Some Peripheral Biofeedback Modules in the Treatment of Chronic Diseases in Children

Biofeedback therapy is a non-drug treatment in which patients learn to control bodily processes that are normally involuntary, such as muscle tension, blood pressure, or heart rate. In this paper we present results obtained with Electro Dermal Response (EDR) and Heart Rate Variability (HRV) applied as adjuvant therapy in chronic pediatric patients. The methodology can be used in scholar settings for stress reducing in pupils and teachers.The evaluated group comprises children and adolescents with: a) cystic fibrosis (N = 40 mean age = 17.5 years ± 23.18 SD); b) bronchial asthma (N = 35, mean age = 11.5 years ± 18.84 SD); c) epilepsy (N = 45, mean age = 13.5 years ± 15.34 SD); and d) diabetes mellitus (N = 30, mean age = 12.5 years ± 12.3 SD).Study showed that peripheral biofeedback is very helpful tool for chronic disorders in children. Both (EDR and HRV) methods confirmed changes on the stress level very significantly. This therapy is non-invasive, easy for application, children accept it with interest and it is cost-effective

High-risk newborns and pervasive developmental disorders

Aim of the paper: Analysis of developmental abilities in high-risk infants, with an emphasis on risk, early screening and early diagnosis of disorders of the autistic spectrum (ASD). Materials and methods: Between January 2013 and December 2015, a total number of 612 high - risk infants, were followed as outpatients at  the Clinic for neurology and development. We used Griffiths developmental scales for assessment of developmental abilities and M-CHAT (Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers) when there was a suspicion for ASD. Results: In 4,4% of the children disorder in the field of socialization, social development and speech, as well as symptoms of ASD were found. The median age of the infants during examination was 23 months. Each child had a normal neurological status. Using the developmental tests, Griffiths developmental scales, the examined children, showed normal development of gross motor skill and normal development of fine motor skills. The developmental coefficient in the area of social development was 64%, and 44% in the area of speech. Four children showed clear signs of sensory integration dysfunction. 3,3% of children with symptoms of ASD were conceived with IVF, were twins and were preemies. Conclusion: The goal of developmental follow-up and developmental diagnostics should be establishing the risk and symptoms of ASD in high - risk children, especially in premature infants and twins.Цел на трудот: Ðнализа на развојните ÑпоÑобноÑти кај виÑокоризичните новородени Ñо акцент на ризикот, раниот Ñкрининг и раната дијагноÑтика на нарушувањата од аутиÑтичниот Ñпектар (ASD). Материјал и методи:  Ð’о периодот  Ð¾Ð´ јануари 2013 година до декември 2015 година, 612 виÑокоризич- ни деца поминале низ Ðевролошко-развојната амбуланта при УниверзитетÑката клиника за детÑки болеÑти во Скопје. Извршена е проценка на развојните ÑпоÑобноÑти на Ñекое дете Ñо примена на раз- војниот теÑÑ‚, Griffiths developmental scales како и примена на M-CHAT ( Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers) во Ñкринирањето на деца на возраÑÑ‚ од 16 до 30 меÑеци при Ñомение за аутиÑтичен Ñпектар на нарушувања. Резултати: Кај 4,4% од децата конÑтатирани Ñе отÑтапувања во Ñоцијалниот развој и говорот, одÑтапувања во полето на Ñоцијализација и Ñимптоми за ASD. Децата Ñе на Ñредна возраÑÑ‚ од 23 меÑеци. Сите деца Ñе Ñо уреден невролошки ÑтатуÑ. Ðа развојните теÑтови, Griffiths developmental scales, покажуваат уреден развој на крупна моторика и уреден развој на фина моторика. Развојниот коефициент во облаÑта на Ñоцијалниот развој изнеÑува  64%, а во облаÑта на говорот 44%. Четири деца покажуваат јаÑни знаци за диÑфункција на Ñензорната интеграција. 3,3% од децата  Ñо елементи на ASD Ñе од вештачко оплодување -IVF, близначка бременоÑÑ‚ и предвремено породување. Заклучок: Целта на развојното Ñледење и развојната дијагноÑтика треба да биде утврдување на ризикот, како и навремено откривање на Ñимптомите за ASD кај виÑоко ризичните деца, оÑобено кај недоноÑените и близнаците

SPECIAL NEEDS CHILDREN: FROM EXCLUSION TO INCLUSION

When a child is born with some type of handicap or acquires one during childhood, many parents face various difficulties and seek answers to countless questions. “What is happening to my child?”;“Why is this happening to him/her and to our family?;“How can I find the best treatment for him/her?”;“How should I behave towards my child?”;“Will my child be able to attend school, have social and emotional relations, will he/she be able to work?”;“Will my child reach old age?”; “What will happen to him/her when we’re gone?” Many parents are burdened with their situation and may experience difficulties handling their child’s handicap in an appropriate way. However, many of them will soon become experts for their children’s condition. When working with special needs children, it is very important to understand that every child and every family is unique. As teachers, psychotherapists, doctors, nurses, etc., we must learn and understand everything we can about the child, and his/her handicap in order to better support, teach, treat and to make efforts for them. Parents will continue to love and accept their children just the way they are, which, of course, is the most important thing for them.Keywords:  children, handicap, family

