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Children (Basel, Switzerland) Dec 2020Very preterm children (<32 weeks gestation at birth; VP) are at risk of developmental difficulties. Specific functional difficulties and delays in visual perception,...
Very preterm children (<32 weeks gestation at birth; VP) are at risk of developmental difficulties. Specific functional difficulties and delays in visual perception, fine motor, and visual-motor skills have received little research attention, although they are critical for daily life and school readiness. Our aim was to assess these skills in a contemporary cohort of 60 VP and 60 matched term-born children before school entry. We administered the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (M-ABC-2) and the Developmental Test of Visual Perception (DTVP-2). Linear and logistic regressions were run to test group differences in performance and rates of developmental delay in visual perception, fine motor, and visual-motor skills. Very preterm children had lower scores than term-born children in visual perception ( = -0.25; = 0.006), fine motor ( = -0.44; < 0.001), and visual-motor tasks ( = -0.46; < 0.001). The rate of developmental delay (<-1 SD) was higher among VP in visual perception (odds ratio (OR) = 3.4; 95% confidence interval (CI 1.1-10.6)), fine motor (OR = 6.2 (2.4-16.0)), and visual-motor skills (OR = 13.4 (4.1-43.9)) than in term-born controls. VP children are at increased risk for clinically relevant developmental delays in visual perception, fine motor, and visual-motor skills. Following up VP children until preschool age may facilitate early identification and timely intervention.
PubMed: 33291494
DOI: 10.3390/children7120276 -
Canadian Family Physician Medecin de... Aug 2016To describe the Harris Infant Neuromotor Test (HINT), an infant neuromotor test using Canadian norms published in 2010 that could be used to screen for motor delay... (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVE
To describe the Harris Infant Neuromotor Test (HINT), an infant neuromotor test using Canadian norms published in 2010 that could be used to screen for motor delay during the first year of life.
QUALITY OF EVIDENCE
Extensive research has been published on the intrarater, interrater, and test-retest reliability and the content, concurrent, predictive, and known-groups validity of the HINT, as well as on the sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of parental concerns, as assessed by the HINT. Most evidence is level II.
MAIN MESSAGE
Diagnosing motor delays during the first year of life is important because these often indicate more generalized developmental delays or specific disabilities, such as cerebral palsy. Parental concerns about their children's motor development are strongly predictive of subsequent diagnoses involving motor delay.
CONCLUSION
Only through early identification of developmental motor delays, initially with screening tools such as the HINT, is it possible to provide referrals for early intervention that could benefit both the infant and the family.
Topics: Child Development; Child, Preschool; Early Diagnosis; Humans; Infant; Mass Screening; Motor Disorders; Practice Guidelines as Topic; Societies, Medical
PubMed: 27521388
DOI: No ID Found -
Autism Research : Official Journal of... Dec 2015Movement atypicalities in speed, coordination, posture, and gait have been observed across the autism spectrum (AS) and atypicalities in coordination are more commonly...
Movement atypicalities in speed, coordination, posture, and gait have been observed across the autism spectrum (AS) and atypicalities in coordination are more commonly observed in AS individuals without delayed speech (DSM-IV Asperger) than in those with atypical or delayed speech onset. However, few studies have provided quantitative data to support these mostly clinical observations. Here, we compared perceptual and motor performance between 30 typically developing and AS individuals (21 with speech delay and 18 without speech delay) to examine the associations between limb movement control and atypical speech development. Groups were matched for age, intelligence, and sex. The experimental design included: an inspection time task, which measures visual processing speed; the Purdue Pegboard, which measures finger dexterity, bimanual performance, and hand-eye coordination; the Annett Peg Moving Task, which measures unimanual goal-directed arm movement; and a simple reaction time task. We used analysis of covariance to investigate group differences in task performance and linear regression models to explore potential associations between intelligence, language skills, simple reaction time, and visually guided movement performance. AS participants without speech delay performed slower than typical participants in the Purdue Pegboard subtests. AS participants without speech delay showed poorer bimanual coordination than those with speech delay. Visual processing speed was slightly faster in both AS groups than in the typical group. Altogether, these results suggest that AS individuals with and without speech delay differ in visually guided and visually triggered behavior and show that early language skills are associated with slower movement in simple and complex motor tasks.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Autism Spectrum Disorder; Female; Humans; Language Development Disorders; Male; Motor Skills; Reaction Time; Young Adult
PubMed: 25820662
DOI: 10.1002/aur.1483 -
Journal of Speech, Language, and... Sep 2020Purpose Gradual and sudden perturbations of vocal fundamental frequency ( ), also known as adaptive and reflexive perturbations, are techniques to study the influence...
