Rapid automatized naming as an index of genetic liability to autism

This study investigated rapid automatized naming (RAN) ability in high functioning individuals with autism and parents of individuals with autism. Findings revealed parallel patterns of performance in parents and individuals with autism, where both groups had longer naming times than controls. Significant parent-child correlations were also detected, along with associations with language and personality features of the broad autism phenotype (retrospective reports of early language delay, socially reticent personality). Together, findings point towards RAN as a potential marker of genetic liability to autism

Psychometric properties of the Ndetei–Othieno–Kathuku (NOK) Scale: A mental health assessment tool for an African setting

Background: Research suggests that psychiatric conditions in children and adolescents are highly debilitating, with sparse resources for assessment and treatment in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Objectives: The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability, validity, and latent factor structure of an ethnographically-grounded assessment instrument for detecting common mental health complaints among rural Kenyan children and adolescents. Methods: The Ndetei–Othieno–Kathuku Scale (NOK) was delivered to 2 282 children aged 10 to 18 years old. Exploratory factor analysis identified four latent factors. This structure was confirmed in subsequent confirmatory factor analyses. External validity was explored by investigating associations among NOK factors and Youth Self-Report DSM-oriented scales. Results: Findings suggest the NOK possesses good internal reliability and a four-factor latent structure corresponding to depression, anxiety, somatic complaints, and a mixed factor. Significant associations ranging from small to medium effect sizes were noted between NOK factors and YSR DSM-oriented scales. Conclusions: Exploratory findings suggest that the NOK possesses adequate psychometric properties among this population. This ethnographically-grounded instrument may be uniquely suited to screening for mental health complaints among Kenyan children and adolescents

Which executive functioning deficits are associated with AD/HD, ODD/CD and comorbid AD/HD+ODD/CD?

Item does not contain fulltextThis study investigated (1) whether attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) is associated with executive functioning (EF) deficits while controlling for oppositional defiant disorder/conduct disorder (ODD/CD), (2) whether ODD/CD is associated with EF deficits while controlling for AD/HD, and (3)~whether a combination of AD/HD and ODD/CD is associated with EF deficits (and the possibility that there is no association between EF deficits and AD/HD or ODD/CD in isolation). Subjects were 99~children ages 6–12 years. Three putative domains of EF were investigated using well-validated tests: verbal fluency, working memory, and planning. Independent of ODD/CD, AD/HD was associated with deficits in planning and working memory, but not in verbal fluency. Only teacher rated AD/HD, but not parent rated AD/HD, significantly contributed to the prediction of EF task performance. No EF deficits were associated with ODD/CD. The presence of comorbid AD/HD accounts for the EF deficits in children with comorbid AD/HD+ODD/CD. These results suggest that EF deficits are unique to AD/HD and support the model proposed by R. A. Barkley (1997).17 p

Assessing speech, language and communication difficulties in children referred for ADHD: a qualitative evaluation of a UK child and adolescent mental health service

Background: Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common childhood neuropsychiatric disorders and is highly comorbid with speech, language and communication difficulties (SLCDs). However, it is unclear how often SLCDs are identified in ADHD referrals in routine practice and whether there are unidentified SLCDs within this population. Method: A thematic analysis was conducted on a random sample of case notes from 18 referrals for ADHD made to a child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS) in London, United Kingdom. Analyses aimed to identify (a) the types of SLCDs detected during assessment, (b) at which point of the episode of care these SLCDs were suspected and (c) whether a referral or consultation was made to a speech and language therapist (SLT) for further evaluation. Results: Out of 18 cases investigated, 15 were found to have possible SLCDs based on case notes and reports provided by external agencies. However, only four were referred by CAMHS for further assessment. It is unclear what, if any, steps other external agencies took. Themes describing types of SLCDs, comorbidities and the process of identification are discussed. Conclusion: The analysis of this service’s case notes revealed a range of different routes to the identification of SLCDs, and it was unclear what steps were taken as a result of assessment. A limitation is that this is just one service and the results may not generalise. However, given the similarity in practitioner training received across the country and that practitioners move from service to service, there are grounds for repeating the study in other services. We recommend a more structured approach to identifying SLCDs and recording assessment and treatment decisions made

