Vocalisation Repertoire at the End of the First Year of Life: An Exploratory Comparison of Rett Syndrome and Typical Development

Open access funding provided by Medical University of Graz. This study was supported by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF; P25241, KLI811, and TCS24), the Austrian National Bank (OeNB; P16430), and Rett Deutschland e.V.Rett syndrome (RTT) is a rare, late detected developmental disorder associated with severe deficits in the speech-language domain. Despite a few reports about atypicalities in the speech-language development of infants and toddlers with RTT, a detailed analysis of the pre-linguistic vocalisation repertoire of infants with RTT is yet missing. Based on home video recordings, we analysed the vocalisations between 9 and 11 months of age of three female infants with typical RTT and compared them to three age-matched typically developing (TD) female controls. The video material of the infants had a total duration of 424 min with 1655 infant vocalisations. For each month, we (1) calculated the infants’ canonical babbling ratios with CBRUTTER, i.e., the ratio of number of utterances containing canonical syllables to total number of utterances, and (2) classified their pre-linguistic vocalisations in three non-canonical and four canonical vocalisation subtypes. All infants achieved the milestone of canonical babbling at 9 months of age according to their canonical babbling ratios, i.e. CBRUTTER ≥ 0.15. We revealed overall lower CBRsUTTER and a lower proportion of canonical pre-linguistic vocalisations consisting of well-formed sounds that could serve as parts of target-language words for the RTT group compared to the TD group. Further studies with more data from individuals with RTT are needed to study the atypicalities in the pre-linguistic vocalisation repertoire which may portend the later deficits in spoken language that are characteristic features of RTT.Medical University of GrazAustrian Science Fund (FWF) P25241 KLI811 TCS24Austrian National Bank (OeNB) P16430Rett Deutschland e.V

Measures of Quality of Life in People with Aphasia. A systematic review

La afasia después de un daño cerebral y sus diferentes condiciones negativas derivadas, afectan a la calidad de vida (CdV) de la persona. El objetivo de este estudio es describir y analizar la literatura de los años comprendidos entre 2016 y 2020 para identificar y cuantificar aspectos relevantes de la CdV y su evaluación en personas con afasia (PWA). Para lo anterior, se consultaron tres bases de datos (PsycINFO, Medline y Psicodoc). Se incluyeron 38 estudios. Se codificaron y analizaron las características de los estudios y se evaluó la calidad de los trabajos siguiendo las pautas marcadas por la STROBE y la NIH. Los resultados muestran que la prueba de evaluación de CdV más utilizada fue la Stroke and Aphasia Quality of Life Scale-39 (SAQOL-39) (n= 19, 50.00%). En la mayoría de los estudios, independientemente de las pruebas de evaluación, las PWA presentan una baja CdV. Los estudios seleccionados presentan una calidad metodológica media-alta. Como conclusión cabe destacar que, además de limitar aspectos de la comunicación y el lenguaje, la afasia afecta negativamente a la CdV de forma global de la persona que la padece. El desarrollo de pruebas de evaluación de la CdV puede ayudar a los profesionales a planificar una intervención adecuada.Aphasia after stroke and its different negative conditions derived, affect the quality of life (QoL) of the person. The aim of this study is to describe and analyze the literature of last five years in order to identify and quantify relevant aspects related to QoL and its assessment in people with aphasia (PWA). For that goal, three databases were consulted (PsycINFO, Medline, and Psicodoc). Thirtyeight studies were included. The characteristics of the studies were coded and analyzed, and the quality of these studies were evaluated following guidelines established by STROBE and the NIH. The results show that the most frequently used QoL assessment test was the Stroke and Aphasia Quality of Life Scale-39 (SAQOL-39) (n= 19, 50.00%). In most studies, regardless of the assessment tests, PWAs have a low QoL. The selected studies present a medium-high level of methodological quality. As a conclusion it can be said that in addition to the limiting aspects of communication and language, aphasia negatively affects the overall QoL of the patient. The development of QoL assessment tests can help professionals to plan an appropriate intervention

Medidas de Calidad de Vida en Personas con Afasia. Revisión Sistemática

La afasia después de un daño cerebral y sus diferentes condiciones negativas derivadas, afectan a la calidad de vida (CdV) de la persona. El objetivo de este estudio es describir y analizar la literatura de los años comprendidos entre 2016 y 2020 para identificar y cuantificar aspectos relevantes de la CdV y su evaluación en personas con afasia (PWA). Para lo anterior, se consultaron tres bases de datos (PsycINFO, Medline y Psicodoc). Se incluyeron 38 estudios. Se codificaron y analizaron las características de los estudios y se evaluó la calidad de los trabajos siguiendo las pautas marcadas por la STROBE y la NIH. Los resultados muestran que la prueba de evaluación de CdV más utilizada fue la Stroke and Aphasia Quality of Life Scale-39 (SAQOL-39) (n= 19, 50.00%). En la mayoría de los estudios, independientemente de las pruebas de evaluación, las PWA presentan una baja CdV. Los estudios seleccionados presentan una calidad metodológica media-alta. Como conclusión cabe destacar que, además de limitar aspectos de la comunicación y el lenguaje, la afasia afecta negativamente a la CdV de forma global de la persona que la padece. El desarrollo de pruebas de evaluación de la CdV puede ayudar a los profesionales a planificar una intervención adecuada

