School Climate Development Survey

Over the last twenty-five years the Consortium on Chicago School Research has engaged in systematic study of more than 400 Chicago Public Schools to determine organizational traits that are related to improvement in student learning. This effort was designed to help explain widely divergent levels of student success between very similar schools in the Chicago system. Initial discussions with educators at all levels, reviews of previous research, pilot studies, and field studies led to the identification of five school contextual factors – the 5Essential Supports – determined to be critical to school success: (1) effective leaders, (2) collaborative teachers, (3) involved families, (4) supportive environment, and (5) ambitious instruction. The framework of the 5Essential Supports served as a theoretical basis for a survey effort designed to measures and report on facets of school culture that could then be used by school leaders and practitioners to guide school improvement efforts. Research related to the 5Essential Supports consistently demonstrates a strong relationship between the presence of these supports and gains in student achievement. Led by Dr. James McMillan and Dr. Charol Shakeshaft from VCU’s School of Education, the purpose of this MERC study was (1) to develop a shortened version of the 5Essentials staff climate survey for the Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium schools, (2) to pilot test the new survey with teachers and administrators, and (3) to determine effective methods of dissemination to support schools use f the survey data for school improvement purposes. The piloting and validation phase of the study demonstrated that the core constructs underlying the 5Essentials maintained high levels of validity and reliability in the shortened version. MERC also piloted and received feedback from school leaders on formats for reporting school climate results

Investigating the neurodevelopmental correlates of early adolescent-onset emotional problems

Background Emotional problems (EPs) increase sharply after mid-adolescence. Earlier EPs are associated with poorer long-term outcomes, and their underlying mechanisms may differ to later-onset EPs. Given an established relationship between ADHD, autism, and later depression, we aimed to examine associations between neurodevelopmental conditions and correlates and early adolescent-onset EPs. Methods Adolescents in two UK population cohorts, Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) and Millennium Cohort Study (MCS), were included. Individuals scoring >6 on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) emotional problems subscale between ages 11–14 were defined as having early adolescent-onset EP, whilst those scoring >6 for the first time at 16–25 were defined as having later-onset EP. We tested associations between early adolescent-onset EP (total cases = 887, controls = 19,582) and ICD-10/DSM-5 neurodevelopmental conditions and known correlates, including: sex, birth complications, low cognitive ability, special educational needs (SEND), and epilepsy. Analyses were conducted separately in ALSPAC and MCS then meta-analysed. Results In the meta-analysis of both cohorts, early adolescent-onset EPs were associated with female sex and greater likelihood of low cognitive ability, SEND, autism, ADHD, and reading difficulties. Compared to later-onset EP, early adolescent-onset EPs were associated with male sex, low cognitive ability, SEND, epilepsy, ASD, ADHD, and reading difficulties. Limitations A clinical definition of depression/anxiety was available only in ALSPAC, instead we primarily defined EP via questionnaires, which capture a broader phenotype. Conclusions Individuals with early adolescent-onset EP are likely to have a co-occurring neurodevelopmental condition. Clinicians should consider assessing for neurodevelopmental conditions in young adolescents with EPs

Stratifying early-onset emotional disorders: using genetics to assess persistence in young people of European and South Asian ancestry

Background Depression and anxiety are the most common mental health problems in young people. Currently, clinicians are advised to wait before initiating treatment for young people with these disorders as many spontaneously remit. However, others develop recurrent disorder but this subgroup cannot be identified at the outset. We examined whether psychiatric polygenic scores (PGS) could help inform stratification efforts to predict those at higher risk of recurrence. Methods Probable emotional disorder was examined in two UK population cohorts using the emotional symptoms subscale of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Those with emotional disorder at two or more time points between ages 5 and 25 years were classed as ‘recurrent emotional disorder’ (n = 1,643) and those with emotional disorder at one time point as having ‘single episode emotional disorder’ (n = 1,435, controls n = 8,715). We first examined the relationship between psychiatric PGS and emotional disorders in childhood and adolescence. Second, we tested whether psychiatric PGS added to predictor variables of known association with emotional disorder (neurodevelopmental comorbidity, special educational needs, family history of depression and socioeconomic status) when discriminating between single-episode and recurrent emotional disorder. Analyses were conducted separately in individuals of European and South Asian ancestry. Results Probable emotional disorder was associated with higher PGS for major depressive disorder (MDD), anxiety, broad depression, ADHD and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in those of European ancestry. Higher MDD and broad depression PGS were associated with emotional disorder in people of South Asian ancestry. Recurrent, compared to single-episode, emotional disorder was associated with ASD and parental psychiatric history. PGS were not associated with episode recurrence, and PGS did not improve discrimination of recurrence when combined with clinical predictors. Conclusions Our findings do not support the use of PGS as a tool to assess the likelihood of recurrence in young people experiencing their first episode of emotional disorder

