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Paediatrics & Child Health Feb 2019Early diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is essential in most Canadian jurisdictions to access interventions that improve long-term child outcomes. Our main...
BACKGROUND
Early diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is essential in most Canadian jurisdictions to access interventions that improve long-term child outcomes. Our main objective was to identify factors associated with timing of ASD diagnosis in five provinces across Canada.
METHODS
Factors influencing age of diagnosis were assessed in the analyses of an inception cohort of children diagnosed with ASD between ages 2 and 5 years. We examined bivariate associations and using a series of multiple variable regression models, evaluated the unique contributions of developmental functioning, ASD symptoms and demographic variables. Children with known genetic abnormalities, or severe sensory or motor impairments interfering with assessment were excluded.
RESULTS
Participants were 421 children (84.6% boys). The mean age of diagnosis was 38.2 months (SD=8.7), an average of 19 months after parents identified initial concerns. Factors associated with later diagnosis included more advanced language and cognitive skills, and higher levels of restricted repetitive behaviour symptoms. Child sex and family demographics were associated with age of diagnosis. In regression analyses, language and cognitive skills accounted for 6.8% of variance in age of diagnosis and ASD symptoms contributed an additional 5.5%. Provincial site accounted for 4.0% of variance in age of diagnosis, independent of developmental skills and ASD symptoms.
INTERPRETATION
Diagnosis of ASD occurred, on average, 19 months after parents' initial concerns. Language and cognitive skills, symptom severity and provincial site accounted for variation in age of ASD diagnosis in this Canadian cohort. Variable presentation across the developmental continuum must be considered in planning assessment services to ensure timely ASD diagnosis so that outcomes can be improved. Policy and practice leadership is also needed to reduce interprovincial variability.
PubMed: 30906197
DOI: 10.1093/pch/pxy076 -
Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2022Considering the detrimental effects of dyslexia on academic performance and its common occurrence, developing tools for dyslexia detection, monitoring, and treatment...
Considering the detrimental effects of dyslexia on academic performance and its common occurrence, developing tools for dyslexia detection, monitoring, and treatment poses a task of significant priority. The research performed in this paper was focused on detecting and analyzing dyslexic tendencies in Serbian children based on eye-tracking measures. The group of 30 children (ages 7-13, 15 dyslexic and 15 non-dyslexic) read 13 different text segments on 13 different color configurations. For each text segment, the corresponding eye-tracking trail was recorded and then processed offline and represented by nine conventional features and five newly proposed features. The features were used for dyslexia recognition using several machine learning algorithms: logistic regression, support vector machine, k-nearest neighbor, and random forest. The highest accuracy of 94% was achieved using all the implemented features and leave-one-out subject cross-validation. Afterwards, the most important features for dyslexia detection (representing the complexity of fixation gaze) were used in a statistical analysis of the individual color effects on dyslexic tendencies within the dyslexic group. The statistical analysis has shown that the influence of color has high inter-subject variability. This paper is the first to introduce features that provide clear separability between a dyslexic and control group in the Serbian language (a language with a shallow orthographic system). Furthermore, the proposed features could be used for diagnosing and tracking dyslexia as biomarkers for objective quantification.
Topics: Child; Dyslexia; Eye-Tracking Technology; Humans; Language; Reading; Recognition, Psychology
PubMed: 35808394
DOI: 10.3390/s22134900 -
Frontiers in Public Health 2023Williams syndrome (WS) is a rare genetic disorder that impacts multiple systems and may cause developmental delays. These medical and developmental issues impose a heavy...
INTRODUCTION
Williams syndrome (WS) is a rare genetic disorder that impacts multiple systems and may cause developmental delays. These medical and developmental issues impose a heavy burden on affected children and their families. However, there was no study on children's health-related quality of life (HRQoL) with WS and only two studies about family quality of life globally. Therefore, the primary purpose of this study was to assess the HRQoL of children with WS and their caregivers in China, and the secondary purpose was to identify the potential determinants of children's and caregivers' HRQoL.