Can Parental Body Dissatisfaction Predict That of Children? A Study on Body Dissatisfaction, Body Mass Index, and Desire to Diet in Children Aged 9–11 and Their Families

Financial support was provided by the University of Castilla La Mancha, through the research group: Health, Education, and Society (Critical Eye) co-funded by the European Fund for Regional Development (grant number 2020-GRIN- 29110).The datasets presented in this article are not readily available because individualized data from the project cannot be publically shared on a data repository due to the conditions of nondisclosure described in the consent form signed by the participants and their families. Requests to access the datasets should be directed to NS-P, [email protected] studies involving human participants were reviewed and approved by the clinical drug research ethics committee “Complejo hospitalario de Toledo” (ref. 636). Written informed consent to participate in this study was provided by the participants’ legal guardian/next of kin.Body image has been associated with self-care and the assumption of either healthy habits or poor diets and eating disorders. As a vital element in the formation of a positive body image, the role of the family in childhood has been highlighted by a few studies. This study aimed to assess whether children's body dissatisfaction could be predicted by their parents' body dissatisfaction, body mass index (BMI), and approach to change. The sample consisted of 581 participants (366 parents and 215 children). The following instruments were used: anthropometric data, the Brief Scale of Body Dissatisfaction for Children, the IMAGE questionnaire (approach to change and drive for muscularity subscales), and the Eating Disorder Inventory-2 (body dissatisfaction and drive for thinness subscales). The results indicated that 19% of children, 22.8% of mothers, and 70.2% of fathers were overweight or obese. The multiple regression models developed for boys and girls explained 60 and 57% of the variance in body dissatisfaction, respectively. Several variables attributable to the mother (higher approach to change, higher drive for thinness, and higher BMI) and to the boys themselves (drive for muscularity, approach to change, and having a high BMI percentile) predicted a higher level of body dissatisfaction. For girls, only variables regarding themselves (approach to change, age, and BMI percentile) explained their body dissatisfaction. Relationships with the traits of the father were not detected for both models. The influence of sociocultural factors on the construction of gender and the negative consequences of mothers' dieting for aesthetic purposes, on the development of children's body image, are discussed.University of Castilla La Mancha, through the research group: Health, Education, and Society (Critical Eye)European Commission 2020-GRIN-2911

Siblings of children with Autism: Linguistic and motor skills beyond three years of life

Los hermanos de niños con trastorno del espectro autista (H-TEA) pueden mostrar dificultades tempranas en habilidades lingüísticas y motrices, aunque pocos estudios examinan estas habilidades en niños más mayores. Analizamos dichas habilidades en niños entre 4 y 7 años para saber si las dificultades permanecen, y conocer su magnitud. Se examinó el lenguaje expresivo, receptivo, motricidad fina y gruesa en 43 niños: 25 H-TEA y 18 hermanos de niños con desarrollo típico (H-DT) en diferentes pruebas estandarizadas. Los resultados indican que hay diferencias significativas (todas con ps < .05) entre ambos grupos, mostrando el grupo H-TEA peor desempeño lingüístico receptivo en comprensión gramatical y en motricidad, en dimensión de puntería y motricidad global. Se concluye que ser conscientes de esas dificultades lingüísticas y motrices y detectarlas, ayudará a los niños en su desarrollo global. Son necesarios estudios en H-TEA en etapas de infantil y primaria para saber cómo afectarán estas diferencias al ámbito escolar.Siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder (Sib-ASD) may show difficulties in language and motor skills at a very early age. However, few studies have evaluated these skills in older children. We analyze these skills in children between 4 and 7 years old to test whether these difficulties still exist and, if so, to describe how this magnitude is. We examined expressive and receptive language, and fine and gross motor skills of 43 children: 25 Sib-ASD and 18 siblings of children with typical development (Sib-TD) through several standardized tests. The results show that there are significant differences (all with ps < .05) between groups, showing a worse performance in grammatical comprehension, and related to motor skills in ball skills and overall motor skills in Sib-ASD. It is discussed that the fact of being aware of and identify these difficulties will help these children in their global development. Thus, more studies on sib-ASD in infancy and primary school are needed, in order to know how these differences might affect their school performance

