Challenges, practices, and impact of COVID-19 among mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder in cities and remote areas in Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: Mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) across Saudi Arabia have experienced tremendous challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the challenges may be different for mothers living in a city compared to those living more remotely. AIMS: We investigated challenges and practices related to COVID-19 and their impact among Saudi mothers of children with ASD in cities and remote areas during the pandemic. METHODS: A sample of 99 mothers (60 in cities and 39 remote) who had a child with ASD was surveyed using an electronic questionnaire. RESULTS: Mothers who lived in remote areas reported more challenges, while mothers in cities reported adopting more new practices with children than remote mothers. Regression analyses revealed that place of residence and age of the child were significant predictors of the challenges experienced by mothers of children with ASD. RECOMMENDATIONS: Intervention services, community-based education programs, and electronic media are recommended for use with mothers in Saudi Arabia to increase awareness of COVID-19, improve practices, and minimize challenges in protecting their children with ASD.

Diagnostic survey of dyslexia and accompanying behavioral indicators in primary school students in Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: Although dyslexia is the most common learning disorder in children, it has not received adequate attention in Saudi Arabia. AIMS: This study aimed at determining the prevalence of dyslexia among Saudi students in Grades 3-6, exploring associations between severity of dyslexia, its behavioral indicators, gender and grade, and the moderating role of grade in the relationship between severity and behavioral indicators. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: The sample consisted of 2848 female students and 2647 male students in Zulfi governorate, Saudi Arabia. A survey-based mixed-methods design was chosen including a structured interview with teachers and three assessments using the Diagnostic Assessment Scale for Dyslexia, the Arabic Reading Test, and the Dyslexia Behavioral Indicators Scale. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: Dyslexia was assessed in 5.86 % of the total sample. It was twice as prevalent among male students as among female students (6.54 % and 3.83 %, respectively). The mean score for behavioral indicators of dyslexia was also significantly higher for male than for female students. The correlation between dyslexia severity and behavioral indicators score was high and significant, with grade level as a significant moderator. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: We found that, for children with dyslexia in Saudi Arabia, dyslexia was twice as prevalent among male students as among female students. Early dyslexia diagnosis and intervention services are suggested to reduce the risk for reading problems.

Working memory subsystems are impaired in chronic drug dependents.

BACKGROUND: A large body of research that has investigated substance dependence and working memory (WM) resources, yet no prior study has used a comprehensive test battery to examine the impact of chronic drug dependence on WM as a multi-component system. OBJECTIVES: This study examined the efficiency of several WM components in participants who were chronic drug dependents. In addition, the functioning of the four WM components was compared among dependents of various types of drugs. METHOD: In total, 128 chronic drug dependents participated in this study. Their average age was 38.48 years, and they were classified into four drug-dependence groups. Chronic drug dependents were compared with a 36-participant control group that had a mean age of 37.6 years. A WM test battery that comprised eight tests and that assessed each of four WM components was administered to each participant. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, all four groups of drug dependents had significantly poorer test performance on all of the WM tasks. Among the four groups of drug users, the polydrug group had the poorest performance scores on each of the eight tasks, and the performance scores of the marijuana group were the least affected. Finally, the forward digit span task and the logical memory tasks were less sensitive than other tasks when differentiating between marijuana users and the normal participants. CONCLUSION: The four components of WM are impaired among chronic drug dependents. These results have implications for the development of tools, classification methods and therapeutic strategies for drug dependents.