback subsequent to being faced with an experimentally manipulated peer evaluation outcome in real time. Participants (n?=?142) ages 10 to 13, played a computer contest based on the television show Survivor and were randomized to either a peer rejection (i.e., receiving the lowest total ?likeability? score from a group of peer-judges), a pee...

  16. Iconoclastic Images in the History of Education: Another Look at Children in Revolt in Two Children's Films from the 1930s

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dussel, Inés

    2017-01-01

    There are images in the history of education that can be considered iconic, images that are, as Georges Didi-Huberman says, "full of future". In this article, I want to consider two children's films from the 1930s, "Emil und die Detektive" (Gerhard Lamprecht, Germany, 1931) and "Zéro de conduite" (Jean Vigo, France,…

  17. Gender and Cooperation in Children

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Cardenas, Juan-Camilo; Dreber, Anna; Essen, Emma von

    2014-01-01

    In this article we compare cooperation among Colombian and Swedish children aged 9-12. We illustrate the dynamics of the prisoner’s dilemma in a new task that is easily understood by children and performed during a physical education class. We find no robust evidence of a difference in cooperation...

  18. Perceptual Learning in Children With Infantile Nystagmus: Effects on Visual Performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huurneman, Bianca; Boonstra, F Nienke; Goossens, Jeroen

    2016-08-01

    To evaluate whether computerized training with a crowded or uncrowded letter-discrimination task reduces visual impairment (VI) in 6- to 11-year-old children with infantile nystagmus (IN) who suffer from increased foveal crowding, reduced visual acuity, and reduced stereopsis. Thirty-six children with IN were included. Eighteen had idiopathic IN and 18 had oculocutaneous albinism. These children were divided in two training groups matched on age and diagnosis: a crowded training group (n = 18) and an uncrowded training group (n = 18). Training occurred two times per week during 5 weeks (3500 trials per training). Eleven age-matched children with normal vision were included to assess baseline differences in task performance and test-retest learning. Main outcome measures were task-specific performance, distance and near visual acuity (DVA and NVA), intensity and extent of (foveal) crowding at 5 m and 40 cm, and stereopsis. Training resulted in task-specific improvements. Both training groups also showed uncrowded and crowded DVA improvements (0.10 ± 0.02 and 0.11 ± 0.02 logMAR) and improved stereopsis (670 ± 249″). Crowded NVA improved only in the crowded training group (0.15 ± 0.02 logMAR), which was also the only group showing a reduction in near crowding intensity (0.08 ± 0.03 logMAR). Effects were not due to test-retest learning. Perceptual learning with or without distractors reduces the extent of crowding and improves visual acuity in children with IN. Training with distractors improves near vision more than training with single optotypes. Perceptual learning also transfers to DVA and NVA under uncrowded and crowded conditions and even stereopsis. Learning curves indicated that improvements may be larger after longer training.

  19. Meckels diverticulum in children: A 12 years experience in Amir-Kabir children's hospital

    OpenAIRE

    Pediatric; Acute abdomen; Meckel's diverticulum

    1999-01-01

    Meckels Diverticulum is the most common congenital anomaly of GI tract. Complications develop in about 4% of cases as an acute abdomen. During the last 12 years, 58 patients with Meckel's diverticulum were treated in Amir-Kabir children's hospital. The majority of our cases (84%, 49 from 58) were under 6 years of age, with boys outnumbering girls (4:1). Intestinal obstruction was the most common form of presentation, included 60% of symptomatic patients and lower GI bleeding was the...

  20. Understanding differences in access to water fountains and sugar-sweetened beverages in children׳s environments: a pilot study in high and low deprivation neighbourhoods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pearson, Amber L; de Latour, Phillip; Kemp, Gabrielle; Findlay, Nohoana; Halim, Angela; Atkinson, Nicola; Chong, Mark; Cameron, Rose; Brown, Courtney; Kim, Grace; Campbell, Paul; Hills, Toby; Jayawant, Aditya; Chae, Matthew; Bhagavan, Chiranth; French, Claire; Jenkin, Gabrielle; Smith, Moira; Signal, Louise

    2014-11-01

    Access to water fountains and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) in children׳s environments may impact on child obesity and may vary with neighbourhood deprivation. Our pilot analyses of access to water fountains and SSBs in Wellington, New Zealand revealed that water fountain access was high in school environments and low in recreational environments. There were also differences in water fountain and SSB access points by neighbourhood deprivation. The methods piloted in this study could be translated in a larger study, more capable of detecting significant differences in access and allowing for more sophisticated analyses. Such future studies may provide important evidence for the improvement of children׳s health and well-being. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Event- and time-triggered remembering: the impact of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder on prospective memory performance in children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Talbot, Karley-Dale S; Kerns, Kimberly A

    2014-11-01

    The current study examined prospective memory (PM, both time-based and event-based) and time estimation (TR, a time reproduction task) in children with and without attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This study also investigated the influence of task performance and TR on time-based PM in children with ADHD relative to controls. A sample of 69 children, aged 8 to 13 years, completed the CyberCruiser-II time-based PM task, a TR task, and the Super Little Fisherman event-based PM task. PM performance was compared with children's TR abilities, parental reports of daily prospective memory disturbances (Prospective and Retrospective Memory Questionnaire for Children, PRMQC), and ADHD symptomatology (Conner's rating scales). Children with ADHD scored more poorly on event-based PM, time-based PM, and TR; interestingly, TR did not appear related to performance on time-based PM. In addition, it was found that PRMQC scores and ADHD symptom severity were related to performance on the time-based PM task but not to performance on the event-based PM task. These results provide some limited support for theories that propose a distinction between event-based PM and time-based PM. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Primacy Performance of Normal and Retarded Children: Stimulus Familiarity or Spatial Memory?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Swanson, Lee

    1978-01-01

    Explores the effect of stimulus familiarity on the spatial primacy performance of normal and retarded children. Assumes that serial recall tasks reflect spatial memory rather than verbal rehearsal. (BD)

  3. Is autonomy related to the quality of performance of everyday activities in children with spina bifida?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peny-Dahlstrand, Marie; Krumlinde-Sundholm, Lena; Gosman-Hedström, Gunilla

    2012-01-01

    To investigate the relationship between the level of autonomy and the quality of performance of everyday activities in a population-based cohort of children with spina bifida and to study the agreement between the children's and the parents' ratings of autonomy. 50 dyads of children (aged 6-14) with spina bifida and their parents rated the children's level of autonomy with an adapted, Swedish version of the Autonomy Scale from the Arc's Self-Determination Scale. Each child's quality of performance of everyday activities was assessed with the Assessment of Motor and Process Skills (AMPS). The autonomy levels of the children with spina bifida were rated to be lowest in daily routines and highest in leisure activities. Binary logistic regression analyses revealed that age, motor skills and process skills were all significantly related to the autonomy level, but that process skills appeared to predominate in this respect. Concerning the perception of the autonomy level, little agreement was found between each child and his/her parent. It is important to understand and support the development of process skills as expressed in task performance in children with spina bifida and to pay attention to both the parent's and the child's opinion when setting goals and plans for interventions.

  4. Cerebral blood flow and red cell delivery in normal subjects and in multiple sclerosis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Swank, R.L.; Roth, J.G.; Woody, D.C. Jr.

    1983-01-01

    Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was determined in 77 normal females and 53 normal males of different ages and in 26 men and 45 women with multiple sclerosis by the inhalation of radioactive Xe133 method. In the normal subjects the CBF was relatively high in the teens and fell, at first rapidly and then slowly in both sexes with age. During adult life the flow in females was significantly higher than in males. The delivery of packed red cells (RCD) was determined by multiplying the CBF by the percentage concentration of red cells (HCT). The RCD for both sexes was nearly the same. In the patients with multiple sclerosis there occurred a progressive generalized decrease in CBF and in RCD with age which was significantly greater than observed in normal subjects. The rate of decrease in CBF and RCD correlated directly with the rate of progress of the disease

  5. Parents´ influence on children´s sport environment : An interview study with parents of athletic children in football and athletics

    OpenAIRE

    Fällman, Emma; Öhman, André

    2017-01-01

    Parental involvement is known to be important for children in organized sports. However, parents can with their involvement both have negative and positive influence on children according to some studies. Few studies have investigated parents´ influence in sport, mostly studies have been focused on the parental involvement in sport. The purpose of this study was to examine perceptions among parents about their influences on children´s sport environment. A part of the purpose was to investigat...

