[A study of Rutter behavior problems in school aged children with cleft lip and/or palate].

PubMed

Wu, Zheng-yi; Zhang, Yong; Chen, Li-qin

2008-08-01

To study the difference of behavior problems in school aged children with cleft of lip and/or palate. The Rutter Children Behavior Parent Checklist was used in 100 school aged children with cleft lip and/or palate and 135 school aged normal children in Shanghai.The questionnaire were filled and analyzed with chi2 test and logistic regression using SPSS 10.0 software packageî The positive rate of Rutter behavior problems in school aged children with cleft of lip and/or palate was significantly higher than that in normal children (P<0.05). The positive rate of behavior problems and Rutter behavior problem A in boys was significantly higher than in girls. Primary mental health intervention is necessary to promote the psychiatric health.

Reference values for leptin and adiponectin in children below the age of 10 based on the IDEFICS cohort.

PubMed

Erhardt, E; Foraita, R; Pigeot, I; Barba, G; Veidebaum, T; Tornaritis, M; Michels, N; Eiben, G; Ahrens, W; Moreno, L A; Kovács, E; Molnár, D

2014-09-01

To establish age- and sex-specific reference values for serum leptin and adiponectin in normal-weight 3.0-8.9-year old European children. Blood samples for hormone analysis were taken from 1338 children of the IDEFICS (Identification and prevention of Dietary- and lifestyle-induced health Effects in Children and infantS) study cohort. Only normal-weight children aged 3.0-8.9 years were included (n=539) in our analysis. Using the General Additive Model for Location Scale and Shape, age- and sex-specific percentiles were derived. The influence of under/overweight and obesity on the proposed reference curves based on normal-weight children was investigated in several sensitivity analyses using the sample without obese children (n=1015) and the whole study sample (n=1338). There was a negative age trend of adiponectin blood levels and a positive trend of leptin levels in boys and girls. Percentiles derived for girls were generally higher than those obtained for boys. The corresponding age-specific differences of the 97th percentile ranged from -2.2 to 4.6 μg ml(-1) and from 2.2 to 4.8 ng ml(-1) for adiponectin and leptin, respectively. According to our knowledge, these are the first reference values of leptin and adiponectin in prepubertal, normal-weight children. The presented adiponectin and leptin reference curves may allow for a more differentiated interpretation of children's hormone levels in epidemiological and clinical studies.

Echoing in Autistic Children: A Chronometric Study of Semantic Processing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shapiro, Theodore; Lucy, Peter

1978-01-01

Explores the idea that echoing in autistics differs from normal imitation and represents a different species of production. Subjects were five autistic children, ranging in age from 3 years 10 months to 6 years 8 months, and two normal children, aged 2 years 6 months and 3 years 11 months. (MP)

Spatial working memory deficits in children at ages 3-4 who were low birth weight, preterm infants.

PubMed

Vicari, Stefano; Caravale, Barbara; Carlesimo, Giovanni Augusto; Casadei, Anna Maria; Allemand, Federico

2004-10-01

The aim of this study was to investigate attention and perceptual and spatial working memory abilities in preterm, low birth weight preschool children without evident brain disorders as determined by normal cerebral ultrasound findings and normal motor development. The authors evaluated 19 preterm and 19 typically developing children who were matched for IQ and chronological age. Results indicated that children born prematurely without major neurological deficits and with a normal cognitive level may have specific difficulty in sustained attention, visuospatial processing, and spatial working memory when evaluated at ages 3-4. This finding is relevant for understanding the qualitative aspects of cognitive development in preterm children and the neurobiological substrate underlying this development.

A Study on the Validity of a Computer-Based Game to Assess Cognitive Processes, Reward Mechanisms, and Time Perception in Children Aged 4-8 Years

PubMed Central

Hurks, Petra PM; Aldenkamp, Albert P; van der Spek, Erik D; Rauterberg, GWM; Vles, Johan SH; Hendriksen, Jos GM

2016-01-01

Background A computer-based game, named Timo’s Adventure, was developed to assess specific cognitive functions (eg, attention, planning, and working memory), time perception, and reward mechanisms in young school-aged children. The game consists of 6 mini-games embedded in a story line and includes fantasy elements to enhance motivation. Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the validity of Timo’s Adventure in normally developing children and in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Methods A total of 96 normally developing children aged 4-8 years and 40 children with ADHD were assessed using the game. Clinical validity was investigated by examining the effects of age on performances within the normally developing children, as well as performance differences between the healthy controls and the ADHD group. Results Our analyses in the normally developing children showed developmental effects; that is, older children made fewer inhibition mistakes (r=−.33, P=.001), had faster (and therefore better) reaction times (r=−.49, P<.001), and were able to produce time intervals more accurately than younger children (ρ=.35, P<.001). Discriminant analysis showed that Timo’s Adventure was accurate in most classifications whether a child belonged to the ADHD group or the normally developing group: 78% (76/97) of the children were correctly classified as having ADHD or as being in the normally developing group. The classification results showed that 72% (41/57) children in the control group were correctly classified, and 88% (35/40) of the children in the ADHD group were correctly classified as having ADHD. Sensitivity (0.89) and specificity (0.69) of Timo’s Adventure were satisfying. Conclusions Computer-based games seem to be a valid tool to assess specific strengths and weaknesses in young children with ADHD. PMID:27658428

Quantitative CT characterization of pediatric lung development using routine clinical imaging

PubMed Central

Stein, Jill M.; Walkup, Laura L.; Brody, Alan S.; Fleck, Robert J.

2016-01-01

Background The use of quantitative CT analysis in children is limited by lack of normal values of lung parenchymal attenuation. These characteristics are important because normal lung development yields significant parenchymal attenuation changes as children age. Objective To perform quantitative characterization of normal pediatric lung parenchymal X-ray CT attenuation under routine clinical conditions in order to establish a baseline comparison to that seen in pathological lung conditions. Materials and methods We conducted a retrospective query of normal CT chest examinations in children ages 0–7 years from 2004 to 2014 using standard clinical protocol. During these examinations semi-automated lung parenchymal segmentation was performed to measure lung volume and mean lung attenuation. Results We analyzed 42 CT examinations in 39 children, ages 3 days to 83 months (mean ± standard deviation [SD] = 42±27 months). Lung volume ranged 0.10–1.72 liters (L). Mean lung attenuation was much higher in children younger than 12 months, with values as high as −380 Hounsfield units (HU) in neonates (lung volume 0.10 L). Lung volume decreased to approximately −650 HU by age 2 years (lung volume 0.47 L), with subsequently slower exponential decrease toward a relatively constant value of −860 HU as age and lung volume increased. Conclusion Normal lung parenchymal X-ray CT attenuation decreases with increasing lung volume and age; lung attenuation decreases rapidly in the first 2 years of age and more slowly thereafter. This change in normal lung attenuation should be taken into account as quantitative CT methods are translated to pediatric pulmonary imaging. PMID:27576458

Understanding of thought bubbles as mental representations in children with autism: implications for theory of mind.

PubMed

Kerr, Sharyn; Durkin, Kevin

2004-12-01

Standard false belief tasks indicate that normally developing children do not fully develop a theory of mind until the age of 4 years and that children with autism have an impaired theory of mind. Recent evidence, however, suggests that children as young as 3 years of age understand that thought bubbles depict mental representations and that these can be false. Twelve normally developing children and 11 children with autism were tested on a standard false belief task and a number of tasks that employed thought bubbles to represent mental states. While the majority of normally developing children and children with autism failed the standard false belief task, they understood that (i) thought bubbles represent thought, (ii) thought bubbles can be used to infer an unknown reality, (iii) thoughts can be different, and (iv) thoughts can be false. These results indicate that autistic children with a relatively low verbal mental age may be capable of understanding mental representations.

Rapid word-learning in normal-hearing and hearing-impaired children: effects of age, receptive vocabulary, and high-frequency amplification.

PubMed

Pittman, A L; Lewis, D E; Hoover, B M; Stelmachowicz, P G

2005-12-01

This study examined rapid word-learning in 5- to 14-year-old children with normal and impaired hearing. The effects of age and receptive vocabulary were examined as well as those of high-frequency amplification. Novel words were low-pass filtered at 4 kHz (typical of current amplification devices) and at 9 kHz. It was hypothesized that (1) the children with normal hearing would learn more words than the children with hearing loss, (2) word-learning would increase with age and receptive vocabulary for both groups, and (3) both groups would benefit from a broader frequency bandwidth. Sixty children with normal hearing and 37 children with moderate sensorineural hearing losses participated in this study. Each child viewed a 4-minute animated slideshow containing 8 nonsense words created using the 24 English consonant phonemes (3 consonants per word). Each word was repeated 3 times. Half of the 8 words were low-pass filtered at 4 kHz and half were filtered at 9 kHz. After viewing the story twice, each child was asked to identify the words from among pictures in the slide show. Before testing, a measure of current receptive vocabulary was obtained using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT-III). The PPVT-III scores of the hearing-impaired children were consistently poorer than those of the normal-hearing children across the age range tested. A similar pattern of results was observed for word-learning in that the performance of the hearing-impaired children was significantly poorer than that of the normal-hearing children. Further analysis of the PPVT and word-learning scores suggested that although word-learning was reduced in the hearing-impaired children, their performance was consistent with their receptive vocabularies. Additionally, no correlation was found between overall performance and the age of identification, age of amplification, or years of amplification in the children with hearing loss. Results also revealed a small increase in performance for both groups in the extended bandwidth condition but the difference was not significant at the traditional p = 0.05 level. The ability to learn words rapidly appears to be poorer in children with hearing loss over a wide range of ages. These results coincide with the consistently poorer receptive vocabularies for these children. Neither the word-learning or receptive-vocabulary measures were related to the amplification histories of these children. Finally, providing an extended high-frequency bandwidth did not significantly improve rapid word-learning for either group with these stimuli.

The Use of Lexical Neighborhood Test (LNT) in the Assessment of Speech Recognition Performance of Cochlear Implantees with Normal and Malformed Cochlea.

PubMed

Kant, Anjali R; Banik, Arun A

2017-09-01

The present study aims to use the model-based test Lexical Neighborhood Test (LNT), to assess speech recognition performance in early and late implanted hearing impaired children with normal and malformed cochlea. The LNT was administered to 46 children with congenital (prelingual) bilateral severe-profound sensorineural hearing loss, using Nucleus 24 cochlear implant. The children were grouped into Group 1-(early implantees with normal cochlea-EI); n = 15, 31/2-61/2 years of age; mean age at implantation-3½ years. Group 2-(late implantees with normal cochlea-LI); n = 15, 6-12 years of age; mean age at implantation-5 years. Group 3-(early implantees with malformed cochlea-EIMC); n = 9; 4.9-10.6 years of age; mean age at implantation-3.10 years. Group 4-(late implantees with malformed cochlea-LIMC); n = 7; 7-12.6 years of age; mean age at implantation-6.3 years. The following were the malformations: dysplastic cochlea, common cavity, Mondini's, incomplete partition-1 and 2 (IP-1 and 2), enlarged IAC. The children were instructed to repeat the words on hearing them. Means of the word and phoneme scores were computed. The LNT can also be used to assess speech recognition performance of hearing impaired children with malformed cochlea. When both easy and hard lists of LNT are considered, although, late implantees (with or without normal cochlea), have achieved higher word scores than early implantees, the differences are not statistically significant. Using LNT for assessing speech recognition enables a quantitative as well as descriptive report of phonological processes used by the children.

Initial Stop Voicing in Bilingual Children with Cochlear Implants and Their Typically Developing Peers with Normal Hearing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bunta, Ferenc; Goodin-Mayeda, C. Elizabeth; Procter, Amanda; Hernandez, Arturo

2016-01-01

Purpose: This study focuses on stop voicing differentiation in bilingual children with normal hearing (NH) and their bilingual peers with hearing loss who use cochlear implants (CIs). Method: Twenty-two bilingual children participated in our study (11 with NH, "M" age = 5;1 [years;months], and 11 with CIs, "M" hearing age =…

Assessing the Importance of Lexical Tone Contour to Sentence Perception in Mandarin-Speaking Children With Normal Hearing.

PubMed

Zhu, Shufeng; Wong, Lena L N; Wang, Bin; Chen, Fei

2017-07-12

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the influence of lexical tone contour and age on sentence perception in quiet and in noise conditions in Mandarin-speaking children ages 7 to 11 years with normal hearing. Test materials were synthesized Mandarin sentences, each word with a manipulated lexical contour, that is, normal contour, flat contour, or a tone contour randomly selected from the four Mandarin lexical tone contours. A convenience sample of 75 Mandarin-speaking participants with normal hearing, ages 7, 9, and 11 years (25 participants in each age group), was selected. Participants were asked to repeat the synthesized speech in quiet and in speech spectrum-shaped noise at 0 dB signal-to-noise ratio. In quiet, sentence recognition by the 11-year-old children was similar to that of adults, and misrepresented lexical tone contours did not have a detrimental effect. However, the performance of children ages 9 and 7 years was significantly poorer. The performance of all three age groups, especially the younger children, declined significantly in noise. The present research suggests that lexical tone contour plays an important role in Mandarin sentence recognition, and misrepresented tone contours result in greater difficulty in sentence recognition in younger children. These results imply that maturation and/or language use experience play a role in the processing of tone contours for Mandarin speech understanding, particularly in noise.

National Growth Charts for United Arab Emirates Children With Down Syndrome From Birth to 15 Years of Age

PubMed Central

H Aburawi, Elhadi; Nagelkerke, Nicolas; Deeb, Asma; Abdulla, Shahrban; Abdulrazzaq, Yousef M.

2015-01-01

Background Specific centile growth charts for children with Down syndrome (DS) have been produced in many countries and are known to differ from those of normal children. Since growth assessment depends on the growth pattern characteristic for these conditions, disorder-specific charts are desirable for various ethnic groups. Aims To provide cross-sectional weight, height, and head circumference (HC) references for healthy United Arab Emirates (UAE) children with DS. Methods A retrospective and cross-sectional growth study of Emirati children with DS, aged 0 to 18 years old, was conducted. Height, weight, and HC were measured in each child. Cole’s LMS statistical method was applied to estimate age-specific percentiles, and measurements were compared to UAE reference values for normal children. Results Incidence of DS in the UAE population is 1 in 374 live births (267 in 10 000 live births). We analyzed 1263 growth examinations of 182 children with DS born between 1994 and 2012. The male-to-female ratio was 1.6:1. Height, weight, and HC centile charts were constructed for ages 0 to 13 years. The prevalence of overweight and obesity in DS children aged 10 to 13 years of age was 32% and 19%, respectively. The DS children were significantly shorter and heavier than normal children in the UAE. Conclusions Weight, height, and HC growth charts were created for children with DS. These can be used as a reference standard for the UAE children with DS. Overweight and obesity are quite common in DS children ≥10 years of age, as DS children tend to be shorter and heavier than non-DS children. PMID:25196167

Parenting and Cognitive and Psychomotor Delay Due to Small-for-Gestational-Age Birth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Xiuhong; Eiden, Rina D.; Epstein, Leonard H.; Shenassa, Edmond D.; Xie, Chuanbo; Wen, Xiaozhong

2017-01-01

Background: To examine whether different dimensions of parenting at different ages help small-for-gestational-age (SGA) children "catch-up" the normal children in cognition and psychomotor. Methods: We analyzed data of 800 children born SGA and 3,000 children born appropriate-for-gestational-age (AGA) from the Early Childhood…

Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Differences between Normal-Weight, Overweight, Obese, and Morbidly Obese Children.

PubMed

Scott, Brian; Johnson, Romaine F; Mitchell Md, Ron B

2016-05-01

The severity of obstructive sleep apnea in children determines perioperative management and is an indication for postoperative polysomnography. The relationship between increasing weight and sleep apnea severity in children remains unclear. To compare demographic, clinical, and polysomnography parameters in normal-weight, overweight, obese, and morbidly obese children, as well as identify demographic factors that predict sleep apnea severity. Case series with chart review. Academic children's hospital. A retrospective chart review of 290 children aged 2 to 18 years who underwent polysomnography at an academic children's hospital was performed. Demographics, clinical findings, and polysomnographic parameters were recorded. Children were categorized as normal weight, overweight, obese, or morbidly obese. Differences were assessed using linear and logistical regression models. Significance was set at P < .05. Morbidly obese were older than normal-weight children (mean, 8.0 ± 0.5 years vs 5.8 ± 0.3 years; P < .001) and less likely to have a normal polysomnogram (16% vs 48%; P = .02). There were no differences in sex, ethnicity, birth status (term or preterm), or tonsil size between normal-weight, overweight, obese, and morbidly obese children. Sleep efficiency and percentage of time in rapid eye movement were decreased in morbidly obese compared with other children (P < .05). The apnea-hypopnea index was positively correlated with increasing body mass index z score only as a function of increasing age (P < .001). Obstructive sleep apnea severity is correlated with a combination of increasing age and weight but not with either variable independently. This study suggests that obese and morbidly obese older children are most likely to have severe obstructive sleep apnea. © American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery Foundation 2016.

Sonographic Assessment of the Normal Dimensions of Liver, Spleen, and Kidney in Healthy Children at Tertiary Care Hospital.

PubMed

Thapa, N B; Shah, S; Pradhan, A; Rijal, K; Pradhan, A; Basnet, S

2015-01-01

Background Ultrasonography is one of the most common imaging modality to measure dimensions of visceral organs in children. However, the normal limit of size of visceral organs according to age and body habitus has not been specified in the standard textbooks. This might result in under detection of organomegaly in pediatrics population. Objective The objective of this study was to determine the normal range of dimensions for the liver, spleen, and kidney in healthy children. Method This is prospective cross-sectional, hospital-based study done at Tertiary-care teaching hospital. Participants included 272 pediatric subjects (152 male and 120 female) with normal physical or sonographic findings who were examined because of problems unrelated to the measured organs. The subjects were one month to 15 year (180 months) old. All measured organs were sonographically normal. Relationships of the dimensions of these organs with sex, age, body weight and height were investigated. Limits of normal dimensions of these organs were defined. Result Normal length of liver, kidneys and spleen were obtained sonographically for 272 children (152 male [55.9%] and 120 female [44.1%]) in the age group from 1 months to 15 (180 months) years. The mean age was 45.78 months (SD, 44.73). The measured dimensions of all these organs showed highest correlation with height and age so the descriptive analysis of the organ dimensions (mean, minimum, and maximum values, SD and 5th and 95th percentiles) were expressed in 10 age groups along with height range of the included children. The mean length of right kidney was shorter than the left kidney length, and the difference was statistically significant (p = 0.001). Conclusion This study provides practical and comprehensive guide to the normal visceral organ dimension in pediatric population. The normal range limit of the liver, spleen, and kidney determined in this study could be used as a reference in daily practice in local radiology clinics.