Heterogeneity of resting-state EEG features in juvenile myoclonic epilepsy and controls

Abnormal EEG features are a hallmark of epilepsy, and abnormal frequency and network features are apparent in EEGs from people with idiopathic generalized epilepsy in both ictal and interictal states. Here, we characterize differences in the resting-state EEG of individuals with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy and assess factors influencing the heterogeneity of EEG features. We collected EEG data from 147 participants with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy through the Biology of Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy study. Ninety-five control EEGs were acquired from two independent studies [Chowdhury et al. (2014) and EU-AIMS Longitudinal European Autism Project]. We extracted frequency and functional network-based features from 10 to 20 s epochs of resting-state EEG, including relative power spectral density, peak alpha frequency, network topology measures and brain network ictogenicity: a computational measure of the propensity of networks to generate seizure dynamics. We tested for differences between epilepsy and control EEGs using univariate, multivariable and receiver operating curve analysis. In addition, we explored the heterogeneity of EEG features within and between cohorts by testing for associations with potentially influential factors such as age, sex, epoch length and time, as well as testing for associations with clinical phenotypes including anti-seizure medication, and seizure characteristics in the epilepsy cohort. P-values were corrected for multiple comparisons. Univariate analysis showed significant differences in power spectral density in delta (2–5 Hz) (P = 0.0007, hedges’ g = 0.55) and low-alpha (6–9 Hz) (P = 2.9 × 10−8, g = 0.80) frequency bands, peak alpha frequency (P = 0.000007, g = 0.66), functional network mean degree (P = 0.0006, g = 0.48) and brain network ictogenicity (P = 0.00006, g = 0.56) between epilepsy and controls. Since age (P = 0.009) and epoch length (P = 1.7 × 10−8) differed between the two groups and were potential confounders, we controlled for these covariates in multivariable analysis where disparities in EEG features between epilepsy and controls remained. Receiver operating curve analysis showed low-alpha power spectral density was optimal at distinguishing epilepsy from controls, with an area under the curve of 0.72. Lower average normalized clustering coefficient and shorter average normalized path length were associated with poorer seizure control in epilepsy patients. To conclude, individuals with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy have increased power of neural oscillatory activity at low-alpha frequencies, and increased brain network ictogenicity compared with controls, supporting evidence from studies in other epilepsies with considerable external validity. In addition, the impact of confounders on different frequency-based and network-based EEG features observed in this study highlights the need for careful consideration and control of these factors in future EEG research in idiopathic generalized epilepsy particularly for their use as biomarkers

Investigating young-adult social outcomes of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Objective: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is associated with a range of adverse outcomes in adult life. However, it is unclear whether the risk pathways to adverse adult outcomes are established during childhood or whether associations are driven by concurrent ADHD symptoms that have persisted to adulthood. Methods: We examined associations between broadly defined child-limited (remitted) and persistent ADHD (assessed using the ADHD subscale of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire) with negative social outcomes (low emotional and instrumental support, antisocial behavior, employment, receipt of state benefits as an indicator of socio-economic disadvantage, homelessness) at age 25 years in a UK longitudinal population sample, the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (age 25 data collected between years 2017 and 2018; total N = 6,439). Results: Up to 20% of young people with less favorable social outcomes at age 25 had persistent ADHD. Persistent ADHD was associated with an increased likelihood of being not in education, employment, or training (NEET) (OR = 3.71, 95% CI = 2.06 to 6.67, P = 1 í 10−05) and receiving state benefits (OR = 2.72, 95% CI = 1.62 to 4.57, P = 2 × 10−04) at age 25 years compared to those without ADHD. We did not find strong evidence of associations between child-limited ADHD and social outcomes (NEET OR = 1.20, 95% CI = 0.54 to 2.69, P = .65; state benefits OR = 1.38, 95% CI = 0.76 to 2.51, P = .29). Persistent ADHD associations with negative social outcomes were observed across family-of-origin income groups and sex and were not explained by comorbidity. Conclusions: Our findings highlight the importance of continued monitoring and management of ADHD symptoms and related social as well as clinical outcomes across development into adulthood. Future research is needed to identify what factors promote positive social outcomes, including effective treatment of adult ADHD symptoms