Purpose Gradual and sudden perturbations of vocal fundamental frequency ( ), also known as adaptive and reflexive perturbations, are techniques to study the influence of auditory feedback on voice control mechanisms. Previous vocal perturbations have incorporated varied setup-specific feedback delays and amplifications. Here, we investigated the effects of feedback delays (10-100 ms) and amplifications on both adaptive and reflexive perturbation paradigms, encapsulating the variability in equipment-specific delays (3-45 ms) and amplifications utilized in previous experiments. Method Responses to adaptive and reflexive perturbations were recorded in 24 typical speakers for four delay conditions (10, 40, 70, and 100 ms) or three amplification conditions (-10, +5, and +10 dB relative to microphone) in a counterbalanced order. Repeated-measures analyses of variance were carried out on the magnitude of responses to determine the effect of feedback condition. Results There was a statistically significant effect of the level of auditory feedback amplification on the response magnitude during adaptive perturbations, driven by the difference between +10- and -10-dB amplification conditions (hold phase difference: = 38.3 cents, = 51.2 cents; after-effect phase: = 66.1 cents, = 84.6 cents). No other statistically significant effects of condition were found for either paradigm. Conclusions Experimental equipment delays below 100 ms in behavioral paradigms do not affect the results of perturbation paradigms. As there is no statistically significant difference between the response magnitudes elicited by +5- and +10-dB auditory amplification conditions, this study is a confirmation that an auditory feedback amplification of +5 dB relative to microphone is sufficient to elicit robust compensatory responses for perturbation paradigms.
Topics: Acoustic Stimulation; Feedback; Feedback, Sensory; Humans; Pitch Perception; Reaction Time; Voice
PubMed: 32755506
DOI: 10.1044/2020_JSLHR-19-00407 -
Frontiers in Cell and Developmental... 2021Cytoskeletal motors produce force and motion using the energy from ATP hydrolysis and function in a variety of mechanical roles in cells including muscle contraction,... (Review)
Review
Cytoskeletal motors produce force and motion using the energy from ATP hydrolysis and function in a variety of mechanical roles in cells including muscle contraction, cargo transport, and cell division. Actin-based myosin motors have been shown to play crucial roles in the development and function of the stereocilia of auditory and vestibular inner ear hair cells. Hair cells can contain hundreds of stereocilia, which rely on myosin motors to elongate, organize, and stabilize their structure. Mutations in many stereocilia-associated myosins have been shown to cause hearing loss in both humans and animal models suggesting that each myosin isoform has a specific function in these unique parallel actin bundle-based protrusions. Here we review what is known about the classes of myosins that function in the stereocilia, with a special focus on class III myosins that harbor point mutations associated with delayed onset hearing loss. Much has been learned about the role of the two class III myosin isoforms, MYO3A and MYO3B, in maintaining the precise stereocilia lengths required for normal hearing. We propose a model for how class III myosins play a key role in regulating stereocilia lengths and demonstrate how their motor and regulatory properties are particularly well suited for this function. We conclude that ongoing studies on class III myosins and other stereocilia-associated myosins are extremely important and may lead to novel therapeutic strategies for the treatment of hearing loss due to stereocilia degeneration.
PubMed: 33718386
DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.643856 -
The Turkish Journal of Pediatrics 2022The conflict in Syria following the anti-regime demonstrations that started in March 2011 created one of the greatest humanitarian crises. The United Nations High...
