ABSTRACT
Psychological and educational data were analyzed for all school-aged males with hemophilia at the Hemophilia Center of Central Pennsylvania (N = 66). Mean IQ (113.5) was higher than normal, and 2.4 times as many boys with hemophilia were enrolled in gifted programming than is the state average for boys. However, there was a disproportionately high prevalence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD; 28.3%), learning disability (LD; 15.8%), and graphomotor weakness. These were not significantly associated with HIV status or type and severity of coagulation disorder. School absenteeism was high but was not significantly related to academic achievement, IQ/achievement discrepancy, need for educational intervention, or diagnosis of ADHD or LD.
Subject(s)
Absenteeism , Achievement , Affect , Blood Coagulation Disorders/diagnosis , Cognition , HIV Seropositivity , Hemophilia A/psychology , Adolescent , Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity/diagnosis , Child , Child Behavior , Child, Preschool , Humans , Male , Psychological TestsABSTRACT
Accurately detecting victims of child sexual abuse when physical evidence is lacking is a problem frequently faced by clinicians. This study investigated whether Human Figure Drawings and the Louisville Behavior Checklist could be used to accurately identify sexually abused children, mental health clinic-referred children, and community children. Discriminant function analysis indicated that the groups differed significantly on the measures. There was some misclassification of individual children on the basis of their checklist and drawing scores. Results suggested limited support for the Louisville Behavior Checklist but caution in using Human Figure Drawings in the assessment of sexual abuse.
Subject(s)
Child Abuse, Sexual/diagnosis , Adult , Child , Child Abuse, Sexual/psychology , Child Behavior Disorders/diagnosis , Child Behavior Disorders/etiology , Child Welfare , Female , Humans , Male , Mental Health , Mental Health Services , Referral and ConsultationABSTRACT
This study investigated the hypothesis that children sustaining a mild closed head injury have a higher prevalence of premorbid behavioural problems than children in the general community. The prevalence of emotional and behavioural problems among children with a mild closed head injury was compared with the prevalence of problems in children with a severe closed head injury, children in the general community, and children referred to a psychiatric outpatient clinic. The results showed that the children with a mild head injury did not have significantly more premorbid emotional and behavioural problems than other children in the community. The children with a mild head injury also had significantly fewer emotional and behavioural problems than children referred to a psychiatric outpatient clinic. The results suggest that the common assumption that children with a mild closed head injury have a higher prevalence of premorbid emotional and behavioural problems than other children in the general community may not be correct.
Subject(s)
Affective Symptoms/psychology , Brain Damage, Chronic/psychology , Child Behavior Disorders/psychology , Head Injuries, Closed/psychology , Neurocognitive Disorders/psychology , Personality Development , Adolescent , Affective Symptoms/diagnosis , Brain Damage, Chronic/diagnosis , Child , Child Behavior Disorders/diagnosis , Child, Preschool , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Head Injuries, Closed/diagnosis , Hospitalization , Humans , Learning Disabilities/diagnosis , Learning Disabilities/psychology , Male , Neurocognitive Disorders/diagnosis , Neuropsychological TestsABSTRACT
Relationships among pre-injury ability, post-injury verbal intelligence, duration of coma and age were analysed in 34 closed-head injury patients, 7-28 years of age, whose coma lengths ranged from 5 to 180 days. The results obtained suggest that moderate to severe closed-head injury uniformly impairs verbal intellectual functioning without regard to premorbid status. Premorbid ability test scores had a markedly low correlation (0.04) with Wechsler Verbal IQs, obtained after patients had plateaued in intellectual recovery. Even when the effects of coma and age were controlled, the correlation was not significant. Mean post-injury IQs for patients grouped according to pre-injury intelligence (above average, average, below average) were all in the 80s. The findings do not support the prevailing assumption that the greater the premorbid ability, the greater the potential for intellectual recovery and the better the outcome. This study instead suggests that the higher the pre-injury IQ, the greater the IQ point loss. This has important implications for rehabilitation, counselling, discharge planning and follow-up. The greater the disparity between pre- and post-injury IQs, the more profound the loss and, hence, the greater the need for patient and family adjustments, coping and modifications of future personal, educational and vocational plans.
Subject(s)
Coma/physiopathology , Craniocerebral Trauma/physiopathology , Intelligence , Adolescent , Adult , Age Factors , Child , Craniocerebral Trauma/psychology , Humans , Statistics as Topic , Time FactorsABSTRACT
Nonacceptance of prescribed oral medications among young children hinders medical treatment. The literature pertaining to teaching children how to swallow pills or capsules is reviewed. In addition, a multiple case study demonstrating the efficacy of a brief, easy-to-implement procedure designed to promote capsule acceptance is presented. In this study, two four-year-old children diagnosed to have chronic illnesses participated. In Case 1, use of verbal instruction, modeling, shaping, and contingent reinforcement resulted in the rapid acquisition of capsule swallowing skills. In Case 2, these training procedures, in combination with physical guidance contingent upon noncompliance, successfully produced repeated acceptance of medication by a child who had refused to swallow capsules. In both cases, compliance has been maintained for at least six months.