Cognitive Development of Intellectually Gifted: A Piagetian Perspective.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carter, Kyle R.

1985-01-01

Relationships between intellectual giftedness and performance within Piagetian stages of 673 gifted students (10-16 years old) were investigated. Results showed that intellectually superior children out- performed children of normal ability at all age levels. Intellectually superior Ss out-performed bright-normal Ss at lower ages, but no…

Increases in Language Lateralization in Normal Children as Observed Using Magnetoencephalography

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ressel, Volker; Wilke, Marko; Lidzba, Karen; Lutzenberger, Werner; Krageloh-Mann, Ingeborg

2008-01-01

Previous functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies investigating hemispheric dominance for language have shown that hemispheric specialization increases with age. We employed magnetoencephalography (MEG) to investigate these effects as a function of normal development. In sum, 22 healthy children aged 7-16 years were investigated using…

Structural and functional perspectives on classification and seriation in psychotic and normal children.

PubMed

Breslow, L; Cowan, P A

1984-02-01

This study describes a strategy for examining cognitive functioning in psychotic and normal children without the usual confounding effects of marked differences in cognitive structure that occur when children of the same age are compared. Participants were 14 psychotic children, 12 males and 2 females, mean age 9-2, matched with normal children at preoperational and concrete operational stage levels on a set of Piagetian classification tasks. The mean age of the normal children was 6-4, replicating the usually found developmental delay in psychotic samples. Participants were then compared on both structural level and functional abilities on a set of tasks involving seriation of sticks; the higher-level children were also administered a seriation drawing task. Analysis of children's processes of seriating and seriation drawings indicated that over and above the structural retardation, psychotic children at all levels showed functional deficits, especially in the use of anticipatory imagery. The implications for general developmental theory are that progress in structural development is not sufficient for imaginal development, and that structural development of logical concepts is relatively independent of the development of imagery. It was suggested that "thought disorder" may not be a disordered structure of thinking or a retardation in psychotic populations but rather a mismatch between higher-level logical structures and lower-level functions.

Preschool-Age Chinese Children's Weight Status: WHO Classification, Parent Ratings, Child/Family Characteristics.

PubMed

Wang, Guang Heng; Tan, Tony Xing; Cheah, Charissa S L

We aimed to compare preschool-age Chinese children's weight status based on the WHO guidelines with parental ratings on their children's body type, and child/family demographic characteristics. The sample included 171 preschool-age children (M=60.5months, SD=6.7; boys: 46.8%) randomly selected from 23 classrooms. Based on BMIs from their height and weight from physical examinations, the children were divided into three groups using the 2006 WHO guidelines: underweight (n=46), normal weight (n=65), and overweight (n=60). Data on the parental ratings of children's current body type, ideal body type and child/family demographic characteristics were collected with surveys. Parents' accurately classified 91.1% of the underweight children, 52.3% of the normal weight children, and 61.7% of the overweight children. In terms of ideal body shape for their children, parents typically wanted their children to have normal weight or to remain underweight. Most of the child and family demographic characteristics were not different across children who were underweight, had normal weight, and were overweight. Because parents tended to underestimate their children's weight status, it is important to increase Chinese parents' knowledge on what constitutes healthy weight, as well as the potential harm of overweight status for children's development. Training healthcare providers in kindergartens and pediatric clinics to work with parents to recognize unhealthy weight status in children is valuable. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Self-Regulation during Pretend Play in Children with Intellectual Disability and in Normally Developing Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vieillevoye, Sandrine; Nader-Grosbois, Nathalie

2008-01-01

This study investigated the symbolic behavior and the self-regulation in dyads of children with intellectual disability and of normally developing children. Specifically, these processes were studied in link with the children's characteristics (mental age, linguistic level, individual pretend play level). The sample included 80 participants, 40…

Association between dental caries and body mass in preschool children.

PubMed

Pikramenou, V; Dimitraki, D; Zoumpoulakis, M; Verykouki, E; Kotsanos, N

2016-06-01

This was to explore the association between dental caries and body mass index (BMI) by conducting a cross-sectional study of a sample of preschool children from a major Greek city. The sample consisted of 2180 children aged 2.5-5.9 years from 33 private day care centres of Thessaloniki. The examinations were performed on site in ample day light by one examiner using disposable dental mirrors and a penlight. Oral examinations included recording of dental caries by dmfs index. Subject's height and weight were measured using a portable measuring unit and a digital scale, respectively. The overall prevalence of underweight, normal weight, overweight and obese children in each BMI-based weight category was 11.8, 72.2, 12.8, and 3.2 %, respectively. The mean age of the total sample was 50.09 (±10.28) months, mean dmfs was 0.36 (±1.9) and the caries-free children were 90.0 %. Overweight children were 1.36 times and obese children 1.99 times more likely to have higher dmfs than normal weight children. The mean dmfs values of underweight children did not significantly differ than that of children with normal weight. The relatively higher dmfs of the obese and overweight children was mostly evident in the older (60-71 months) age group. Caries prevalence in this sample of Greek children attending private day care centres was low. Overweight and obese preschool children were at higher risk of dental caries than normal- and underweight children.

Validation of the second version of the LittlEARS® Early Speech Production Questionnaire (LEESPQ) in German-speaking children with normal hearing.

PubMed

Keilmann, Annerose; Friese, Barbara; Lässig, Anne; Hoffmann, Vanessa

2018-04-01

The introduction of neonatal hearing screening and the increasingly early age at which children can receive a cochlear implant has intensified the need for a validated questionnaire to assess the speech production of children aged 0‒18. Such a questionnaire has been created, the LittlEARS ® Early Speech Production Questionnaire (LEESPQ). This study aimed to validate a second, revised edition of the LEESPQ. Questionnaires were returned for 362 children with normal hearing. Completed questionnaires were analysed to determine if the LEESPQ is reliable, prognostically accurate, internally consistent, and if gender or multilingualism affects total scores. Total scores correlated positively with age. The LEESPQ is reliable, accurate, and consistent, and independent of gender or lingual status. A norm curve was created. This second version of the LEESPQ is a valid tool to assess the speech production development of children with normal hearing, aged 0‒18, regardless of their gender. As such, the LEESPQ may be a useful tool to monitor the development of paediatric hearing device users. The second version of the LEESPQ is a valid instrument for assessing early speech production of children aged 0‒18 months.

[Children's eating behaviour: comparison between normal and overweight children from a school in Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil].

PubMed

dos Passos, Darlise Rodrigues; Gigante, Denise Petrucci; Maciel, Francine Villela; Matijasevich, Alicia

2015-01-01

To evaluate differences in children's eating behavior as a function of their nutritional status, sex and age. Male and female children aged six to ten years were included. They were recruited from a private school in the city of Pelotas, southern Brazil, in 2012. Children's Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (CEBQ) subscales were used to assess eating behaviours: Food Responsiveness (FR), Enjoyment of Food (EF), Desire to Drink (DD), Emotional Overeating (EOE), Emotional Undereating (EUE), Satiety Responsiveness (SR), Fussiness (FF) and Slowness in Eating (SE). Age-adjusted body mass index (BMI) z-scores were calculated according to the WHO recommendations to assess nutritional status. The study sample comprised 335 children aged 87.9 ± 10.4 months and 49.3% were normal weight (n = 163), 26% overweight (n = 86), 15% obese (n = 50) and 9.7% severely obese (n = 32). Children with excessive weight showed higher scores on the CEBQ subscales associated with "food approach" (FR, EF, DD, EOE, p < 0.001) and lower scores on two "food avoidance" subscales (SR and SE, p < 0.001 and p = 0.003, respectively) compared to normal weight children. "Food approach" subscales were positively associated to excessive weight in children. Significant age and gender differences in eating behaviours were not found. Copyright © 2014 Associação de Pediatria de São Paulo. Publicado por Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

Discrimination Learning and the Effects of Interference on Short and Long Term Retention Process of Retarded and Normal Children. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stukuls, Henry I.

Eighteen retarded Ss (mean IQ 50 and mean age 14 years) and 18 normal Ss (mean IQ 100 and mean age 7 years) participated in a study to isolate variables that differentially control discrimination learning and retention processes, and to evaluate contrasting theories on discrimination learning and menory processes of retarded and normal children.…

Pamidronate Affects the Mandibular Cortex of Children with Osteogenesis Imperfecta

PubMed Central

Apolinário, A.C.; Figueiredo, P.T.; Guimarães, A.T.; Acevedo, A.C.; Castro, L.C.; Paula, A.P.; Paula, L.M.; Melo, N.S.; Leite, A.F.

2015-01-01

We hypothesized that mandibular cortical width (MCW) is smaller in children with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) than in healthy children and that pamidronate can improve the cortical mandibular thickness. The aim of this study was to assess changes in the MCW on dental panoramic radiographs (DPRs) of children with normal bone mineral density (BMD) and with OI. We also compared the MCW of children with different types of OI regarding the number of pamidronate cycles and age at the beginning of treatment. MCW measurements were retrospectively obtained from 197 DPRs of 66 children with OI types I, III, and IV who were in treatment with a comparable dosage of cyclical intravenous pamidronate between 2007 and 2013. The control group had 92 DPRs from normal BMD children. Factorial analysis of variance was used to compare MCW measurements among different age groups and between sexes and also to compare MCW measurements of children with different types of OI among different pamidronate cycles and age at the beginning of treatment. No significant differences in results were found between male and female subjects in both OI and healthy children, so they were evaluated altogether (P > 0.05). There was an increase of MCW values related to aging in all normal BMD and OI children but on a smaller scale in children with OI types I and III. Children with OI presented lower mean MCW values than did children with normal BMD at the beginning of treatment (P < 0.05). A linear model estimated the number of pamidronate cycles necessary to achieve mean MCW values equivalent to those of healthy children. The thinning of the mandibular cortex depended on the number of pamidronate cycles, the type of OI, and the age at the beginning of treatment. DPRs could thus provide a way to identify cyclic pamidronate treatment outcomes in patients with OI. PMID:25608973

Adult's Responses to the Physical Appearance of Children with Growth Disorders.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alley, Thomas R.; Hall, Debora L.

1989-01-01

Reports reactions of university students to the physical appearance of children with growth disorders of dwarfism, or sex-linked trisomy, compared to children with normal body proportions. Normal children were rated more favorably on physical attractiveness. Discussed the impact of perceived age and height-weight characteristics on…

[Electroencephalogram power development of cognitive function at age 7 to 12 years: a comparative study between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and healthy children].

PubMed

Cheng, Q R; Shen, H J; Tu, W J; Zhang, Q F; Dong, X

2016-12-02

Objective: To compare brain electrical cognitive tasks and brain development between study about 7 to 12 years old attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and normal children. Method: Prospectic case-control study was used. A total of 110 children with ADHD (63 boys and 47 girls) and 116 normal children (66 boys and 50 girls), were enrolled in this study. The electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded when attention tasks were conducted, the EEG power was extracted from the original data and comparatively analyzed the absolute power (θ, α, β spectrum) and relative power (θ/total, α/total, θ/α, θ/β). Result: (1) Absolute power: ADHD children θ absolute power was higher than that of normal children in Pz lead ((52±28) vs . (40±30)μV 2 , t =3.906, P <0.05), with statistical significance. (2) Relative power: θ/total, θ/α, θ/β in ADHD are higher than normal children(0.23±0.07 vs . 0.20±0.05, 1.35±0.76 vs . 1.00±0.56, 4.75±2.49 vs . 3.56±2.08, t =2.900 and 3.954 and 3.901, P =0.004 and 0.000 and 0.000), α/total in ADHD is lower (0.21±0.09 vs. 0.24±0.10, t =-2.517, P =0.013). (3) The comparative study of the development of EEG power θ/β between ADHD and normal children showed age-related correlation in both groups ( r =-0.378 and -0.398, P =0.000 for both). Conclusion: ADHD children's EEG power on slow spectrum was higher than that of the normal children, it was more significant in the parietal region than in frontal region. With the increase of age, the θ relative power in ADHD and normal children gradually declined, in the normal children it linearly related, but in ADHD there was no significant regularity. θ/β can be used as a sensitive index to assess ADHD children's cognitive function.

A STUDY OF COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT AND PERFORMANCE IN CHILDREN WITH NORMAL AND DEFECTIVE HEARING.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

TEMPLIN, MILDRED C.

A COMPARATIVE, LONGITUDINAL STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO EXAMINE SPECIFIC PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS OF DEAF AND NORMAL CHILDREN ON SELECTED COGNITIVE TASKS. THE SAMPLE, DISTRIBUTED INTO 3 AGE CATEGORIES, CONSISTED OF 72 NORMAL AND 60 DEAF CHILDREN. MEASURES WERE SELECTED TO ASSESS THE PERFORMANCE OF SUBJECTS (1) IN DIFFERENT AREAS OF COGNITION, (2) BY…

Tracking of "Moving" Fused Auditory Images by Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cranford, Jerry L.; And Others

1993-01-01

This study evaluated the ability of 30 normally developing children (ages 6-12) to report the perceived location of a stationary fused auditory image (FAI) or track a "moving" FAI. Although subjects performed at normal adult levels with the stationary sound measure, they exhibited a significant age-related trend with the moving sound…

Kinematic measurements of the vocal-fold displacement waveform in typical children and adult populations: quantification of high-speed endoscopic videos.

PubMed

Patel, Rita; Donohue, Kevin D; Unnikrishnan, Harikrishnan; Kryscio, Richard J

2015-04-01

This article presents a quantitative method for assessing instantaneous and average lateral vocal-fold motion from high-speed digital imaging, with a focus on developmental changes in vocal-fold kinematics during childhood. Vocal-fold vibrations were analyzed for 28 children (aged 5-11 years) and 28 adults (aged 21-45 years) without voice disorders. The following kinematic features were analyzed from the vocal-fold displacement waveforms: relative velocity-based features (normalized average and peak opening and closing velocities), relative acceleration-based features (normalized peak opening and closing accelerations), speed quotient, and normalized peak displacement. Children exhibited significantly larger normalized peak displacements, normalized average and peak opening velocities, normalized average and peak closing velocities, peak opening and closing accelerations, and speed quotient compared to adult women. Values of normalized average closing velocity and speed quotient were higher in children compared to adult men. When compared to adult men, developing children typically have higher estimates of kinematic features related to normalized displacement and its derivatives. In most cases, the kinematic features of children are closer to those of adult men than adult women. Even though boys experience greater changes in glottal length and pitch as they mature, results indicate that girls experience greater changes in kinematic features compared to boys.

Controlled Antenatal Thyroid Screening II: effect of treating maternal sub-optimal thyroid function on child cognition.

PubMed

Hales, Charlotte; Taylor, Peter N; Channon, Sue; Paradice, Ruth; McEwan, Kirsten; Zhang, Lei; Gyedu, Michael; Bakhsh, Ameen; Okosieme, Onyebuchi; Muller, Ilaria; Draman, Mohd S; Gregory, John W; Dayan, Colin; Lazarus, John H; Rees, D Aled; Ludgate, Marian

2018-01-15

The Controlled Antenatal Thyroid Screening (CATS) study investigated treatment for suboptimal gestational thyroid function (SGTF) on childhood cognition and found no difference in IQ at 3 years between children of treated and untreated SGTF mothers. We have measured IQ in the same children at age 9.5-years and included children from normal-GTF mothers. One examiner, blinded to participant group, assessed children's IQ (WISC-IV), long-term memory and motor function (NEPSY-II) from children of 119 treated and 98 untreated SGTF mothers plus children of 232 mothers with normal-GTF. Logistic regression explored the odds and percentages of IQ<85 in the groups. There was no difference in IQ<85 between children of mothers with normal-GTF and combined SGTF i.e. treated and untreated (fully adjusted OR=1.15 (95% CI 0.52, 2.51) p=0.731). Furthermore, there was no significant effect of treatment (untreated OR=1.33 (95% CI 0.53, 3.34), treated OR=0.75 (95% CI 0.27, 2.06) p=0.576). IQ< 85 was 6.03% in normal-GTF, 7.56% in treated and 11.22% in untreated groups. Analyses accounting for treated-SGTF women with FT4 >97.5th centile of the entire CATS-I cohort revealed no significant effect on child's IQ<85 in CATS-II. IQ at age 3 predicted IQ at age 9.5 (p<0.0001) and accounted for 45% of the variation. Maternal thyroxine during pregnancy did not improve child cognition at age 9.5 years. Our findings confirmed CATS-I and suggest that the lack of treatment effect may be due to the similar proportion of IQ<85 in children of women with normal-GTF and SGTF. Copyright © 2018 Endocrine Society

Behaviour problems and cortisol levels in very-low-birth-weight children.

PubMed

Wadsby, Marie; Nelson, Nina; Ingemansson, Fredrik; Samuelsson, Stefan; Leijon, Ingemar

2014-11-01

Abstract Background. There are still diverging results concerning the behaviour of children with very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) and they have been questioned to display different levels of stress hormone than normal-birth-weight (NBW) children. Aims. This study examined behaviour and the stress hormone cortisol in children with VLBW at the ages of 7 and 9 years compared with children with NBW. Results. Fifty-one VLBW and 50 NBW children were studied with the Child Behavior Checklist. Cortisol rhythm was measured through saliva samples three times a day for 2 days. VLBW children displayed more behavioural problems than NBW children, specifically social and attention problems, although still within normal ranges. They showed lower cortisol levels both at 7 and 9 years of age. No strong association between behaviour and cortisol levels was shown. Conclusion. VLBW children display more behaviour problems compared with NBW children but both groups score are within the normal range. Down-regulation of their hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) function in terms of lower cortisol levels is also noted.

Normal Threshold Size of Stimuli in Children Using a Game-Based Visual Field Test.

PubMed

Wang, Yanfang; Ali, Zaria; Subramani, Siddharth; Biswas, Susmito; Fenerty, Cecilia; Henson, David B; Aslam, Tariq

2017-06-01

The aim of this study was to demonstrate and explore the ability of novel game-based perimetry to establish normal visual field thresholds in children. One hundred and eighteen children (aged 8.0 ± 2.8 years old) with no history of visual field loss or significant medical history were recruited. Each child had one eye tested using a game-based visual field test 'Caspar's Castle' at four retinal locations 12.7° (N = 118) from fixation. Thresholds were established repeatedly using up/down staircase algorithms with stimuli of varying diameter (luminance 20 cd/m 2 , duration 200 ms, background luminance 10 cd/m 2 ). Relationships between threshold and age were determined along with measures of intra- and intersubject variability. The Game-based visual field test was able to establish threshold estimates in the full range of children tested. Threshold size reduced with increasing age in children. Intrasubject variability and intersubject variability were inversely related to age in children. Normal visual field thresholds were established for specific locations in children using a novel game-based visual field test. These could be used as a foundation for developing a game-based perimetry screening test for children.