BACKGROUND
The conflict in Syria following the anti-regime demonstrations that started in March 2011 created one of the greatest humanitarian crises. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports that refugee and resettlement experiences can influence the critical stages of intellectual, social, emotional and physical development of children. There is a lack of sufficient information about the prevalence of developmental delay in forcibly displaced children. In this study, we aimed to describe the impact of the Syrian crisis on the development of children after resettlement, factors that are associated with developmental problems and domains in which developmental delays are more likely to occur.
METHODS
Refugee children (n=60) between the ages of 18-72 months admitted to the Yenimahalle Community Health Center Immigrant Health Unit to receive primary health care services between 1 November 2018- 1 March 2019 were included in this study. The control group included 60 Turkish children between 18-72 months admitted to the İsmail Ulucan Family Health Center which is in the same building. Developmental assessments were conducted by the researchers using the Denver II Developmental Screening Test (DDST-II). Sociodemographic characteristics of the child, family and caregivers as well as risk factors related to development were collected using a questionnaire. The interviews with refugee families were conducted with an interpreter.
RESULTS
Developmental delay was more frequent in refugee children compared to Turkish children. The DDST-II were normal in 82.1%, questionable in 10.7% and abnormal in 7.1% of Turkish children; in the study group, 22.2% of the patients were found to be normal, 33.3% were questionable and 44.4% were abnormal. The differences were statistically significant (p < 0.05). Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that, being a forcibly displaced refugee was the single significant risk factor for developmental delay alone. In the DDST II subdomain analysis, it was seen that high monthly income reduces the risk of caution-delay in personal-social domain. It was found that birth weight below 2500 g increased the risk of caution-delay in the fine-motor and gross-motor domain and being a forcibly displaced refugee and consanguinity increased the risk of caution -delay in the language domain.
CONCLUSIONS
This study showed that being a forcibly displaced refugee was the most important risk factor for developmental delay. We emphasized the importance of surveillance and screening development in these highrisk children as well as early intervention services.
Topics: Child; Child, Preschool; Consanguinity; Humans; Infant; Mass Screening; Refugees; Risk Factors; Syria
PubMed: 36082642
DOI: 10.24953/turkjped.2021.1309 -
Children (Basel, Switzerland) Apr 2022Infants with critical congenital heart defects (CCHDs) are at increased risk for neurodevelopmental delays. The early identification of motor delays is clinically...
Infants with critical congenital heart defects (CCHDs) are at increased risk for neurodevelopmental delays. The early identification of motor delays is clinically relevant to prevent or reduce long-term consequences. The current study aims to describe the motor-developmental pathways of infants with a CCHD. Motor development was assessed in 215 infants and toddlers using the Dutch version of the Bayley-III. At 3 months ( = 165), 9 months ( = 188), and 18 months ( = 171) the motor composite scores were 97, 98, and 104, respectively. A motor composite score of ≤-2 SD was only seen in 2.4%, 0%, and 2.3%, respectively, with gross motor deficits being observed more often than fine motor deficits (12% vs. 0% at 18 months). Over 90% of infants who scored average at 9 months still did so at 18 months. The majority of infants with below-average gross motor scores (≤-1) at 9 months still had a below-average or delayed motor score (≤-2 SD) at 18 months. Abnormal gross motor scores (≤-2 SD) increased with age. Infants with single-ventricle physiology performed significantly ( ≤ 0.05) worse on both fine and gross motor skills at 9 and 18 months compared to infants with other CCHDs.
PubMed: 35455614
DOI: 10.3390/children9040570 -
Pediatrics May 2021Children with gene expansions are known to experience a range of developmental challenges, including fragile X syndrome. However, little is known about early...
BACKGROUND
Children with gene expansions are known to experience a range of developmental challenges, including fragile X syndrome. However, little is known about early development and symptom onset, information that is critical to guide earlier identification, more accurate prognoses, and improved treatment options.