Contrasting deficits on executive functions between ADHD and reading disabled children

BACKGROUND. The object of this study was to analyze the executive functioning of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or reading disability (RD) independent of their non-executive deficits. METHODS: Three carefully diagnosed groups of children, aged between 7 and 12 years (35 ADHD, 22 RD and 30 typically developing children), were tested on a wide range of tasks related to five major domains of executive functioning (EF): inhibition, visual working memory, planning, cognitive flexibility, and verbal fluency. Additional tasks were selected for each domain to control for non-executive processing. RESULTS: ADHD children were impaired on interference control, but not on prepotent and ongoing response suppression. ADHD showed deficits on visual working memory, planning, cognitive flexibility and phonetic fluency. RD children were impaired on phonetic fluency. The only EF measure that differentiated ADHD from RD was planning. CONCLUSIONS: The present sample of ADHD children showed several EF deficits, whereas RD children were almost spared executive dysfunction, but exhibited deficits in phonetic fluency

Executive function and intelligence in the resolution of temporary syntactic ambiguity: An individual differences investigation

In the current study, we examined the role of intelligence and executive functions in the resolution of temporary syntactic ambiguity using an individual differences approach. Data were collected from 174 adolescents and adults who completed a battery of cognitive tests as well as a sentence comprehension task. The critical items for the comprehension task consisted of object/subject garden paths (e.g. While Anna dressed the baby that was small and cute played in the crib.), and participants answered a comprehension question (e.g. Did Anna dress the baby?) following each one. Previous studies have shown that garden-path misinterpretations tend to persist into final interpretations. Results showed that both intelligence and processing speed interacted with ambiguity. Individuals with higher intelligence and faster processing were more likely to answer the comprehension questions correctly, and specifically, following ambiguous as opposed to unambiguous sentences. Inhibition produced a marginal effect, but the variance in inhibition was largely shared with intelligence. Conclusions focus on the role of individual differences in cognitive ability and their impact on syntactic ambiguity resolution

New Jersey Center for Tourette Syndrome Sharing Repository: methods and sample description

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Tourette Syndrome is a neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by chronic motor and phonic tics. Affected individuals and their family members are at an increased risk for other neuropsychiatric conditions including obsessive-compulsive disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. While there is consistent evidence that genetic factors play a significant etiologic role, no replicable susceptibility alleles have thus far been identified.</p> <p>Description</p> <p>Here we discuss a sharing resource of clinical and genetic data, the New Jersey Center for Tourette Syndrome Sharing Repository, whose goal is to provide clinical data, DNA, and lymphoblastoid cell lines to qualified researchers.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Opening access to the data and patient material to the widest possible research community will hasten the identification of causal genetic factors and facilitate better understanding and treatment of this often impairing disorder.</p

History of Reading Struggles Linked to Enhanced Learning in Low Spatial Frequency Scenes

People with dyslexia, who face lifelong struggles with reading, exhibit numerous associated low-level sensory deficits including deficits in focal attention. Countering this, studies have shown that struggling readers outperform typical readers in some visual tasks that integrate distributed information across an expanse. Though such abilities would be expected to facilitate scene memory, prior investigations using the contextual cueing paradigm failed to find corresponding advantages in dyslexia. We suggest that these studies were confounded by task-dependent effects exaggerating known focal attention deficits in dyslexia, and that, if natural scenes were used as the context, advantages would emerge. Here, we investigate this hypothesis by comparing college students with histories of severe lifelong reading difficulties (SR) and typical readers (TR) in contexts that vary attention load. We find no differences in contextual-cueing when spatial contexts are letter-like objects, or when contexts are natural scenes. However, the SR group significantly outperforms the TR group when contexts are low-pass filtered natural scenes [F(3, 39) = 3.15, p<.05]. These findings suggest that perception or memory for low spatial frequency components in scenes is enhanced in dyslexia. These findings are important because they suggest strengths for spatial learning in a population otherwise impaired, carrying implications for the education and support of students who face challenges in school