Relationship between anthropometry and motor abilities at pre-school age.

PubMed

De Toia, Daniela; Klein, Daniel; Weber, Sarah; Wessely, Nicolas; Koch, Benjamin; Tokarski, Walter; Dordel, Sigrid; Struder, Heiko; Graf, Christine

2009-01-01

Little is known to date about the relationship between poor motor abilities and overweight or obese pre-school children. Thus, this study examined the association between motor abilities and weight status in 1,228 kindergarten children (45.8% female). Anthropometric data were assessed; age 4.7 + or - 1.0 years; height 108.6 + or - 8.0 cm; weight 19.1 + or - 3.6 kg; BMI 16.1 + or - 1.5 kg/m(2). The modified Karlsruher Motor Ability Screening Test was carried out to determine the motor abilities of speed strength, muscular endurance, coordination, flexibility, and speed. Based on the German BMI reference values, 3.5% of the children were obese, 9.6% overweight, 83.4% normal weight, and 3.5% underweight. During various test tasks, below-average motor abilities were discovered in 44.0-47.3%. In all age groups, overweight and obese children did not differ from their normal and underweight counterparts; except for underweight children which fared worse in flexibility. In contrast to former studies with first graders, overweight or obese pre-school children did not possess worse motor abilities than normal weight children. However, the high number of overweight children and motor deficits suggests that preventive measures should start at this early age. Copyright 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel.

A longitudinal study of the bilateral benefit in children with bilateral cochlear implants.

PubMed

Asp, Filip; Mäki-Torkko, Elina; Karltorp, Eva; Harder, Henrik; Hergils, Leif; Eskilsson, Gunnar; Stenfelt, Stefan

2015-02-01

To study the development of the bilateral benefit in children using bilateral cochlear implants by measurements of speech recognition and sound localization. Bilateral and unilateral speech recognition in quiet, in multi-source noise, and horizontal sound localization was measured at three occasions during a two-year period, without controlling for age or implant experience. Longitudinal and cross-sectional analyses were performed. Results were compared to cross-sectional data from children with normal hearing. Seventy-eight children aged 5.1-11.9 years, with a mean bilateral cochlear implant experience of 3.3 years and a mean age of 7.8 years, at inclusion in the study. Thirty children with normal hearing aged 4.8-9.0 years provided normative data. For children with cochlear implants, bilateral and unilateral speech recognition in quiet was comparable whereas a bilateral benefit for speech recognition in noise and sound localization was found at all three test occasions. Absolute performance was lower than in children with normal hearing. Early bilateral implantation facilitated sound localization. A bilateral benefit for speech recognition in noise and sound localization continues to exist over time for children with bilateral cochlear implants, but no relative improvement is found after three years of bilateral cochlear implant experience.

Parental Perceptions of Child Behavior Problems, Parenting Self-Esteem, and Mothers' Reported Stress in Younger and Older Hyperactive and Normal Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mash, Eric J.; Johnston, Charlotte

1983-01-01

Examined parental perceptions of child behavior, parenting self-esteem, and mothers' reported stress for younger and older hyperactive and normal children. Parenting self-esteem was lower in parents of hyperactives than in parents of normal children. Self-esteem related to skill/knowledge as a parent was age related. (Author/RC)

Metabolic differences between short children with GH peak levels in the lower normal range and healthy children of normal height.

PubMed

Tidblad, Anders; Gustafsson, Jan; Marcus, Claude; Ritzén, Martin; Ekström, Klas

2017-06-01

Severe growth hormone deficiency (GHD) leads to several metabolic effects in the body ranging from abnormal body composition to biochemical disturbances. However, less is known regarding these parameters in short children with GH peak levels in the lower normal range during provocation tests. Our aim was to study the metabolic profile of this group and compare it with that of healthy children of normal height. Thirty-five pre-pubertal short children (<-2.5 SDS) aged between 7 and 10years, with peak levels of GH between 7 and 14μg/L in an arginine insulin tolerance test (AITT), were compared with twelve age- and sex-matched children of normal height. The metabolic profile of the subjects was analysed by blood samples, DEXA, frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test, microdialysis and stable isotope examinations of rates of glucose production and lipolysis. There were no overall significant metabolic differences between the groups. However, in the subgroup analysis, the short children with GH peaks <10μg/L had significantly lower fasting insulin levels which also correlated to other metabolic parameters. The short pre-pubertal children with GH peak levels between 7 and 14μg/L did not differ significantly from healthy children of normal height but subpopulations within this group show significant metabolic differences. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Parenting stress and affective symptoms in parents of autistic children.

PubMed

Gong, Yun; Du, YaSong; Li, HuiLin; Zhang, XiYan; An, Yu; Wu, Bai-Lin

2015-10-01

We examined parenting stress and mental health status in parents of autistic children and assessed factors associated with such stress. Participants were parents of 188 autistic children diagnosed with DSM-IV criteria and parents of 144 normally developing children. Parents of autistic children reported higher levels of stress, depression, and anxiety than parents of normally developing children. Mothers of autistic children had a higher risk of depression and anxiety than that did parents of normally developing children. Mothers compared to fathers of autistic children were more vulnerable to depression. Age, behavior problems of autistic children, and mothers' anxiety were significantly associated with parenting stress.

Auditory Brainstem Responses from Children Three Months to Three Years of Age: Normal Patterns of Response II.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gorga, Michael P.; And Others

1989-01-01

Auditory brainstem responses (ABR) were measured in 535 children from 3 months to 3 years of age. Results suggested that changes in wave V latency with age are due to central (neural) factors and that age-appropriate norms should be used in evaluations of ABR latencies in children. (Author/DB)

Prevalence of Pityrosporum orbiculare on normal skin of Iraqi children.

PubMed

Sharquie, K A; Al-Kubaisy, W A; Al-Rubaey, M C

2005-05-01

To determine the age incidence and prevalence of Pityrosporum orbiculare on the normal skin of healthy Iraqi children, we carried out a survey of clinically normal skin of 110 healthy children in Baghdad during April 1998-October 1998. We isolated P. orbiculare on a peptone--glucose--yeast extract medium containing chloramphenicol and cycloheximide, and overlaid with olive oil. The organism was present on the trunk in 77.5% of children 10-14 years, 27.5% of children 5-9 years, and 6.6% of children < 5 years.

The course of skull deformation from birth to 5 years of age: a prospective cohort study.

PubMed

van Vlimmeren, Leo A; Engelbert, Raoul Hh; Pelsma, Maaike; Groenewoud, Hans Mm; Boere-Boonekamp, Magda M; der Sanden, Maria Wg Nijhuis-van

2017-01-01

In a continuation of a prospective longitudinal cohort study in a healthy population on the course of skull shape from birth to 24 months, at 5 years of age, 248 children participated in a follow-up assessment using plagiocephalometry (ODDI-oblique diameter difference index, CPI-cranio proportional index). Data from the original study sampled at birth, 7 weeks, 6, 12, and 24 months were used in two linear mixed models. (1) if deformational plagiocephaly (ODDI <104%) and/or positional preference at 7 weeks of age are absent, normal skull shape can be predicted at 5 years of age; (2) if positional preference occurs, ODDI is the highest at 7 weeks and decreases to a stable lowest value at 2 and 5 years of age; and (3) regarding brachycephaly, all children showed the highest CPI at 6 months of age with a gradual decrease over time. The course of skull deformation is favourable in most of the children in The Netherlands; at 5 years of age, brachycephaly is within the normal range for all children, whereas the severity of plagiocephaly is within the normal range in 80%, within the mild range in 19%, and within the moderate/severe range in 1%. Medical consumption may be reduced by providing early tailored counselling. What is Known: • Skull deformation prevalence increased after recommendations against Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, little is known about the longitudinal course. • Paediatric physical therapy intervention between 2 and 6 months of age reduces deformational plagiocephaly at 6 and 12 months of age. What is New: • The course of skull deformation is favourable in most of the children in The Netherlands; at 5 years of age, deformational brachycephaly is within the normal range for all children, whereas the severity of deformational plagiocephaly is within the normal range in 80%, within the mild range in 19%, and within the moderate to severe range in only 1%. • Paediatric physical therapy intervention does not influence the long-term outcome; it only influences the earlier decrease of the severity of deformational plagiocephaly.

Theory of Mind and Language in Children with Cochlear Implants

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Remmel, Ethan; Peters, Kimberly

2009-01-01

Thirty children with cochlear implants (CI children), age range 3-12 years, and 30 children with normal hearing (NH children), age range 4-6 years, were tested on theory of mind and language measures. The CI children showed little to no delay on either theory of mind, relative to the NH children, or spoken language, relative to hearing norms. The…

Self-perception of physical competences in preadolescent overweight Chinese children.

PubMed

Sung, R Y T; Yu, C W; So, R C H; Lam, P K W; Hau, K T

2005-01-01

To compare self-perceptions of physical competences in overweight and in normal weight preadolescent Chinese children. Cross-sectional study. Three primary schools and a university hospital in Hong Kong. A total of 634 children, comprising 558 (462 normal weight, 96 overweight) aged 8-12 y randomly sampled from three primary schools, and 76 similar age overweight children recruited from the community for a diet and exercise intervention programme. Height, weight and percentage body fat were measured. Self-perceptions of physical competences were determined by Physical Self-Descriptive Questionnaire (PSDQ). Corresponding actual physical competences were measured by physical fitness tests. Overweight children perceived themselves to have significantly more body fat than normal weight children, with poorer appearance, sports competence, endurance, coordination, flexibility, overall physical self-concept and self-esteem, but to be no less healthy, no less physically active and no less strong. Overweight children performed less well than normal weight children in measures of endurance, coordination and flexibility but better in strength. Poor self-perception of physical competences appeared only partly related to deficiencies in actual physical competences. Overweight children have poorer self-perception of their physical competences but do not perceive themselves to be less strong, healthy or physically active than normal weight children. Exercise programmes for overweight children could be more effective if designed with the knowledge of these self-perceptions.

Head circumference and body proportions before and during growth hormone treatment in short children who were born small for gestational age.

PubMed

Arends, Nicolette J T; Boonstra, Venje H; Hokken-Koelega, Anita C S

2004-09-01

Although short children who were born small for gestational age (SGA) seem to have normal body proportions, objective data both before and during growth hormone (GH) treatment are very limited. Therefore, we investigated in a large group of short children who were born SGA the effects of GH treatment versus no treatment on head circumference (HC) and body proportions. Furthermore, we studied differences in linear growth and HC between SGA children who were born with a low birth length and birth weight (SGA(L+W)) and SGA children who were born with a low birth length only (SGA(L)). An open-labeled, GH-controlled, multicenter study was conducted for 3 years. Non-GH-deficient short SGA children (n = 87), with a mean age (standard deviation) of 5.9 (1.5) years, were randomized to either a GH group (n = 61), receiving GH in a dose of 33 microg/kg/day, or an untreated control group (n = 26). Height; weight; HC; sitting height; armspan; and hand, tibial, and foot size were measured and expressed as standard deviation score (SDS) adjusting for gender and age. At baseline, all anthropometric measurements, except HC SDS, were significantly lower compared with -2 SDS. During GH treatment, all anthropometric measurements normalized in accordance to the normalization of height SDS. At the start of the study, mean HC SDS was significantly lower in SGA(L+W) children compared with SGA(L) children. It is interesting that most (14 of 16) children with an HC SDS less than -2.00 had been born SGA(L+W). During GH treatment, the 3-year increase in height, HC, and other anthropometric measurements was comparable between SGA(L+W) and SGA(L) children. In both SGA(L+W) and SGA(L) control subjects, no changes in SDSs of height, HC, and other anthropometric measurements were found during the 3-year follow-up period. Untreated short SGA children have normal body proportions with the exception of HC, which is relatively large in many of these children. SGA(L+W) children still had a smaller HC at the age of 5.9 years compared with SGA(L) children. Three years of GH treatment induced a proportionate growth resulting in a normalization of height and other anthropometric measurements, including HC, in contrast to untreated SGA control subjects.

Postural Control in Children with Autism.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kohen-Raz, Reuven; And Others

1992-01-01

Postural control was evaluated in 91 autistic, 166 normal, and 18 mentally retarded children using a computerized posturographic procedure. In comparison to normal children, the autistic subjects were less likely to exhibit age-related changes in postural performance, and postures were more variable and less stable. (Author/JDD)

Children with bilateral cochlear implants identify emotion in speech and music.

PubMed

Volkova, Anna; Trehub, Sandra E; Schellenberg, E Glenn; Papsin, Blake C; Gordon, Karen A

2013-03-01

This study examined the ability of prelingually deaf children with bilateral implants to identify emotion (i.e. happiness or sadness) in speech and music. Participants in Experiment 1 were 14 prelingually deaf children from 5-7 years of age who had bilateral implants and 18 normally hearing children from 4-6 years of age. They judged whether linguistically neutral utterances produced by a man and woman sounded happy or sad. Participants in Experiment 2 were 14 bilateral implant users from 4-6 years of age and the same normally hearing children as in Experiment 1. They judged whether synthesized piano excerpts sounded happy or sad. Child implant users' accuracy of identifying happiness and sadness in speech was well above chance levels but significantly below the accuracy achieved by children with normal hearing. Similarly, their accuracy of identifying happiness and sadness in music was well above chance levels but significantly below that of children with normal hearing, who performed at ceiling. For the 12 implant users who participated in both experiments, performance on the speech task correlated significantly with performance on the music task and implant experience was correlated with performance on both tasks. Child implant users' accurate identification of emotion in speech exceeded performance in previous studies, which may be attributable to fewer response alternatives and the use of child-directed speech. Moreover, child implant users' successful identification of emotion in music indicates that the relevant cues are accessible at a relatively young age.

Development of Joint Engagement in Young Deaf and Hearing Children: Effects of Chronological Age and Language Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cejas, Ivette; Barker, David H.; Quittner, Alexandra L.; Niparko, John K.

2014-01-01

Purpose: To evaluate joint engagement (JE) in age-matched children with and without hearing and its relationship to oral language skills. Method: Participants were 180 children with severe-to-profound hearing loss prior to cochlear implant surgery, and 96 age-matched children with normal hearing; all parents were hearing. JE was evaluated in a…

Fetal growth restriction: relation to growth and obesity at the age of 9 years.

PubMed

Chakraborty, Supratik; Joseph, Desaline Veronica; Bankart, Michael John Gordon; Petersen, Stewart A; Wailoo, Michael P

2007-11-01

To assess growth patterns of 9-year-old children, some of whom had intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). 75 9-year-old children (41 were IUGR infants) were weighed and measured at birth, at 1 year, at 2 years and at 9 years of age. Using general linear models for continuous data, changes in weight z scores were used to quantify growth rate between birth and 9 years of age. IUGR children were smaller at birth (weight z score -2.1 v 0.2 in normal children; p<0.001) but showed a greater increase in their weight between birth and 9 years (change of weight z score 1.5 v 0.4 in normal children; p = 0.001). At the age of 9 years the weight, height and body mass index (BMI) z scores were lower in IUGR children than the control children (weight z score -0.4 v 0.6, respectively; p<0.001, height z score -0.5 v 0, respectively; p = 0.002, BMI z score -0.2 v 0.7, respectively; p = 0.002). The predictors of these differences were IUGR, birth weight and maternal and paternal heights. IUGR infants grow faster but remain shorter and lighter than their normal counterparts-that is, they fail to fully catch up by 9 years of age.

Beyond stuttering: Speech disfluencies in normally fluent French-speaking children at age 4.

PubMed

Leclercq, Anne-Lise; Suaire, Pauline; Moyse, Astrid

2018-01-01

The aim of this study was to establish normative data on the speech disfluencies of normally fluent French-speaking children at age 4, an age at which stuttering has begun in 95% of children who stutter (Yairi & Ambrose, 2013). Fifty monolingual French-speaking children who do not stutter participated in the study. Analyses of a conversational speech sample comprising 250-550 words revealed an average of 10% total disfluencies, 2% stuttering-like disfluencies and around 8% non-stuttered disfluencies. Possible explanations for these high speech disfluency frequencies are discussed, including explanations linked to French in particular. The results shed light on the importance of normative data specific to each language.

A survey of blood pressure in Lebanese children and adolescence

PubMed Central

Merhi, Bassem Abou; Al-Hajj, Fatima; Al-Tannir, Mohamad; Ziade, Fouad; El-Rajab, Mariam

2011-01-01

Background: Blood pressure varies between populations due to ethnic and environmental factors. Therefore, normal blood pressure values should be determined for different populations. Aims: The aim of this survey was to produce blood pressure nomograms for Lebanese children in order to establish distribution curves of blood pressure by age and sex. Subjects and Methods: We conducted a survey of blood pressure in 5710 Lebanese schoolchildren aged 5 to 15 years (2918 boys and 2792 girls), and studied the distribution of systolic and diastolic blood pressure in these children and adolescents. Blood pressure was measured with a mercury sphygmomanometer using a standardized technique. Results: Both systolic and diastolic blood pressure had a positive correlation with weight, height, age, and body mass index (r= 0.648, 0.643, 0.582, and 0.44, respectively) (P < .001). There was no significant difference in the systolic and diastolic blood pressure in boys compared to girls of corresponding ages. However, the average annual increase in systolic blood pressure was 2.86 mm Hg in boys and 2.63 mm Hg in girls, whereas the annual increase in diastolic blood pressure was 1.72 mm Hg in boys and 1.48 mm Hg in girls. The prevalence of high and high-normal blood pressure at the upper limit of normal (between the 90th and 95th percentile, at risk of future hypertension if not managed adequately), was 10.5% in boys and 6.9% in girls, with similar distributions among the two sexes. Conclusions: We present the first age-specific reference values for blood pressure of Lebanese children aged 5 to 15 years based on a good representative sample. The use of these reference values should help pediatricians identify children with normal, high-normal and high blood pressure. PMID:22540059

A survey of blood pressure in Lebanese children and adolescence.