METHODS
In total, 101 children and caregivers were included. We applied the proxy-reported PedsQL 4.0 Generic Core Module (PedsQL GCM) and PedsQL 3.0 Family Impact Module (FIM) to measure the HRQoL of children and caregivers. Additionally, we collected information on a comprehensive set of social demographic and clinical characteristics. Differences in HRQoL scores across subgroups were assessed by two-independent-samples -tests, one-way ANOVA, and tests. We also calculated effect sizes to indicate clinical relevance. Multivariate linear regression models were applied to assess the potential determinants of HRQoL.
RESULTS
We found that the HRQoL of children with WS and their caregivers was dramatically worse than the norm average scores of the healthy controls of children published in previous studies. Paternal educational level, household income, and the perceived financial burden significantly influenced the HRQoL of both children and families (-values < 0.05). Multivariate linear regression analysis showed that the perceived financial burden was independently associated with family quality of life (-values < 0.05)., and the presence of sleeping problem was independently associated with children's HRQoL (-value = 0.01).
CONCLUSION
We call for attention from policymakers and other stakeholders on the health status and well-being of children with WS and their families. Supports are needed to relieve psychosocial distress and financial burden.
Topics: Humans; Child; Quality of Life; Williams Syndrome; Caregivers; Health Status; China
PubMed: 37361163
DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1177317 -
Frontiers in Psychology 2022The present study examined parental sleep-supporting practices during toddlerhood in relation to temperament across 14 cultures. We hypothesized that passive...
OBJECTIVES
The present study examined parental sleep-supporting practices during toddlerhood in relation to temperament across 14 cultures. We hypothesized that passive sleep-supporting techniques (e.g., talking, cuddling), but not active techniques (e.g., walking, doing an activity together), would be associated with less challenging temperament profiles: higher Surgency (SUR) and Effortful Control (EC) and lower Negative Emotionality (NE), with fine-grained dimensions exhibiting relationships consistent with their overarching factors (e.g., parallel passive sleep-supporting approach effects for dimensions of NE).
METHODS
Caregivers ( = 841) across 14 cultures (M = 61 families per site) reported toddler (between 17 and 40 months of age; 52% male) temperament and sleep-supporting activities. Utilizing linear multilevel regression models and group-mean centering procedures, we assessed the role of between- and within-cultural variance in sleep-supporting practices in relation to temperament.
RESULTS
Both within-and between-culture differences in passive sleep-supporting techniques were associated with temperament attributes, (e.g., lower NE at the between-culture level; higher within-culture EC). For active techniques only within-culture effects were significant (e.g., demonstrating a positive association with NE). Adding sleep-supporting behaviors to the regression models accounted for significantly more between-culture temperament variance than child age and gender alone.
CONCLUSION
Hypotheses were largely supported. Findings suggest parental sleep practices could be potential targets for interventions to mitigate risk posed by challenging temperament profiles (e.g., reducing active techniques that are associated with greater distress proneness and NE).
PubMed: 36507001
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1004082 -
BMC Pediatrics Feb 2018Extreme poverty is severe deprivation of basic needs and services. Children living in extreme poverty may lack adequate parental care and face increased developmental...
BACKGROUND
Extreme poverty is severe deprivation of basic needs and services. Children living in extreme poverty may lack adequate parental care and face increased developmental and health risks. However, there is a paucity of literature on the combined influences of undernutrition and psychosocial factors (such as limited play materials, playground, playtime, interactions of children with their peers and mother-child interaction) on children's developmental outcomes. The main objective of this study was, therefore, to ascertain the association of developmental outcomes and psychosocial factors after controlling nutritional indices.
METHODS
A community-based cross-sectional study design was used to compare the developmental outcomes of extremely poor children (N = 819: 420 girls and 399 boys) younger than 5 years versus age-matched reference children (N = 819: 414 girls and 405 boys) in South-West Ethiopia. Using Denver II-Jimma, development in personal-social, language, fine and gross motor skills were assessed, and social-emotional skills were evaluated using the Ages and Stages Questionnaires: Social-Emotional (ASQ: SE). Nutritional status was derived from the anthropometric method. Independent samples t-test was used to detect mean differences in developmental outcomes between extremely poor and reference children. Multiple linear regression analysis was employed to identify nutritional and psychosocial factors associated with the developmental scores of children in extreme poverty.