Automatic Emotion Recognition in Children with Autism: A Systematic Literature Review

© 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).The automatic emotion recognition domain brings new methods and technologies that might be used to enhance therapy of children with autism. The paper aims at the exploration of methods and tools used to recognize emotions in children. It presents a literature review study that was performed using a systematic approach and PRISMA methodology for reporting quantitative and qualitative results. Diverse observation channels and modalities are used in the analyzed studies, including facial expressions, prosody of speech, and physiological signals. Regarding representation models, the basic emotions are the most frequently recognized, especially happiness, fear, and sadness. Both single-channel and multichannel approaches are applied, with a preference for the first one. For multimodal recognition, early fusion was the most frequently applied. SVM and neural networks were the most popular for building classifiers. Qualitative analysis revealed important clues on participant group construction and the most common combinations of modalities and methods. All channels are reported to be prone to some disturbance, and as a result, information on a specific symptoms of emotions might be temporarily or permanently unavailable. The challenges of proper stimuli, labelling methods, and the creation of open datasets were also identified.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Daily Eastern News: December 02, 1998

https://thekeep.eiu.edu/den_1998_dec/1001/thumbnail.jp

GENETIC MARKERS OF LOW BONE MINERAL DENSITY IN PATIENTS WITH CYSTIC FIBROSIS.

Introduction: failure to maintain bone mass density is a major problem in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). CF is due to mutations in the CFTR gene and other genes may contribute to modifying the disease. Genetic and environmental factors may play a role in determining the variability of bone mass. Aim of the study: to analyse the association between polymorphic variants of genes considered to be risk factors of bone metabolism disturbances and decreased bone mineral density (BMD) in children and adults with CF in R. Macedonia. Materials and methods: the study included 80 clinically stable CF patients (age range 5-36y), who regularly attended the CF center at the Pediatric Clinic in Skopje, Macedonia. Three candidate genes likely associated with BMD variability were studied: the vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene, the estrogen receptor alpha (ESR1) and the type I alpha I collagen (COLIA1) gene. A complete bone and CF evaluation was obtained for all patients: 55 had normal BMD (group 1), 17 were osteopenic (group 2) and 8 were osteoporotic (group 3). Results: Low bone mineral density (Z score < -1SD) was found in 31.25% patients and in 10% of them BMD was below -2SD. Patients with low BMD had worse BMI, FEV1 and more severe symptoms of CF. No significant correlation was found between COLIA1 and VDR polymorphisms and BMD. Conclusion: There was no evidence that the genes under study may modulate bone phenotype in CF

EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS EVALUATION PERFORMED BY EVENT RELATED POTENTIALS INCHILDREN WITH OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER

Introduction: Obsessive-compulsive disorder [OCD] is characterized by repetitive, disturbing obsessions and/or compulsions. Obsessions are thoughts, images or feelings which are unwanted, persistent and recurrent. Compulsions are repetitive and ritual motor acts which are performed to decrease the anxiety level caused by repetitive obsessions. The onset of the OCD is typically during adolescence or early adulthood. Its prevalence among children is from 1% to 3% and it appears to be more present among boys than girls. Nowadays, the most effective way to treat OCD is to combine psychopharmacological with cognitive-behavioral treatment strategies. In the past decades researchers were more involved in investigating the role of the executive functions [EF] in psychiatric disorders.Aim of the study: to investigate EF among children with OCD by using Event Related Potentials (ERPs) on the Go/NoGo tasks. Subjects and methods: The sample is comprised of 20 children from both genders, between seven and 14 years of age [М=10,33±1,83], all diagnosed with OCD. Psychological evaluation was performed with Child Behavior Check List, Kohs cubes for assessment of the intellectual capacities, Beck Depression Inventory, The Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children, Stroop Color Word Test and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. Neuropsychological evaluation was performed with the Visual Continuous Performance Test [VCPT] from which the Event Related Potentials [ERP] components were extracted.Results: There is a clear presence of obsessions and/or compulsions, absence of symptoms of depression, presence of perseverative errors and mild difficulties in mental flexibility. The ERP results cannot be understood as a disturbance of the EF in a direct sense, rather than as a disturbed normal functioning caused by the high anxiety level.Conclusion: There is no significant clinical manifestation of cognitive dysfunction among children with OCD in the early stage of the disorder, but it could be expected the same one to be appearing in the later stages of the disorder

Extending Robot Therapy for Children with Autism Using Mobile and Web Application

Robot treatments for children with autism have proven to be successful and effective. However, the resources needed for the treatments do not always meet the needs of the children. We overcame the lack of equipment and staff by extending the concept of robot therapy using a web and mobile application. This application enables greater availability and personification of the therapy itself. Its use in the majority of respondents contributes to improving their condition. This approach increases the flexibility of the therapy itself and makes it more accessible, enabling the patients to progress more rapidly. Although the robotic treatment presented in this paper is specific to children with autism, this approach can be generalized and applied to other areas where there are similar types of therapies