PubMed

Merhi, Bassem Abou; Al-Hajj, Fatima; Al-Tannir, Mohamad; Ziade, Fouad; El-Rajab, Mariam

2011-01-01

Blood pressure varies between populations due to ethnic and environmental factors. Therefore, normal blood pressure values should be determined for different populations. The aim of this survey was to produce blood pressure nomograms for Lebanese children in order to establish distribution curves of blood pressure by age and sex. We conducted a survey of blood pressure in 5710 Lebanese schoolchildren aged 5 to 15 years (2918 boys and 2792 girls), and studied the distribution of systolic and diastolic blood pressure in these children and adolescents. Blood pressure was measured with a mercury sphygmomanometer using a standardized technique. Both systolic and diastolic blood pressure had a positive correlation with weight, height, age, and body mass index (r= 0.648, 0.643, 0.582, and 0.44, respectively) (P < .001). There was no significant difference in the systolic and diastolic blood pressure in boys compared to girls of corresponding ages. However, the average annual increase in systolic blood pressure was 2.86 mm Hg in boys and 2.63 mm Hg in girls, whereas the annual increase in diastolic blood pressure was 1.72 mm Hg in boys and 1.48 mm Hg in girls. The prevalence of high and high-normal blood pressure at the upper limit of normal (between the 90(th) and 95(th) percentile, at risk of future hypertension if not managed adequately), was 10.5% in boys and 6.9% in girls, with similar distributions among the two sexes. We present the first age-specific reference values for blood pressure of Lebanese children aged 5 to 15 years based on a good representative sample. The use of these reference values should help pediatricians identify children with normal, high-normal and high blood pressure.

Technetium-99m mercaptoacetyltriglycine clearance: reference values for infants and children.

PubMed

Schofer, O; König, G; Bartels, U; Bockisch, A; Piepenburg, R; Beetz, R; Meyer, G; Hahn, K

1995-11-01

Six hundred and thirty-nine clearance studies performed in children aged 7 days to 19 years utilizing technetium-99m mercaptoacetyltriglycine (MAG 3) were retrospectively analysed. Standardized conditions for the investigation included: parenteral hydration (60 ml/hxm2 body surface) in addition to normal oral fluid intake, weight-related dose of 99mTc-MAG 3 (1 MBq/kg body weight, minimum 15 MBq) and calculation of clearance according to Bubeck et al. Of the 513 children, 169 included in this analysis could be classified as "normal" with regard to their renal function. Normal kidney function was judged by the following criteria: normal GFR for age, normal tubular function (absence of proteinuria and glucosuria), normal renal parenchyma (on ultrasonography, MAG 3 scan and intravenous pyelography), absence of significant obstruction and gross reflux (>grade I), no single kidney and no difference in split renal function >20%. Results showed increasing MAG 3 clearance values for infants during the first months of life, reaching the normal range for older children and adults between 7 and 12 months.

Kinematic Measurements of the Vocal-Fold Displacement Waveform in Typical Children and Adult Populations: Quantification of High-Speed Endoscopic Videos

PubMed Central

Donohue, Kevin D.; Unnikrishnan, Harikrishnan; Kryscio, Richard J.

2015-01-01

Purpose This article presents a quantitative method for assessing instantaneous and average lateral vocal-fold motion from high-speed digital imaging, with a focus on developmental changes in vocal-fold kinematics during childhood. Method Vocal-fold vibrations were analyzed for 28 children (aged 5–11 years) and 28 adults (aged 21–45 years) without voice disorders. The following kinematic features were analyzed from the vocal-fold displacement waveforms: relative velocity-based features (normalized average and peak opening and closing velocities), relative acceleration-based features (normalized peak opening and closing accelerations), speed quotient, and normalized peak displacement. Results Children exhibited significantly larger normalized peak displacements, normalized average and peak opening velocities, normalized average and peak closing velocities, peak opening and closing accelerations, and speed quotient compared to adult women. Values of normalized average closing velocity and speed quotient were higher in children compared to adult men. Conclusions When compared to adult men, developing children typically have higher estimates of kinematic features related to normalized displacement and its derivatives. In most cases, the kinematic features of children are closer to those of adult men than adult women. Even though boys experience greater changes in glottal length and pitch as they mature, results indicate that girls experience greater changes in kinematic features compared to boys. PMID:25652615

Parental characteristics, parenting style, and behavioral problems among chinese children with Down syndrome, their siblings and controls in Taiwan.

PubMed

Gau, Susan Shur-Fen; Chiu, Yen-Nan; Soong, Wei-Tsuen; Lee, Ming-Been

2008-09-01

The literature has documented maternal distress and behavioral problems among children with Down syndrome (DS), however, little is known about paternal adjustment and behavioural problems among the siblings of children with DS. Here, we examined parental psychopathology, parenting style and emotional/behavioral problems among children with DS, their siblings, and controls in Taiwan. We recruited 45 families of children with DS (age, 2-4 years) and 50 families of normally developing children (age, 3-5 years). If there were more than two children in the case family, the sibling whose age was closest to the child with DS was recruited (age, 3-8 years). Both parents completed self-administered measures of their personality characteristics, psychopathology, family functioning, parenting styles, and child behavioral problems, using the Chinese versions of the Maudsley Personality Inventory, Brief Symptom Rating Scale, Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale, Parental Bonding Instrument, and Child Behavioral Checklist, respectively. Children with DS demonstrated significantly more severe symptoms than normal children of a wide range of behavioral problems such as attention problems, delinquency, social problems, somatic complaints, thought problems, and withdrawal compared with the other two groups, and obtained similar parental treatment, except for paternal overprotection. Their parents suffered from more psychopathology and their mothers were less often employed than their counterparts. The siblings of children with DS obtained less overprotection from their mothers than children with DS and less maternal care and control than normal children. There was no difference in emotional/behavioral problems between the siblings and normal controls. Our findings suggest that in addition to the physical, educational and psychological needs of children with DS, the psychological care of their mothers, fathers and siblings also needs to be evaluated. Moreover, parenting counseling should focus not only on children with DS, but their siblings as well.

Evaluation of maximal mouth opening for healthy Indian children: Percentiles and impact of age, gender, and height.

PubMed

Patel, Shital M; Patel, Nehal H; Khaitan, Geet Gunjana A; Thanvi, Rashmi S; Patel, Parth; Joshi, Rajesh N

2016-01-01

Maximal mouth opening (MMO) is used as a marker of masticatory pathology. However, MMO among children varies considerably with their age, height, sex, and race. While accurate percentile of normal mouth opening and relationship with anthropometric measurement are not precisely defined for the Indian population, we designed prospective, observational study to define the percentiles for normal MMO in our children. A total of 985 children, 560 males and 425 females, in the age range of 5-18 years attending the pediatric clinic in a tertiary care center in Western India were studied. In addition to the basic demographic data, MMO was measured in these children. The children were asked to open their mouth maximally until no further opening was possible. The distance from the incisal edge of the upper incisor teeth to the incisal edge of the lower incisor teeth was measured using a calibrated fiber ruler. Statistical analysis was performed to assess the impact of other anthropometric measures such as age, gender, and height on MMO. The mean MMO for males was 44.24 (±5.84) mm and for females was 43.5 (±5.19) mm. Age- and height-related percentiles were created for girls and boys separately, showing the 5 th , 10 th , 25 th , 50 th , 75 th , 90 th , and 95 th percentiles from 5 through 18 years of age with 86-185 cm height. The MMO percentile range for different age and height groups is established for the normal children. The mouth opening seems to increase with the age and especially with the height as per the skeletal growth. Height affects mouth opening more than the age.

Impact of sickle cell trait on physical growth in tribal children of Mandla district in Madhya Pradesh, India.

PubMed

Qamra, Suneel; Roy, Jyotirmoy; Srivastava, Praval

2011-11-01

Reliable reports on growth impairment in sickle cell trait (SCT) children in India are lacking despite contradictory findings reported earlier. The present study assessed the impact of SCT on physical growth of tribal children of Mandla district. Weight, height, circumferences, breadths, lengths and skinfolds were recorded on 6190 children, inclusive of 732 SCT children, from birth to 12 years of age using a cross-sectional design. The sickle test was conducted in the field using 2% sodium metabisulphite followed by electrophoresis. No significant difference in mean values was observed in the majority of the age groups between SCT and normal children for all 11 body measurements. However, inconsistent growth patterns in these measurements among SCT children were evident. Body weight was more deficient than height or other body measurements in the children when compared to Indian and National Centre for Health Statistics (NCHS) standards, while bicristal breadth was comparable with Indian standards. There was no significant impact of SCT observed on growth of children irrespective of sex. Notably, growth of SCT girls was comparable to their normal counterparts. The actual growth difference between normal and SCT children may have been masked on account of poor attainment of annual gain in each successive age group.

Early school outcomes for extremely preterm infants with transient neurological abnormalities.

PubMed

Harmon, Heidi M; Taylor, H Gerry; Minich, Nori; Wilson-Costello, Deanne; Hack, Maureen

2015-09-01

To determine if transient neurological abnormalities (TNA) at 9 months corrected age predict cognitive, behavioral, and motor outcomes at 6 years of age in extremely preterm infants. A cohort of 124 extremely preterm infants (mean gestational age 25.5wks; 55 males, 69 females), admitted to our unit between 2001 and 2003, were classified based on the Amiel-Tison Neurological Assessment at 9 months and 20 months corrected age as having TNA (n=17), normal neurological assessment (n=89), or neurologically abnormal assessment (n=18). The children were assessed at a mean age of 5 years 11 months (SD 4mo) on cognition, academic achievement, motor ability, and behavior. Compared with children with a normal neurological assessment, children with TNA had higher postnatal exposure to steroids (35% vs 9%) and lower adjusted mean scores on spatial relations (84 [standard error {SE} 5] vs 98 [SE 2]), visual matching (79 [SE 5] vs 91 [SE 2]), letter-word identification (97 [SE 4] vs 108 [SE 1]), and spelling (76 [SE 4] vs 96 [SE 2]) (all p<0.05). Despite a normalized neurological assessment, extremely preterm children with a history TNA are at higher risk for lower cognitive and academic skills than those with normal neurological findings during their first year of school. © 2015 Mac Keith Press.

Early school outcomes for extremely preterm infants with transient neurological abnormalities

PubMed Central

Harmon, Heidi; Taylor, H Gerry; Minich, Nori; Wilson-Costello, Deanne; Hack, Maureen

2015-01-01

AIM To determine if transient neurological abnormalities (TNA) at 9 months corrected age predict cognitive, behavioral, and motor outcomes at 6 years of age in extremely preterm infants. METHOD A cohort of 124 extremely preterm infants (mean gestational age 25.5wk; 55 males, 69 females), admitted to our unit between 2001 and 2003, were classified based on the Amiel-Tison Neurological Assessment at 9 months and 20 months corrected age as having TNA (n=17), normal neurological assessment (n=89), or neurologically abnormal assessment (n=18). The children were assessed at a mean age of 5 years 11 months (SD 4mo) on cognition, academic achievement, motor ability, and behavior. RESULTS Compared with children with a normal neurological assessment, children with TNA had higher postnatal exposure to steroids (35% vs 9%) and lower adjusted mean scores on spatial relations (84 [standard error {SE} 5] vs 98 [SE 2]), visual matching (79 [SE 5] vs 91 [SE 2]), letter–word identification (97 [SE 4] vs 108 [SE 1]), and spelling (76 [SE 4] vs 96 [SE 2]) (all p<0.05). INTERPRETATION Despite a normalized neurological assessment, extremely preterm children with a history TNA are at higher risk for lower cognitive and academic skills than those with normal neurological findings during their first year of school. PMID:26014665

Does Central Vision Loss Impair Visual Search Performance of Adults More than Children?

PubMed

Satgunam, PremNandhini; Luo, Gang

2018-05-01

In general, young adults with normal vision show the best visual search performance when compared with children and older adults. Through our study, we show that this trend is not observed in individuals with vision impairment. An interaction effect of vision impairment with visual development and aging is observed. Performance in many visual tasks typically shows improvement with age until young adulthood and then declines with aging. Using a visual search task, this study investigated whether a similar age effect on performance is present in people with central vision loss. A total of 98 participants, 37 with normal sight (NS) and 61 with visual impairment (VI) searched for targets in 150 real-world digital images. Search performance was quantified by an integrated measure combining speed and accuracy. Participant ages ranged from 5 to 74 years, visual acuity from -0.14 (20/14.5) to 1.16 logMAR (20/290), and log contrast sensitivity (CS) from 0.48 to 2.0. Data analysis was performed with participants divided into three age groups: children (aged <14 years, n = 25), young adults (aged 14 to 45 years, n = 47), and older adults (aged >45 years, n = 26). Regression (r = 0.7) revealed CS (P < .001) and age (P = .003) were significant predictors of search performance. Performance of VI participants was normalized to the age-matched average performance of the NS group. In the VI group, it was found that children's normalized performance (52%) was better than both young (39%, P = .05) and older (40%, P = .048) adults. Unlike NS participants, young adults in the VI group may not have search ability superior to children with VI, despite having the same level of visual functions (quantified by visual acuity and CS). This could be because of vision impairment limiting the developmental acquisition of the age dividend for peak performance. Older adults in the VI group had the worst performance, indicating an interaction of aging.

A cross-sectional study to assess the intelligence quotient (IQ) of school going children aged 10-12 years in villages of Mysore district, India with different fluoride levels.

PubMed

Sebastian, Shibu Thomas; Sunitha, S

2015-01-01

Besides dental and skeletal fluorosis, excessive fluoride intake can also affect the central nervous system without first causing the physical deformities associated with skeletal fluorosis. With the existence of widespread endemic fluorosis in India, the possible adverse effect of elevated fluoride in drinking water on the Intelligence Quotient (IQ) level of children is a potentially serious public health problem. This study assessed the Intelligence Quotient (IQ) of school going children aged 10-12 years in villages of Mysore district with different fluoride levels. In this cross-sectional study, 405 school children aged 10-12 years were selected from three villages in Mysore district with normal fluoride (1.20 mg F/l), low fluoride (0.40 mg F/l) and high fluoride (2.20 mg F/l) in their water supplies. A pre designed questionnaire was used to collect the required data for the survey which included socio demographic details, oral hygiene practices, diet history, body mass index and dental fluorosis. Intelligence Quotient was assessed using Raven's colored Progressive Matrices Test. In bivariate analysis, significant relationships were found between water fluoride levels and Intelligence Quotient of school children (P < 0.05). In the high fluoride village, the proportion of children with IQ below 90, i.e. below average IQ was larger compared to normal and low fluoride village. Age, gender, parent education level and family income had no significant association with IQ. School children residing in area with higher than normal water fluoride level demonstrated more impaired development of intelligence when compared to school children residing in areas with normal and low water fluoride levels. Thus, children's intelligence can be affected by high water fluoride levels.

Growth curves of preschool children in the northeast of iran: a population based study using quantile regression approach.

PubMed

Payande, Abolfazl; Tabesh, Hamed; Shakeri, Mohammad Taghi; Saki, Azadeh; Safarian, Mohammad

2013-01-14

Growth charts are widely used to assess children's growth status and can provide a trajectory of growth during early important months of life. The objectives of this study are going to construct growth charts and normal values of weight-for-age for children aged 0 to 5 years using a powerful and applicable methodology. The results compare with the World Health Organization (WHO) references and semi-parametric LMS method of Cole and Green. A total of 70737 apparently healthy boys and girls aged 0 to 5 years were recruited in July 2004 for 20 days from those attending community clinics for routine health checks as a part of a national survey. Anthropometric measurements were done by trained health staff using WHO methodology. The nonparametric quantile regression method obtained by local constant kernel estimation of conditional quantiles curves using for estimation of curves and normal values. The weight-for-age growth curves for boys and girls aged from 0 to 5 years were derived utilizing a population of children living in the northeast of Iran. The results were similar to the ones obtained by the semi-parametric LMS method in the same data. Among all age groups from 0 to 5 years, the median values of children's weight living in the northeast of Iran were lower than the corresponding values in WHO reference data. The weight curves of boys were higher than those of girls in all age groups. The differences between growth patterns of children living in the northeast of Iran versus international ones necessitate using local and regional growth charts. International normal values may not properly recognize the populations at risk for growth problems in Iranian children. Quantile regression (QR) as a flexible method which doesn't require restricted assumptions, proposed for estimation reference curves and normal values.

THE REASONING METHODS AND REASONING ABILITY IN NORMAL AND MENTALLY RETARDED GIRLS AND THE REASONING ABILITY OF NORMAL AND MENTALLY RETARDED BOYS AND GIRLS.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

CAPOBIANCO, RUDOLPH J.; AND OTHERS

A STUDY WAS MADE TO ESTABLISH AND ANALYZE THE METHODS OF SOLVING INDUCTIVE REASONING PROBLEMS BY MENTALLY RETARDED CHILDREN. THE MAJOR OBJECTIVES WERE--(1) TO EXPLORE AND DESCRIBE REASONING IN MENTALLY RETARDED CHILDREN, (2) TO COMPARE THEIR METHODS WITH THOSE UTILIZED BY NORMAL CHILDREN OF APPROXIMATELY THE SAME MENTAL AGE, (3) TO EXPLORE THE…

Event-Related EEG Oscillations to Semantically Unrelated Words in Normal and Learning Disabled Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fernandez, Thalia; Harmony, Thalia; Mendoza, Omar; Lopez-Alanis, Paula; Marroquin, Jose Luis; Otero, Gloria; Ricardo-Garcell, Josefina

2012-01-01

Learning disabilities (LD) are one of the most frequent problems for elementary school-aged children. In this paper, event-related EEG oscillations to semantically related and unrelated pairs of words were studied in a group of 18 children with LD not otherwise specified (LD-NOS) and in 16 children with normal academic achievement. We propose that…

Neural Mechanisms of Selective Attention in Children with Amblyopia.

PubMed

Zhou, Aibao; Jiang, Yanfei; Chen, Jianming; Wei, Jianlan; Dang, Baobao; Li, Shifeng; Xu, Qiongying

2015-01-01

Previous studies have indicated that amblyopia might affect children's attention. We recruited amblyopic children and normal children aged 9-11 years as study subjects and compared selective attention between the two groups of children. Chinese characters denoting colors were used in the Stroop task, and the event-related potential (ERP) was analyzed. The results show that the accuracy of both groups in the congruent condition was higher than the incongruent condition, and the reaction time (RT) of amblyopic children was longer. The latency of the occipital P1 in the incongruent condition was shorter than the neutral condition for both groups; the peak of the occipital P1 elicited by the incongruent stimuli in amblyopic children was higher. In both groups, the N1 peak was higher in the occipital region than frontal and central regions. The N1 latency of normal children was shorter in the congruent and neutral conditions and longer in the incongruent condition; the N1 peak of normal children was higher. The N270 latencies of normal children in the congruent and neutral conditions were shorter; the N270 peak was higher in parietal and occipital regions than frontal and central regions for both groups. The N450 latency of normal children was shorter; in both groups, the N450 average amplitude was significantly higher in the parietal region than central and frontal regions. The accuracy was the same for both groups, but the response of amblyopic children was significantly slower. The two groups showed differences in both stages of the Stroop task. Normal children showed advantages in processing speed on both stimulus and response conflict stages.Brain regions activated during the Stroop task were consistent between groups, in line with their age characteristics.

Visual Search by Children with and without ADHD

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mullane, Jennifer C.; Klein, Raymond M.