  6. Impact of unilateral conductive hearing loss due to aural atresia on academic performance in children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kesser, Bradley W; Krook, Kaelyn; Gray, Lincoln C

    2013-09-01

    This study evaluates the effect of unilateral conductive hearing loss secondary to aural atresia on elementary school children's academic performance. Case control survey and review of audiometric data. One hundred thirty-two surveys were mailed to families of children with aural atresia, and 48 surveys were sent to families of children with unilateral sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) to identify rates of grade retention, use of any resource, and behavioral problems. Audiometric data of the cohort were tabulated. Of the 40 atresia patients, none repeated a grade, but 65% needed some resources: 12.5% currently use a hearing aid, 32.5% use(d) a frequency-modulated system in school, 47.5% had an Individualized Education Plan, and 45% utilized speech therapy. Compared to the unilateral SNHL group and a cohort of children with unilateral SNHL in an earlier study, children with unilateral atresia were less likely to repeat a grade. Children in both unilateral atresia and SNHL groups were more likely to utilize some resource in the academic setting compared to the unilateral SNHL children in the prior study. Unilateral conductive hearing loss due to aural atresia has an impact on academic performance in children, although not as profound when compared to children with unilateral SNHL. The majority of these children with unilateral atresia utilize resources in the school setting. Parents, educators, and health care professionals should be aware of the impact of unilateral conductive hearing loss and offer appropriate habilitative services. Copyright © 2013 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.

  7. Ex-vivo cytoadherence phenotypes of Plasmodium falciparum strains from Malian children with hemoglobins A, S, and C.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jeanette T Beaudry

    Full Text Available Sickle hemoglobin (Hb S and HbC may protect against malaria by reducing the expression of Plasmodium falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1 on the surface of parasitized red blood cells (RBCs, thereby weakening their cytoadherence to microvascular endothelial cells (MVECs and impairing their activation of MVECs to produce pathological responses. Therefore, we hypothesized that parasites causing malaria in HbAS or HbAC heterozygotes have overcome this protective mechanism by expressing PfEMP1 variants which mediate relatively strong binding to MVECs. To test this hypothesis, we performed 31 cytoadherence comparisons between parasites from HbAA and HbAS (or HbAC Malian children with malaria. Ring-stage parasites from HbAA and HbAS (or HbAC children were cultivated to trophozoites, purified, and then inoculated in parallel into the same wildtype uninfected RBCs. After one cycle of invasion and maturation to the trophozoite stage expressing PfEMP1, parasite strains were compared for binding to MVECs. In this assay, there were no significant differences in the binding of parasites from HbAS and HbAC children to MVECs compared to those from HbAA children (HbAS, fold-change  = 1.46, 95% CI 0.97-2.19, p = 0.07; HbAC, fold-change  = 1.19, 95% CI 0.77-1.84, p = 0.43. These data suggest that in-vitro reductions in cytoadherence by HbS and HbC may not be selecting for expression of high-avidity PfEMP1 variants in vivo. Future studies that identify PfEMP1 domains or amino-acid motifs which are selectively expressed in parasites from HbAS children may provide further insights into the mechanism of malaria protection by the sickle-cell trait.

  8. A puzzle form of a non-verbal intelligence test gives significantly higher performance measures in children with severe intellectual disability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bello, Katrina D; Goharpey, Nahal; Crewther, Sheila G; Crewther, David P

    2008-08-01

    Assessment of 'potential intellectual ability' of children with severe intellectual disability (ID) is limited, as current tests designed for normal children do not maintain their interest. Thus a manual puzzle version of the Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices (RCPM) was devised to appeal to the attentional and sensory preferences and language limitations of children with ID. It was hypothesized that performance on the book and manual puzzle forms would not differ for typically developing children but that children with ID would perform better on the puzzle form. The first study assessed the validity of this puzzle form of the RCPM for 76 typically developing children in a test-retest crossover design, with a 3 week interval between tests. A second study tested performance and completion rate for the puzzle form compared to the book form in a sample of 164 children with ID. In the first study, no significant difference was found between performance on the puzzle and book forms in typically developing children, irrespective of the order of completion. The second study demonstrated a significantly higher performance and completion rate for the puzzle form compared to the book form in the ID population. Similar performance on book and puzzle forms of the RCPM by typically developing children suggests that both forms measure the same construct. These findings suggest that the puzzle form does not require greater cognitive ability but demands sensory-motor attention and limits distraction in children with severe ID. Thus, we suggest the puzzle form of the RCPM is a more reliable measure of the non-verbal mentation of children with severe ID than the book form.

  9. Life Satisfaction and School Performance of Children Exposed to Classic and Cyber Peer Bullying

    OpenAIRE

    Bilić, Vesna; Buljan Flander, Gordana; Rafajac, Branko

    2014-01-01

    This paper analyses the relationship between the exposure of school children to various forms of peer bullying (classic/cyber) and their life satisfaction in the domain of school, family, friends and school performance. The sample included 562 children from rural and urban areas of Croatia who were attending the seventh and the eighth grade of primary school. Results show that children were more often exposed to classic forms of peer bullying, especially verbal, and then physical bullying. On...

  10. Improving Children's Mental Health with a Digital Social Skills Development Game: A Randomized Controlled Efficacy Trial of Adventures aboard the S.S. GRIN.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sanchez, Rebecca; Brown, Emily; Kocher, Kelly; DeRosier, Melissa

    2017-02-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a computer-based game to improve social skills and mental health in children with social skills deficits would be efficacious. The program, Adventures aboard the S.S. GRIN, translates a proven in-person intervention into a nine-episode interactive online adventure game that provides opportunity for knowledge acquisition and skill practice. Participants (children aged 7-11 years with social skills challenges) were randomly assigned to immediate treatment group (n = 33) or waitlist control group (n = 36). Children in the immediate treatment condition completed the game at home over the course of 9 weeks. Before playing the game and again within 1 week of game completion, children completed surveys about social literacy, social anxiety, bullying, social self-efficacy, and social satisfaction. Children who played Adventures improved significantly more from pretest to posttest than children who did not play the game in social literacy, social anxiety, bullying victimization, and social satisfaction. Online interactive games can be effective in improving mental health for children who struggle with social skills. For children who can access them, serious games have the potential to increase the reach of effective programs by overcoming the logistical and implementation barriers (such as cost, travel, and accessibility) that limit traditionally delivered mental health interventions.

  11. Motor performance as predictor of physical activity in children - The CHAMPS Study-DK

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Larsen, Lisbeth Runge; Kristensen, Peter Lund; Junge, Tina

    2015-01-01

    Purpose Physical activity is associated with several health benefits in children, and physical activity habits developed in childhood tend to persist into adulthood. Physical activity may be the foundation of a healthy lifestyle and motor performance has been shown to be positively associated wit...... run in childhood may be important determinants of physical activity in adolescence.......Purpose Physical activity is associated with several health benefits in children, and physical activity habits developed in childhood tend to persist into adulthood. Physical activity may be the foundation of a healthy lifestyle and motor performance has been shown to be positively associated...... with physical activity in cross-sectional studies. The purpose of this study was to explore the longitudinal relationship between motor performance and physical activity in a three-year follow-up study. Methods Longitudinal analyses were performed using data from 673 participants (44% boys, 6-12 years old) who...

  12. Working memory training shows immediate and long-term effects on cognitive performance in children

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pugin, Fiona; Metz, Andreas J.; Stauffer, Madlaina; Wolf, Martin; Jenni, Oskar G.; Huber, Reto

    2014-01-01

    Working memory is important for mental reasoning and learning processes. Several studies in adults and school-age children have shown performance improvement in cognitive tests after working memory training. Our aim was to examine not only immediate but also long-term effects of intensive working memory training on cognitive performance tests in children. Fourteen healthy male subjects between 10 and 16 years trained a visuospatial n-back task over 3 weeks (30 min daily), while 15 individuals of the same age range served as a passive control group. Significant differences in immediate (after 3 weeks of training) and long-term effects (after 2-6 months) in an auditory n-back task were observed compared to controls (2.5 fold immediate and 4.7 fold long-term increase in the training group compared to the controls). The improvement was more pronounced in subjects who improved their performance during the training. Other cognitive functions (matrices test and Stroop task) did not change when comparing the training group to the control group. We conclude that visuospatial working memory training in children boosts performance in similar memory tasks such as the auditory n-back task. The sustained performance improvement several months after the training supports the effectiveness of the training. PMID:25671082

  13. Differences in the Association of Physical Activity and Children's Overweight and Obesity Status among the Major Racial and Ethnic Groups of U.S. Children

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guerrero, Alma D.; Flores, Martiniano; Vangala, Sitaram; Chung, Paul J.

