Examination of eye movements of dyslexic children

In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurden die Blickbewegungen von 16 legasthenen Kinder und einer altersentsprechenden Kontrollgruppe beim lauten Lesen von Wörtern mit unterschiedlicher Länge und Häufigkeit untersucht. Bei der Untersuchung wurde ein Scanning-Laser-Ophthalmoskop eingesetzt, welches die exakte Registrierung der Augenbewegungen bei gleichzeitiger Minimierung störender Artefakte ermöglicht. Anliegen der Studie war es zu untersuchen, ob sich kognitive Verarbeitungsschwierigkeiten bei der Worterkennung in zentralen Parametern der Augenbewegungen der legasthenen Kinder abbilden . Die Ergebnisse belegen einen hoch signifikanten Worthäufigkeitseffekt für den prozentualen Anteil an Regressionen, die Anzahl der Fixationen und die Fixationsdauer. Darüber hinaus ergaben sich wichtige Hinweise dafür, daß die Regularität der Graphem-Phonem-Zuordnung zu Unterschieden in Blickbewegungsparametern und der Ausprägung des Wortlängen- und Worthäufigkeitseffekts zwischen der Deutschen und der Englischen Schriftsprache führt. Insgesamt sprechen die Ergebnisse gegen die Hypothese, daß die Auffälligkeiten der Augenbewegungen, und somit die Leseschwierigkeiten, der legasthenen Kinder die Folge eines okulomotorischen Defizits darstellen.The study examined the pattern of eye movements of 16 dyslexic and 16 age-matched, nondyslexic, German-speaking children during reading loudly words of different length and frequency. Eye movements were registered using a Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscope (SLO), which allows a high accurate recording and minimizes interfering artifacts. Central point of interest was to investigate, whether difficulties in the cognitive processes of word recognition are reflected in the eye movement pattern of dyslexic children. The results show a highly significant word-frequency effect for central parameters of the analysis, like the percentage of regressions, the number of fixations and the fixation duration. Furthermore, the results indicate that the regularity of the graphem-phonem-correspondence leads to differences in eye movement parameters, and the outcome of the word-frequency and word-length effect between the German and English written language. Overall, the results do not support the hypothesis that the differences between the eye movement patterns of dyslexic and normal reading children are caused by an oculomotor deficit

E-Mental-Health aftercare for children and adolescents after partial or full inpatient psychiatric hospitalization: study protocol of the randomized controlled DigiPuR trial

BACKGROUND: During reintegration to daily school life following psychiatric hospitalization, children and adolescents are confronted with various challenges and are at risk for rehospitalization. Tailored post-discharge services could support a successful readjustment and accompany the high-risk transition period after discharge. The study DigiPuR (“Digital gestützte Psychotherapie und Reintegration,” digitally supported psychotherapy and reintegration) aims to establish and to evaluate an innovative digital aftercare program to alleviate challenges during reintegration and improve cross-sectoral care. METHODS: DigiPuR is a randomized controlled trial comparing a digital aftercare service with regular aftercare (TAU) (planned N = 150, 25 children/adolescents, 25 parents, and 25 teachers in each group). In the intervention group, direct communication via secure and regular video calls until 8 weeks after discharge and a secure messenger system between the hospital, family, and school, as well as, if needed, external support systems, are established. A longitudinal pre-post-follow-up assessment at admission, discharge, and 8, 24, and 36 weeks after discharge takes place supplemented by a daily smartphone-based ambulatory assessment from a triadic perspective of patients, parents, and teachers. Primary outcomes include whether participants in the intervention group have fewer readmissions and higher treatment satisfaction and health-related quality of life as well as lower symptom severity than participants in the control group. DISCUSSION: The present study is essential to address the cross-sectoral challenges associated with reintegration into daily (school) life following child and adolescent psychiatric hospitalization and to determine possible needed adaptations in partial or full inpatient settings. If applicability and efficacy of the aftercare service can be demonstrated, integration into regular care will be sought. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.govNCT04986228. Registered on August 2, 2021 SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13063-022-06508-1

Disentangling symptoms of externalizing disorders in children using multiple measures and informants

The trait impulsivity theory suggests that a single, highly heritable externalizing liability factor, expressed as temperamental trait impulsivity, represents the core vulnerability for externalizing disorders. The present study sought to test the application of latent factor models derived from this theory to a clinical sample of children. Participants were 474 German children (age 6-12 years, 81% male) with symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and externalizing behavior problems participating in an ongoing multicenter intervention study. Using confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) and exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM), we evaluated several factor models of externalizing spectrum disorders (unidimensional; first-order correlated factors; higher-order factor; fully symmetrical bifactor; bifactor S-1 model). Furthermore, we assessed our prevailing factor models for measurement invariance across raters (clinicians, parents, teachers) and assessment modes (interview, questionnaires). While both CFA and ESEM approaches provided valuable insights into the multidimensionality, ESEM solutions were generally superior since they showed a substantially better model fit and less biased factor loadings. Among the models tested, the bifactor S-1 CFA/ESEM models, with a general hyperactivity-impulsivity reference factor, displayed a statistically sound factor structure and allowed for straightforward interpretability. Furthermore, these models showed the same organization of factors and loading patterns, but not equivalent item thresholds across raters and assessment modes, highlighting cross-situational variability in child behavior. Our findings are consistent with the assumption of the trait impulsivity theory that a common trait, presented as hyperactivity-impulsivity symptoms, underlies all externalizing disorders. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)