Higher-order dimensions of psychopathology in a neurodevelopmental transdiagnostic sample.

Funder: Brain Sciences Unit University of CambridgeHierarchical dimensional models of psychopathology derived for adult and child community populations offer more informative and efficient methods for assessing and treating symptoms of mental ill health than traditional diagnostic approaches. It is not yet clear how many dimensions should be included in models for youth with neurodevelopmental conditions. The aim of this study was to delineate the hierarchical dimensional structure of psychopathology in a transdiagnostic sample of children and adolescents with learning-related problems, and to test the concurrent predictive value of the model for clinically, socially, and educationally relevant outcomes. A sample of N = 403 participants from the Centre for Attention Learning and Memory (CALM) cohort were included. Hierarchical factor analysis delineated dimensions of psychopathology from ratings on the Conner's Parent Rating Short Form, the Revised Children's Anxiety and Depression Scale, and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. A hierarchical structure with a general p factor at the apex, broad internalizing and broad externalizing spectra below, and three more specific factors (specific internalizing, social maladjustment, and neurodevelopmental) emerged. The p factor predicted all concurrently measured social, clinical, and educational outcomes, but the other dimensions provided incremental predictive value. The neurodevelopmental dimension, which captured symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and executive function and emerged from the higher-order externalizing factor, was the strongest predictor of learning. This suggests that in struggling learners, cognitive and affective behaviors may interact to influence learning outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)

The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire Predicts Concurrent Mental Health Difficulties in a Transdiagnostic Sample of Struggling Learners

Children and adolescents with developmental problems are at increased risk of experiencing mental health problems. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is widely used as a screener for detecting mental health difficulties in these populations, but its use thus far has been restricted to groups of children with diagnosed disorders (e.g., ADHD). Transdiagnostic approaches, which focus on symptoms and soften or remove the boundaries between traditional categorical disorders, are increasingly adopted in research and practice. The aim of this study was to assess the potential of the SDQ to detect concurrent mental health problems in a transdiagnostic sample of children. The sample were referred by health and educational professionals for difficulties related to learning (N = 389). Some had one diagnosis, others had multiple, but many had no diagnoses. Parent-rated SDQ scores were significantly positively correlated with parent ratings of mental health difficulties on the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS). Ratings on the SDQ Emotion subscale significantly predicted the likelihood of having concurrent clinical anxiety and depression scores. Ratings on the Hyperactivity subscale predicted concurrent anxiety levels. These findings suggest the SDQ could be a valuable screening tool for identifying existing mental health difficulties in children recognized as struggling, as it can be in typically developing children and those with specific diagnoses

Cognitive Dimensions of Learning in Children With Problems in Attention, Learning, and Memory.

A data-driven, transdiagnostic approach was used to identify the cognitive dimensions linked with learning in a mixed group of 805 children aged 5 to 18 years recognised as having problems in attention, learning and memory by a health or education practitioner. Assessments included phonological processing, information processing speed, short-term and working memory, and executive functions, and attainments in word reading, spelling, and maths. Data reduction methods identified three dimensions of phonological processing, processing speed and executive function for the sample as a whole. This model was comparable for children with and without ADHD. The severity of learning difficulties in literacy was linked with phonological processing skills, and in maths with executive control. Associations between cognition and learning were similar across younger and older children and individuals with and without ADHD, although stronger links between learning-related problems and both executive skills and processing speed were observed in children with ADHD. The results establish clear domain-specific cognitive pathways to learning that distinguish individuals in the heterogeneous population of children struggling to learn

Different luminance- and texture-defined contrast sensitivity profiles for school-aged children.

Funder: Fonds de Recherche du Québec - Santé; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000156Funder: Canadian Institutes of Health Research; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000024Our current understanding of how the visual brain develops is based largely on the study of luminance-defined information processing. This approach, however, is somewhat limiting, since everyday scenes are composed of complex images, consisting of information characterized by physical attributes relating to both luminance and texture. Few studies have explored how contrast sensitivity to texture-defined information develops, particularly throughout the school-aged years. The current study investigated how contrast sensitivity to luminance- (luminance-modulated noise) and texture-defined (contrast-modulated noise) static gratings develops in school-aged children. Contrast sensitivity functions identified distinct profiles for luminance- and texture-defined gratings across spatial frequencies (SFs) and age. Sensitivity to luminance-defined gratings reached maturity in childhood by the ages of 9-10 years for all SFs (0.5, 1, 2, 4 and 8 cycles/degree or cpd). Sensitivity to texture-defined gratings reached maturity at 5-6 years for low SFs and 7-8 years for high SFs (i.e., 4 cpd). These results establish that the processing of luminance- and texture-defined information develop differently as a function of SF and age

A generative network model of neurodevelopmental diversity in structural brain organization

Funder: RCUK | Medical Research Council (MRC); doi: https://doi.org/10.13039/501100000265Funder: James S. McDonnell Foundation (McDonnell Foundation); doi: https://doi.org/10.13039/100000913Funder: Cambridge Commonwealth, European and International Trust (Cambridge Commonwealth, European & International Trust); doi: https://doi.org/10.13039/501100003343Abstract: The formation of large-scale brain networks, and their continual refinement, represent crucial developmental processes that can drive individual differences in cognition and which are associated with multiple neurodevelopmental conditions. But how does this organization arise, and what mechanisms drive diversity in organization? We use generative network modeling to provide a computational framework for understanding neurodevelopmental diversity. Within this framework macroscopic brain organization, complete with spatial embedding of its organization, is an emergent property of a generative wiring equation that optimizes its connectivity by renegotiating its biological costs and topological values continuously over time. The rules that govern these iterative wiring properties are controlled by a set of tightly framed parameters, with subtle differences in these parameters steering network growth towards different neurodiverse outcomes. Regional expression of genes associated with the simulations converge on biological processes and cellular components predominantly involved in synaptic signaling, neuronal projection, catabolic intracellular processes and protein transport. Together, this provides a unifying computational framework for conceptualizing the mechanisms and diversity in neurodevelopment, capable of integrating different levels of analysis—from genes to cognition