    2017-01-01

    Objective: To examine the relationship of exercise with overweight and obesity among an ethnically diverse sample of U.S. children. Method: Data from the 2011-2012 National Survey of Children's Health were analyzed to examine the relationship of daily exercise with children's weight status. Propensity score covariate adjustment and multivariate…

  14. Children’s Sleep Comic: development of a new diagnostic tool for children with sleep disorders

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Schwerdtle B

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available Barbara Schwerdtle,1 Julia Kanis,1 Lena Kahl,1 Andrea Kübler,1,2 Angelika A Schlarb3,41Institute of Psychology, Department of Psychology I, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, 2Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral Neurobiology, 3Faculty of Science, Clinical and Developmental Psychology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, 4Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Koblenz-Landau, Landau, GermanyBackground: A solid diagnosis of sleep disorders in children should include both self-ratings and parent ratings. However, there are few standardized self-assessment instruments to meet this need. The Children’s Sleep Comic is an adapted version of the unpublished German questionnaire “Freiburger Kinderschlafcomic” and provides pictures for items and responses. Because the drawings were outdated and allowed only for qualitative analysis, we revised the comic, tested its applicability in a target sample, and suggest a procedure for quantitative analysis.Methods: All items were updated and pictures were newly drawn. We used a sample of 201 children aged 5–10 years to test the applicability of the Children’s Sleep Comic in young children and to run a preliminary analysis.Results: The Children’s Sleep Comic comprises 37 items covering relevant aspects of sleep disorders in children. Application took on average 30 minutes. The procedure was well accepted by the children, as reflected by the absence of any dropouts. First comparisons with established questionnaires indicated moderate correlations.Conclusion: The Children’s Sleep Comic is appropriate for screening sleep behavior and sleep problems in children. The interactive procedure can foster a good relationship between the investigator and the child, and thus establish the basis for successful intervention if necessary.Keywords: children, sleep, sleep disorders, diagnostic, assessment, self-rating

  15. Parents' Emotion-Related Beliefs, Behaviours, and Skills Predict Children's Recognition of Emotion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Castro, Vanessa L.; Halberstadt, Amy G.; Lozada, Fantasy T.; Craig, Ashley B.

    2015-01-01

    Children who are able to recognize others' emotions are successful in a variety of socioemotional domains, yet we know little about how school-aged children's abilities develop, particularly in the family context. We hypothesized that children develop emotion recognition skill as a function of parents' own emotion-related beliefs,…

  16. Comparison between dissipative snubber and passive regenerative snubber cells as applied to isolated DCM SEPIC converters

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Tibola, G.; Lemmen, E.; Duarte, J.L.

    This paper presents the comparison between dissipative RCD and passive regenerative snubber cells for isolated SEPIC converters. The passive cell is intended to improve the converter’s efficiency by transferring the energy stored in the transformer leakage inductance to the converter output. The

  17. The method of educational assessment affects children's neural processing and performance: behavioural and fMRI Evidence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Howard, Steven J.; Burianová, Hana; Calleia, Alysha; Fynes-Clinton, Samuel; Kervin, Lisa; Bokosmaty, Sahar

    2017-08-01

    Standardised educational assessments are now widespread, yet their development has given comparatively more consideration to what to assess than how to optimally assess students' competencies. Existing evidence from behavioural studies with children and neuroscience studies with adults suggest that the method of assessment may affect neural processing and performance, but current evidence remains limited. To investigate the impact of assessment methods on neural processing and performance in young children, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging to identify and quantify the neural correlates during performance across a range of current approaches to standardised spelling assessment. Results indicated that children's test performance declined as the cognitive load of assessment method increased. Activation of neural nodes associated with working memory further suggests that this performance decline may be a consequence of a higher cognitive load, rather than the complexity of the content. These findings provide insights into principles of assessment (re)design, to ensure assessment results are an accurate reflection of students' true levels of competency.

  18. Reading Performance as a Function of Treatment with Lisdexamfetamine Dimesylate in Elementary School Children Diagnosed with ADHD

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wigal, Sharon B.; Maltas, Stephanie; Crinella, Francis; Stehli, Annamarie; Steinhoff, Kenneth; Lakes, Kimberley; Schuck, Sabrina

    2012-01-01

    Background: Medication treatment studies of ADHD have typically not assessed effects on reading performance, although reading difficulties frequently co-occur in children with ADHD. The current study characterizes the effects of lisdexamfetamine dimesylate (LDX; Vyvanse[R], Shire US Inc.), at peak efficacy, on reading performance in children with…

  19. Autistic Traits in Mothers and Children Associated With Child’s Gender Nonconformity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shumer, Daniel E; Roberts, Andrea L; Reisner, Sari L; Lyall, Kristen; Austin, S Bryn

    2015-01-01

    We examined relationships between autistic traits in children, mothers, and fathers and gender nonconformity (GNC) in children using data from the Nurses' Health Study II (NHSII) and the Growing Up Today Study 1 (GUTS1). Autistic traits of mothers, fathers and children were measured using the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS). GNC in children was measured using questions from the Recalled Childhood Gender Identity/Gender Role Questionnaire. In multivariable analyses increase in child’s SRS score was associated with increased odds (OR 1.35; p=0.03) of being in a higher GNC category. Increase in maternal SRS score was also associated with increased odds (OR 1.46; p=0.005) of the child being in a higher GNC category. Paternal SRS scores were not related to child's GNC category. PMID:25358249

  20. Performance of children with autism spectrum disorder on advanced theory of mind tasks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brent, Ella; Rios, Patricia; Happé, Francesca; Charman, Tony

    2004-09-01

    Although a number of advanced theory of mind tasks have been developed, there is sparse information on whether performance on different tasks is associated. The study examined the performance of 20 high-functioning 6- to 12-year-old children with autism spectrum disorder and 20 controls on three high-level theory of mind tasks: Strange Stories, Cartoons and the children's version of the Eyes task. The pattern of findings suggests that the three tasks may share differing, non-specific, information-processing requirements in addition to tapping any putative mentalizing ability. They may also indicate a degree of dissociation between social-cognitive and social-perceptual or affective components of the mentalizing system.

  1. Stunting, selenium deficiency and anemia are associated with poor cognitive performance in preschool children from rural Ethiopia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gashu, Dawd; Stoecker, Barbara J; Bougma, Karim; Adish, Abdulaziz; Haki, Gulelat D; Marquis, Grace S

    2016-04-12

    Anthropometric characteristics and iron status affect cognitive performance in children. In addition, selenium can influence cognitive outcomes; protection of the brain from oxidative stress and its role in thyroid hormone metabolism are putative mechanisms. To investigate their association with cognitive performance, anthropometric indicators, iron biomarkers, and serum selenium of children (n = 541) of 54-60mo of age from rural Ethiopia were assessed. Cognitive assessment was conducted with the administration of two reasoning subtests of the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence and the school readiness test. Stunting was found in 41.4 % of children, 28.7 % were underweight, and 6.3 % were wasted. The mean score of stunted children was lower than that of non-stunted children on non-verbal reasoning (7.0 ± 3.2vs7.9 ± 3.1; p = 0.01) and the school readiness tests (4.3 ± 2.2 vs 3.3 ± 2.1; p 0.05). Selenium deficient children had lower scores on all cognitive tests than normal children (p malnutrition and micronutrient deficiency and address cognitive development in children.

  2. Levels and source apportionment of children's lead exposure: Could urinary lead be used to identify the levels and sources of children's lead pollution?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cao, Suzhen; Duan, Xiaoli; Zhao, Xiuge; Wang, Beibei; Ma, Jin; Fan, Delong; Sun, Chengye; He, Bin; Wei, Fusheng; Jiang, Guibin

    2015-01-01

    As a highly toxic heavy metal, the pollution and exposure risks of lead are of widespread concern for human health. However, the collection of blood samples for use as an indicator of lead pollution is not always feasible in most cohort or longitudinal studies, especially those involving children health. To evaluate the potential use of urinary lead as an indicator of exposure levels and source apportionment, accompanying with environmental media samples, lead concentrations and isotopic measurements (expressed as 207 Pb/ 206 Pb, 208 Pb/ 206 Pb and 204 Pb/ 206 Pb) were investigated and compared between blood and urine from children living in the vicinities of a typical coking plant and lead-acid battery factory. The results showed urinary lead might not be a preferable proxy for estimating blood lead levels. Fortunately, urinary lead isotopic measurements could be used as an alternative for identifying the sources of children's lead exposure, which coincided well with the blood lead isotope ratio analysis. - Highlights: • Pb isotopes of environmental media and children's blood and urine were analyzed. • Pb exposure and pollution source were studied in lead-acid battery and coking areas. • Pb isotope ratios in blood and urine were similar to those of food, water and PM. • Urine Pb level may not be used as a proxy for indicating the lead levels in blood. • Urine Pb isotope ratios is an alternative to identify source and exposure pathways. - Urinary lead is not a preferable proxy to estimate blood lead level, but urinary lead isotope ratios could be an alternative for identifying the sources of lead exposure in children

  3. Angular cheilitis as the initial sign of Crohn’s disease in children

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nuzul Rezki Ramadhani

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Crohn’s disease (CD is a chronic inflammatory process of gastrointestinal tract and originally described as a disorder of the smallest intestine caused by an inappropiate mucosal inflammatory response to intestinal bacteria in genetically predisposed host. Oral manifestation are important clinical finding in Crohn’s disease especially in a pediatric patient. This review highlight oral manifestation of gastrointestinal disorder with angular cheilitis as the initial sign of CD in children. Angular cheilitis are considered to be an important extraintestinal manifestation an presenting as the initial sign of Crohn’s disease in children, although uncommon but can be an important clue in the diagnosis of CD before the development of gastrointestinal symptoms. Angular cheilitis may occasionally occur before the onset of gastrointestinal  disease be present during the disease process or persist even even after the disease has resolved.

  4. Performance of X-ray equipment used for conventional radiographic examinations of children

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lacerda, Marco A.S.; Silva, Teogenes A. da; Khoury, Helen J.

