ABSTRACT
Introduction: Maternal nicotine use during pregnancy has a negative impact on the child. Numerous studies have demonstrated an association between smoking during pregnancy and psychological deficits. This study looks at deficits in executive functioning in preschool-aged children. Methods: The executive functioning of preschool children was assessed by asking parents to complete the parental form of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functions - Preschool Version (BRIEF-P, German version). The results for preschool children whose mothers had smoked during pregnancy (n = 71) were compared with those of a control group. In a subsample, parental assessments of children of smokers (n = 42) and non-smokers (n = 27) were complemented by the teacher form of the BRIEF-P (German version), which allowed inter-rater agreement (parents vs. preschool teachers) to be assessed. Results: An increased incidence of executive function deficits was noted in the children of smokers, based on parental assessment. Clinically relevant deficits were particularly evident with regard to inhibition, with inhibitory deficits in children of smokers found to be almost four times higher than in the control group (p = 0.006). Inhibitory deficits were reported both by parents and by preschool teachers. Discussion: The increased percentage of executive function deficits described here, particularly the increased inhibitory deficits, confirms the current state of research on smoking during pregnancy. Poor inhibition or impulse control is a key symptom of ADHD.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: This study examines the relationships of intelligence and memory scores derived from WAIS-IV and WMS-IV. We were especially interested in the reciprocal predictive values of the test scales. METHODS: A sample of 137 healthy adults with an age range between 16 and 69 years was assessed with the WAIS-IV and the WMS-IV. The test order was balanced. Pearson correlations were conducted on the subtest and scale level. A series of 14 linear regression models was tested with memory performance as predictor for intelligence and vice versa. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: A model including the 3 main memory scales of the WMS-IV was able to predict the global IQ best. It nevertheless explained only 46% of the variance. The memory and intelligence measures show significant relationships, but also represent distinct functions. WAIS-IV and WMS-IV complement one another.
Subject(s)
Intelligence/physiology , Memory/physiology , Wechsler Scales , Adolescent , Adult , Female , Germany , Humans , Male , Reproducibility of Results , Sensitivity and Specificity , Young AdultABSTRACT
AIM OF THE STUDY: The responsibilities of public health authorities include early detection of risks for healthy development at school. Reading /writing disorder and math disorder are among the most common developmental disorders in childhood. METHOD: The present study conveys information about the prevalence of specific developmental disorders of scholastic skills (N=372) and assesses the prognostic validity of the social-paediatric screening of developmental status for school entry (SOPESS), the relevant criteria being DERET 1-2+, DEMAT 1+, and ELFE 1-6. RESULTS: The prevalence of specific developmental disorders of scholastic skills ranges from 1.1% for dyscalculia to 3.0% for dyslexia. Adequate correlations of r= -0.42(DERET 1-2+; DEMAT 1+) and r= -0.43 (ELFE 1-6) as well as substantial negative predictive values (0.80-0.93) suggest an acceptable screening performance. CONCLUSION: Children without clinical findings in SOPESS do not display any learning disabilities at onset of the 2nd grade while children marked at risk by SOPESS seem to benefit from concurrent intervention (e.g., language promotion programmes): such disabilities emerge in only half of these children.
Subject(s)
Aptitude Tests/statistics & numerical data , Dyscalculia/diagnosis , Dyslexia/diagnosis , Learning Disabilities/diagnosis , Mass Screening/statistics & numerical data , School Health Services , Child , Child, Preschool , Cross-Sectional Studies , Dyscalculia/epidemiology , Dyslexia/epidemiology , Early Diagnosis , Early Intervention, Educational , Female , Germany , Humans , Learning Disabilities/epidemiology , Longitudinal Studies , Male , Psychometrics/statistics & numerical data , Reproducibility of ResultsABSTRACT
The newly developed social paediatric screening of developmental status for school entry (SOPESS) comprises assessments in visuomotor coordination, selective attention, precursors of number and set comprehension as well as visual cognition and reasoning. In various validation studies, these domains are correlated to coextensive scales of well-established psychometric instruments. In addition, a preliminary evaluation of screener performance in terms of sensitivity, specificity and predictive capability is given. The SOPESS features high specificity and results in reliable true negative findings. In the intended field of application, a mild proneness to false positive findings is tolerable, and may also be attributed to a limited reliability of the criteria instuments in the lower ranges of performance.
Subject(s)
Developmental Disabilities/diagnosis , Learning Disabilities/diagnosis , Learning Disabilities/epidemiology , Mass Screening/standards , Pediatrics/standards , Practice Guidelines as Topic , School Admission Criteria , Child , Germany/epidemiology , HumansABSTRACT
In addition to general cognitive and motor skills, the social-pediatric screening of developmental status for school entry (SOPESS) provides subtests for assessing speech and language in a differentiated way. In a special validation study, these domains are correlated to coextensive scales of SETK 3-5. The SOPESS features high specificity and results in reliable true negative findings. In addition, a preliminary evaluation of language skills considering migrant background is given. Children with an unsatisfactory status of language competence are treated separately in the SOPESS.
Subject(s)
Language Development Disorders/diagnosis , Language Development Disorders/epidemiology , Learning Disabilities/diagnosis , Learning Disabilities/epidemiology , Mass Screening/standards , Pediatrics/standards , Practice Guidelines as Topic , School Admission Criteria , Child , Germany/epidemiology , HumansABSTRACT
The authors constructed a questionnaire to evaluate a ten-day-training curriculum for educators concerning the topic of sexual abuse of children. This questionnaire measures learning outcomes as well as behavioral change at work. It consists of three parts: a knowledge test, an attitude questionnaire and a self-report questionnaire. The contents correspond to the training goals. As part of the evaluation study the questionnaire was completed by a sample of 129 educators. The inspection of item-difficulty and reliability yielded positive results-further amelioration can be achieved by minor changes. First analyses confirm the hypothesis that the self-report questionnaire is also a valid instrument for training evaluation. The questionnaire was highly accepted by the trainees, and the costs of evaluation were relatively low. Thus the questionnaire can be recommended as an evaluation instrument for trainings with similar goals and trainees.