METHODS
Data from 8 unique studies that used the to assess children with an gene expansion were combined to create a data set of 1178 observations of >500 young children. Linear mixed modeling was used to explore developmental trajectories, symptom onset, and unique developmental profiles of children <5 years of age.
RESULTS
Boys with an gene full mutation showed delays in early learning, motor skills, and language development as young as 6 months of age, and both sexes with a full mutation were delayed on all developmental domains by their second birthday. Boys with a full mutation continued to gain skills over early childhood at around half the rate of their typically developing peers; girls with a full mutation showed growth at around three-quarters of the rate of their typically developing peers. Although children with a premutation were mostly typical in their developmental profiles and trajectories, mild but significant delays in fine motor skills by 18 months were detected.
CONCLUSIONS
Children with the gene full mutation demonstrate significant developmental challenges within the first 2 years of life, suggesting that earlier identification is needed to facilitate earlier implementation of interventions and therapeutics to maximize effectiveness.
Topics: Child, Preschool; Developmental Disabilities; Female; Fragile X Mental Retardation Protein; Humans; Infant; Male; Mutation
PubMed: 33911031
DOI: 10.1542/peds.2020-011528 -
ELife Aug 2021Human standing balance relies on self-motion estimates that are used by the nervous system to detect unexpected movements and enable corrective responses and adaptations...
Human standing balance relies on self-motion estimates that are used by the nervous system to detect unexpected movements and enable corrective responses and adaptations in control. These estimates must accommodate for inherent delays in sensory and motor pathways. Here, we used a robotic system to simulate human standing about the ankles in the anteroposterior direction and impose sensorimotor delays into the control of balance. Imposed delays destabilized standing, but through training, participants adapted and re-learned to balance with the delays. Before training, imposed delays attenuated vestibular contributions to balance and triggered perceptions of unexpected standing motion, suggesting increased uncertainty in the internal self-motion estimates. After training, vestibular contributions partially returned to baseline levels and larger delays were needed to evoke perceptions of unexpected standing motion. Through learning, the nervous system accommodates balance sensorimotor delays by causally linking whole-body sensory feedback (initially interpreted as imposed motion) to self-generated balance motor commands.
Topics: Adult; Computer Simulation; Feedback, Sensory; Female; Humans; Learning; Male; Motion; Postural Balance; Posture; Robotics; Vestibule, Labyrinth; Young Adult
PubMed: 34374648
DOI: 10.7554/eLife.65085 -
Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience 2015Working memory (WM) is one of key concepts to understand functions of the prefrontal cortex. Delay-period activity is an important neural correlate to understand the... (Review)
Review
Working memory (WM) is one of key concepts to understand functions of the prefrontal cortex. Delay-period activity is an important neural correlate to understand the role of WM in prefrontal functions. The importance of delay-period activity is that this activity can encode not only visuospatial information but also a variety of information including non-spatial visual features, auditory and tactile stimuli, task rules, expected reward, and numerical quantity. This activity also participates in a variety of information processing including sensory-to-motor information transformation. These mnemonic features of delay-period activity enable to perform various important operations that the prefrontal cortex participates in, such as executive controls, and therefore, support the notion that WM is an important function to understand prefrontal functions. On the other hand, although experiments using manual versions of the delayed-response task had revealed many important findings, an oculomotor version of this task enabled us to use multiple cue positions, exclude postural orientation during the delay period, and further prove the importance of mnemonic functions of the prefrontal cortex. In addition, monkeys with unilateral lesions exhibited specific impairment only in the performance of memory-guided saccades directed toward visual cues in the visual field contralateral to the lesioned hemisphere. This result indicates that memories for visuospatial coordinates in each hemifield are processed primarily in the contralateral prefrontal cortex. This result further strengthened the idea of mnemonic functions of the prefrontal cortex. Thus, the mnemonic functions of the prefrontal cortex and delay-period activity may not need to be reconsidered, but should be emphasized.
PubMed: 25698942
DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2015.00002