    2009-01-01

    The performance of X-ray equipment that are used for conventional X-ray examinations of children in four hospitals of Belo Horizonte, Brazil, was evaluated. The methodology proposed by the Brazilian authority for radiation protection in diagnostic radiology was adopted. The performance tests were carried out in six X-ray machines and they consisted of measurements and determination of the X-ray tube output, linearity and constancy of radiation output, accuracy and reproducibility of the exposure time and tube potential, half-value layer (HVL), light field / X-ray field alignment and accuracy of the X-ray field indicator. It was observed that only one hospital had the suitable equipment for X-ray examinations of children. Results showed that all six equipment of the four hospitals presented unsatisfactory performance in some quality control tests. Only for some combinations of the exposure parameters, generally employed in pediatric X-ray examinations, some equipment complied with the authority requirements. (author)

  5. Purposes for Literacy in Children's Use of the Online Virtual World "Club Penguin"

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marsh, Jackie

    2014-01-01

    This paper reports on a study of the purposes for literacy discernible in young children's use of the virtual world, "Club Penguin." Twenty-six children aged between 5 and 11 took part in semi-structured interviews in which their use of virtual worlds was explored. Further, three 11-year-old children were filmed using "Club…

  6. Fundamental motor skills, nutritional status, perceived competence, and school performance of Brazilian children in social vulnerability: Gender comparison.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nobre, Glauber Carvalho; Valentini, Nadia Cristina; Nobre, Francisco Salviano Sales

    2018-06-01

    Being at risk or in social vulnerability situations can affect important aspects of child development. The aim of this study was to investigate fundamental motor skills (locomotor and object control) and school (writing, arithmetic, reading) performances, the perceived competence and the nutritional status of girls and boys living in social vulnerability in the poorest regions of Brazil. Two hundred eleven (211) children (87 girls, 41%), 7-10-year-old (M = 8.3, SD = 0.9), from public schools in Ceará (Brazil), living in social vulnerability, participated in the study. Children were assessed using the Test of Gross Motor Development - 2, the Body Mass Index (BMI), the Self-Perception Profile for Children, and the School Performance Test. Multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA), adjusted for age, did not show any significant effect for locomotion. There was an effect of gender on the object control. Boys showed higher scores in striking, kicking, throwing, and rolling a ball. Quade's nonparametric analysis showed no difference in BMI between the genders. Most children presented healthy weight. The MANCOVA showed no effect of gender on children's scores on perceived competence on the subscales; moderate scores were found for most children. There were no gender effects on school performance; both boys and girls demonstrated inferior performance. Boys and girls in social vulnerability showed inferior performance in most motor skills, moderate perceived competence and inferior school performance. These results reveal that the appropriate development of these children is at risk and that intervention strategies should be implemented to compensate the difficulties presented. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. The Impact of Short-Term Video Games on Performance among Children with Developmental Delays: A Randomized Controlled Trial

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hsieh, Ru-Lan; Lee, Wen-Chung; Lin, Jui-Hsiang

    2016-01-01

    This prospective, randomized controlled study investigated the effects of short-term interactive video game playing among children with developmental delays participating in traditional rehabilitation treatment at a rehabilitation clinic. One hundred and one boys and 46 girls with a mean age of 5.8 years (range: 3 to 12 years) were enrolled in this study. All patients were confirmed to suffer from developmental delays, and were participating in traditional rehabilitation treatment. Children participated in two periods of 4 weeks each, group A being offered intervention of eight 30-minute sessions of interactive video games in the first period, and group B in the second, in addition to the traditional rehabilitation treatment. The physical, psychosocial, and total health of the children was periodically assessed using the parent-reported Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory-Generic Core Scales (PedsQL); and the children’s upper extremity and physical function, transfer and basic mobility, sports and physical functioning, and global functioning were assessed using the Pediatric Outcomes Data Collection Instrument. Parental impact was evaluated using the PedsQL-Family Impact Module for family function, PedsQL-Health Satisfaction questionnaire for parents’ satisfaction with their children’s care and World Health Organization-Quality of Life-Brief Version for quality of life. Compared with the baseline, significant improvements of physical function were observed in both groups (5.6 ± 19.5, p = 0.013; 4.7 ± 13.8, p = 0.009) during the intervention periods. No significant improvement of psychosocial health, functional performance, or family impact was observed in children with developmental delays. Short-term interactive video game play in conjunction with traditional rehabilitation treatment improved the physical health of children with developmental delays. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02184715 PMID:26983099

  8. THE PROBLEMS OF SOCIALIZATION OF CHILDREN IN A CHILDREN’S MUSICAL GROUP

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Larysa Ostapenko

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available The article studies the process of the socialization of children in a musical group. The author has studied diverse factors of the socialization of children and its types (spontaneous socialization; relatively controlled socialization and socially controlled socialization. The author has also given characteristics of creative activity stimulation and described the need to be accepted by peers being realized during the participation in children’s music festivals. The notion of socialization was defined as a complex process of a child’s personality development, especially during the school/teen age, whereby an individual acquires a personal identity and learns the norms, values, behavior, and social skills appropriate to his or her social position in the context of a musical group. Educational work conducted be teachers, family members and society contributes to this process. School education in terms of a musical group consists of activities organised in order to educate personality traits through the organization of practical creative communication. Schoolchildren’s interpersonal relations are always based on social relations. It is proved that the personality development in a children’s musical group is placed in social environment and social communication. The key role belongs here to the motivation and the incentive of the schoolchildren’s creative activity. Creative communication in a children’s musical group turns out to be a powerful inner stimulation for children to fulfil their abilities. It pushes a child towards self-assertion and the gain of authority among peers. The article proves that pedagogical guidance of the creative process can be led professionally only in a well-organised musical group.

  9. The role of anxiety symptoms in school performance in a community sample of children and adolescents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mazzone, Luigi; Ducci, Francesca; Scoto, Maria Cristina; Passaniti, Eleonora; D'Arrigo, Valentina Genitori; Vitiello, Benedetto

    2007-12-05

    Anxiety symptoms are relatively common among children and adolescents and can interfere with functioning. The prevalence of anxiety and the relationship between anxiety and school performance were examined among elementary, middle, and high school students. Samples of elementary (N = 131, age 8-10 years), middle (N = 267, age 11-13 years), and high school (N = 80, age 14-16 years) children were recruited from four public schools in a predominantly middle-class community in Catania, Italy. Children completed the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC). T-scores were computed for the MASC total scores, and considered to be in the anxious range if 65 or above. Current academic grades were obtained from school records. Of the 478 children, 35 (7.3%) had a MASC T-score in the anxious range. The rate of children in the anxious range was 2.3% in elementary, 7.9% in middle, and 15.9% in high school (chi2 = 7.8, df = 2, p children and adolescents attending elementary through high school, the prevalence of abnormally high self-reported levels of anxiety increased in frequency with age and was negatively associated with school performance.

  10. Acute psychosocial stress and children's memory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Veld, Danielle M J; Riksen-Walraven, J Marianne; de Weerth, Carolina

    2014-07-01

    We investigated whether children's performance on working memory (WM) and delayed retrieval (DR) tasks decreased after stress exposure, and how physiological stress responses related to performance under stress. About 158 children (83 girls; Mage = 10.61 years, SD = 0.52) performed two WM tasks (WM forward and WM backward) and a DR memory task first during a control condition, and 1 week later during a stress challenge. Salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) and cortisol were assessed during the challenge. Only WM backward performance declined over conditions. Correlations between physiological stress responses and performance within the stress challenge were present only for WM forward and DR. For WM forward, higher cortisol responses were related to better performance. For DR, there was an inverted U-shape relation between cortisol responses and performance, as well as a cortisol × sAA interaction, with concurrent high or low responses related to optimal performance. This emphasizes the importance of including curvilinear and interaction effects when relating physiology to memory.