RESULTS
Children in extreme poverty performed worse in all the developmental domains than the reference children. Among the 819 extremely poor children, 325 (39.7%) were stunted, 135 (16.5%) were underweight and 27 (3.3%) were wasted. The results also disclosed that stunting and underweightness were negatively associated with all the developmental skills. After taking into account the effects of stunting and being underweight on the developmental scores, it was observed that limited play activities, limited child-to-child interactions and mother-child relationships were negatively related mainly to gross motor and language performances of children in extreme poverty.
CONCLUSION
Undernutrition and psychosocial factors were negatively related to the developmental outcomes, independently, of children living in extreme poverty. Intervention, for these children, should integrate home-based play-assisted developmental stimulation and nutritional rehabilitation.
Topics: Case-Control Studies; Child Development; Child, Preschool; Cross-Sectional Studies; Developmental Disabilities; Ethiopia; Female; Growth Disorders; Humans; Infant; Linear Models; Male; Malnutrition; Mother-Child Relations; Peer Group; Play and Playthings; Poverty; Psychosocial Deprivation
PubMed: 29426302
DOI: 10.1186/s12887-018-1009-y -
Journal of Intellectual Disability... Jul 2017Parents' positive and negative feelings about their young children influence both parenting behaviour and child problem behaviour. Research has not previously examined...
BACKGROUND
Parents' positive and negative feelings about their young children influence both parenting behaviour and child problem behaviour. Research has not previously examined factors that contribute to positive and negative feelings in parents of young children with developmental delay (DD).
METHOD
The present study sought to examine whether optimism, a known protective factor for parents of children with DD, was predictive of positive and negative feelings for these parents. Data were collected from 119 parents of preschool-aged children with developmental delay. Two separate hierarchical linear regression analyses were conducted to determine if optimism significantly predicted positive feelings and negative feelings and whether optimism moderated relations between parenting stress and parent feelings.
RESULTS
Increased optimism was found to predict increased positive feelings and decreased negative feelings after controlling for child problem behaviour and parenting stress. In addition, optimism was found to moderate the relation between parenting stress and positive feelings.
CONCLUSION
Results suggest that optimism may impact how parents perceive their children with DD. Future research should examine how positive and negative feelings impact positive parenting behaviour and the trajectory of problem behaviour specifically for children with DD.
Topics: Adult; Child Behavior; Child, Preschool; Developmental Disabilities; Emotions; Female; Humans; Male; Optimism; Parenting; Parents; Problem Behavior
PubMed: 28444813
DOI: 10.1111/jir.12378 -
Child Abuse & Neglect Mar 2024There are rising numbers of infants entering out-of-home care due to child protection concerns. Research has found that infants entering care are at higher risk of...
BACKGROUND
There are rising numbers of infants entering out-of-home care due to child protection concerns. Research has found that infants entering care are at higher risk of developmental vulnerability and poor health problems.
OBJECTIVES
To determine the prevalence of developmental vulnerability for children who entered care as infants, and the extent and likelihood of service provision in relation to their developmental vulnerability.
PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING
This study includes children who entered care before the age of 1 year for the first time between May 2010 and October 2011 in New South Wales, Australia, and who received final Children's Court care and protection orders by 30 April 2013.
METHODS
This is a prospective cohort study using interview data from the Pathways of Care Longitudinal Study (POCLS) as well as linked administrative child protection and health data. This study used standardised assessments (Age and Stages Questionnaire and the Brief Infant Toddler Social Emotional Assessment) included in the POCLS. Simple and multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted to investigate the likelihood of infants receiving professional services for developmental delays since placement.
FINDINGS
A high proportion of children who entered care as infants were identified as developmentally vulnerable through health indicators (36 %) and standardised assessments (70 %). Only 17 % of infants in care received services for developmental delay, with 20 % and 15 % of those identified as developmentally vulnerable through standardised assessments and health-related variables receiving services, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS
The findings point to the importance of developmental assessment of infants in care and the identification of developmental vulnerability and delays. The provision of early intervention services is essential for this group of high-risk infants and will be important in optimising their health, as well as social and emotional outcomes.
