Õpetamistegevused ja õpilaste tekstimõistmine üleminekul esimesest kooliastmest teise astmesse

Tekstimõistmine on seotud verbaalse võimekusega, info kodeerimise ja integreerimisega ning sõnatähenduse tundmisega. Õpetajad kasutavad erinevaid õpetamistegevusi, et toetada õpilaste keelelist, sh tekstimõistmise arengut. Uurimuse eesmärk oli välja selgitada õpetajate õpetamistegevuste (mehaanilise õpetamise, arusaamise arendamise, teadmiste rakendamise) mõju õpilaste tekstimõistmisele üleminekul esimesest kooliastmest teise astmesse. Töös hinnati klassiõpetajate (N = 48) õpetamistegevusi ja nende muutust 3. ja 4. klassis ning õpetamistegevuste seoseid õpilaste (N = 609) tekstimõistmise ja verbaalse võimekuse muutusega 4. ja 5. klassis. Analüüsimisel kasutati nii rühma- kui ka indiviidikeskseid meetodeid. Õpetamistegevuste eelistuste alusel eristusid õpetajate profiilirühmad ning tekstimõistmise komponentide ja verbaalse võimekuse alusel õpilaste rühmad. Selgus, et tekstimõistmise testi tulemused olid stabiilselt halvemad õpilastel, kes olid verbaalselt vähem võimekad ja kelle õpetajad eelistasid kõiki õpetamistegevusi vähe. Samas esines sarnaseid õpetamistegevuste kombinatsioone erinevates õpilaste profiilirühmades. Arendamaks õpilaste tekstimõistmisoskust, on oluline, et õpetajad arvestaksid õpilaste verbaalse võimekusega ja kasutaksid õpetamistegevusi kooskõlas laste keelelise arenguga.  Summar

Pikilõikeline sissevaade eesti keele taseme- ja eksamitööde tekstimõistmisülesannetesse

Tekstimõistmise saab jaotada sõnasõnaliseks, järeldavaks ja hindavaks tasandiks, mis on üksteisega hierarhiliselt seotud. Info töötlemiseks kõrgeimal tasandil peab lugeja mõistma teksti ka teistel tasanditel. Uurimuse eesmärk on välja selgitada, kuivõrd sarnane on tekstimõistmisülesannete tasandilise jaotuse struktuur eri aastate eesti keele riiklikes taseme- ja eksamitöödes, ning teada saada, kuivõrd muutub tekstimõistmise eri tasandite ülesannete osakaal vanemates klassides. Selleks analüüsiti 2013.–2016. aasta 3. ja 6. klassi eesti keele tasemetööde ning 9. klassi eksamitööde tekstimõistmisülesandeid pikilõikeliselt (3. klassist 78 ülesannet, 6. klassist 67 ülesannet ja 9. klassist 87 ülesannet). Selgus, et sama klassi tööde tekstimõistmisülesannete tasandilise jaotuse struktuur oli aastati erinev ning eri aastatel keskenduti erinevate oskuste hindamisele. Samuti ilmnes, et kõikide aastate 3. klassi tasemetööd sisaldasid hindava tasandi ülesandeid, kuid need ülesanded puudusid 6. klassi tasemetöödest kahel aastal ja 9. klassi eksamitööst ühel aastal. Seevastu madalaima ehk sõnasõnalise tasandi ülesandeid oli kõige vähem kõikide aastate 3. klassi tasemetöödes. Kuna vanuse suurenedes paraneb õpilaste tekstimõistmine järeldaval ja hindaval tasandil, peaksid vanemate klasside taseme- ja eksamitööd sisaldama rohkem ülesandeid, mis arvestavad muutusega õpilaste tekstimõistmise arengus.  Summar