  11. Cholinesterase activity in blood and pesticide presence in sweat as biomarkers of children`s environmental exposure to crop protection chemicals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lucyna Kapka-Skrzypczak

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Introduction. On the contrary to the adult population exposed to pesticides, mostly on occupational basis, rural children are mostly exposed to pesticides deposited in the environment. However, even this constant, distributed in time exposure to low concentrations of pesticides may led to permanent health disorders and limit children’s harmonious development. Objective. The main objective of the study was to evaluate the usefulness of aacetylcholinesterase (AChE and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE activity determination as a marker of children’s environmental exposure to pesticides. An additional aim was to evaluate the usefulness of sweat patches as a novel, non-invasive method of detection of pesticides in sweat as a measure of pesticide exposure. Materials and method. A total of 108 children living in areas of intense pesticide use, and as a control group, 92 children living in an agro-tourist area were enrolled in the study. The AChE and BuChE activity was assayed colorimetricaly in diluted whole blood or plasma, respectively. In addition, selected pesticides were measured by GC/MS analysis in samples of the subject’s sweat absorbed onto a sorbent. Results. The study demonstrated significantly lower AChE and BuChE activity, respectively, in the diluted whole blood and plasma of children exposed to pesticides, compared to the control group (p<0.001 and p=0.003, respectively. The measured mean level of AChE activity was 241.63 ± 26.76 and 348.0±46.95 mU/µmolHb in the exposed and the control group, respectively, whereas the mean activity of BuChE was 424.1±81.1 and 458.6 ± 86.5 mmol/L/min. In addition, pesticide metabolites were detected in 19 (17.6% sweat samples collected from exposed children. Conclusions. Altogether, the study indicated that cholinesterase activity is a sensitive marker of the children’s environmental exposure to pesticides, whereas sweat patches are useful devices for collecting samples to be analysed for the

  12. Performance investigation of a novel frost-free air-source heat pump water heater combined with energy storage and dehumidification

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Fenghao; Wang, Zhihua; Zheng, Yuxin; Lin, Zhang; Hao, Pengfei; Huan, Chao; Wang, Tian

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • Experiments are carried out to investigate a novel frost-free ASHPWH system. • Dynamic characteristics of the system are studied at different ambient conditions. • Test results confirm the expected potential to control the frost-free process. • The COP increased 17.9% and 3.4% respectively in comparison with RCD at −3 °C and 3 °C. - Abstract: Air-source heat pump (ASHP) often operates with substantial frost formation on the outdoor heat exchanger at low ambient temperature in winter, it insulates the finned surface and also reduces heat transfer rate, leading to performance degradation or even shutdown of ASHP systems. Although several defrosting methods have been reported, the frosting and defrosting processes reduced energy efficiency and resulted in, in some cases, heat pump breakdown. To solve this problem, a novel frost-free air-source heat pump water heater (ASHPWH) system has been developed, which coupled with an extra heat exchanger coated by a solid desiccant (EHECSD) with an energy storage device (ESD). Based on the previous studies, a further analysis and comprehensive research on the novel frost-free ASHPWH system is presented in this paper. The dynamic characteristics of the novel system are investigated experimentally in different ambient conditions. An experimental setup and experimental procedures are described in detail. Thereafter, the dehumidification efficiency and regeneration efficiency of EHECSD, suction and discharge pressures of the compressor, the temperature of PCM are evaluated during the heating and regeneration modes respectively. Results indicate that the system can keep the evaporator frost-free for 32, 34, 36 min during heating mode at the ambient temperatures of −3 °C, 0 °C and 3 °C and 85% RH. Compared with the reverse-cycle defrosting (RCD), COP of the frost-free ASHPWH are 17.9% and 3.4% higher at the ambient temperature of −3 °C and 3 °C respectively. With this innovative technology, it has

  13. Senescence-associated barley NAC (NAM, ATAF1,2, CUC) transcription factor interacts with radical-induced cell death 1 through a disordered regulatory domain

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kjaersgaard, Trine; Jensen, Michael K; Christiansen, Michael W

    2011-01-01

    as a transcriptional activator suggesting that an involvement of HvNAC013 and HvNAC005 in senescence will be different. HvNAC013 interacted with barley radical-induced cell death 1 (RCD1) via the very C-terminal part of its TRD, outside of the region containing the LP motif. No significant secondary structure...... (NAM, ATAF1,2, CUC) TF family are up-regulated during senescence in barley (Hordeum vulgare). Both HvNAC005 and HvNAC013 bound the conserved NAC DNA target sequence. Computational and biophysical analyses showed that both proteins are intrinsically disordered in their large C-terminal domains, which...... was induced in the HvNAC013 TRD upon interaction with RCD1. RCD1 also interacted with regions dominated by intrinsic disorder in TFs of the MYB and basic helix-loop-helix families. We propose that RCD1 is a regulatory protein capable of interacting with many different TFs by exploiting their intrinsic...

  14. Dimensions of physical punishment and their associations with children's cognitive performance and school adjustment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Font, Sarah A; Cage, Jamie

    2018-01-01

    This study examined how a range of physical punishment measures, ranging from mild corporal punishment to physical abuse, are associated with cognitive performance, school engagement, and peer isolation over a 3- year span among 658 children initially observed between the ages of 8 and 14. Physical punishment was captured in three groups: mild corporal punishment, harsh corporal punishment, and physical abuse, and both caregiver- and child-reported punishment measures were considered. After accounting for socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, only Ninitial exposure to physical abuse was significantly associated with declines in cognitive performance. However, all forms of physical punishment were associated with declines in school engagement, and harsh corporal punishment was associated with increased peer isolation. Our findings were relatively consistent regardless of whether physical punishment was reported by the child or caregiver. Overall, our findings suggest that the prevention of physical abuse may enhance children's cognitive performance, but that alone may not be sufficient to ensure children are engaged and well-adjusted in school. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Effects of occupational therapy services on fine motor and functional performance in preschool children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Case-Smith, J

    2000-01-01

    This study examined how performance components and variables in intervention influenced fine motor and functional outcomes in preschool children. In a sample of 44 preschool-aged children with fine motor delays who received occupational therapy services, eight fine motor and functional performance assessments were administered at the beginning and end of the academic year. Data on the format and intervention activities of each occupational therapy session were recorded for 8 months. The children received a mean of 23 sessions, in both individual and group format. Most of the sessions (81%) used fine motor activities; 29% addressed peer interaction, and 16% addressed play skills. Visual motor outcomes were influenced by the number of intervention sessions and percent of sessions with play goals. Fine motor outcomes were most influenced by the therapists' emphasis on play and peer interaction goals; functional outcomes were influenced by number of sessions and percent of sessions that specifically addressed self-care goals. The influence of play on therapy outcomes suggests that a focus on play in intervention activities can enhance fine motor and visual motor performance.

  16. Verbalization in Children's Drawing Performances: Toward a Metaphorical Continuum of Inscription, Extension, and Re-Inscription

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schulte, Christopher M.

    2011-01-01

    Reconceptualizing the relationship between a child/subject and the adult/researcher is necessary in order to begin unraveling the possibilities entangled in children's learning practices, particularly those articulated by/through children's drawing performances. This article seeks to expand upon the complexities of researcher/subject…

  17. Keeping the Spirits Up: The Effect of Teachers' and Parents' Emotional Support on Children's Working Memory Performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vandenbroucke, Loren; Spilt, Jantine; Verschueren, Karine; Baeyens, Dieter

    2017-01-01

    Working memory, used to temporarily store and mentally manipulate information, is important for children's learning. It is therefore valuable to understand which (contextual) factors promote or hinder working memory performance. Recent research shows positive associations between positive parent-child and teacher-student interactions and working memory performance and development. However, no study has yet experimentally investigated how parents and teachers affect working memory performance. Based on attachment theory, the current study investigated the role of parent and teacher emotional support in promoting working memory performance by buffering the negative effect of social stress. Questionnaires and an experimental session were completed by 170 children from grade 1 to 2 ( M age = 7 years 6 months, SD = 7 months). Questionnaires were used to assess children's perceptions of the teacher-student and parent-child relationship. During an experimental session, working memory was measured with the Corsi task backward (Milner, 1971) in a pre- and post-test design. In-between the tests stress was induced in the children using the Cyberball paradigm (Williams et al., 2000). Emotional support was manipulated (between-subjects) through an audio message (either a weather report, a supportive message of a stranger, a supportive message of a parent, or a supportive message of a teacher). Results of repeated measures ANOVA showed no clear effect of the stress induction. Nevertheless, an effect of parent and teacher support was found and depended on the quality of the parent-child relationship. When children had a positive relationship with their parent, support of parents and teachers had little effect on working memory performance. When children had a negative relationship with their parent, a supportive message of that parent decreased working memory performance, while a supportive message from the teacher increased performance. In sum, the current study suggests that

  18. The effectiveness of computerized cognitive training on the working memory performance of children with dyslexia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohsen Shokoohi-Yekta

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available Background and Aim: Auditory and visual processing along with phonological and visual spatial working memory are the problems that patients with dyslexia struggle with. So, the aim of this project was to investigate the effectiveness of computerized cognitive training on the working memory performance of children with dyslexia.Methods: The study conducted under the quasi-experimental method with pre- and post-test along with the control group. 25 children with dyslexia aged 7 to 12 years in grades 1-5 assigned to the experimental (15 and control (10 groups; the experimental group received 30 sessions of the Brain Ware Safari intervention program. NAMA scale and Working Memory Test Battery for Children (WMTB-C were conducted to assess reading and working memory performance of the subjects. MANCOVA, ANCOVA and effect sizes were utilized to analyze the data.Results: There were significant differences between pre- and post-tests of the experimental and control groups on the forward and backward block recall subtests of WMTB-C and not the mazes memory. Regarding the subscales of NAMA scale, we found no significant differences in the reading performance; but analysis of effect sizes showed positive effects at least on the 6 subscales.Conclusion: The Brain Ware Safari computerized cognitive training can improve visual spatial working memory of children with dyslexia and probably may affect the reading performance.