Age-related changes in visual and auditory sustained attention, inhibition and working memory in preschool-aged children

To date, the differential development of the subcomponents of attention and executive function in preschool ages is not yet fully understood. Although there exists a large-body of research investigating the maturation of attention and executive function throughout the school-ages, little is known about the emergence of such skills among preschool-aged children. The importance of delineating age-related changes of attentional proficiencies and deficiencies rests largely in their utility for understanding atypical developmental trajectories; specifically in neurodevelopmental disorders that are characterized by attentional difficulties. Using adapted computerized paradigms, the present study examined age- related changes in visual and auditory sustained attention, inhibition and working memory in seventy typically-developing children aged 3 to 6 years. The results indicated that similar age-related gains in performance emerged across all three cognitive tasks and both visual and auditory modalities, which suggest that the adapted-measures used are sensitive enough to capture developmentally-associated variations in performance.Présentement, le développement différencié des sous-composantes de l'attention et des fonctions exécutives durant les âges préscolaires n'est pas entièrement compris. Bien qu'il existe un grand corps de recherche portant sur la maturation de l'attention et les fonctions exécutives dans les enfants d'âge scolaire, il reste encore beaucoup à apprendre concernant l'émergence de ces compétences chez les enfants d'âges préscolaires. Il est nécessaire de délimiter les compétences et les carences attentionnelles dans le développement typique pour qu'on puisse utiliser ces informations pour mieux comprendre et définir les trajectoires des habilités attentionnelles dans le développement atypique; précisément, dans les troubles du développement neurologique qui se caractérisent par des difficultés attentionnelles. En utilisant des paradigmes informatiques adaptés, la présente étude a examiné le développement de l'attention soutenue, l'inhibition et la mémoire de travail visuelle et auditive chez soixante-dix enfants au développement typique âgés de 3 à 6 ans. Les résultats montrent que des améliorations de performance liées à l'âge ont émergé à travers les trois tâches cognitives et les modalités visuelle et auditive, suggérant que les paradigmes adaptés utilisés sont suffisamment sensibles pour capturer des variations de performance associées aux changements développementaux

Cognitive dimensions of learning in children with problems in attention, learning, and memory.

A data-driven, transdiagnostic approach was used to identify the cognitive dimensions linked with learning in a mixed group of 805 children aged 5 to 18 years recognised as having problems in attention, learning and memory by a health or education practitioner. Assessments included phonological processing, information processing speed, short-term and working memory, and executive functions, and attainments in word reading, spelling, and maths. Data reduction methods identified three dimensions of phonological processing, processing speed and executive function for the sample as a whole. This model was comparable for children with and without ADHD. The severity of learning difficulties in literacy was linked with phonological processing skills, and in maths with executive control. Associations between cognition and learning were similar across younger and older children and individuals with and without ADHD, although stronger links between learning-related problems and both executive skills and processing speed were observed in children with ADHD. The results establish clear domain-specific cognitive pathways to learning that distinguish individuals in the heterogeneous population of children struggling to learn

Dimensions of cognition, behaviour, and mental health in struggling learners: A spotlight on girls

Abstract: Background: Fewer girls than boys are identified as struggling at school for suspected problems in attention, learning and/or memory. The objectives of this study were to: i) identify dimensions of cognition, behaviour and mental health in a unique transdiagnostic sample of struggling learners; ii) test whether these constructs were equivalent for boys and girls, and; iii) compare their performance across the dimensions. Methods: 805 school‐aged children, identified by practitioners as experiencing problems in cognition and learning, completed cognitive assessments, and parents/carers rated their behaviour and mental health problems. Results: Three cognitive [Executive, Speed, Phonological], three behavioural [Cognitive Control, Emotion Regulation, Behaviour Regulation], and two mental health [Internalising, Externalising] dimensions distinguished the sample. Dimensions were structurally comparable between boys and girls, but differences in severity were present: girls had greater impairments on performance‐based measures of cognition; boys were rated as having more severe externalising problems. Conclusions: Gender biases to stereotypically male behaviours are prevalent among practitioners, even when the focus is on identifying cognitive and learning difficulties. This underscores the need to include cognitive and female‐representative criteria in diagnostic systems to identify girls whose difficulties could go easily undetected

The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire Predicts Concurrent Mental Health Difficulties in a Transdiagnostic Sample of Struggling Learners.

Children and adolescents with developmental problems are at increased risk of experiencing mental health problems. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is widely used as a screener for detecting mental health difficulties in these populations, but its use thus far has been restricted to groups of children with diagnosed disorders (e.g., ADHD). Transdiagnostic approaches, which focus on symptoms and soften or remove the boundaries between traditional categorical disorders, are increasingly adopted in research and practice. The aim of this study was to assess the potential of the SDQ to detect concurrent mental health problems in a transdiagnostic sample of children. The sample were referred by health and educational professionals for difficulties related to learning (N = 389). Some had one diagnosis, others had multiple, but many had no diagnoses. Parent-rated SDQ scores were significantly positively correlated with parent ratings of mental health difficulties on the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS). Ratings on the SDQ Emotion subscale significantly predicted the likelihood of having concurrent clinical anxiety and depression scores. Ratings on the Hyperactivity subscale predicted concurrent anxiety levels. These findings suggest the SDQ could be a valuable screening tool for identifying existing mental health difficulties in children recognized as struggling, as it can be in typically developing children and those with specific diagnoses