Topics: Infant; Humans; Longitudinal Studies; Prospective Studies; Child Development; Australia; Home Care Services
PubMed: 38044250
DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2023.106577 -
Children (Basel, Switzerland) Apr 2022Black adolescents in the United States have experienced an increase in suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs). Since Black adolescents are overrepresented in the youth...
Black adolescents in the United States have experienced an increase in suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs). Since Black adolescents are overrepresented in the youth punishment system, more research is needed to investigate correlates of STBs for this population. The purpose of this paper is to explore and establish correlates of individual, family, and community risk and protective factors and their relationship to lifetime STBs in a national sample of Black youth with arrest histories. Guided by an intersectional eco-behavioral lens, we investigated individual, family and contextual risk and protective factors for STBs among a national sample of justice-involved Black youth aged 12-17 with a history of arrest ( = 513). We used logistic regression models to test risk and protective factors for STBs. Among the sample, 9.78% endorsed suicidal ideation, and 7.17% endorsed a previous suicide attempt. Further, gender (female) and depression severity were risk factors for STBs, while positive parenting and religiosity were protective factors for STBs. School engagement was associated with lower levels of suicidal ideation. The findings suggest suicide prevention and intervention efforts should identify developmentally salient risk and protective factors to reduce mental health burden associated with STBs and concurrent alleged law-breaking activity of Black youth.
PubMed: 35455566
DOI: 10.3390/children9040522 -
Journal of Prevention & Intervention in... 2019This article presents the effects of a synchronized Latino youth/parent intervention on adolescent inhalant use. The analytic sample included only Latino adolescents... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
This article presents the effects of a synchronized Latino youth/parent intervention on adolescent inhalant use. The analytic sample included only Latino adolescents ( = 487) between the ages of 12 and 14. Randomized at the school-level, the design included three possible conditions: (1) child and parent received the prevention interventions, (2) only the parent received the prevention intervention, (3) neither child or parent received the prevention interventions. Drawing from the eco-developmental perspective, the overall hypothesis was that youth randomly assigned to the condition with both interventions will report the strongest inhalant use prevention outcomes. Descriptive statistics and regression tests of significant group differences by treatment condition confirmed the overall hypothesis. Children receiving the youth intervention and whose parents received the synchronized parenting intervention reported the strongest desired inhalant prevention effects. The findings are interpreted from an eco-developmental perspective and implications for practice, policy, and future research are discussed.
Topics: Adolescent; Adolescent Behavior; Adult; Arizona; Female; Hispanic or Latino; Humans; Inhalant Abuse; Male; Middle Aged; Parent-Child Relations; Parents; Schools
PubMed: 31021304
DOI: 10.1080/10852352.2019.1603675 -
Children (Basel, Switzerland) Jan 2023Considering the growing interest in the possible effects of internet's addiction on adoles-cent's mental health, this study aimed at exploring the psychological...
Considering the growing interest in the possible effects of internet's addiction on adoles-cent's mental health, this study aimed at exploring the psychological correlates of social media and internet problematic use during the first year of the covid-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional study was conducted in a sample of secondary school students (N = 258); participants were asked to complete an online survey, investigating social media addiction (BSMAS), self-esteem (RSES), feelings of isolation (CSIQ-A) and anxiety (STAI-Y). Data analysis (descriptive statistics, correlational and regression analyses) was conducted through XLSTAT software ©. An additional ad hoc questionnaire was administrated. Findings showed that the 11% of the participants were significantly addicted to social media, mostly females (59%). Gender represented an exposure factor for the hours spent on social media and the checking activity while performing other daily activities. Significant correlations emerged between the self-report measure of social media addiction and self-esteem and anxiety. Low scores at RSES corresponded to higher checking activity, hours spent on social networks, and playing videogames that were investigated as supplementary indicators of addiction with ad hoc questionnaire. The regression analysis showed just two predictors of social media addiction, gender (female) and trait anxiety. Limitations and implications of the study were argued in order to give some indications for future programs.
PubMed: 36832407
DOI: 10.3390/children10020278