  19. Young Children's Analogical Reasoning across Cultures: Similarities and Differences

    Science.gov (United States)

    Richland, Lindsey Engle; Chan, Tsz-Kit; Morrison, Robert G.; Au, Terry Kit-Fong

    2010-01-01

    A cross-cultural comparison between U.S. and Hong Kong preschoolers examined factors responsible for young children's analogical reasoning errors. On a scene analogy task, both groups had adequate prerequisite knowledge of the key relations, were the same age, and showed similar baseline performance, yet Chinese children outperformed U.S. children…

  20. Contribution of Organized and Nonorganized Activity to Children's Motor Skills and Fitness

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hardy, Louise L.; O'Hara, Blythe J.; Rogers, Kris; St George, Alexis; Bauman, Adrian

    2014-01-01

    Background: To examine the associations between children's organized physical activity (OPA), nonorganized physical activity (NOPA), and health-related outcomes (fundamental movement skill [FMS] fitness). Methods: Cross-sectional survey of children aged 10-16?years (N?=?4273). Organized physical activity and NOPA were assessed by self-report,…

  1. Children's exposure to passive smoking in England since the 1980s: cotinine evidence from population surveys

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jarvis, Martin J; Goddard, Eileen; Higgins, Vanessa; Feyerabend, Colin; Bryant, Andrew; Cook, Derek G

    2000-01-01

    Objective To determine whether children's exposure to passive smoking has changed since the late 1980s. Design Cross sectional surveys of nationally representative samples of secondary school children carried out between 1988 and 1998 by Office for National Statistics. Setting England. Subjects Secondary school children aged 11-15. Main outcome measures Salivary cotinine concentrations in non-smoking children. Results Cotinine concentrations in all non-smoking children almost halved between 1988 and 1998, from a geometric mean of 0.96 (95% confidence interval 0.83 to 1.11) ng/ml in 1988 to 0.52 (0.43 to 0.62) ng/ml in 1998. This reduction was largely due to reductions in exposure in children from non-smoking households and to decreases in the percentage of parents who smoked. Children living with mothers or fathers who smoked experienced little reduction in exposure. Conclusions Exposure to passive smoking among children in England has approximately halved since the late 1980s. This reduction is partly explained by the fall in the percentage of both mothers and fathers who smoke and is also likely to reflect reductions of smoking in public places. However, there is only limited evidence that children from smoking households have experienced a reduction in exposure through parents' avoidance of smoking in their presence. PMID:10926591

  2. Cognitive Motor Coordination Training Improves Mental Rotation Performance in Primary School-Aged Children

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pietsch, Stefanie; Böttcher, Caroline; Jansen, Petra

    2017-01-01

    The long-term physical activity in specific sport activities can change the quality of mental rotation performance. This study investigates the influence of "Life Kinetik"--a motion program with tasks of cognition and motor coordination--on mental rotation performance of 44 primary school-aged children. While the experimental group…

  3. Ethical issues in measuring biomarkers in children´s environmental health

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Sly, P. D.; Eskenazi, B.; Pronczuk, J.; Šrám, Radim; Diaz-Barriga, F.; Machin, D. G.; Carpenter, D. O.; Surdu, S.; Meslin, E. M.

    2009-01-01

    Roč. 117, č. 8 (2009), s. 1185-1190 ISSN 0091-6765 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50390512 Keywords : biobanks * biomarkers * children Subject RIV: DN - Health Impact of the Environment Quality Impact factor: 6.191, year: 2009

  4. SERUM ANALYSIS OF AMYLOID BETA-PROTEIN 1-40 IN HEALTHY SUBJECTS, AUTISTIC CHILDREN AND ALZHEIMER’S PATIENTS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vijendra K. SINGH

    2008-06-01

    Full Text Available Amyloid beta-protein1-40 (AP40 is a low molecu­lar weight peptide produced throughout life during normal cell metabolism and neurodegenerative diseases. Owing to its neurotrophic and neurotoxic effects, the present study was conducted to evalu­ate serum levels of AP40 in healthy subjects, au­tistic children and Alzheimer’s disease patients. Serum AP40 was measured by enzyme-linked im­munosorbent assay (ELISA. AP40 was signifi­cantly higher in normal children compared to nor­mal older controls, in normal children compared to autistic children, and in autistic children compared to Alzheimer’s patients (p value was less than 0.05 for all groups. This finding suggests an age-re­lated decline of serum AP40 in normal aging, as well as in autism and Alzheimer’s disease. This decline may result from abnormal processing of amyloid beta-protein precursor (APP during nor­mal aging and age-related diseases such as autism in children and Alzheimer’s disease in elderly. Possible explanations for this decline may include age-related increased interactions of AP40 with cytoskeletal proteins for brain tissue deposition, increased serine proteases for APP metabolism or hyperimmune reaction (antibodies to AP40 for removal of circulating AP40. To conclude, the AP40 metabolism declines with normal aging and in addition to its role in Alzheimer’s disease this protein might also be a contributing factor in au­tism.

  5. Health care needs of children with Down syndrome and impact of health system performance on children and their families.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Phelps, Randall A; Pinter, Joseph D; Lollar, Donald J; Medlen, Joan Guthrie; Bethell, Christina D

    2012-04-01

    The functional, financial, and social impact on families of children with Down syndrome (DS) in the United States and the role of the US health care system in ameliorating these impacts have not been well characterized. We sought to describe the demographic characteristics and functional difficulties of these children and to determine whether children with DS, compared with children with "intellectual disability" (ID) generally, and compared with other "children and youth with special health care needs" (CYSHCN), are more or less likely to receive health care that meets quality standards related to care coordination and to have their health care service needs met. This study analyzed data from the 2005-2006 National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs (n = 40,723). Children and youth aged 0 to 17 years with special health care need (CYSHCN) who experience DS (n = 395) and/or IDs (n = 4252) were compared with each other and other CYSHCN on a range of functioning, family impact, and health care quality variables using bivariate and multivariate methods. Data were weighted to represent all CYSHCN in the United States. Compared with CYSHCN without DS, children with DS were significantly less likely to receive comprehensive care within a medical home (29.7% vs 47.3%; p work due to their child's health needs (23.5% vs 55.1%; p performance was poorer for children with DS compared with those with ID and no DS after adjustment for family income, prevalence on most aspects of quality of care and family impacts evaluated were similar for these 2 groups. In this study, the families of children with DS, and ID generally, are burdened disproportionately when compared with other CYSHCN, reflecting the combination of impairments intrinsic to DS and ID and impacts of suboptimal medical care coordination and social support.

  6. Quality of pediatric abdominal CT scans performed at a dedicated children's hospital and its referring institutions: a multifactorial evaluation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Snow, Aisling; Milliren, Carly E.; Graham, Dionne A.; Callahan, Michael J.; MacDougall, Robert D.; Robertson, Richard L.; Taylor, George A.

    2017-01-01

    Pediatric patients requiring transfer to a dedicated children's hospital from an outside institution may undergo CT imaging as part of their evaluation. Whether this imaging is performed prior to or after transfer has been shown to impact the radiation dose imparted to the patient. Other quality variables could also be affected by the pediatric experience and expertise of the scanning institution. To identify differences in quality between abdominal CT scans and reports performed at a dedicated children's hospital, and those performed at referring institutions. Fifty consecutive pediatric abdominal CT scans performed at outside institutions were matched (for age, gender and indication) with 50 CT scans performed at a dedicated freestanding children's hospital. We analyzed the scans for technical parameters, report findings, correlation with final clinical diagnosis, and clinical utility. Technical evaluation included use of intravenous and oral contrast agents, anatomical coverage, number of scan phases and size-specific dose estimate (SSDE) for each scan. Outside institution scans were re-reported when the child was admitted to the children's hospital; they were also re-interpreted for this study by children's hospital radiologists who were provided with only the referral information given in the outside institution's report. Anonymized original outside institutional reports and children's hospital admission re-reports were analyzed by two emergency medicine physicians for ease of understanding, degree to which the clinical question was answered, and level of confidence in the report. Mean SSDE was lower (8.68) for children's hospital scans, as compared to outside institution scans (13.29, P = 0.03). Concordance with final clinical diagnosis was significantly lower for original outside institution reports (38/48, 79%) than for both the admission and study children's hospital reports (48/50, 96%; P = 0.005). Children's hospital admission reports were rated higher

  7. Facilitators and Barriers to Performing Activities and Participation in Children With Cerebral Palsy: Caregivers' Perspective.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Earde, Pinailug Tantilipikorn; Praipruk, Aina; Rodpradit, Phanlerd; Seanjumla, Parichad

    2018-01-01

    To investigate contextual factors that were facilitators and barriers to performing activity and participation for children with cerebral palsy from the caregivers' perspective. Qualitative in-depth interview with primary caregivers of children with cerebral palsy aged 4 to 12 years was conducted in the metropolitan area of Thailand. Semistructured questions related to environmental and personal factors were recorded. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed for main themes on the basis of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health-Children and Youth Version (ICF-CY) classification. Twenty-seven caregivers participated. Facilitators were appropriateness of assistive devices, support and acceptance from family, friends, and society, health services, willingness, and self-acceptance. Barriers were inappropriate design and facilities, overprotection of family, nonacceptance from family, friends, and society, inconvenient transportation, financial problems, limited health services, limited access to education, frustration, and being an introvert. Contextual factors that can be facilitators and barriers to perform activities and participation should be considered for improving lives of children with cerebral palsy.

