Child Neuropsychology : a Journal on Normal and Abnormal Development in Childhood and Adolescence

This clinical study examined the impact of eight predictors (age at stroke, stroke type, lesion size, lesion location, time since stroke, neurologic severity, seizures post-stroke, and socioeconomic status) on neurocognitive functioning following pediatric stroke. Youth with a history of pediatric ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke ( n  = 92, ages six to 25) underwent neuropsychological testing and caregivers completed parent-report questionnaires. Hospital records were accessed for medical history...

Working memory impairments are an oft-reported deficit among children with ADHD, and complementary neuroimaging studies implicate reductions in prefrontal cortex (PFC) structure and function as a neurobiological explanation. Most imaging studies, however, rely on costly, movement-intolerant, and/or invasive methods to examine cortical differences. This is the first study to use a newer neuroimaging tool that overcomes these limitations, functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS), to investigate hypothesized prefrontal differences...

To (i) determine whether accelerated long-term forgetting (ALF) can be found using standardized verbal memory test materials in children with genetic generalized epilepsy (GGE) and temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), and (ii) to establish whether ALF is impacted by executive skills and repeat testing over long delays. One hundred and twenty-three children aged 8 to 16, (28 with GGE, 23 with TLE, and 72 typically developing; TD) completed a battery of standardized tests assessing executive functioning and memory for two stories...

Children with Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD) or Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) are characterized by irritability and social difficulties. However, the mechanisms underlying these disorders could be different. This study explores differences in social cognition and executive function (EF) across DMDD and ODD and the influence of these factors and their interaction on social problems in both groups. Children with DMDD ( n  = 53, Mage  = 9.3) or ODD ( n  = 39, Mage  = 9...

Across a range of neurodevelopmental conditions, a diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been shown to be associated with executive function impairment. However, the DSM-V emphasis upon viewing psychological characteristics as existing on a continuous distributed quantitative dimension has enabled the opportunity to consider the influence of sub-diagnostic or sub-referral levels of these psychological characteristics upon cognitive function. This study adopted a continuum approach to the consideration of this ADHD influence and examined the extent to which the difference in parental reported executive functions between children with Tourette syndrome (TS) or typically developing children could be mediated by a concurrent group difference in the possession of sub-referral levels of ADHD-like characteristics...

Exploring non-linguistic predictors of phonological awareness, such as musical beat perception, is valuable for children who present with language difficulties and diverse support needs. Studies on the musical abilities of children on the autism spectrum show that they have average or above-average musical production and auditory processing abilities. This study aimed to explore the relationship between musical beat perception and phonological awareness skills of children on the autism spectrum with a wide range of cognitive abilities...

Prenatal opioid exposure is one consequence of the opioid epidemic, but effects on child development remain poorly understood. There is emerging evidence that children exposed to opioids in utero exhibit elevated emotional and behavioral problems, which may be partially due to alterations in cognitive control. Using multiple methods (i.e., neuropsychological, behavioral, and event-related potential [ERP] assessments), the present study examined differences in emotional, behavioral, and cognitive control difficulties in preschool-aged children with ( n  = 21) and without ( n  = 23) prenatal opioid exposure ( M age  = 4...

Children with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) are at considerable risk for cognitive difficulties, including visuospatial deficits and executive dysfunction. This study aimed to (1) assess the overall performance of children with NF1 on the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test (RCFT) compared to unaffected siblings and (2) examine neuropsychological predictors of RCFT performance in children with NF1. A retrospective clinical audit was performed on neuropsychological records from a multidisciplinary NF1 Clinic in Australia...

Autism spectrum disorders are more prevalent in children with congenital heart disease (CHD) than in the general population. Children with CHD without diagnosed autism are also at increased risk for neurodevelopmental and psychiatric impairments. We characterized social and behavioral outcomes in children with CHD and examined neurodevelopmental and psychiatric comorbidities. Children without diagnosed autism who underwent infant open-heart surgery were eligible. Parent-reports assessed social communication, unusual behaviors, self-regulation, anxiety, and executive function (EF)...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Impairments in cognitive processes and their associations with dimensional measures of inattention, hyperactivity-impulsivity and anxiety were examined in children at risk of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Children referred by teachers for exhibiting ADHD-type problems ( n  = 116; 43 meeting full diagnostic criteria for ADHD; 4-8 years) completed computerized tasks measuring episodic memory, response inhibition, visuomotor control and sustained attention, while parents were interviewed (DAWBA) to assess ADHD and anxiety symptoms...