Creación de preguntas como herramienta de evaluación formativa

El problema de cómo conseguir que el proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje produzca los mejores resultados a largo plazo ha sido planteado y estudiado de manera muy extensa en el marco de la Psicología. Diversos estudios empíricos (ver Dunlosky et al., 2013 para una revisión) han mostrado que existen varias estrategias efectivas, entre las que se encuentran la evocación, el espaciado, el intercalado, y el procesamiento y elaboración profundos (Yang et al., 2021; Kornell y Bjork, 2008; Rohrer et al., 2015; Craik y Tulving, 1975). A pesar de su eficacia, se trata de estrategias que implican un mayor esfuerzo cognitivo, lo que puede resultar desmotivador para el alumnado, reduciendo la probabilidad de que sean empleadas (Kornell y Bjork, 2008). El presente proyecto buscaba aplicar estos principios de psicología, avalados por una amplia evidencia empírica, al contexto específico de la enseñanza de nivel de grado en la Universidad de Granada a través del desarrollo de una única actividad “Generación de preguntas objetivas” que perimiese incorporar las 4 técnicas antes referida

Variables lingüísticas y psicológicas en niños con trastorno del espectro autista y sus familiares: implicaciones en la calidad de vida familiar

El trastorno del espectro autista (TEA) es un trastorno del neurodesarrollo caracterizado por presentar déficits en la interacción social y en la comunicación y patrones de conducta restringidos y repetitivos. Se estima que afecta a 1 de cada 59 niños, y su irrupción dentro del seno familiar supone un gran impacto en el bienestar y la calidad de vida familiar (CdVF). Sin embargo, aunque se trata de un trastorno con una alta incidencia y con características incapacitantes tanto para las personas con TEA como para sus familiares, aún no se han estudiado en profundidad y de forma integrada tres aspectos de gran importancia que potencialmente podrían tener impacto sobre la CdVF en familias de niños con TEA desde su nacimiento hasta el final de la edad escolar: (1) la detección de señales tempranas en personas con TEA, (2) la identificación de factores lingüísticos y psicológicos que afectan a la CdVF en personas con TEA, y (3) la caracterización de factores familiares (relacionados con los padres y los hermanos de niños con TEA) que afectan directamente a la CdVF. Por ello, en la presente tesis doctoral se propone un modelo integrado general sobre cómo diferentes factores psicológicos y lingüísticos influyen en la CdVF en TEA. Por tanto, la comprensión paterna de las características de la comunicación de las personas con TEA, los principios de refuerzo en las aproximaciones de lenguaje oral y la sensibilidad y el interés hacia los intentos de comunicación intencional de los niños con TEA, a su vez, no sólo mejoran la CdVF, sino que también ayudan a los padres a entender su potencial papel dentro del desarrollo de sus hijos.Tesis Univ. Granada.Proyecto del Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (PSI2014-51842-R

Can Mathematics Achievement Be Predicted? The Role of Cognitive–Behavioral–Emotional Variables

The current society is based on science and technology, depending partly on mathematics. It leads to citizens’ success in school mathematics, being measured through achievement, which can be predicted by affective, cognitive, and behavioral variables. The aim of this study was to determine the extent to which self-concept, learning strategies, attitude towards science and mathematics, school environment, and previous scores in science and mathematics predict achievement in mathematics. A convenience sample of 352 pupils taking part in a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) experimentation outreach program belonging to state schools and state-funded schools from rural and urban environments was analysed. The instrument was composed of the Auzmendi scale of attitude towards mathematics modified, the attitude towards school science, the AUDIM questionnaire for self-concept (physical, social, personal, academic, and general), and the CEA questionnaire for learning strategies (emotional control, critical and creative thinking, and metacognition). Sex, type of school, and school environment were covariates. A binary logistic regression model was obtained for mathematics achievement, which correctly classified 82.1% of students, with previous science and mathematics achievement, science achievement, and critical and creative thinking as predictors, and urban schools playing a positive role. Implications of these predictors on mathematics education are discussed.Spanish Foundation of Science and Technology, FECYT, - FCT-16-10952,Castilla La Mancha University - 2019-GRIN-2708

Measuring feelings about choices and risks: The Berlin Emotional Responses to Risk Instrument (BERRI)

We introduce a brief instrument specifically validated for measuring positive and negative feelings about risks—the Berlin Emotional Responses to Risk Instrument (BERRI). Based on seven studies involving diverse adults from three countries (n = 2120), the BERRI was found to robustly estimate anticipatory affective reactions derived from subjective evaluations of positive (i.e., assured, hopeful, and relieved) and negative emotions (i.e., anxious, afraid, and worried). The brief BERRI outperformed a 14-item assessment, uniquely tracking costs/benefits associated with cancer screening among men and women (Studies 1 and 2). Predictive validity was further documented in paradigmatic risky choice studies wherein options varied over probabilities and severities across six contexts (health, social, financial, technological, ethical, and environmental; Study 3). Studies 4–6, conducted during the Ebola epidemic and COVID- 19 pandemic, indicated BERRI responses were sensitive to subtle effects caused by emotion-related framing manipulations presented in different cultures and languages (the United States, Spain, and Poland). Study 7 indicated BERRI responses remained stable for 2 weeks. Although the BERRI can provide an estimate of overall affect, choices were generally better explained by the unique influences of positive and negative affect. Overall, results suggest the novel, brief instrument can be an efficient tool for high-stakes research on decision making and risk communication.The National Research Agency of Spain (MCIN/AEI), JC2019-039691-