Frontaalepilepsia käitumuslik fenotüüp lastel

Frontaalepilepsiat on fokaalsetest epilepsiatest ~20–30%, järgnedes esinemissageduselt temporaalepi-lepsiale. Mitmed uuringud on näidanud seost frontaalsagara kahjustuse ja käitumishäirete vahel, kuid frontaalepilepsiaga laste psühhopatoloogia kohta on kirjanduses andmeid vähe

Kõnekeskuse lateralisatsioon ja kaugtulemused erineva vaskulaarse alatüübiga perinataalse insuldiga lastel

Eesti Arst 2022; 101(12):71

Kognitiivse seisundi hindamine neuropsühholoogias

Kognitiivse seisundi hindamine pakub olulist lisainfot paljude neuroloogiliste ja psühhiaatriliste häiretega patsientide seisundi käsitlemisel. Hindamisel kasutatakse erinevaid teste ja katseid, analüüsides nii kvantitatiivseid tulemusi kui ka kvalitatiivset sooritust testide lahendamisel. See aitab täpsustada patsiendi vaimsete võimete taset, kognitiivsete kaebuste olemust ja neid tingivaid põhjusi ning seeläbi hõlbustab ravi planeerimist. Neuropsühholoogilised uuringud on olulised patsiendi funktsionaalse toimetuleku kindlaksmääramisel.Eesti Arst 2014; 93(5):276–28

Developmental motor problems and health-related quality of life in 5-year-old children born extremely preterm:A European cohort study

Aim: To measure the association between cerebral palsy (CP) and non-CP-related movement difficulties and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among 5-year-old children born extremely preterm (&lt;28 weeks gestational age). Method: We included 5-year-old children from a multi-country, population-based cohort of children born extremely preterm in 2011 to 2012 in 11 European countries (n = 1021). Children without CP were classified using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children, Second Edition as having significant movement difficulties (≤5th centile of standardized norms) or being at risk of movement difficulties (6th–15th centile). Parents reported on a clinical CP diagnosis and HRQoL using the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory. Associations were assessed using linear and quantile regressions. Results: Compared to children without movement difficulties, children at risk of movement difficulties, with significant movement difficulties, and CP had lower adjusted HRQoL total scores (β [95% confidence interval] = −5.0 [−7.7 to −2.3], −9.1 [−12.0 to −6.1], and − 26.1 [−31.0 to −21.2]). Quantile regression analyses showed similar decreases in HRQoL for all children with CP, whereas for children with non-CP-related movement difficulties, reductions in HRQoL were more pronounced at lower centiles. Interpretation: CP and non-CP-related movement difficulties were associated with lower HRQoL, even for children with less severe difficulties. Heterogeneous associations for non-CP-related movement difficulties raise questions for research about mitigating and protective factors.</p

Mõistete äraarvamise test verbaalsete võimete hindamiseks. Testi kasutamine erinevates kontekstides ja gruppides