Co-development of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autistic trait trajectories from childhood to early adulthood

Background: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism, defined as traits or disorders, commonly co-occur. Developmental trajectories of ADHD and autistic traits both show heterogeneity in onset and course, but little is known about how symptom trajectories co-develop into adulthood. Methods: Using data from a population cohort, the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, we examined correlations between ADHD and autistic traits across development, using the Social Communication Disorders Checklist and ADHD subscale of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. We modelled joint developmental trajectories of parent-reported ADHD and autistic traits between 4 and 25 years, then characterised trajectory classes based on sociodemographic, perinatal, psychopathology, cognition and social functioning variables and tested for associations with neurodevelopmental/ psychiatric polygenic scores (PGS). Results: Three classes of trajectories were identified; a typically developing majority with low-stable ADHD-autistic traits (87%), a male-predominant subgroup with child/adolescent-declining traits (6%) and a subgroup with late-emerging traits (6%). ADHD-autistic trait correlations were greatest in young adulthood for the two nontypically developing classes. There were higher rates of emotional and conduct problems, low IQ, childhood seizures and poor social functioning in the declining and late-emerging classes compared to the low-stable class. Emotional, conduct and peer problems were more prevalent during childhood in the childhood/ adolescent-declining class compared to other classes, but were more prevalent in young adulthood in the late�emerging class. Neurodevelopmental/psychiatric PGS also differed: both nontypically developing classes showed elevated ADHD PGS compared to the low-stable group, and the late-emerging group additionally showed elevated schizophrenia PGS and decreased executive function PGS, whereas the declining group showed elevated broad depression PGS. Conclusions: Distinct patterns of ADHD-autism co-development are present across development in the general population, each with different characterising factors and genetic signatures as indexed by PG

Emotional problems across development: examining measurement invariance across childhood, adolescence and early adulthood

Emotional problems (anxiety, depression) are prevalent in children, adolescents and young adults with varying ages at onset. Studying developmental changes in emotional problems requires repeated assessments using the same or equivalent measures. The parent-rated Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire is commonly used to assess emotional problems in childhood and adolescence, but there is limited research about whether it captures a similar construct across these developmental periods. Our study addressed this by investigating measurement invariance in the scales’ emotional problems subscale (SDQ-EP) across childhood, adolescence and early adulthood. Data from two UK population cohorts were utilised: the Millennium Cohort Study (ages 3–17 years) and the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (4–25 years). In both samples we observed weak (metric) measurement invariance by age, suggesting that the parent-rated SDQ-EP items contribute to the underlying construct of emotional problems similarly across age. This supports the validity of using the subscale to rank participants on their levels of emotional problems in childhood, adolescence and early adulthood. However strong (scalar) measurement invariance was not observed, suggesting that the same score may correspond to different levels of emotional problems across developmental periods. Comparisons of mean parent-rated SDQ-EP scores across age may therefore not be valid

Young adult ADHD symptoms in the general population and neurocognitive impairment

Objective:Neurocognitive impairments are associated with child and adult ADHD in clinical settings. However, it is unknown whether adult ADHD symptoms in the general population are associated with the same pattern of cognitive impairment. We examined this using a prospective, population-based cohort spanning birth to age 25 years. Methods:We examined associations between self-reported adult ADHD symptoms and cognitive task performance (attention and response inhibition) in adulthood and childhood. Results:Self-rated ADHD symptoms at age 25 were associated with poorer performance in age 25 cognitive tasks capturing ADHD-related functioning (attention B = −0.03, 95% CI [0.05, −0.01], p = .005; response inhibition B = −0.03, 95% CI [−0.05, −0.01], p = .002). Conclusions:Neurocognitive impairments linked to adult ADHD symptoms in the general population, are similar to those found in people with childhood ADHD symptoms and are consistent with findings in adult ADHD clinical samples. Keyword

Trait impulsivity in Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy

Impulsivity is a multidimensional construct that can predispose to psychopathology. Meta‐analysis demonstrates an association between response impulsivity and Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy (JME), a common genetic generalized epilepsy. Here, we test the hypotheses that trait impulsivity is (i) elevated in JME compared to controls; (ii) moderated by specific seizure characteristics; and (iii) associated with psychiatric adverse effects of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs)