Understanding nonliteral language abilities in children with neurofibromatosis type 1.

OBJECTIVE: Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1) is a genetic syndrome that affects cognitive, behavioral, and social development. Nonliteral language (NLL) comprehension has not been examined in children with NF1. This study examined NLL comprehension in children with NF1 and associated neuropsychological correlates. METHOD: NLL comprehension was examined in children with NF1 (n = 49) and typically developing (TD) controls (n = 27) aged 4-12 years using a novel NLL task. The task assessed comprehension of sarcasm, metaphor, simile, and literal language. Cognitive (Wechsler Scales Composites or the Woodcock-Johnson Test of Cognitive Abilities Revised scaled scores) and behavioral (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder [ADHD] symptoms) correlates of NLL comprehension in children with NF1 were also examined. RESULTS: Children with NF1 demonstrated significantly poorer sarcasm comprehension than TD children and a vulnerability in metaphor comprehension. Simile and literal language comprehension were not significantly different between groups. Working memory difficulties and impulsive/hyperactive ADHD symptoms were associated with a reduced ability to identify sarcasm in NF1, while verbal comprehension, fluid reasoning, and inattentive ADHD symptoms were not. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest children with NF1 experience challenges in understanding complex NLL comprehension, which are related to reduced working memory and increased impulsivity/hyperactivity. This study provides an initial insight into the figurative language abilities of children with NF1, which should be examined in relation to their social difficulties in future studies. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Engaging children and adolescents with acquired brain injury and their families in goal setting: The family perspective.

This study explored the experiences of goal setting in paediatric rehabilitation from the perspectives of children and adolescents with acquired brain injury (ABI) and their parents in paediatric rehabilitation. Using a qualitative research design, 15 semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 parents and 8 young people with ABI aged between 9 and 18 years who were engaged in outpatient rehabilitation. Interview transcripts were analysed using constructivist grounded theory methods. Two main themes and several sub-themes emerged: Experiences of goal setting: The role of professionals; The role of the young person; and The role of the parents. Working as a team: Understanding each other and building trust; Communicating, sharing knowledge and different perspectives; and Being flexible. These themes reflect parent's and young people's experience of goal setting during paediatric rehabilitation for ABI and suggest clinicians play an important role in educating young people and their families about goal setting in the outpatient rehabilitation context. Young people and their parents also perceive the focus of outpatient rehabilitation as working collaboratively with clinicians to gain knowledge to manage the consequences of ABI. Our findings emphasize the importance of the therapeutic consumer-clinician relationship and the need to actively engage young people in goal setting.

The Spatial Learning Task of Lhermitte and Signoret (1972): Normative Data in Adults Aged 18-45.

Objective: The Spatial Learning Task of Lhermitte and Signoret is an object-location arbitrary associative learning task. The task was originally developed to evaluate adults with severe amnesia. It is currently used in populations where the memory system either is not yet fully developed or where it has been compromised (e.g. epilepsy, traumatic brain injury, electroconvulsive therapy, cerebrovascular disease and dementia). Normative data have been published for paediatric cohorts and for older adults, however no data exist for the intervening adult years. Method: Here, we address this gap, collecting normative data from 101 adults aged 18-45. Results: Our data indicate that performance on the Spatial Learning Task is not influenced by age, gender, level of education or overall IQ. Less than 10% of the variance in learning scores is associated with variability in verbal memory. Ninety percent of participants achieved perfect scores on two successive trials (T2Cr) within five or fewer trials on the Spatial Learning Task. A T2Cr score of 6 is suggestive of impairment and a T2Cr score of 7 or more is statistically abnormal. Conclusion: These data expand the clinical utility of the Spatial Learning Task in the adult population. Future work should examine performance in lower IQ cohorts, including intellectual disability, and explore sensitivity to disease factors such as laterality of mesial temporal lobe damage.

Engaging children and adolescents with acquired brain injury and their families in goal setting: The clinician perspective.

This paper explored clinicians' experiences of the goal setting process with children and adolescents with acquired brain injuries (ABI) and their families in paediatric neurorehabilitation. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 clinicians, all members of an interdisciplinary paediatric rehabilitation service, who work with children and adolescents with ABI and their families. Interview transcripts and additional data were analysed using constructivist grounded theory methods. Three main themes and sub-themes were developed: (1) Seeing the bigger picture: Goals change over time; Families set bigger picture goals; Need-to-dos: Goals that the child/adolescent needs to achieve; and Want-to-dos: Goals that the child/adolescent wants to achieve; (2) Collaborating as a team: Everyone needs to be on the same page; Hearing the child's/adolescent's voice; and Parents as advocates; and (3) Recognizing and navigating challenges: Child-/adolescent- and family-related challenges and Time as a service-related challenge. Participants perceived the clinician's role during goal setting as that of an active collaborator, enabling children and adolescents with ABI and their families to generate meaningful goals. These findings demonstrate insights into goal setting in paediatric ABI neurorehabilitation from clinicians' perspectives, and highlight the importance of collaboration, flexibility and anticipation of challenges in facilitating children's, adolescents' and families' involvement in this process.

Teleneuropsychology in the time of COVID-19: The experience of The Australian Epilepsy Project.

PURPOSE: Traditional neuropsychological testing carries elevated COVID-19 risk for both examinee and examiner. Here we describe how the pilot study of the Australian Epilepsy Project (AEP) has transitioned to tele-neuropsychology (teleNP), enabling continued safe operations during the pandemic. METHODS: The AEP includes adults (age 18-60) with a first unprovoked seizure, new diagnosis of epilepsy or drug resistant focal epilepsy. Shortly after launching the study, COVID-related restrictions necessitated adaptation to teleNP, including delivery of verbal tasks via videoconference; visual stimulus delivery via document camera; use of web-hosted, computerised assessment; substitution of oral versions for written tests; online delivery of questionnaires; and discontinuation of telehealth incompatible tasks. RESULTS: To date, we have completed 24 teleNP assessments: 18 remotely (participant in own home) and six on-site (participant using equipment at research facility). Five face-to-face assessments were conducted prior to the transition to teleNP. Eight of 408 tests administered via teleNP (1.9 %) have been invalidated, for a variety of reasons (technical, procedural, environmental). Data confirm typical patterns of epilepsy-related deficits (p < .05) affecting processing speed, executive function, language and memory. Questionnaire responses indicate elevated rates of patients at high risk of mood (34 %) and anxiety disorder (38 %). CONCLUSION: Research teleNP assessments reveal a typical pattern of impairments in epilepsy. A range of issues must be considered when introducing teleNP, such as technical and administrative set up, test selection and delivery, and cohort suitability. TeleNP enables large-scale neuropsychological research during periods of social distancing (and beyond), and offers an opportunity to expand the reach and breadth of neuropsychological services.

Scattered skeletons & curated corpses: Cases of Tricky Taphonomy.

Apresentação que expõem detalhadamente a análise de tumbas e, em nível paleopatológico, dos significados das desarticulações entre ossadas e entre os ossos de uma mesma ossada, encontrados na costa norte do Peru. Expõe as suas conclusões buscando sedimentar o valor simbólico que certas evidências físicas trazem e revelam acerca do ônus social que os mortos tinham tanto antes quanto após sua morte.