  8. Vital Signs-Reducing Sodium in Children’s Diets

    Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

    This podcast is based on the September 2014 CDC Vital Signs report. Many children in the U.S. eat more sodium than recommended and one in six has elevated blood pressure. Learn what you can do to lower sodium intake.

  9. Gender-specific effects of physical activity on children's academic performance: The Active Smarter Kids cluster randomized controlled trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Resaland, G K; Moe, V F; Bartholomew, J B; Andersen, L B; McKay, H A; Anderssen, S A; Aadland, E

    2018-01-01

    Active learning combines academic content with physical activity (PA) to increase child PA and academic performance, but the impact of active learning is mixed. It may be that this is a moderated relationship in which active learning is beneficial for only some children. This paper examine the impact of baseline academic performance and gender as moderators for the effects of active learning on children's academic performance. In the ASK-study, 1129 fifth-graders from 57 Norwegian elementary schools were randomized by school to intervention or control in a physical activity intervention between November 2014 and June 2015. Academic performance in numeracy, reading, and English was measured and a composite score was calculated. Children were split into low, middle and high academic performing tertiles. 3-way-interactions for group (intervention, control)∗gender (boys, girls)∗academic performance (tertiles) were investigated using mixed model regression. There was a significant, 3-way-interaction (p=0.044). Both boys (ES=0.11) and girls (ES=0.18) in the low performing tertile had a similar beneficial trend. In contrast, middle (ES=0.03) and high performing boys (ES=0.09) responded with small beneficial trends, while middle (ES=-0.11) and high performing girls (ES=-0.06) responded with negative trends. ASK was associated with a significant increase in academic performance for low performing children. It is likely that active learning benefited children most in need of adapted education but it may have a null or negative effect for those girls who are already performing well in the sedentary classroom. Differences in gendered responses are discussed as a possible explanation for these results. Clinicaltrials.gov registry, trial registration number: NCT02132494. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Effect of Gliadin on Permeability of Intestinal Biopsy Explants from Celiac Disease Patients and Patients with Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hollon, Justin; Leonard Puppa, Elaine; Greenwald, Bruce; Goldberg, Eric; Guerrerio, Anthony; Fasano, Alessio

    2015-01-01

    Background: Intestinal exposure to gliadin leads to zonulin upregulation and consequent disassembly of intercellular tight junctions and increased intestinal permeability. We aimed to study response to gliadin exposure, in terms of barrier function and cytokine secretion, using intestinal biopsies obtained from four groups: celiac patients with active disease (ACD), celiac patients in remission (RCD), non-celiac patients with gluten sensitivity (GS) and non-celiac controls (NC). Methods: Ex-vivo human duodenal biopsies were mounted in microsnapwells and luminally incubated with either gliadin or media alone. Changes in transepithelial electrical resistance were monitored over 120 min. Media was subsequently collected and cytokines quantified. Results: Intestinal explants from all groups (ACD (n = 6), RCD (n = 6), GS (n = 6), and NC (n = 5)) demonstrated a greater increase in permeability when exposed to gliadin vs. media alone. The increase in permeability in the ACD group was greater than in the RCD and NC groups. There was a greater increase in permeability in the GS group compared to the RCD group. There was no difference in permeability between the ACD and GS groups, between the RCD and NC groups, or between the NC and GS groups. IL-10 was significantly greater in the media of the NC group compared to the RCD and GS groups. Conclusions: Increased intestinal permeability after gliadin exposure occurs in all individuals. Following gliadin exposure, both patients with gluten sensitivity and those with active celiac disease demonstrate a greater increase in intestinal permeability than celiacs in disease remission. A higher concentration of IL-10 was measured in the media exposed to control explants compared to celiac disease in remission or gluten sensitivity. PMID:25734566

  11. Effect of Gliadin on Permeability of Intestinal Biopsy Explants from Celiac Disease Patients and Patients with Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Justin Hollon

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available Background: Intestinal exposure to gliadin leads to zonulin upregulation and consequent disassembly of intercellular tight junctions and increased intestinal permeability. We aimed to study response to gliadin exposure, in terms of barrier function and cytokine secretion, using intestinal biopsies obtained from four groups: celiac patients with active disease (ACD, celiac patients in remission (RCD, non-celiac patients with gluten sensitivity (GS and non-celiac controls (NC. Methods: Ex-vivo human duodenal biopsies were mounted in microsnapwells and luminally incubated with either gliadin or media alone. Changes in transepithelial electrical resistance were monitored over 120 min. Media was subsequently collected and cytokines quantified. Results: Intestinal explants from all groups (ACD (n = 6, RCD (n = 6, GS (n = 6, and NC (n = 5 demonstrated a greater increase in permeability when exposed to gliadin vs. media alone. The increase in permeability in the ACD group was greater than in the RCD and NC groups. There was a greater increase in permeability in the GS group compared to the RCD group. There was no difference in permeability between the ACD and GS groups, between the RCD and NC groups, or between the NC and GS groups. IL-10 was significantly greater in the media of the NC group compared to the RCD and GS groups. Conclusions: Increased intestinal permeability after gliadin exposure occurs in all individuals. Following gliadin exposure, both patients with gluten sensitivity and those with active celiac disease demonstrate a greater increase in intestinal permeability than celiacs in disease remission. A higher concentration of IL-10 was measured in the media exposed to control explants compared to celiac disease in remission or gluten sensitivity.

  12. Mathematics Achievement by Immigrant Children

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    Gary G. Huang

    2000-05-01

    Full Text Available In this study, I examined academic achievement of immigrant children in the United States, Canada, England, Australia, and New Zealand. Analyzing data from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS, I gauged the performance gaps relating to the generation of immigration and the home language background. I found immigrant children's math and science achievement to be lower than the others only in England, the U.S., and Canada. Non-English language background was found in each country to relate to poor math and science learning and this disadvantage was stronger among native-born children—presumably children of indigenous groups—than among immigrant children. I also examined the school variation in math performance gaps, using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM to each country's data. The patterns in which language- and generation-related math achievement gaps varied between schools are different in the five countries.

  13. Determinants of School Performance Among Quechua Children in the Peruvian Andes

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    Jacoby, Enrique; Cueto, Santiago; Pollitt, Ernesto

    1999-01-01

    In the rural Andes of Peru, primary school inefficiency ranks higher than in the rest of the country, with a nearly 50 per cent rate of first grade repetition. In 1993 the investigators administered a battery of four psycho-educational tests to 360 schoolchildren in the fourth and fifth grades at ten primary schools in the Andean region of Huaraz. They also recorded the children's individual characteristics, i.e. family background, nutritional status, and educational attainment, and rated the schools according to educational features such as classroom size, time devoted to learning, and student-teacher ratio. A year later, in 1994, children were re-examined in the schools using the same test battery. All subjects were small for their age, had poor diets, spoke mostly Quechua at home (Spanish in school), lived in a rural environment, and walked considerable distances to school. Regression analyses of the 1993 data indicated that the performance of Quechua children on verbal tests was heavily influenced by family background, while their mathematical competence was related to school experience. On the other hand, improvement in test scores from one year to the next appeared to be strongly related to test performance in 1993 and less clearly to the other recorded variables. Finally, the schools' promotion rates were clearly associated with test scores from the previous year but less clearly with grade repetition rates.

  14. Evaluating health worker performance in Benin using the simulated client method with real children.

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    Rowe, Alexander K; Onikpo, Faustin; Lama, Marcel; Deming, Michael S

    2012-10-08

    The simulated client (SC) method for evaluating health worker performance utilizes surveyors who pose as patients to make surreptitious observations during consultations. Compared to conspicuous observation (CO) by surveyors, which is commonly done in developing countries, SC data better reflect usual health worker practices. This information is important because CO can cause performance to be better than usual. Despite this advantage of SCs, the method's full potential has not been realized for evaluating performance for pediatric illnesses because real children have not been utilized as SCs. Previous SC studies used scenarios of ill children that were not actually brought to health workers. During a trial that evaluated a quality improvement intervention in Benin (the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness [IMCI] strategy), we conducted an SC survey with adult caretakers as surveyors and real children to evaluate the feasibility of this approach and used the results to assess the validity of CO. We conducted an SC survey and a CO survey (one right after the other) of health workers in the same 55 health facilities. A detailed description of the SC survey process was produced. Results of the two surveys were compared for 27 performance indicators using logistic regression modeling. SC and CO surveyors observed 54 and 185 consultations, respectively. No serious problems occurred during the SC survey. Performance levels measured by CO were moderately higher than those measured by SCs (median CO - SC difference = 16.4 percentage-points). Survey differences were sometimes much greater for IMCI-trained health workers (median difference = 29.7 percentage-points) than for workers without IMCI training (median difference = 3.1 percentage-points). SC surveys can be done safely with real children if appropriate precautions are taken. CO can introduce moderately large positive biases, and these biases might be greater for health workers exposed to quality improvement

