ABSTRACT
Anoxic brain injury (ABI) often results in severe memory impairment and other cognitive and behavioral deficits, although limited information is available regarding pediatric cases. This study reported the neuropsychological outcomes in six children and adolescents who sustained ABI. Profiles were compared by mechanism of injury (ischemic vs. hypoxemic) and three cases were evaluated more than once. Severe intellectual, attention, memory, and behavioral impairments were observed in all six cases although academic achievement, internalizing behavioral problems, and visuospatial deficits were in general less severe than other cognitive and behavioral deficits. The longitudinal case studies varied but showed steady increases in memory and intellectual performance in the younger children with strongest improvement in nonverbal abilities and little change in parent-reported behavior. This study raises several possible hypotheses about specific cognitive and behavioral outcomes observed in pediatric ABI.
Subject(s)
Cognition Disorders/psychology , Hypoxia, Brain/psychology , Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain/psychology , Learning Disabilities/psychology , Memory Disorders/psychology , Adolescent , Attention , Child , Child, Preschool , Cognition Disorders/etiology , Female , Humans , Hypoxia, Brain/complications , Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain/complications , Learning Disabilities/etiology , Male , Memory , Memory Disorders/etiology , Neuropsychological Tests , Young AdultABSTRACT
This study identified the subtypes of psychosocial functioning in children who had sustained traumatic brain injury using the Behavior Assessment System for Children, Second Edition. Participants (N = 91) were aged 6-20. Using hierarchical agglomerative clustering techniques, a reliable typology emerged that consisted of two subtypes, which were labeled as Normal and Pervasive Emotional Difficulties. Using further exploratory analyses, other less statistically reliable subtypes were also observed, which were thought to have clinical significance. These were labeled as Mild Externalizing/Depression, Mild Externalizing/Attention Problems, Mild Depression, and Mild Anxiety. The majority of participants were assigned to the Normal subtype. Relationships between subtypes and other variables, including gender, time elapsed since injury, age at injury, and age at testing were also analyzed, with time elapsed since injury being the only variable to significantly differentiate the subtypes.
Subject(s)
Brain Injuries/complications , Child Behavior Disorders/diagnosis , Child Behavior Disorders/etiology , Adolescent , Age Factors , Anxiety/diagnosis , Anxiety/etiology , Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity/diagnosis , Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity/etiology , Child , Child Behavior Disorders/classification , Depression/diagnosis , Depression/etiology , Female , Humans , Male , Multivariate Analysis , Neuropsychological Tests , Psychiatric Status Rating Scales , Trauma Severity Indices , Young AdultABSTRACT
Alternating hemiplegia of childhood (AHC) is a rare chronic neurological disorder characterized by alternating transient attacks of hemiplegia. Evidence from recent studies suggests the disorder is characterized by tonic fits, dystonic posturing, and ocular motor abnormalities. Although widely observed, deficits in cognitive functioning are among one of the least described features of AHC. Most studies describe global deficits, however, no study has provided a comprehensive neuropsychological assessment of a child with AHC. This study presents neuropsychological findings from a comprehensive assessment of a single child with AHC. Results showed significant deficits in intellectual, academic, memory, attention, and executive functioning. Additional deficits in language, psychomotor abilities, and psychosocial functioning were noted. Preliminary longitudinal data are also offered to examine the progressive nature of this disorder. Cognitive strengths and weaknesses are discussed at length as well as recommendations for the classroom and future research.
Subject(s)
Hemiplegia/psychology , Child , Child Development , Female , Functional Laterality/physiology , Hand Strength/physiology , Hemiplegia/diagnosis , Hemiplegia/physiopathology , Humans , Intellectual Disability/complications , Intellectual Disability/psychology , Language Development , Memory/physiology , Mental Disorders/genetics , Mental Disorders/psychology , Neuropsychological Tests , Reading , Seizures/physiopathology , Social Behavior , Wechsler ScalesABSTRACT
Gender differences among children and adolescents were examined on 14 separate measures of short-term memory. A nationally stratified sample of 1,279 children and adolescents, 637 males and 642 females, ranging in age between 5 and 19 years, were assessed on the 14 subtests of the Test of Memory and Learning (TOMAL). Factor structure of the TOMAL was determined to be invariant as a function of gender. Using age-corrected deviation scaled scores calculated at 1-year intervals, results of a one-way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) revealed only two significant differences in absolute scores across gender on the 14 memory subtests. A profile of normal variations in patterns of memory test performance across gender revealing relative strengths for females on verbal tasks and males on spatial tasks is presented for clinical use and future normative comparisons.
