Gait in children with infantile/atypical autism: Age-dependent decrease in gait variability and associations with motor skills

Gait and its associations with prewalking motor milestones, motor skills, and age were investigated in 32 children with infantile/atypical autism and 36 typically developing controls. Gait was assessed using GAITRite recordings of spatiotemporal and variability gait parameters. Parents reported their child's prewalking motor milestones. Motor skills were assessed using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children. Children with infantile/atypical autism showed higher gait variability than controls, indicating a less regular walking pattern. In children with infantile/atypical autism gait variability was negatively associated with motor skills, but there was no such association with prewalking motor milestones. The higher gait variability in children with infantile/atypical autism showed an age-dependent decrease, suggesting that their gait regularity converges toward that of typically developing children

Gait in Children with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in a Dual-Task Paradigm

The aim was to examine gait in school-aged children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and typically developing controls in a dual-task paradigm. Thirty children with ADHD (without or off medication) aged 7-13 years and 28 controls walked without an additional task (single-task walking) and while performing a concurrent cognitive or motor task (dual-task walking). Gait was assessed using GAITRite recordings of spatiotemporal and variability gait parameters. Compared to single-task walking, dual-tasking significantly altered walking performance of children with and without ADHD, whereby dual-task effects on gait were not different between the two groups. For both children with ADHD and controls the motor concurrent task had a stronger effect on gait than the cognitive concurrent task. Gait in children with and without ADHD is affected in a dual-task paradigm indicating that walking requires executive functions. Future investigations of children's dual-task walking should account for the type of concurrent tasks

Does IQ = IQ? Comparability of Intelligence Test Scores in Typically Developing Children

Hagmann-von Arx P, Lemola S, Grob A. Does IQ = IQ? Comparability of Intelligence Test Scores in Typically Developing Children. Assessment. 2016;25(6):691-701.Numerous intelligence tests are available to psychological diagnosticians to assess children’s intelligence, but whether they yield comparable test results has been little studied. We examined test scores of 206 typically developing children aged 6 to 11 years on five German intelligence tests (Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scales; Snijders Oomen Nonverbal Intelligence Test; Intelligence and Development Scales; Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, 4th edition; Culture Fair Intelligence Test Scale 2), which were individually administered. On a sample level, the test scores showed strong correlation and little or no mean difference. These results indicate that the tests measure a similar underlying construct, which is interpreted as general intelligence. On an individual level, however, test scores significantly differed across tests for 12% to 38% of the children. Differences did not depend on which test was used but rather on unexplained error. Implications for the application of intelligence assessment in psychological practice are discussed

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Assessing Intellectual Giftedness with the WISC-IV and the IDS

The Hamburg Wechsler Intelligenztest für Kinder (HAWIK-IV; the German version of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale forChildren-Fourth Edition) and the newly designed Intelligence and Development Scales (IDS) were administered in counterbalanced orderto 77 gifted children and 77 nongifted children, aged 6 to 10 years. Samples were matched for age, sex, and socioeconomic status. Resultsreveal that both the HAWIK-IV and the IDS are able to distinguish between gifted and nongifted children. Moderate correlations betweenthe tests indicate that the measures assess similar, but not identical constructs. Results are discussed as they pertain to the assessmentand special needs of gifted children

Does IQ = IQ? Comparability of Intelligence Test Scores in Typically Developing Children

Numerous intelligence tests are available to psychological diagnosticians to assess children's intelligence, but whether they yield comparable test results has been little studied. We examined test scores of 206 typically developing children aged 6 to 11 years on five German intelligence tests (Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scales; Snijders Oomen Nonverbal Intelligence Test; Intelligence and Development Scales; Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, 4th edition; Culture Fair Intelligence Test Scale 2), which were individually administered. On a sample level, the test scores showed strong correlation and little or no mean difference. These results indicate that the tests measure a similar underlying construct, which is interpreted as general intelligence. On an individual level, however, test scores significantly differed across tests for 12% to 38% of the children. Differences did not depend on which test was used but rather on unexplained error. Implications for the application of intelligence assessment in psychological practice are discussed