2008-01-01

Objective: To summarize the literature that has employed visual search tasks to assess automatic and effortful selective visual attention in children with and without ADHD. Method: Seven studies with a combined sample of 180 children with ADHD (M age = 10.9) and 193 normally developing children (M age = 10.8) are located. Results: Using a…

Vocabulary Facilitates Speech Perception in Children with Hearing Aids

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klein, Kelsey E.; Walker, Elizabeth A.; Kirby, Benjamin; McCreery, Ryan W.

2017-01-01

Purpose: We examined the effects of vocabulary, lexical characteristics (age of acquisition and phonotactic probability), and auditory access (aided audibility and daily hearing aid [HA] use) on speech perception skills in children with HAs. Method: Participants included 24 children with HAs and 25 children with normal hearing (NH), ages 5-12…

Auditory, Visual, and Auditory-Visual Perceptions of Emotions by Young Children with Hearing Loss versus Children with Normal Hearing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Most, Tova; Michaelis, Hilit

2012-01-01

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the effect of hearing loss (HL) on emotion-perception ability among young children with and without HL. Method: A total of 26 children 4.0-6.6 years of age with prelingual sensory-neural HL ranging from moderate to profound and 14 children with normal hearing (NH) participated. They were asked to identify…

Flexible Organisation of Educational Work in Kindergarten.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Plestenjak, Majda

This study examined the attitudes of 140 children ages 2 through 7 toward mixed-age grouping in a Slovenian kindergarten (preschool) setting. On four consecutive Friday mornings the children, normally grouped in classes aged 2-3 years, 3-4 years, 4-5 years, and 5-7 years, were given the opportunity to switch classes and play among children of…

Assessing the Importance of Lexical Tone Contour to Sentence Perception in Mandarin-Speaking Children with Normal Hearing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhu, Shufeng; Wong, Lena L. N.; Wang, Bin; Chen, Fei

2017-01-01

Purpose: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the influence of lexical tone contour and age on sentence perception in quiet and in noise conditions in Mandarin-speaking children ages 7 to 11 years with normal hearing. Method: Test materials were synthesized Mandarin sentences, each word with a manipulated lexical contour, that is, normal…

Racial Variations in Velopharyngeal and Craniometric Morphology in Children: An Imaging Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kollara, Lakshmi; Perry, Jamie L.; Hudson, Suzanne

2016-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine craniometric and velopharyngeal anatomy among young children (4-8 years of age) with normal anatomy across Black and White racial groups. Method: Thirty-two healthy children (16 White and 16 Black) with normal velopharyngeal anatomy participated and successfully completed the magnetic resonance…

Specific Language Impairment as a Period of Extended Optional Infinitive.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rice, Mabel L.; And Others

1995-01-01

This study evaluated an Extended Optional Infinitive theory of specific language impairment (SLI) in children, which suggests that SLI children omit finiteness markers longer than do normally developing children. Comparison of 18 SLI 5-year olds with 2 normally developing groups (ages 5 and 3) found that SLI subjects omitted finiteness markers…

Behavioral Profiles in 4-5 Year-Old Children: Normal and Pathological Variants

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Larsson, Jan-Olov; Bergman, Lars R.; Earls, Felton; Rydelius, Per-Anders

2004-01-01

Normal and psychopathological patterns of behavior symptoms in preschool children were described by a classification approach using cluster analysis. The behavior of 406 children, average age 4 years 9 months, from the general population was evaluated at home visits. Seven clusters were identified based on empirically defined dimensions:…

Development of Auditory Evoked Responses in Normally Developing Preschool Children and Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

PubMed

Stephen, Julia M; Hill, Dina E; Peters, Amanda; Flynn, Lucinda; Zhang, Tongsheng; Okada, Yoshio

2017-01-01

The cortical responses to auditory stimuli undergo rapid and dramatic changes during the first 3 years of life in normally developing (ND) children, with decreases in latency and changes in amplitude in the primary peaks. However, most previous studies have focused on children >3 years of age. The analysis of data from the early stages of development is challenging because the temporal pattern of the evoked responses changes with age (e.g., additional peaks emerge with increasing age) and peak latency decreases with age. This study used the topography of the auditory evoked magnetic field (AEF) to identify the auditory components in ND children between 6 and 68 months (n = 48). The latencies of the peaks in the AEF produced by a tone burst (ISI 2 ± 0.2 s) during sleep decreased with age, consistent with previous reports in awake children. The peak latencies of the AEFs in ND children and children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were compared. Previous studies indicate that the latencies of the initial components of the auditory evoked potential (AEP) and the AEF are delayed in children with ASD when compared to age-matched ND children >4 years of age. We speculated whether the AEF latencies decrease with age in children diagnosed with ASD as in ND children, but with uniformly longer latencies before the age of about 4 years. Contrary to this hypothesis, the peak latencies did not decrease with age in the ASD group (24-62 months, n = 16) during sleep (unlike in the age-matched controls), although the mean latencies were longer in the ASD group as in previous studies. These results are consistent with previous studies indicating delays in auditory latencies, and they indicate a different maturational pattern in ASD children and ND children. Longitudinal studies are needed to confirm whether the AEF latencies diverge with age, starting at around 3 years, in these 2 groups of children. © 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Maternal expectations about normal child development in 4 cultural groups.

PubMed

Pachter, L M; Dworkin, P H

1997-11-01

To determine whether expectations about normal infant and child development are different among mothers from 4 ethnocultural groups. Two hundred fifty-five mothers (90 Puerto Rican, 59 African American, 69 European American, 37 West Indian-Caribbean) whose children received health care at hospital-based pediatric clinics and private pediatricians' and family practitioners' offices. Verbally administered questionnaire that included 25 questions in which mothers were asked to give their opinions about the age at which a normal child should begin to accomplish standard developmental milestones. Responses (mean ages at which mothers expected children to attain the milestones) from each group were compared after controlling for age of mother, number of children, level of education, and socioeconomic status. Significant differences among ethnic groups' responses were seen for 9 of 25 developmental milestones. Differences were mainly seen among personal and social milestones, and Puerto Rican mothers tended to expect children to attain these milestones at a later age than did other mothers. No differences in responses were seen between Spanish- and English-speaking Puerto Rican mothers. European-American mothers expected children to take first steps and become toilet trained at a later age. Developmental expectations differ among mothers from different ethnocultural groups. Many of these differences can be explained by underlying cultural beliefs and values and specific child-rearing practices. Clinicians should ask about maternal expectations during child health visits to interpret mothers' concerns and opinions about their children's development.

The effects of malnutrition on the motor, perceptual, and cognitive functions of Filipino children.

PubMed

Reyes, M R; Valdecanas, C M; Reyes, O L; Reyes, T M

1990-01-01

The motor, perceptual, and cognitive abilities of 99 Filipino children, aged 4-6 years with a documented history of malnutrition from a nutritionally depressed area of Manila were determined using the Revised Manila Motor-Perceptual Screening Test. They were classified into four groups of: (1) normal; (2) acutely malnourished; (3) stunted but not malnourished; and (4) chronically malnourished using the Waterlow classification. Thirty-one normal children of comparable ages and background from a nationwide pool were similarly tested and served as the control group. Motor (p = 0.001) and perceptual skill (p less than 0.03 to less than 0.001) scores were significantly lower than in their normal counterparts, especially in the chronically malnourished children. Cognitive abilities were not evidently affected by malnutrition.

Adaptive behavior in Chinese children with Williams syndrome

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Williams syndrome (WS) is a neurodevelopmental disease characterized by compelling psychological phenotypes. The symptoms span multiple cognitive domains and include a distinctive pattern of social behavior. The goal of this study was to explore adaptive behavior in WS patients in China. Methods We conducted a structured interview including the Infants-Junior Middle School Students Social-life Abilities Scale in three participant groups: children with WS (n = 26), normally-developing children matched for mental age (MA, n = 30), and normally-developing children matched for chronological age (CA, n = 40). We compared the mean scores for each domain between the three groups. Results Children with WS had more siblings than children in the two control groups. The educational level of the caregivers of WS children was lower than that of the control children. We found no differences in locomotion, work skill, socialization, or self-management between the WS and MA groups. WS children obtained higher scores of self-dependence (df = 54, Z = −2.379, p = 0.017) and had better communication skills (df = 54, Z = −2.222, p = 0.026) compared with MA children. The CA children achieved higher scores than the WS children for all dimensions of adaptive behavior. Conclusions WS children have better adaptive behavior skills regarding communication and self-dependence than normal children matched for mental age. Targeted intervention techniques should be designed to promote social development in this population. PMID:24708693

Promoting normal development and self-efficacy in school-age children managing chronic conditions.

PubMed

Mickley, Kristyn L; Burkhart, Patricia V; Sigler, April N

2013-06-01

Chronic conditions can affect school-age children in more ways than just physically. Normal childhood maturation is critical at this age, yet daily management of chronic symptoms can be challenging. This article describes 4 common childhood chronic illnesses (asthma, seizure disorders, diabetes, and cystic fibrosis), and the impact these conditions have on the developing child. Self-efficacy, the belief that one can effectively perform necessary skills, is essential to self-management of chronic conditions and contributes in a positive way to the child's normal development. Implications for clinical practice and future research are discussed. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Study on the social adaptation of Chinese children with down syndrome.

PubMed

Wang, Yan-Xia; Mao, Shan-Shan; Xie, Chun-Hong; Qin, Yu-Feng; Zhu, Zhi-Wei; Zhan, Jian-Ying; Shao, Jie; Li, Rong; Zhao, Zheng-Yan

2007-06-30

To evaluate social adjustment and related factors among Chinese children with Down syndrome (DS). A structured interview and Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT) were conducted with a group of 36 DS children with a mean age of 106.28 months, a group of 30 normally-developing children matched for mental age (MA) and a group of 40 normally-developing children matched for chronological age (CA). Mean scores of social adjustment were compared between the three groups, and partial correlations and stepwise multiple regression models were used to further explore related factors. There was no difference between the DS group and the MA group in terms of communication skills. However, the DS group scored much better than the MA group in self-dependence, locomotion, work skills, socialization and self-management. Children in the CA group achieved significantly higher scores in all aspects of social adjustment than the DS children. Partial correlations indicate a relationship between social adjustment and the PPVT raw score and also between social adjustment and age (significant r ranging between 0.24 and 0.92). A stepwise linear regression analysis showed that family structure was the main predictor of social adjustment. Newborn history was also a predictor of work skills, communication, socialization and self-management. Parental education was found to account for 8% of self-dependence. Maternal education explained 6% of the variation in locomotion. Although limited by the small sample size, these results indicate that Chinese DS children have better social adjustment skills when compared to their mental-age-matched normally-developing peers, but that the Chinese DS children showed aspects of adaptive development that differed from Western DS children. Analyses of factors related to social adjustment suggest that effective early intervention may improve social adaptability.

Sleep habits, food intake, and physical activity levels in normal and overweight and obese Malaysian children.

PubMed

Firouzi, Somayyeh; Poh, Bee Koon; Ismail, Mohd Noor; Sadeghilar, Aidin

2014-01-01

This study aimed to determine the association between sleep habits (including bedtime, wake up time, sleep duration, and sleep disorder score) and physical characteristics, physical activity level, and food pattern in overweight and obese versus normal weight children. Case control study. 164 Malaysian boys and girls aged 6-€“12 years. Anthropometric measurements included weight, height, waist circumference, and body fat percentage. Subjects divided into normal weight (n = 82) and overweight/obese (n = 82) group based on World Health Organization 2007 BMI-for-age criteria and were matched one by one based on ethnicity, gender, and age plus minus one year. Questionnaires related to sleep habits, physical activity, and food frequency were proxy-reported by parents. Sleep disorder score was measured by Children Sleep Habit Questionnaire. Sleep disorder score and carbohydrate intake (%) to total energy intake were significantly higher in overweight/obese group (p < 0.01 and p < 0.05, respectively). After adjusting for age and gender, sleep disorder score was correlated with BMI (r = 0.275, p < 0.001), weight (r = 0.253, p < 0.001), and WC (r = 0.293, p < 0.001). Based on adjusted odd ratio, children with shortest sleep duration were found to have 4.5 times higher odds of being overweight/obese (odd ratio: 4.536, 95% CI: 1.912-€“8.898) compared to children with normal sleep duration. The odds of being overweight/obese in children with sleep disorder score higher than 48 were 2.17 times more than children with sleep disorder score less than 48. Children who sleep lees than normal amount, had poor sleep quality, and consumed more carbohydrates were at higher risk of overweight/obesity. © 2014 Asian Oceanian Association for the Study of Obesity . Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Celiac disease in normal-weight and overweight children: clinical features and growth outcomes following a gluten-free diet.

PubMed

Reilly, Norelle Rizkalla; Aguilar, Kathleen; Hassid, Benjamin G; Cheng, Jianfeng; Defelice, Amy R; Kazlow, Philip; Bhagat, Govind; Green, Peter H

2011-11-01

There are few data on pediatric celiac disease in the United States. The aim of our study was to describe the presentation of celiac disease among children with a normal and an elevated body mass index (BMI) for age, and to study their BMI changes following a gluten-free diet (GFD). One hundred forty-two children (age 13 months-19 years) with biopsy-proven celiac disease, contained in a registry of patients studied at our center from 2000 to 2008, had follow-up growth data available. Patients' height, weight, and BMI were converted to z scores for age and grouped by BMI as underweight, normal, and overweight. Compliance was confirmed using results of serological assays, and data of noncompliant patients were analyzed separately. Data were analyzed during the observation period and were expressed as change in height, weight, and BMI z score per month of dietary treatment. Nearly 19% of patients had an elevated BMI at diagnosis (12.6% overweight, 6% obese) and 74.5% presented with a normal BMI. The mean duration of follow-up was 35.6 months. Seventy-five percent of patients with an elevated BMI at diagnosis decreased their BMI z scores significantly after adherence to a GFD, normalizing it in 44% of cases. Of patients with a normal BMI at diagnosis, weight z scores increased significantly after treatment, and 13% became overweight. Both normal weight and overweight frequently occur in North American children presenting with celiac disease. A GFD may have a beneficial effect upon the BMI of overweight and obese children with celiac disease.

Normal values for segmental bioimpedance spectroscopy in pediatric patients.

PubMed

Avila, Maria Laura; Ward, Leigh C; Feldman, Brian M; Montoya, Madeline I; Stinson, Jennifer; Kiss, Alex; Brandão, Leonardo R

2015-01-01

Localized limb edema is a clinically relevant sign in diseases such as post-thrombotic syndrome and lymphedema. Quantitative evaluation of localized edema in children is mainly done by measuring the absolute difference in limb circumference, which includes fat and fat-free mass. Bioimpedance spectroscopy (BIS) provides information on the fluid volume of a body segment. Our objective was to determine normal ranges for segmental (arm and leg) BIS measurements in healthy children. Additionally, we determined the normal ranges for the difference in arm and ankle circumference and explored the influence of handedness and the correlation between techniques. Healthy children aged 1-18 years were recruited. The ratio of extracellular fluid content between contralateral limbs (estimated as the inter-arm and inter-leg extracellular impedance ratio), and the ratio of extracellular to intracellular fluid content for each limb (estimated as the intracellular to extracellular impedance ratio) were determined with a bioimpedance spectrometer. Arm and ankle circumference was determined with a Gulick II tape. We recruited 223 healthy children (48 infants, 54 preschoolers, 66 school-aged children, and 55 teenagers). Normal values for arm and leg BIS measurements, and for the difference in arm and ankle circumference were estimated for each age category. No influence of handedness was found. We found a statistically significant correlation between extracellular impedance ratio and circumference difference for arms among teenagers. We determined normal BIS ranges for arms and legs and for the difference in circumference between arms and between ankles in children. There was no statistically significant correlation between extracellular impedance ratio and difference in circumference, except in the case of arms in adolescents. This may indicate that limb circumference measures quantities other than fluid, challenging the adequacy of this technique to determine the presence of localized edema in most age groups.

Speech Intelligibility and Prosody Production in Children with Cochlear Implants

PubMed Central

Chin, Steven B.; Bergeson, Tonya R.; Phan, Jennifer

2012-01-01

Objectives The purpose of the current study was to examine the relation between speech intelligibility and prosody production in children who use cochlear implants. Methods The Beginner's Intelligibility Test (BIT) and Prosodic Utterance Production (PUP) task were administered to 15 children who use cochlear implants and 10 children with normal hearing. Adult listeners with normal hearing judged the intelligibility of the words in the BIT sentences, identified the PUP sentences as one of four grammatical or emotional moods (i.e., declarative, interrogative, happy, or sad), and rated the PUP sentences according to how well they thought the child conveyed the designated mood. Results Percent correct scores were higher for intelligibility than for prosody and higher for children with normal hearing than for children with cochlear implants. Declarative sentences were most readily identified and received the highest ratings by adult listeners; interrogative sentences were least readily identified and received the lowest ratings. Correlations between intelligibility and all mood identification and rating scores except declarative were not significant. Discussion The findings suggest that the development of speech intelligibility progresses ahead of prosody in both children with cochlear implants and children with normal hearing; however, children with normal hearing still perform better than children with cochlear implants on measures of intelligibility and prosody even after accounting for hearing age. Problems with interrogative intonation may be related to more general restrictions on rising intonation, and the correlation results indicate that intelligibility and sentence intonation may be relatively dissociated at these ages. PMID:22717120

Prospective long-term follow up of children with anorectal malformation: growth and development until 5years of age.

PubMed

van den Hondel, Desiree; Sloots, Cornelius E J; Gischler, Saskia J; Meeussen, Conny J H M; Wijnen, Rene M H; IJsselstijn, Hanneke

2013-04-01

To evaluate growth and development in children with anorectal malformations and to analyze effects of type of malformation and comorbidities. Non-syndromal children with anorectal malformations were prospectively evaluated at 0.5, 1, 2, and 5 years. Biometrics were obtained at all visits. Mental and psychomotor function development was determined. 108 children (59% male) were included. 49% had a high malformation, and 46% had ≥ 1 additional major comorbidity. All growth parameters were below the norm at all ages (p<0.01), irrespective of type of malformation. Children with ≥ 1 additional major anomaly had lower height at all ages; at 5 years, mean (95% CI) height was -1.83 (-2.7 to -1.1) and -0.70 (-1.3 to -0.1) in children with and without comorbidities, respectively (p=0.019). Mental development was normal, irrespective of the type of malformation or comorbidities. Motor development was delayed at all ages. At 5 years, motor development (n=30) was normal in 70%, borderline in 23%, and 7% had definitive motor problems (p=0.043). Non-syndromal children with anorectal malformations are at risk for growth impairment, especially those with additional major comorbidity. Mental development is normal. Motor development is slightly impaired. Supportive care should focus on growth, dietary management, and motor development besides defecation problems. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Composition of gut microbiota in obese and normal-weight Mexican school-age children and its association with metabolic traits.

