ADHD subtypes: do they differ in their executive functioning profile?

The present study was designed to investigate the hypothesis that children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder combined subtype (ADHD-C) have a generalized executive functioning (EF) [Barkley, R. A. (1997). Behavioural inhibition, sustained attention, and executive functions: Constructing a unifying theory of AD/HD. Psychological Bulletin, 121, 65-94; Barkley, R. A. (1997). ADHD and the nature of self-control. New York: The Guilford Press]. We tested whether ADHD-C and ADHD inattentive subtype (ADHD-I) can be differentiated from each other on EF measures. We compared 16 normally developing boys with 16 boys with ADHD-C and 16 with ADHD-I on five EF domains. The boys were all matched on age, IQ, and the presence of oppositional defiant disorder (ODD)/conduct disorder (CD). Despite carefully diagnosed groups and methodological controls, the results do not support the EF-hypothesis of ADHD-C. Children with ADHD-C differed from normal controls (NC) on tasks related to inhibition; they did not exhibit EF deficits on all EF tasks. Children with ADHD-C also exhibited deficits on non-EF tasks. Furthermore, the ADHD-C and ADHD-I subtypes did not differ from one another. Neuropsychological findings on the domains under study did not yield evidence for the distinctiveness of ADHD-C and ADHD-I subtypes. © 2004 National Academy of Neuropsychology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

The Prevalence and Psychopathological Correlates of Sibling Bullying in Children with and without Autism Spectrum Disorder

Using data from a prospective population based study, the prevalence and psychopathological correlates of sibling bullying in children with and without autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were estimated. There were 475 children with ASD and 13,702 children without ASD aged 11 years. Children with ASD were more likely to be bullied by their siblings compared to those without ASD. They were also more likely than those without ASD to both bully and be bullied by their siblings, which was associated with lower prosocial skills as well as more internalizing and externalizing problems compared to those not involved in any sibling bullying. Interventions to improve social and emotional outcomes in children with ASD should focus on both the affected and the unaffected sibling

Elderly with Autism: Executive Functions and Memory

Cognitive autism research is mainly focusing on children and young adults even though we know that autism is a life-long disorder and that healthy aging already has a strong impact on cognitive functioning. We compared the neuropsychological profile of 23 individuals with autism and 23 healthy controls (age range 51–83 years). Deficits were observed in attention, working memory, and fluency. Aging had a smaller impact on fluency in the high functioning autism (HFA) group than in the control group, while aging had a more profound effect on visual memory performance in the HFA group. Hence, we provide novel evidence that elderly with HFA have subtle neuropsychological deficits and that the developmental trajectories differ between elderly with and without HFA in particular cognitive domains

The relationship of working memory, inhibition, and response variability in child psychopathology

Introduction: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between working memory and inhibition in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), high-functioning autism (HFA), and Tourette syndrome (TS), compared to normally developing children. Furthermore, the contribution of variation in processing speed on working memory and inhibition was investigated in these childhood psychopathologies. Method: Four groups of children are reported in this study: 65 children with ADHD, 66 children with HFA, 24 children with TS, and 82 normal control children. All children were in the age range of 6-13 years. Results: The relationship between working memory and inhibition was similar in children with ADHD, HFA, TS, and normally developing children. The relationship between both domains did not alter significantly for any of the groups, when variation in processing speed was taken into account. More symptoms of hyperactivity/impulsivity are related to a poorer inhibitory process and greater response variability. More symptoms of autism are related to a poorer working memory process. Conclusion: The current study showed that working memory, inhibition, and response variability, are distinct, but related cognitive domains in children with developmental psychopathologies. Research with experimental manipulations is needed to tackle the exact relationship between these cognitive domains. © 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Recruiting older volunteers: Findings from the Belgian Ageing Studies.

Although there is a significant body of work concerning voluntary work, hardly any attention is given to volunteering of older individuals. Moreover, the potential volunteers among older adults is even less examined. Next to volunteering among olde r adults, the neighbou rhood becomes more salient when people age and this due to their more intense use and time spent in the neighbourhood. In response to these lacunae, the main purpose of this contribution is to examine the impact of subjective neighbourhood features on the recruitment potential for volunteering among older people. This study uses data collected from the Belgian Ageing Studies. 59.977 adults aged sixty and over living self-reliantly in 127 Flemish municipalities in Belgium participated in this study. A binary logistic regression is ap plied to analyse the key va riables characterizing potential volunteers. Our findings stress the need for recognizing the crucial importance of the locality when recruiting older adults for volunteer activities

Reflections about interventions and strategies on increasing feelings of safety in later life

Practices on increasing feelings of safety am ong older people often occu r without the necessary empirical foundation. In response to this lack of evidence-based policy, this article provides a critical overview of several distinct practices and approaches by confronting them with empirical evidence. This contribution criticizes narrow ra tionalist approaches and summarizes the most important symbolical guidelines to heighten feelings of safety. Attention is given to the discussion between the increasing importance placed on so-called responsibilisation on the one hand and feelings of unsafety as a police’s task or as a broader societal concern and responsibility for local authorities on the other. Several methods are disc ussed in order to formulate key components of successful strategies