Väitekirja elektrooniline versioon ei sisalda publikatsioone.Doktoriväitekiri põhineb kolmel artiklil ja sissejuhataval osal. Töö eesmärgiks oli välja töötada mõõtevahend – mõistete äraarvamise test algklasside laste verbaalsete võimete hindamiseks, mida võivad probleemsete ja riskirühma laste väljaselgitamiseks kasutada nii koolipsühholoogid, eripedagoogid kui ka õpetajad. Doktoriväitekirjas antakse ülevaade mõistete äraarvamise testi väljatöötamise protsessist, testi lühema ja pikema versiooni psühhomeetrilistest omadustest (reliaabluse ja valiidsuse näitajad) erinevates testisituatsioonides (grupp ja individuaalne) ja gruppides (õpiraskuste diagnoosiga ja diagnoosita lapsed). Testitulemuste ajas püsivuse ja individuaalsete erinevuste hindamiseks kasutatakse andmeanalüüsi meetodeid nii grupi kui indiviidi tasemel. Doktoritööst selgub, et mõistete äraarvamise testi tulemusi võib mõjutada hindamise kontekst. Laste tulemused olid klassiruumis läbiviidud testimisel paremad võrreldes individuaalselt läbiviidud testimisega. Doktoritöös leiti ka, et õpiraskustega lastel oli mõistete äraarvamine teiste verbaalsete testide tulemustega nõrgemalt seotud kui lastel, kellel õpiprobleeme polnud. Erinevad uuringud toetavad mõistete äraarvamise testi kasutamist ka õpitulemuste ennustajana matemaatikas ja emakeeles. Samas näidatakse töös ka seda, et nii testide tulemused, akadeemiline edukus kui ka võimete ja akadeemiliste tulemuste omavahelised seosed pole alati stabiilsed ja võivad erinevates akadeemilise edukuse gruppides varieeruda ning ajas erinevalt muutuda. Uuringust selgus, et grupi tasemel läbiviidud analüüside tulemused pole alati üldistatavad indiviididele erinevate gruppide sees. Sõnade äraarvamise testi tulemuste interpreteerimiseks ja üldistuste tegemiseks on soovitav kasutada erinevaid andmeanalüüsi meetodeid. Nii võimeid kui ka akadeemilist edukust tuleks hinnata dünaamikas.The doctoral dissertation is based on three original publications and an introduction. The aim of the doctoral dissertation was to develop a test of verbal ability – Word Guessing Test (WGT) – which might be used by the educational professionals, e.g., school psychologists, special teachers, speech therapists and also by clinical psychologists both for screening and intervention purposes in order to identify problematic and academically at-risk children. The doctoral dissertation gives an overview of the process of the development of the test, examines the psychometric properties (reliability and validity) of the short and long versions of the test in different testing contexts (collective and individual) and groups (with and without diagnosed learning disabilities). Individual differences and stability of the test performance over time were assessed using group and person-oriented data analysis methods. The findings showed that WGT performance might be influenced by the testing context. During collective testing in the classroom children got higher scores than in the case of individual testing. The findings also revealed that in the group of children with learning disabilities the associations between various verbal tests were somewhat different compared with children without learning problems. In addition, the results of the studies demonstrated the usefulness of the WGT in predicting achievement in math and Estonian language. As shown in the study, children’s cognitive abilities and academic attainment, as well as relations between the abilities and academic outcomes are not always stable and may change and develop differently in time. The WGT scores varied in different groups of academic performance and changed in a different range. Group-level findings cannot be applied to individuals within the groups. The use of different methods of data analysis for developing interpretations and wider generalizations can be suggested. Assessment of abilities or academic attainment should rather focus on the dynamics of the assessment results

Probing the Perceptual and Cognitive Underpinnings of Braille Reading. An Estonian Population Study

Similar to many sighted children who struggle with learning to read, a proportion of blind children have specific difficulties related to reading braille which cannot be easily explained. A lot of research has been conducted to investigate the perceptual and cognitive processes behind (impairments in) print reading. Very few studies, however, have aimed for a deeper insight into the relevant perceptual and cognitive processes involved in braille reading. In the present study we investigate the relations between reading achievement and auditory, speech, phonological and tactile processing in a population of Estonian braille reading children and youngsters and matched sighted print readers. Findings revealed that the sequential nature of braille imposes constant decoding and effective recruitment of phonological skills throughout the reading process. Sighted print readers, on the other hand, seem to switch between the use of phonological and lexical processing modes depending on the familiarity, length and structure of the word.status: publishe

Table_1_The thalamus and basal ganglia are smaller in children with epilepsy after perinatal stroke.pdf

BackgroundEpilepsy is one of the most serious consequences of perinatal stroke. Epilepsy itself has been proposed as a risk factor for impaired cognitive, language, and behavioral functioning. It is still unclear which children develop epilepsy after perinatal stroke. The current study aimed to evaluate the volume of the thalamus and the basal ganglia in children after perinatal stroke in relation to poststroke epilepsy.MethodsThe follow-up study included 29 children with perinatal arterial ischemic stroke (AIS), 33 children with presumed periventricular venous infarction (PVI), and 46 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Magnetic resonance imaging was performed in children between the ages of 4 and 18 years, and volumetric analysis by segmentation was used to evaluate the size of the thalamus, caudate nucleus, putamen, globus pallidus, hippocampus, amygdala, and nucleus accumbens.ResultsDuring a median follow-up time of 12.8 years [interquartile range (IQR): 10.8–17.3] in the AIS group and 12.5 years (IQR: 9.3–14.8) in the PVI group (p = 0.32), epilepsy developed in 10 children (34.5%) with AIS and in 4 (12.1%) children with PVI, p = 0.036 [odds ratio (OR) = 3.8, 95%, confidence interval (CI): 1.04–14]. Epilepsy and interictal epileptiform discharges (IEDs) without clinical seizures were more often expressed in children with AIS (n = 16, 55%) than in children with PVI (n = 7, 21.2%), p = 0.0057 (OR = 3.8 95% CI: 1.04–14). In the AIS group, the ipsilesional and contralesional thalamus, ipsilesional caudate nucleus, and nucleus accumbens were significantly smaller in children with epilepsy compared to children without epilepsy. In the PVI group, the ipsilesional thalamus, caudate nucleus, and nucleus accumbens were smaller in the pooled group of epilepsy plus IED alone compared to children without epilepsy.ConclusionIn children with AIS, epilepsy or IED occurred more often compared to children with PVI. Both patients with AIS and PVI with severe damage to the basal ganglia and the thalamus have a higher risk of developing poststroke epilepsy and should be monitored more closely throughout childhood to initiate timely antiseizure medication and rehabilitation.</p

Image_6_The thalamus and basal ganglia are smaller in children with epilepsy after perinatal stroke.pdf

BackgroundEpilepsy is one of the most serious consequences of perinatal stroke. Epilepsy itself has been proposed as a risk factor for impaired cognitive, language, and behavioral functioning. It is still unclear which children develop epilepsy after perinatal stroke. The current study aimed to evaluate the volume of the thalamus and the basal ganglia in children after perinatal stroke in relation to poststroke epilepsy.MethodsThe follow-up study included 29 children with perinatal arterial ischemic stroke (AIS), 33 children with presumed periventricular venous infarction (PVI), and 46 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Magnetic resonance imaging was performed in children between the ages of 4 and 18 years, and volumetric analysis by segmentation was used to evaluate the size of the thalamus, caudate nucleus, putamen, globus pallidus, hippocampus, amygdala, and nucleus accumbens.ResultsDuring a median follow-up time of 12.8 years [interquartile range (IQR): 10.8–17.3] in the AIS group and 12.5 years (IQR: 9.3–14.8) in the PVI group (p = 0.32), epilepsy developed in 10 children (34.5%) with AIS and in 4 (12.1%) children with PVI, p = 0.036 [odds ratio (OR) = 3.8, 95%, confidence interval (CI): 1.04–14]. Epilepsy and interictal epileptiform discharges (IEDs) without clinical seizures were more often expressed in children with AIS (n = 16, 55%) than in children with PVI (n = 7, 21.2%), p = 0.0057 (OR = 3.8 95% CI: 1.04–14). In the AIS group, the ipsilesional and contralesional thalamus, ipsilesional caudate nucleus, and nucleus accumbens were significantly smaller in children with epilepsy compared to children without epilepsy. In the PVI group, the ipsilesional thalamus, caudate nucleus, and nucleus accumbens were smaller in the pooled group of epilepsy plus IED alone compared to children without epilepsy.ConclusionIn children with AIS, epilepsy or IED occurred more often compared to children with PVI. Both patients with AIS and PVI with severe damage to the basal ganglia and the thalamus have a higher risk of developing poststroke epilepsy and should be monitored more closely throughout childhood to initiate timely antiseizure medication and rehabilitation.</p