PubMed

López-Contreras, B E; Morán-Ramos, S; Villarruel-Vázquez, R; Macías-Kauffer, L; Villamil-Ramírez, H; León-Mimila, P; Vega-Badillo, J; Sánchez-Muñoz, F; Llanos-Moreno, L E; Canizalez-Román, A; Del Río-Navarro, B; Ibarra-González, I; Vela-Amieva, M; Villarreal-Molina, T; Ochoa-Leyva, A; Aguilar-Salinas, C A; Canizales-Quinteros, S

2018-06-01

Childhood obesity is a serious public health problem in Mexico. Adult gut microbiota composition has been linked to obesity, but few studies have addressed the role of gut microbiota in childhood obesity. The aim of this study is to compare gut microbiota composition in obese and normal-weight children and to associate gut microbiota profiles with amino acid serum levels and obesity-related metabolic traits. Microbial taxa relative abundance was determined by 16S rRNA sequencing in 67 normal-weight and 71 obese children aged 6-12 years. Serum amino acid levels were measured by mass spectrometry. Associations between microbiota composition, metabolic parameters and amino acid serum levels were tested. No significant differences in phyla abundances or Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratios were observed between normal-weight and obese children. However, Bacteroides eggerthii abundance was significantly higher in obese children and correlated positively with body fat percentage and negatively with insoluble fibre intake. Additionally, Bacteroides plebeius and unclassified Christensenellaceae abundances were significantly higher in normal-weight children. Abundance of both these species correlated negatively with phenylalanine serum levels, a metabolite also found to be associated with obesity in Mexican children. The study identified bacterial species associated with obesity, metabolic complications and amino acid serum levels in Mexican children. © 2017 World Obesity Federation.

Spatial Frequency and Face Processing in Children with Autism and Asperger Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Deruelle, Christine; Rondan, Cecilie; Gepner, Bruno; Tardif, Carole

2004-01-01

Two experiments were designed to investigate possible abnormal face processing strategies in children with autistic spectrum disorders. A group of 11 children with autism was compared to two groups of normally developing children matched on verbal mental age and on chronological age. In the first experiment, participants had to recognize faces on…

Corneal Epithelium Thickness Profile in 614 Normal Chinese Children Aged 7-15 Years Old.

PubMed

Ma, Yingyan; He, Xiangui; Zhu, Xiaofeng; Lu, Lina; Zhu, Jianfeng; Zou, Haidong

2016-03-23

The purpose of the study is to describe the values and distribution of corneal epithelium thickness (CET) in normal Chinese school-aged children, and to explore associated factors with CET. CET maps were measured by Fourier-domain optical coherence tomography (FD-OCT) in normal Chinese children aged 7 to 15 years old from two randomly selected schools in Shanghai, China. Children with normal intraocular pressure were further examined for cycloplegic autorefraction, corneal curvature radius (CCR) and axial length. Central (2-mm diameter area), para-central (2- to 5-mm diameter area), and peripheral (5- to 6-mm diameter area) CET in the superior, superotemporal, temporal, inferotemporal, inferior, inferonasal, nasal, superonasal cornea; minimum, maximum, range, and standard deviation of CET within the 5-mm diameter area were recorded. The CET was thinner in the superior than in the inferior and was thinner in the temporal than in the nasal. The maximum CET was located in the inferior zone, and the minimum CET was in the superior zone. A thicker central CET was associated with male gender (p = 0.009) and older age (p = 0.037) but not with CCR (p = 0.061), axial length (p = 0.253), or refraction (p = 0.351) in the multiple regression analyses. CCR, age, and gender were correlated with para-central and peripheral CET.

Minimal Brain Dysfunction and Otitis Media.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hersher, Leonard

1978-01-01

The frequency of otitis media among 22 hyperactive children (ages 7-to-13 years) with learning disorders was compared with the frequency of otitis media in a sample of 772 normal matched-age children. (Author/PHR)

BMI Group-Related Differences in Physical Fitness and Physical Activity in Preschool-Age Children: A Cross-Sectional Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Niederer, Iris; Kriemler, Susi; Zahner, Lukas; Burgi, Flavia; Ebenegger, Vincent; Marques- Vidal, Pedro; Puder, Jardena J.

2012-01-01

In the Ballabeina study, we investigated age- and BMI-group-related differences in aerobic fitness (20 m shuttle run), agility (obstacle course), dynamic (balance beam) and static balance (balance platform), and physical activity (PA, accelerometers) in 613 children (M age = 5.1 years, SD = 0.6). Normal weight (NW) children performed better than…

Head growth and neurocognitive outcomes.

PubMed

Wright, Charlotte M; Emond, Alan

2015-06-01

There is a lack of evidence on the value of head circumference (HC) as a screening measure. We aimed to describe the incidence of head centile shifting and the relationship between extremes of head size and later neurodevelopmental problems in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. HC was measured routinely at 2, 9, and 18 or 24 months and by researchers at ages 4, 8, 12, and 18 months. IQ according to the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children was measured in research clinics at age 8 for all. Neurocognitive disorders (NCDs) were identified from chart review. There were 10 851 children with ≥2 head measurements. At each age, 2% to 3% of children had scores that were < -2 or >2 SDs below or above the mean, but for most children this was only found at 1 age. More than 15% of children showed centile shifts, but less than one-third of these were sustained at subsequent measurements. Only 0.5% showed a sustained shift beyond the normal range. Children with consistently small heads were up to 7 times more likely to have an NCD, but 85% of children with small heads had no NCDs, and 93% of children with NCDs had head SD scores within the normal range. Centile shifts within the normal range occur commonly and seem mainly to reflect measurement error. This finding makes robust assessment of the head trajectory difficult and may result in many children being investigated unnecessarily. Extreme head size is neither specific nor sensitive for detecting NCDs, suggesting that routine measurement of HC is unhelpful. Copyright © 2015 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Development of Spatial Release from Masking in Mandarin-Speaking Children with Normal Hearing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yuen, Kevin C. P.; Yuan, Meng

2014-01-01

Purpose: This study investigated the development of spatial release from masking in children using closed-set Mandarin disyllabic words and monosyllabic words carrying lexical tones as test stimuli and speech spectrum-weighted noise as a masker. Method: Twenty-six children ages 4-9 years and 12 adults, all with normal hearing, participated in…

AN INVESTIGATION OF DISCRIMINATION LEARNING ABILITY IN MONGOLOID AND NORMAL CHILDREN OF COMPARABLE MENTAL AGE.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

CANTOR, GORDON N.; GIRARDEAU, FREDERIC L.

THIS INQUIRY INVESTIGATED DISCRIMINATION LEARNING PROCESSES IN TRAINABLE MONGOLOID CHILDREN AS COMPARED WITH NORMAL PRESCHOOL CHILDREN. ITS PURPOSE WAS TO CONTRIBUTE TO GENERAL BEHAVIOR THEORY AND TO THE KNOWLEDGE OF MENTAL DEFICIENCY BY SEEING IF SUCH VARIABLES AS TRANSFER OF TRAINING, ACQUIRED DISTINCTIVENESS OF CUES, AND ACQUIRED EQUIVALENCE OF…

Learning of Information in Television Commercials by Gifted, Normal, and EMR Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hendon, Donald W.; And Others

To learn if differences in age, intelligence, and sex account for differences in children's memory of TV commercials and "degree of insistence" (DI) after viewing them, 54 gifted, 71 normal, and 53 educable mentally retarded children (of both sexes, 7-13 years) were questioned. The mediating influence of the three independent variables on DI was…

Pauses in the Narratives Produced by Autistic, Mentally Retarded, and Normal Children as an Index of Cognitive Demand.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thurber, Christopher; Tager-Flusberg, Helen

1993-01-01

The production of speech pauses and repairs in story narratives produced by autistic, mentally retarded, and normal children, matched on verbal mental age, was analyzed. Children with autism produced fewer nongrammatical pauses, and their nongrammatical pausing was correlated with measures of story length and complexity, suggesting that their…

Speech Production in 12-Month-Old Children with and without Hearing Loss

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGowan, Richard S.; Nittrouer, Susan; Chenausky, Karen

2008-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare speech production at 12 months of age for children with hearing loss (HL) who were identified and received intervention before 6 months of age with those of children with normal hearing (NH). Method: The speech production of 10 children with NH was compared with that of 10 children with HL whose…

Growth and endocrine function after near total pancreatectomy for hyperinsulinaemic hypoglycaemia.

PubMed Central

Soliman, A T; Alsalmi, I; Darwish, A; Asfour, M G

1996-01-01

Seven children, with a mean (SD) age of 4.6 (2.1) years, who as infants (21 (7.5) days) underwent near total (95-98%) pancreatectomy for persistent hyperinsulinaemic hypoglycaemia of infancy (PHHI) were studied. At birth all the infants were macrosomic. Four infants had been born after a difficult labour, of whom three had moderate birth asphyxia and respiratory distress. All had normal thyroid function. After surgery transient hyperglycaemia was manifest in six of the children and required insulin treatment for 5.8 (3.8) weeks, and transient hypoglycaemia was encountered in one child and responded well to increased carbohydrate intake and diazoxide for three weeks. Six of the children rapidly crossed down their length and weight centiles during the first year after surgery. At the end of the first year these children were at or below the 5th centile of height and weight for their age and gender. After a period of 4.6 (2.1) years, their mean (SD) height score was -2.57 (0.5), growth velocity 3.9 (0.75) cm/year, and growth velocity SD score -2.1 (0.55)l these were significantly low and denoted significant growth retardation. The growth hormone peak responses to provocation with clonidine were normal (13.5 (2.8) micrograms/l). However, the circulating insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) concentrations were significantly decreased (79 (34) ng/ml). Three of the children developed diabetes at two and a half, five, and seven years after surgery, two others had impaired oral glucose tolerance and six out of the seven children had an impaired C peptide response to glucagon. Defective insulin secretion in these children might directly inhibit IGF-I synthesis in the liver. The body mass index of the pancreatectomised children was 14.9 (0.5) and was normal for age and gender; they had a normal 72 hour faecal fat content and normal serum albumin concentration. These data indicated grossly adequate exocrine pancreatic function. It appears that children requiring near total pancreatectomy for PHHI have normal developmental milestones but defective linear growth with impaired insulin secretion and low IGF-I production despite normal growth hormone response to provocation. PMID:8669952

Cochlear implanted children present vocal parameters within normal standards.

PubMed

de Souza, Lourdes Bernadete Rocha; Bevilacqua, Maria Cecília; Brasolotto, Alcione Ghedini; Coelho, Ana Cristina

2012-08-01

to compare acoustic and perceptual parameters regarding the voice of cochlear implanted children, with normal hearing children. this is a cross-sectional, quantitative and qualitative study. Thirty six cochlear implanted children aged between 3 y and 3 m to 5 y and 9 m and 25 children with normal hearing, aged between 3 y and 11 m and 6 y and 6 m, participated in this study. The recordings and the acoustics analysis of the sustained vowel/a/and spontaneous speech were performed using the PRAAT program. The parameters analyzed for the sustained vowel were the mean of the fundamental frequency, jitter, shimmer and harmonic-to-noise ratio (HNR). For the spontaneous speech, the minimum and maximum frequencies and the number of semitones were extracted. The perceptual analysis of the speech material was analyzed using visual-analogical scales of 100 points, composing the aspects related to the overall severity of the vocal deviation, roughness, breathiness, strain, pitch, loudness and resonance deviation, and instability. This last parameter was only analyzed for the sustained vowel. The results demonstrated that the majority of the vocal parameters analyzed in the samples of the implanted children disclosed values similar to those obtained by the group of children with normal hearing. implanted children who participate in a (re) habilitation and follow-up program, can present vocal characteristics similar to those vocal characteristics of children with normal hearing. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Are language and social communication intact in children with congenital visual impairment at school age?

PubMed

Tadić, Valerie; Pring, Linda; Dale, Naomi

2010-06-01

Development of children with congenital visual impairment (VI) has been associated with vulnerable socio-communicative outcomes often bearing striking similarities to those of sighted children with autism.(1) To date, very little is known about language and social communication in children with VI of normal intelligence. We examined the presentation of language and social communication of 15 children with VI and normal-range verbal intelligence, age 6-12 years, using a standardised language assessment and parental reports of everyday social and communicative behaviours. Their profiles were compared to those of typically developing sighted children of similar age and verbal ability. Compared to their sighted peers, and relative to their own good and potentially superior structural language skills, children with VI showed significantly poorer use of language for social purposes. Pragmatic language weaknesses were a part of a broader socio-communicative profile of difficulties, present in a substantial proportion of these children and consistent with the pattern found in sighted children with autism. There are ongoing socio-communicative and pragmatic language difficulties in children with congenital VI at school age, despite their good intellectual abilities and advanced linguistic skills. Further research is required to unpack the underlying causes and factors maintaining this vulnerability in such children.

Auditory, speech and language development in young children with cochlear implants compared with children with normal hearing.

PubMed

Schramm, Bianka; Bohnert, Andrea; Keilmann, Annerose

2010-07-01

This study had two aims: (1) to document the auditory and lexical development of children who are deaf and received the first cochlear implant (CI) by the age of 16 months and the second CI by the age of 31 months and (2) to compare these children's results with those of children with normal hearing (NH). This longitudinal study included five children with NH and five with sensorineural deafness. All children of the second group were observed for 36 months after the first fitting of the device (cochlear implant). The auditory development of the CI group was documented every 3 months up to the age of two years in hearing age and chronological age and for the NH group in chronological age. The language development of each NH child was assessed at 12, 18, 24 and 36 months of chronological age. Children with CIs were examined at the same age intervals at chronological and hearing age. In both groups, children showed individual patterns of auditory and language development. The children with CIs developed differently in the amount of receptive and expressive vocabulary compared with the NH control group. Three children in the CI group needed almost 6 months to make gains in speech development that were consistent with what would be expected for their chronological age. Overall, the receptive and expressive development in all children of the implanted group increased with their hearing age. These results indicate that early identification and early implantation is advisable to give children with sensorineural hearing loss a realistic chance to develop satisfactory expressive and receptive vocabulary and also to develop stable phonological, morphological and syntactical skills for school life. On the basis of these longitudinal data, we will be able to develop new diagnostic tools that enable clinicians to assess child's progress in hearing and speech development. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Analysing the Peer Relationships of Obese and Normal-Weight Preschool Children Aged between Five and Six Years

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seçer, Zarife; Gülay Ogelman, Hülya; Önder, Alev

2015-01-01

The objective of this study is to reveal whether the peer relationships of preschool children who are determined to be obese, based on their body mass index (BMI), differentiate or not. The study was conducted within the frame of a relational survey model. A total of 114 five- to six-year-old children (57 normal-weight children and 57 obese…

Changes in Cerebral Cortex of Children Treated for Medulloblastoma

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liu, Arthur K.; Marcus, Karen J.; Department of Radiation Oncology, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

2007-07-15

Purpose: Children with medulloblastoma undergo surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. After treatment, these children have numerous structural abnormalities. Using high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging, we measured the thickness of the cerebral cortex in a group of medulloblastoma patients and a group of normally developing children. Methods and Materials: We obtained magnetic resonance imaging scans and measured the cortical thickness in 9 children after treatment of medulloblastoma. The measurements from these children were compared with the measurements from age- and gender-matched normally developing children previously scanned. For additional comparison, the pattern of thickness change was compared with the cortical thickness maps from amore » larger group of 65 normally developing children. Results: In the left hemisphere, relatively thinner cortex was found in the perirolandic region and the parieto-occipital lobe. In the right hemisphere, relatively thinner cortex was found in the parietal lobe, posterior superior temporal gyrus, and lateral temporal lobe. These regions of cortical thinning overlapped with the regions of cortex that undergo normal age-related thinning. Conclusion: The spatial distribution of cortical thinning suggested that the areas of cortex that are undergoing development are more sensitive to the effects of treatment of medulloblastoma. Such quantitative methods may improve our understanding of the biologic effects that treatment has on the cerebral development and their neuropsychological implications.« less

Predicting social functioning in children with a cochlear implant and in normal-hearing children: the role of emotion regulation.

PubMed

Wiefferink, Carin H; Rieffe, Carolien; Ketelaar, Lizet; Frijns, Johan H M

2012-06-01

The purpose of the present study was to compare children with a cochlear implant and normal hearing children on aspects of emotion regulation (emotion expression and coping strategies) and social functioning (social competence and externalizing behaviors) and the relation between emotion regulation and social functioning. Participants were 69 children with cochlear implants (CI children) and 67 normal hearing children (NH children) aged 1.5-5 years. Parents answered questionnaires about their children's language skills, social functioning, and emotion regulation. Children also completed simple tasks to measure their emotion regulation abilities. Cochlear implant children had fewer adequate emotion regulation strategies and were less socially competent than normal hearing children. The parents of cochlear implant children did not report fewer externalizing behaviors than those of normal hearing children. While social competence in normal hearing children was strongly related to emotion regulation, cochlear implant children regulated their emotions in ways that were unrelated with social competence. On the other hand, emotion regulation explained externalizing behaviors better in cochlear implant children than in normal hearing children. While better language skills were related to higher social competence in both groups, they were related to fewer externalizing behaviors only in cochlear implant children. Our results indicate that cochlear implant children have less adequate emotion-regulation strategies and less social competence than normal hearing children. Since they received their implants relatively recently, they might eventually catch up with their hearing peers. Longitudinal studies should further explore the development of emotion regulation and social functioning in cochlear implant children. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Classification of Normal and Pathological Gait in Young Children Based on Foot Pressure Data.

PubMed

Guo, Guodong; Guffey, Keegan; Chen, Wenbin; Pergami, Paola

2017-01-01

Human gait recognition, an active research topic in computer vision, is generally based on data obtained from images/videos. We applied computer vision technology to classify pathology-related changes in gait in young children using a foot-pressure database collected using the GAITRite walkway system. As foot positioning changes with children's development, we also investigated the possibility of age estimation based on this data. Our results demonstrate that the data collected by the GAITRite system can be used for normal/pathological gait classification. Combining age information and normal/pathological gait classification increases the accuracy of the classifier. This novel approach could support the development of an accurate, real-time, and economic measure of gait abnormalities in children, able to provide important feedback to clinicians regarding the effect of rehabilitation interventions, and to support targeted treatment modifications.

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia: improvement in lung function between 7 and 10 years of age.