Children with ADHD experience difficulties with motor and cognitive control. However, the relationships between these symptoms are poorly understood. As a step toward improving treatment, this study investigated associations between specific aspects of motor control and cognitive control in children with varying levels of hyperactive-impulsive symptoms. A heterogeneous sample of 255 children of 4 to 10 years of age (median = 6.50, MAD = 1.36) completed a battery of tests probing motor generation, visuomotor fluency, visuomotor flexibility, cognitive inhibition, verbal and visuospatial working memory, and cognitive flexibility...

Critical congenital heart disease (CHD) presents a lasting threat to quality of life through its adverse impact on neurodevelopmental and psychosocial outcomes. As recognition of this threat has increased, so too has an appreciation for the role of pediatric neuropsychologists in supporting families affected by CHD. But there is more to offer these families than traditional neuropsychological services, which tend to focus on secondary/tertiary forms of prevention. Now that many children with CHD are diagnosed prenatally, it may be possible to begin mitigating CHD-related risks and promoting positive outcomes earlier than ever before...

It is well known that infants born very preterm (VPT) often demonstrate deficits in mathematical abilities in early childhood which are associated with poorer academic outcomes. Mathematic skills are also critical for other areas of functioning. However, it is not known whether mathematics skills are associated with adaptive functioning in children born preterm. Infants born at ≤31 weeks gestation and full term were recruited at birth and followed over time. At the 36-month corrected age assessment, children were administered the Early Number Concepts subtest of the Differential Abilities Scale, Second Edition, and caregivers completed the Adaptive Behavior Assessment System, Third Edition...

Children who experience pediatric stroke are at higher risk for future behavioral problems in childhood. We examined the prevalence of parent reported externalizing behaviors and executive function problems in children following stroke and neurological predictors. This study included 210 children with pediatric ischemic stroke (mean age 9.18 years (SD = 3.95)). The parent form of the Behavioral Assessment System for Children-Second Edition (BASC-2) and Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) were used to evaluate externalizing behavior and executive function...

Cognitive disengagement syndrome (CDS), previously termed sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT), is characterized by excessive daydreaming, mental confusion, and slowed behavior or thinking. Prior research has found inconsistent relations between CDS and neurocognition, though most studies have used small or ADHD-defined samples, non-optimal measures of CDS, and/or examined limited neurocognitive domains. Accordingly, this study examined the association of parent- and teacher-reported CDS symptoms using a comprehensive neurocognitive battery in a sample of 263 children (aged 8-12) selected with a range of CDS symptomatology...

Cognitive impairment and post-concussive symptoms (PCS) represent hallmark sequelae of pediatric mild traumatic brain injury (pmTBI). Few studies have directly compared cognition as a function of PCS status longitudinally. Cognitive outcomes were therefore compared for asymptomatic pmTBI, symptomatic pmTBI, and healthy controls (HC) during sub-acute (SA; 1-11 days) and early chronic (EC; approximately 4 months) post-injury phases. We predicted worse cognitive performance for both pmTBI groups relative to HC at the SA visit...

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a genetic disease that can lead to impaired social adaptation and functioning, thus affecting quality of life. To date, studies of these children's social cognition abilities have been scant and far from exhaustive. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to assess the ability of children with NF1, compared with controls, to process facial expressions of emotions - not only including the usual primary emotions (happiness, anger, surprise, fear, sadness and disgust), but secondary emotions, too...

The primary aim of this study was to characterize Cognitive Disengagement Syndrome (CDS) symptomatology in youth with spina bifida (SB). One hundred and sixty-nine patients aged 5-19 years old were drawn from clinical cases seen through a multidisciplinary outpatient SB clinic at a children's hospital between 2017 and 2019. Parent-reported CDS and inattention were measured using Penny's Sluggish Cognitive Tempo Scale and the Vanderbilt ADHD Rating Scale. Self-reported internalizing symptoms were measured with the 25-item Revised Children's Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS-25)...

The current study examined the executive function (EF) deficits and their roles in reading in one hundred and four Cantonese-speaking children with typical development, reading disabilities (RD), ADHD, and comorbid ADHD and RD (ADHD + RD). Children's EF and reading skills were measured. Analysis of variance results showed that all children with disorders manifested deficits in verbal and visuospatial short-term and working memory and behavioral inhibition. Moreover, children with ADHD and ADHD + RD also exhibited deficits in inhibition (IC and BI) and cognitive flexibility...