  15. Disparities in untreated caries among children and adults in the U.S., 2011-2014.

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    Gupta, Niodita; Vujicic, Marko; Yarbrough, Cassandra; Harrison, Brittany

    2018-03-06

    The Affordable Care Act of 2010 increased dental coverage for children in the United States, (U.S.) but not for adults. Few studies in current scholarship make use of up-to-date, nationally representative data to examine oral health disparities in the U.S. The purpose of this study is to use nationally representative data to determine the prevalence of untreated caries among children and adults of different socioeconomic and racial/ethnic groups and to examine the factors associated with untreated caries among children and adults. This study used the 2011-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) demographic, oral health questionnaire, and oral health dentition examination data (n = 7008 for children; n = 9673 for adults). Participants that had a standardized oral health examination and at least one natural primary or permanent tooth considering 28 tooth spaces were included in this study. Our main outcome measure was untreated coronal caries defined as decay on the crown or enamel surface of a tooth that had not been treated or filled. Population estimates were calculated to determine the prevalence of untreated caries among children and adults in the United States. Frequencies and Pearson's chi-square tests were used to compare those with and without untreated caries. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to evaluate the factors associated with untreated caries. We conducted analyses among children and adults separately. From 2011 to 2014, 12.4 million children and 57.6 million adults in the United States had untreated caries. Age, family income level, recent dental visit, and financial and non-financial barriers were significantly associated with untreated caries in both children and adults. Race/ethnicity, gender and education level were also significantly associated with untreated caries among adults. The odds of untreated caries associated with financial barriers were 2.06 for children and 2.84 for adults while the

  16. Exploring children’s stigmatisation of AIDS-affected children in Zimbabwe through drawings and stories

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    Campbell, Catherine; Skovdal, Morten; Mupambireyi, Zivai; Gregson, Simon

    2010-01-01

    AIDS-related stigma is a major contributor to the health and psychosocial well-being of children affected by AIDS. Whilst it is often suggested that AIDS-affected children may be stigmatised by other children, to date no research focuses specifically on child-on-child stigma. Using social representations theory, we explore how Zimbabwean children represent AIDS-affected peers, examining (i) whether or not they stigmatise, (ii) the forms stigma takes, and (iii) the existence of non-stigmatising representations that might serve as resources for stigma-reduction interventions. Our interest in identifying both stigmatising and non-stigmatising representations is informed by a theory of change which accords a central role to community-level debate and dialogue in challenging and reframing stigmatising representations. In late 2008, 50 children (aged 10–12) were asked to “draw a picture of a child whose family has been affected by AIDS in any way”, and to write short stories about their drawings. Thematic analysis of stories and drawings revealed frequent references to stigmatisation of AIDS-affected children – with other children refusing to play with them, generally keeping their distance and bullying them. However children also frequently showed a degree of empathy and respect for AIDS-affected children’s caring roles and for their love and concern for their AIDS-infected parents. We argue that a key strategy for stigma-reduction interventions is to open up social spaces in which group members (in this case children) can identify the diverse and contradictory ways they view a stigmatised out-group, providing opportunities for them to exercise agency in collectively challenging and renegotiating negative representations. Contrary to the common view that drawings enable children to achieve greater emotional expression than written stories, our children’s drawings tended to be comparatively stereotypical and normative. It was in written stories that children

  17. Developing the Observatory Test of Capacity, Performance, and Developmental Disregard (OTCPDD for Children with Cerebral Palsy.

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    Kuan-Chun Liu

    Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to develop a reliable and valid instrument, named the Observatory Test of Capacity, Performance, and Developmental Disregard (OTCPDD, for measuring the amount and quality of use of affected upper limb functions in the daily routines of children with CP.Forty-eight participants (24 children with CP and 24 matched typically developing children were recruited. The OTCPDD was administered twice (the spontaneous use condition first, followed by the forced use condition on children with CP. Their parents were asked to complete the Pediatric Motor Activity Log-Revised (PMAL-R. The internal consistency, the intrarater and interrater reliabilities, and the convergent and discriminate validities were measured.The internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha and the intrarater and interrater reliabilities were higher than 0.9 for all of the OTCPDD scores. The convergent validity was confirmed by significant correlations between the OTCPDD and the PMAL-R. For the discriminant validity, significant differences (p<0.05 were found between children with CP and typically developing children.The results support that the OTCPDD is a reliable and valid observation-based assessment. The OTCPDD, which uses bimanual daily living activities, is able to represent the children's general affected hand functions (including capacity, performance, and developmental disregard in their daily routines.

  18. The role of anxiety symptoms in school performance in a community sample of children and adolescents

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    D'Arrigo Valentina

    2007-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Anxiety symptoms are relatively common among children and adolescents and can interfere with functioning. The prevalence of anxiety and the relationship between anxiety and school performance were examined among elementary, middle, and high school students. Methods Samples of elementary (N = 131, age 8–10 years, middle (N = 267, age 11–13 years, and high school (N = 80, age 14–16 years children were recruited from four public schools in a predominantly middle-class community in Catania, Italy. Children completed the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC. T-scores were computed for the MASC total scores, and considered to be in the anxious range if 65 or above. Current academic grades were obtained from school records. Results Of the 478 children, 35 (7.3% had a MASC T-score in the anxious range. The rate of children in the anxious range was 2.3% in elementary, 7.9% in middle, and 15.9% in high school (χ2 = 7.8, df = 2, p 2 = 11.68, df = 2, p Conclusion In this community sample of children and adolescents attending elementary through high school, the prevalence of abnormally high self-reported levels of anxiety increased in frequency with age and was negatively associated with school performance.

  19. Flat vs. Expressive Storytelling: Young Children’s Learning and Retention of a Social Robot’s Narrative

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    Kory Westlund, Jacqueline M.; Jeong, Sooyeon; Park, Hae W.; Ronfard, Samuel; Adhikari, Aradhana; Harris, Paul L.; DeSteno, David; Breazeal, Cynthia L.

    2017-01-01

    Prior research with preschool children has established that dialogic or active book reading is an effective method for expanding young children’s vocabulary. In this exploratory study, we asked whether similar benefits are observed when a robot engages in dialogic reading with preschoolers. Given the established effectiveness of active reading, we also asked whether this effectiveness was critically dependent on the expressive characteristics of the robot. For approximately half the children, the robot’s active reading was expressive; the robot’s voice included a wide range of intonation and emotion (Expressive). For the remaining children, the robot read and conversed with a flat voice, which sounded similar to a classic text-to-speech engine and had little dynamic range (Flat). The robot’s movements were kept constant across conditions. We performed a verification study using Amazon Mechanical Turk (AMT) to confirm that the Expressive robot was viewed as significantly more expressive, more emotional, and less passive than the Flat robot. We invited 45 preschoolers with an average age of 5 years who were either English Language Learners (ELL), bilingual, or native English speakers to engage in the reading task with the robot. The robot narrated a story from a picture book, using active reading techniques and including a set of target vocabulary words in the narration. Children were post-tested on the vocabulary words and were also asked to retell the story to a puppet. A subset of 34 children performed a second story retelling 4–6 weeks later. Children reported liking and learning from the robot a similar amount in the Expressive and Flat conditions. However, as compared to children in the Flat condition, children in the Expressive condition were more concentrated and engaged as indexed by their facial expressions; they emulated the robot’s story more in their story retells; and they told longer stories during their delayed retelling. Furthermore

  20. Flat vs. Expressive Storytelling: Young Children’s Learning and Retention of a Social Robot’s Narrative

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    Jacqueline M. Kory Westlund

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Prior research with preschool children has established that dialogic or active book reading is an effective method for expanding young children’s vocabulary. In this exploratory study, we asked whether similar benefits are observed when a robot engages in dialogic reading with preschoolers. Given the established effectiveness of active reading, we also asked whether this effectiveness was critically dependent on the expressive characteristics of the robot. For approximately half the children, the robot’s active reading was expressive; the robot’s voice included a wide range of intonation and emotion (Expressive. For the remaining children, the robot read and conversed with a flat voice, which sounded similar to a classic text-to-speech engine and had little dynamic range (Flat. The robot’s movements were kept constant across conditions. We performed a verification study using Amazon Mechanical Turk (AMT to confirm that the Expressive robot was viewed as significantly more expressive, more emotional, and less passive than the Flat robot. We invited 45 preschoolers with an average age of 5 years who were either English Language Learners (ELL, bilingual, or native English speakers to engage in the reading task with the robot. The robot narrated a story from a picture book, using active reading techniques and including a set of target vocabulary words in the narration. Children were post-tested on the vocabulary words and were also asked to retell the story to a puppet. A subset of 34 children performed a second story retelling 4–6 weeks later. Children reported liking and learning from the robot a similar amount in the Expressive and Flat conditions. However, as compared to children in the Flat condition, children in the Expressive condition were more concentrated and engaged as indexed by their facial expressions; they emulated the robot’s story more in their story retells; and they told longer stories during their delayed retelling