PubMed

Blayney, M; Kerem, E; Whyte, H; O'Brodovich, H

1991-02-01

To evaluate the natural history of bronchopulmonary dysplasia, we studied the same 32 patients at a mean age of 7 and 10 years. The group as a whole had normal height and weight percentiles, and each child grew along his or her established somatic growth curve. Although some children had abnormal values, the group maintained a normal mean total lung capacity and functional residual capacity. The mean residual volume and the residual volume/total lung capacity ratios were elevated at both ages. At age 7 years the 19 patients (59%) who had a forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) of less than 80% had "catch up" improvement by 10 years of age (65 +/- 11% to 72 +/- 16% of predicted value; p less than 0.05). All the children who had a normal FEV1 at 7 years of age continued to have a normal FEV1 at age 10 years. Resting single-breath carbon monoxide uptake by the lung was normal when measured at age 10 years. The majority of patients had a positive methacholine challenge test result at both ages, although there was a low incidence of clinically diagnosed asthma. This study demonstrates that patients with bronchopulmonary dysplasia who have normal lung function at age 7 have had normal lung growth and that those with evidence of mild to moderate lung disease have continued lung growth or repair, or both, during their school years.

Speech and language development in six infants adopted from China.

PubMed

Price, Johanna R; Pollock, Karen E; Oller, D Kimbrough

2006-07-01

Children adopted from China currently represent the largest group of newly internationally adopted children in the US. An exploratory investigation of the communicative development of six young females adopted at ages 9 to 17 months from China by US families was conducted. Children were followed longitudinally from approximately three months post-adoption to age three years. English language skills were assessed at approximately three-month intervals, detailed communicative analyses were conducted at six months post-adoption, and outcomes were measured at three years of age. Results indicated wide variability in rates of English language development. Phonological, social-communicative, and lexical bases of communication were intact for each child at six months post-adoption. At age three years, four of the children demonstrated speech and language skills within one standard deviation of standardized test norms, one child demonstrated skills above the normal range, and one child's skills were below the normal range. This study provides evidence of the resiliency of children's language learning abilities.

Liver transplantation in children with Alagille syndrome--a study of twelve cases.

PubMed

Cardona, J; Houssin, D; Gauthier, F; Devictor, D; Losay, J; Hadchouel, M; Bernard, O

1995-08-27

Cholestasis associated with Alagille syndrome may, in a few cases, be extremely severe and result in major impairment in the quality of life during early childhood and end up in cirrhosis eventually. We report the results of liver transplantation in 12 children with a severe hepatic form of Alagille syndrome. All children presented with cholestatic jaundice from birth, peculiar facies, stenosis of the peripheral pulmonary artery, and posterior embryotoxon; butterfly-like vertebrae were present in 9 children. At the time of transplantation (mean age 7 years 10 months) refractory pruritus was present in 9 children, xanthoma in 11, and height and weight retardation in 11. Total serum bilirubin ranged from 116 to 322 mumol/L and total serum cholesterol from 3.5 to 29 mmol/L. Systolic right ventricular pressure was moderately raised (36 to 48 mmHg) in 5 children; mean creatinine clearance was 99 ml/min/1.73 m2. Histologic examination of the removed livers showed cirrhosis, severe annular fibrosis, and moderate portal fibrosis in 4 children each. Follow-up in the 11 survivors has ranged from 14 months to 5 1/2 years. All lead normal lives. Pruritus and xanthomas disappeared. Increase in height was observed in 8 of the 10 survivors who had growth retardation prior to transplantation. School level is normal in 4 (median age at LT: 5 yr 9 mo) and below normal in 6 (median age at OLT: 9 yr 9 mo). Liver function tests are normal in 10 children. Mean creatinine clearance is 101 ml/min/1.73 m2. These results indicate that the quality of life can be considerably improved after liver transplantation in children with a severe hepatic form of Alagille syndrome and suggest that it could be carried out before these children attend elementary school.

Self-Monitoring of Listening Abilities in Normal-Hearing Children, Normal-Hearing Adults, and Children with Cochlear Implants

PubMed Central

Rothpletz, Ann M.; Wightman, Frederic L.; Kistler, Doris J.

2012-01-01

Background Self-monitoring has been shown to be an essential skill for various aspects of our lives, including our health, education, and interpersonal relationships. Likewise, the ability to monitor one’s speech reception in noisy environments may be a fundamental skill for communication, particularly for those who are often confronted with challenging listening environments, such as students and children with hearing loss. Purpose The purpose of this project was to determine if normal-hearing children, normal-hearing adults, and children with cochlear implants can monitor their listening ability in noise and recognize when they are not able to perceive spoken messages. Research Design Participants were administered an Objective-Subjective listening task in which their subjective judgments of their ability to understand sentences from the Coordinate Response Measure corpus presented in speech spectrum noise were compared to their objective performance on the same task. Study Sample Participants included 41 normal-hearing children, 35 normal-hearing adults, and 10 children with cochlear implants. Data Collection and Analysis On the Objective-Subjective listening task, the level of the masker noise remained constant at 63 dB SPL, while the level of the target sentences varied over a 12 dB range in a block of trials. Psychometric functions, relating proportion correct (Objective condition) and proportion perceived as intelligible (Subjective condition) to target/masker ratio (T/M), were estimated for each participant. Thresholds were defined as the T/M required to produce 51% correct (Objective condition) and 51% perceived as intelligible (Subjective condition). Discrepancy scores between listeners’ threshold estimates in the Objective and Subjective conditions served as an index of self-monitoring ability. In addition, the normal-hearing children were administered tests of cognitive skills and academic achievement, and results from these measures were compared to findings on the Objective-Subjective listening task. Results Nearly half of the children with normal hearing significantly overestimated their listening in noise ability on the Objective-Subjective listening task, compared to less than 9% of the adults. There was a significant correlation between age and results on the Objective-Subjective task, indicating that the younger children in the sample (age 7–12 yr) tended to overestimate their listening ability more than the adolescents and adults. Among the children with cochlear implants, eight of the 10 participants significantly overestimated their listening ability (as compared to 13 of the 24 normal-hearing children in the same age range). We did not find a significant relationship between results on the Objective-Subjective listening task and performance on the given measures of academic achievement or intelligence. Conclusions Findings from this study suggest that many children with normal hearing and children with cochlear implants often fail to recognize when they encounter conditions in which their listening ability is compromised. These results may have practical implications for classroom learning, particularly for children with hearing loss in mainstream settings. PMID:22436118

Comparative Investigation of Indicators of Growth and Behavioral Disorders in Children with Normal, Low, and Very Low Birth Weight at Pre-school Age in Isfahan during 2015

PubMed Central

Yousefi, Marzieh; Abdeyazdan, Zahra; Ehsanpour, Soheila

2017-01-01

Introduction: Birth weight is one of the most important indicators of infant's health and could predict their health condition in future. This study was conducted to determine and compare indicators of growth [weight, height, and body mass index (BMI)] and behavioral disorders in children with normal, low, and very low birth weight at pre-school age. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive analytical study, 236 children (126 with normal weight, 100 with low birth weight, and 10 with very low birth weight) at pre-school age were investigated in three groups. Data collection tools were a two-part questionnaire including the Rutter Children Behavior Questionnaire for parents, and parents’ and children's demographic characteristics questionnaire, scale, and stadiometer. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, variance analysis, Chi square, and Kruskal–Wallis tests. Results: The mean of weight, height, and BMI at pre-school age in three groups had a significant difference (P = 0.009) and it was lower in the group with very low birth weight than the other two groups; however, the difference between the group with normal birth weight and the group with low birth weight was not significant (P = 0.10). The mean score of behavioral disorder had no significant difference between groups (P = 0.49). Conclusions: Results showed that children with very low birth weight grew less than the other two groups. Therefore, this group needs special attention and long-term follow-up for taking care of them to ensure better growth. It is recommended to conduct more extended studies to evaluate behavioral disorders in these children. PMID:28382052

Comparative Investigation of Indicators of Growth and Behavioral Disorders in Children with Normal, Low, and Very Low Birth Weight at Pre-school Age in Isfahan during 2015.

PubMed

Yousefi, Marzieh; Abdeyazdan, Zahra; Ehsanpour, Soheila

2017-01-01

Birth weight is one of the most important indicators of infant's health and could predict their health condition in future. This study was conducted to determine and compare indicators of growth [weight, height, and body mass index (BMI)] and behavioral disorders in children with normal, low, and very low birth weight at pre-school age. In this descriptive analytical study, 236 children (126 with normal weight, 100 with low birth weight, and 10 with very low birth weight) at pre-school age were investigated in three groups. Data collection tools were a two-part questionnaire including the Rutter Children Behavior Questionnaire for parents, and parents' and children's demographic characteristics questionnaire, scale, and stadiometer. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, variance analysis, Chi square, and Kruskal-Wallis tests. The mean of weight, height, and BMI at pre-school age in three groups had a significant difference ( P = 0.009) and it was lower in the group with very low birth weight than the other two groups; however, the difference between the group with normal birth weight and the group with low birth weight was not significant ( P = 0.10). The mean score of behavioral disorder had no significant difference between groups ( P = 0.49). Results showed that children with very low birth weight grew less than the other two groups. Therefore, this group needs special attention and long-term follow-up for taking care of them to ensure better growth. It is recommended to conduct more extended studies to evaluate behavioral disorders in these children.

The Relationship between Phonological Memory, Receptive Vocabulary, and Fast Mapping in Young Children with Specific Language Impairment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gray, Shelley

2006-01-01

Purpose: This study assessed the fast mapping performance of children with specific language impairment (SLI) across the preschool to kindergarten age span in relation to their phonological memory and vocabulary development. Method: Fifty-three children diagnosed with SLI and 53 children with normal language (NL) matched for age and gender (30…

A comparison of speech intonation production and perception abilities of Farsi speaking cochlear implanted and normal hearing children.

PubMed

Moein, Narges; Khoddami, Seyyedeh Maryam; Shahbodaghi, Mohammad Rahim

2017-10-01

Cochlear implant prosthesis facilitates spoken language development and speech comprehension in children with severe-profound hearing loss. However, this prosthesis is limited in encoding information about fundamental frequency and pitch that are essentially for recognition of speech prosody. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the perception and production of intonation in cochlear implant children and comparison with normal hearing children. This study carried out on 25 cochlear implanted children and 50 children with normal hearing. First, using 10 action pictures statements and questions sentences were extracted. Fundamental frequency and pitch changes were identified using Praat software. Then, these sentences were judged by 7 adult listeners. In second stage 20 sentences were played for child and he/she determined whether it was in a question form or statement one. Performance of cochlear implanted children in perception and production of intonation was significantly lower than children with normal hearing. The difference between fundamental frequency and pitch changes in cochlear implanted children and children with normal hearing was significant (P < 0/05). Cochlear implanted children performance in perception and production of intonation has significant correlation with child's age surgery and duration of prosthesis use (P < 0/05). The findings of the current study show that cochlear prostheses have limited application in facilitating the perception and production of intonation in cochlear implanted children. It should be noted that the child's age at the surgery and duration of prosthesis's use is important in reduction of this limitation. According to these findings, speech and language pathologists should consider intervention of intonation in treatment program of cochlear implanted children. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Neonatal Brain MRI and Motor Outcome at School Age in Children with Neonatal Encephalopathy: A Review of Personal Experience

PubMed Central

Mercuri, Eugenio; Barnett, Anna L.

2003-01-01

The aim of this paper is to review (i) the spectrum of neuromotor function at school age in children who had been born full-term and presented with neonatal encephalopathy (NE) and low Apgar scores and (ii) the relation between the presence/absence of such difficulties and neonatal brain MRI. Motor outcome appears to be mainly related to the severity of basal ganglia and internal capsule involvement. Severe basal ganglia lesions were always associated with the most severe outcome, microcephaly, tetraplegia, and severe global delay, whereas more discrete basal ganglia lesions were associated with athetoid cerebral palsy, with normal cognitive development or minor neuro-motor abnormalities. White matter lesions were associated with abnormal motor outcome only if the internal capsule was involved. Children with moderate white matter changes but normal internal capsule, had normal motor outcome at school age. PMID:14640307

Reading and visual search: a developmental study in normal children.

PubMed

Seassau, Magali; Bucci, Maria-Pia

2013-01-01

Studies dealing with developmental aspects of binocular eye movement behaviour during reading are scarce. In this study we have explored binocular strategies during reading and during visual search tasks in a large population of normal young readers. Binocular eye movements were recorded using an infrared video-oculography system in sixty-nine children (aged 6 to 15) and in a group of 10 adults (aged 24 to 39). The main findings are (i) in both tasks the number of progressive saccades (to the right) and regressive saccades (to the left) decreases with age; (ii) the amplitude of progressive saccades increases with age in the reading task only; (iii) in both tasks, the duration of fixations as well as the total duration of the task decreases with age; (iv) in both tasks, the amplitude of disconjugacy recorded during and after the saccades decreases with age; (v) children are significantly more accurate in reading than in visual search after 10 years of age. Data reported here confirms and expands previous studies on children's reading. The new finding is that younger children show poorer coordination than adults, both while reading and while performing a visual search task. Both reading skills and binocular saccades coordination improve with age and children reach a similar level to adults after the age of 10. This finding is most likely related to the fact that learning mechanisms responsible for saccade yoking develop during childhood until adolescence.

Age-Related Benefits of Digital Noise Reduction for Short-Term Word Learning in Children with Hearing Loss

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pittman, Andrea

2011-01-01

Purpose: To determine the rate of word learning for children with hearing loss (HL) in quiet and in noise compared to normal-hearing (NH) peers. The effects of digital noise reduction (DNR) were examined for children with HL. Method: Forty-one children with NH and 26 children with HL were grouped by age (8-9 years and 11-12 years). The children…

False Belief Development in Children Who Are Hard of Hearing Compared with Peers with Normal Hearing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walker, Elizabeth A.; Ambrose, Sophie E.; Oleson, Jacob; Moeller, Mary Pat

2017-01-01

Purpose: This study investigates false belief (FB) understanding in children who are hard of hearing (CHH) compared with children with normal hearing (CNH) at ages 5 and 6 years and at 2nd grade. Research with this population has theoretical significance, given that the early auditory-linguistic experiences of CHH are less restricted compared with…

Looking at Images with Human Figures: Comparison between Autistic and Normal Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van der Geest, J. N.; Kemner, C.; Camfferman, G.; Verbaten, M. N.; van Engeland, H.

2002-01-01

In this study, the looking behavior of 16 autistic and 14 non-autistic children toward cartoon-like scenes that included a human figure was measured quantitatively using an infrared eye-tracking device. Fixation behavior of autistic children was similar to that of their age-and IQ-matched normal peers. Results do not support the idea that autistic…

Developing Physiologic Stress Profiles for School-Age Children Who Stutter

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ortega, Aishah Y.; Ambrose, Nicoline G.

2011-01-01

Purpose: Physiologic reactivity profiles were generated for 9 school-age children with a history of stuttering. Utilizing salivary sampling, stress biomarkers cortisol and alpha-amylase were measured in response to normal daily stressors. Children with a history of stuttering were characterized as high or low autonomic reactors when compared to…

Repair Behaviors of Educable Mentally Handicapped and Normal Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tremain, Deborah Hobbs; Scudder, Rosalind R.

The study examined the behaviors of educable mentally handicapped (EMH) children in repairing their utterances when their listener requests clarification. Subjects were 10 EMH children, aged 11-13, with mental-aged matched controls. Repair behaviors were elicited using a picture description and matching game with a barrier between the subject and…

Vocabulary Knowledge of Children With Cochlear Implants: A Meta-Analysis

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

This article employs meta-analysis procedures to evaluate whether children with cochlear implants demonstrate lower spoken-language vocabulary knowledge than peers with normal hearing. Of the 754 articles screened and 52 articles coded, 12 articles met predetermined inclusion criteria (with an additional 5 included for one analysis). Effect sizes were calculated for relevant studies and forest plots were used to compare differences between groups of children with normal hearing and children with cochlear implants. Weighted effect size averages for expressive vocabulary measures (g = −11.99; p < .001) and for receptive vocabulary measures (g = −20.33; p < .001) indicated that children with cochlear implants demonstrate lower vocabulary knowledge than children with normal hearing. Additional analyses confirmed the value of comparing vocabulary knowledge of children with hearing loss to a tightly matched (e.g., socioeconomic status-matched) sample. Age of implantation, duration of implantation, and chronological age at testing were not significantly related to magnitude of weighted effect size. Findings from this analysis represent a first step toward resolving discrepancies in the vocabulary knowledge literature. PMID:26712811

Weight, Length, and Body Mass Index Growth of Children Under 2 Years of Age With Cleft Lip and Palate.

PubMed

Miranda, Gabriela Serrano; Marques, Ilza Lazarini; de Barros, Suely Prietto; Arena, Eliane Petean; de Souza, Luiz

2016-05-01

To study the growth of length-for-age (L/A), weight-for-age (W/A), and body mass index (BMI) of children with cleft lip and palate receiving a normal diet; to establish specific growth curves for children with cleft palate with or without cleft lip (CLP/ICP) who had not undergone palatoplasty and for children with isolated cleft lip (ICL); and to assess if CLP/ICP growth differed from ICL growth and if CLP/ICP and ICL growth differed from growth for typical children. Prospective and cross-sectional study. Hospital for Rehabilitation of Craniofacial Anomalies, Bauru, São Paulo, Brazil. Weight and length of 381 children with cleft lip and palate and who were younger than 2 years were recorded and used to calculate W/A, L/A, and BMI growth curves. The 2006 World Health Organization growth charts were used as a reference for typical children. All children received a normal diet for age. Children with CLP/ICP had median W/A and BMI growth curves below growth curves for typical children but showed spontaneous recovery starting at approximately 5 months of age, even with nonoperated cleft palate. Children with ICL had growth similar to that of typical children. Children with CLP/ICP, who initially had W/A and BMI values less than those of the ICL group, had W/A and BMI equal to or higher than the ICL group after 9 months of age. Children with CLP/ICP had impaired W/A and BMI growth with spontaneous recovery starting early in childhood. This study established specific W/A, BMI, and L/A growth curves for children with cleft lip and palate.

Health of children classified as underweight by CDC reference but normal by WHO standard.

PubMed

Meyers, Alan; Joyce, Katherine; Coleman, Sharon M; Cook, John T; Cutts, Diana; Ettinger de Cuba, Stephanie; Heeren, Timothy C; Rose-Jacobs, Ruth; Black, Maureen M; Casey, Patrick H; Chilton, Mariana; Sandel, Megan; Frank, Deborah A

2013-06-01

To ascertain measures of health status among 6- to 24-month-old children classified as below normal weight-for-age (underweight) by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 2000 growth reference but as normal weight-for-age by the World Health Organization (WHO) 2006 standard. Data were gathered from children and primary caregivers at emergency departments and primary care clinics in 7 US cities. Outcome measures included caregiver rating of child health, parental evaluation of developmental status, history of hospitalizations, and admission to hospital at the time of visit. Children were classified as (1) not underweight by either CDC 2000 or WHO 2006 criteria, (2) underweight by CDC 2000 but not by WHO 2006 criteria, or (3) underweight by both criteria. Associations between these categories and health outcome measures were assessed by using multiple logistic regression analysis. Data were available for 18 420 children. For each health outcome measure, children classified as underweight by CDC 2000 but normal by WHO 2006 had higher adjusted odds ratios (aORs) of adverse health outcomes than children not classified as underweight by either; children classified as underweight by both had the highest aORs of adverse outcomes. For example, compared with children not underweight by either criteria, the aORs for fair/poor health rating were 2.54 (95% confidence interval: 2.20-2.93) among children underweight by CDC but not WHO and 3.76 (3.13-4.51) among children underweight by both. Children who are reclassified from underweight to normal weight in changing from CDC 2000 to WHO 2006 growth charts may still be affected by morbidities associated with underweight.

Deficiencies in school readiness skills of children with sickle cell anemia: a preliminary report.

PubMed

Chua-Lim, C; Moore, R B; McCleary, G; Shah, A; Mankad, V N

1993-04-01

Patients with sickle cell anemia often express myriad clinical signs and symptoms that affect their life-style and academic performance. Certain psychoeducational and psychosocial factors have been shown to influence the academic achievement of older patients with sickle cell anemia. However, studies evaluating the school readiness skills of younger children have not been published. To determine whether sickle cell anemia delays preschool development in children aged 4 to 6 years, we studied 10 affected children and 10 normal subjects matched for age, sex, and race. School readiness was evaluated by the Pediatric Examination of Educational Readiness (PEER), which assess a child's performance in areas of developmental attainment such as visual input, verbal output, and short-term memory. The presence of associated movements (minor neurologic signs) and other areas of behavior such as selective attention, activity level, adaptive behavior, and processing efficiency are also observed. The children with sickle cell anemia scored significantly lower than their normal counterparts in several parameters of the PEER. The McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities, a standardized psychometric test, showed that these children with sickle cell anemia were within the normal range of intelligence. Magnetic resonance imaging done on three children with sickle cell anemia who scored lowest on the PEER revealed no cerebrovascular infarcts. These preliminary studies demonstrate significant differences in school readiness skills between children with sickle cell anemia and normal subjects.

Evaluation and management of bradycardia in neonates and children.

PubMed

Baruteau, Alban-Elouen; Perry, James C; Sanatani, Shubhayan; Horie, Minoru; Dubin, Anne M

2016-02-01

Heart rate is commonly used in pediatric early warning scores. Age-related changes in the anatomy and physiology of infants and children produce normal ranges for electrocardiogram features that differ from adults and vary with age. Bradycardia is defined as a heart rate below the lowest normal value for age. Pediatric bradycardia most commonly manifests as sinus bradycardia, junctional bradycardia, or atrioventricular block. As a result of several different etiologies, it may occur in an entirely structurally normal heart or in association with concomitant congenital heart disease. Genetic variants in multiple genes have been described to date in the pathogenesis of inherited sinus node dysfunction or progressive cardiac conduction disorders. Management and eventual prognosis of bradycardia in the young are entirely dependent upon the underlying cause. Reasons to intervene for bradycardia are the association of related symptoms and/or the downstream risk of heart failure or pause-dependent tachyarrhythmia. The simplest aspect of severe bradycardia management is reflected in the Pediatric and Advanced Life Support (PALS) guidelines. Early diagnosis and appropriate management are critical in many cases in order to prevent sudden death, and this review critically assesses our current practice for evaluation and management of bradycardia in neonates and children. Bradycardia is defined as a heart rate below the lowest normal value for age. Age related changes in the anatomy and physiology of infants and children produce normal ranges for electrocardiogram features that differ from adults and vary with age. Pediatric bradycardia most commonly manifests as sinus bradycardia, junctional bradycardia, or atrioventricular block. Management and eventual prognosis of bradycardia in the young are entirely dependent upon the underlying cause. Bradycardia may occur in a structurally normal heart or in association with congenital heart disease. Genetic variants in multiple genes have been described. Reasons to intervene for bradycardia are the association of related symptoms and/or the downstream risk of heart failure or pause-dependent tachyarrhythmia. Early diagnosis and appropriate management are critical in order to prevent sudden death.

Perceived athletic competence and physical activity in children with developmental coordination disorder who are clinically referred, and control children.

PubMed

Noordstar, Johannes J; Stuive, Ilse; Herweijer, Hester; Holty, Lian; Oudenampsen, Chantal; Schoemaker, Marina M; Reinders-Messelink, Heleen A

2014-12-01

The relationship between perceived athletic competence (PAC) and physical activity (PA) in children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) is still unclear. This study investigated differences in PAC and PA between, and within, a group of children with DCD that were clinically referred (n = 31) and a group of control children (n = 38), aged 7-12 years. All children were categorized in four groups: (1) children with DCD/low PAC, (2) children with DCD/normal to high PAC, (3) control children/low PAC, and (4) control children/normal to high PAC. PAC was assessed with the Self-Perception Profile for Children, and PA was assessed with the Modifiable Activity Questionnaire. Children with DCD participated less in unorganized PA, but not in organized PA, compared with control children. Normal to high PAC was found in more than half of the children (64.5%) with DCD. Children with DCD/low PAC and children with DCD/normal to high PAC participated significantly less in unorganized physical activity compared with control children/normal to high PAC, but not compared with control children/low PAC. The results indicate that there are large individual differences in PAC in children with DCD. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A New Approach for the Quantitative Evaluation of Drawings in Children with Learning Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Galli, Manuela; Vimercati, Sara Laura; Stella, Giacomo; Caiazzo, Giorgia; Norveti, Federica; Onnis, Francesca; Rigoldi, Chiara; Albertini, Giorgio

2011-01-01

A new method for a quantitative and objective description of drawing and for the quantification of drawing ability in children with learning disabilities (LD) is hereby presented. Twenty-four normally developing children (N) (age 10.6 [plus or minus] 0.5) and 18 children with learning disabilities (LD) (age 10.3 [plus or minus] 2.4) took part to…

Clinical report--the evaluation of sexual behaviors in children.

PubMed

Kellogg, Nancy D

2009-09-01

Most children will engage in sexual behaviors at some time during childhood. These behaviors may be normal but can be confusing and concerning to parents or disruptive or intrusive to others. Knowledge of age-appropriate sexual behaviors that vary with situational and environmental factors can assist the clinician in differentiating normal sexual behaviors from sexual behavior problems. Most situations that involve sexual behaviors in young children do not require child protective services intervention; for behaviors that are age-appropriate and transient, the pediatrician may provide guidance in supervision and monitoring of the behavior. If the behavior is intrusive, hurtful, and/or age-inappropriate, a more comprehensive assessment is warranted. Some children with sexual behavior problems may reside or have resided in homes characterized by inconsistent parenting, violence, abuse, or neglect and may require more immediate intervention and referrals.

Central Auditory Maturation and Behavioral Outcome in Children with Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder who Use Cochlear Implants

PubMed Central

Cardon, Garrett; Sharma, Anu

2013-01-01

Objective We examined cortical auditory development and behavioral outcomes in children with ANSD fitted with cochlear implants (CI). Design Cortical maturation, measured by P1 cortical auditory evoked potential (CAEP) latency, was regressed against scores on the Infant Toddler Meaningful Auditory Integration Scale (IT-MAIS). Implantation age was also considered in relation to CAEP findings. Study Sample Cross-sectional and longitudinal samples of 24 and 11 children, respectively, with ANSD fitted with CIs. Result P1 CAEP responses were present in all children after implantation, though previous findings suggest that only 50-75% of ANSD children with hearing aids show CAEP responses. P1 CAEP latency was significantly correlated with participants' IT-MAIS scores. Furthermore, more children implanted before age two years showed normal P1 latencies, while those implanted later mainly showed delayed latencies. Longitudinal analysis revealed that most children showed normal or improved cortical maturation after implantation. Conclusion Cochlear implantation resulted in measureable cortical auditory development for all children with ANSD. Children fitted with CIs under age two years were more likely to show age-appropriate CAEP responses within 6 months after implantation, suggesting a possible sensitive period for cortical auditory development in ANSD. That CAEP responses were correlated with behavioral outcome highlights their clinical decision-making utility. PMID:23819618

Normative Data for the Words-in-Noise Test for 6- to 12-Year-Old Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilson, Richard H.; Farmer, Nicole M.; Gandhi, Avni; Shelburne, Emily; Weaver, Jamie

2010-01-01

Purpose: To establish normative data for children on the Words-in-Noise Test (WIN; R. H. Wilson, 2003; R. H. Wilson & R. McArdle, 2007). Method: Forty-two children in each of 7 age groups, ranging in age from 6 to 12 years (n = 294), and 24 young adults (age range: 18-27 years) with normal hearing for pure tones participated. All listeners…

Prevalence of oral health status in visually impaired children.

PubMed

Reddy, Kvkk; Sharma, A

2011-01-01

The epidemiological investigation was carried out among 228 children selected from two schools of similar socioeconomic strata in and around Chennai city. The study population consisted of 128 visually impaired and 100 normal school going children in the age group of 6-15 years. The examination procedure and criteria were those recommended by W.H.O. in 1997. The mean DMFT/deft was 1.1 and 0.17,0.87 and 0.47 in visually impaired and normal children, respectively. Oral hygiene levels in both groups were: mean value in good category was 0.19 and 0.67, in fair category was 0.22 and 0.1, and in poor category 0.40 and 0.23 in visually impaired children and normal children, respectively. Trauma experienced children were 0.29 and 0.13 in visually impaired children and normal children, respectively. The conclusions drawn from this study were that there was a greater prevalence of dental caries, poorer oral hygiene, and higher incidence of trauma in visually impaired children.

High adiposity and high body mass index–for-age in US children and adolescents overall and by race-ethnic group123

PubMed Central

Ogden, Cynthia L; Yanovski, Jack A; Freedman, David S; Shepherd, John A; Graubard, Barry I; Borrud, Lori G

2010-01-01

Background: Body mass index (BMI)–for-age has been recommended as a screening test for excess adiposity in children and adolescents. Objective: We quantified the performance of standard categories of BMI-for-age relative to the population prevalence of high adiposity in children and adolescents overall and by race-ethnic group in a nationally representative US population sample by using definitions of high adiposity that are consistent with expert committee recommendations. Design: Percentage body fat in 8821 children and adolescents aged 8–19 y was measured by using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in 1999–2004 as part of a health examination survey. Results: With the use of several different cutoffs for percentage fat to define high adiposity, most children with high BMI-for-age (≥95th percentile of the growth charts) had high adiposity, and few children with normal BMI-for-age (<85th percentile) had high adiposity. The prevalence of high adiposity in intermediate BMI categories varied from 45% to 15% depending on the cutoff. The prevalence of a high BMI was significantly higher in non-Hispanic black girls than in non-Hispanic white girls, but the prevalence of high adiposity was not significantly different. Conclusions: Current BMI cutoffs can identify a high prevalence of high adiposity in children with high BMI-for-age and a low prevalence of high adiposity in children with normal BMI-for-age. By these adiposity measures, less than one-half of children with intermediate BMIs-for-age (85th to <95th percentile) have high adiposity. Differences in high BMI ranges between race-ethnic groups do not necessarily indicate differences in high adiposity. PMID:20164313

Perceived Competence Scale for Children: Testing for Factorial Validity and Invariance across Age and Ability.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Byrne, Barbara M.; Schneider, Barry H.

1988-01-01

For 241 normal and 132 gifted fifth graders and 113 normal and 117 gifted seventh graders in Ottawa (Ontario), exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses investigated the factorial validity of the Perceived Competence Scale for Children (PCSC). Overall, the PCSC demonstrated sound psychometric properties. (SLD)

Comprehending Psychological Defenses: Developmental Differences between Normal and Disturbed Children and Adolescents.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kinney, Andrew; Rybash, John

Investigated were similarities and differences in the ability of 26 normally developing and 26 conduct-disordered children and adolescents to comprehend psychologically defensive behavior and the cognitive processes underlying differences due to age. Matched by cognitive level, subjects viewed vignettes depicting another child behaving…

Characteristics of Preschoolers with Lower Perceived Competence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coplan, Robert J.; Findlay, Leanne C.; Nelson, Larry J.

2004-01-01

The goal of the present study was to identify preschool children with "age-inappropriate" less positive self-perceptions, and to explore their parental and peer relationships as compared to their classmates with "age normal" self-perceptions. Participants were n = 127 preschool children ([M.sub.age] = 54.98 mos., SD = 8.21). Data were collected…

Resting-State Oscillatory Activity in Children Born Small for Gestational Age: An MEG Study

PubMed Central

Boersma, Maria; de Bie, Henrica M. A.; Oostrom, Kim J.; van Dijk, Bob W.; Hillebrand, Arjan; van Wijk, Bernadette C. M.; Delemarre-van de Waal, Henriëtte A.; Stam, Cornelis J.

2013-01-01

Growth restriction in utero during a period that is critical for normal growth of the brain, has previously been associated with deviations in cognitive abilities and brain anatomical and functional changes. We measured magnetoencephalography (MEG) in 4- to 7-year-old children to test if children born small for gestational age (SGA) show deviations in resting-state brain oscillatory activity. Children born SGA with postnatally spontaneous catch-up growth [SGA+; six boys, seven girls; mean age 6.3 year (SD = 0.9)] and children born appropriate for gestational age [AGA; seven boys, three girls; mean age 6.0 year (SD = 1.2)] participated in a resting-state MEG study. We calculated absolute and relative power spectra and used non-parametric statistics to test for group differences. SGA+ and AGA born children showed no significant differences in absolute and relative power except for reduced absolute gamma band power in SGA children. At the time of MEG investigation, SGA+ children showed significantly lower head circumference (HC) and a trend toward lower IQ, however there was no association of HC or IQ with absolute or relative power. Except for reduced absolute gamma band power, our findings suggest normal brain activity patterns at school age in a group of children born SGA in which spontaneous catch-up growth of bodily length after birth occurred. Although previous findings suggest that being born SGA alters brain oscillatory activity early in neonatal life, we show that these neonatal alterations do not persist at early school age when spontaneous postnatal catch-up growth occurs after birth. PMID:24068993

Foetal growth restriction is associated with poor reading and spelling skills at eight years to 10 years of age.

PubMed

Partanen, Lea; Korkalainen, Noora; Mäkikallio, Kaarin; Olsén, Päivi; Laukkanen-Nevala, Päivi; Yliherva, Anneli

2018-01-01

Foetal growth restriction (FGR) is associated with communication problems, which might lead to poor literacy skills. The reading and spelling skills of eight- to 10-year-old FGR children born at 24-40 gestational weeks were compared with those of their gestational age-matched, appropriately grown (AGA) peers. A prospectively collected cohort of 37 FGR and 31 AGA children was recruited prenatally at a Finnish tertiary care centre during 1998-2001. The children's reading and spelling skills were assessed using standardised tests for Finnish-speaking second and third graders. Significantly more children performed below the 10th percentile normal values for reading and spelling skills in the FGR group than in the AGA group. At nine years of age, the FGR children had significantly poorer performance in word reading skills and reading fluency, reading accuracy and reading comprehension than the AGA controls. No between-group differences were detected at eight years of age. FGR is associated with poor performance in reading and spelling skills. A third of the FGR children performed below the 10th percentile normal values at nine years of age. These results indicate a need to continuously evaluate linguistic and literacy skills as FGR children age to ensure optimal support. ©2017 Foundation Acta Paediatrica. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Comparison of NCHS, CDC, and WHO curves in children with cardiovascular risk.

PubMed

Oliveira, Grasiela Junges de; Barbiero, Sandra Mari; Cesa, Claudia Ciceri; Pellanda, Lucia Campos

2013-01-01

The study aimed to compare the prevalence of overweight and obesity according to three growth curves, created by the World Health Organization (WHO/2006), by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS/1977), and by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC/2000) in children with cardiovascular risk factors. Data from 118 children and adolescents, aged between 2 and 19 years, treated between the years 2001 to 2009 at the Pediatric Preventive Cardiology Outpatient Clinic of the Instituto de Cardiologia de Porto Alegre were evaluated. The variables analyzed were: weight, height, age, and gender. Variables were classified according to the following criteria: weight/age, height/age, and body mass index (BMI). The cutoff points used were obtained from the three growth curves: WHO/2006, NCHS/1977, and CDC/2000. Regarding the criterion weight/age by the NCHS curve, 18% of the children were classified as having normal weight, and 82% had excess weight; by the CDC curve, 28% had normal and 72% had excess weight; by the WHO curve, 16.0% had normal weight and 84% had excess weight. According to the BMI, 0.8% of the population was underweight. According to the CDC and WHO curves, 7.6% and 6.8% had normal weight; 26.3% and 11.9% were overweight; and 65.3% and 80.5% were obese, respectively. Regarding the height/age criterion, there was no significant difference between the references and, on average, 98.3% of the population showed adequate height for age. The new WHO curves are more sensitive to identify obesity in a population at risk, which has important implications for preventive and therapeutic management. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

Maturation of Speech and Language Functional Neuroanatomy in Pediatric Normal Controls

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Devous, Michael D., Sr.; Altuna, Dianne; Furl, Nicholas, Cooper, William; Gabbert, Gretchen; Ngai, Wei Tat; Chiu, Stephanie; Scott, Jack M., III; Harris, Thomas S.; Payne, J. Kelly; Tobey, Emily A.

2006-01-01

Purpose: This study explores the relationship between age and resting-state regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in regions associated with higher order language skills using a population of normal children, adolescents, and young adults. Method: rCBF was measured in 33 normal participants between the ages of 7 and 19 years using single photon…

Growth Curves of Preschool Children in the Northeast of Iran: A Population Based Study Using Quantile Regression Approach

PubMed Central

Payande, Abolfazl; Tabesh, Hamed; Shakeri, Mohammad Taghi; Saki, Azadeh; Safarian, Mohammad

2013-01-01

Introduction: Growth charts are widely used to assess children’s growth status and can provide a trajectory of growth during early important months of life. The objectives of this study are going to construct growth charts and normal values of weight-for-age for children aged 0 to 5 years using a powerful and applicable methodology. The results compare with the World Health Organization (WHO) references and semi-parametric LMS method of Cole and Green. Methods: A total of 70737 apparently healthy boys and girls aged 0 to 5 years were recruited in July 2004 for 20 days from those attending community clinics for routine health checks as a part of a national survey. Anthropometric measurements were done by trained health staff using WHO methodology. The nonparametric quantile regression method obtained by local constant kernel estimation of conditional quantiles curves using for estimation of curves and normal values. Results: The weight-for-age growth curves for boys and girls aged from 0 to 5 years were derived utilizing a population of children living in the northeast of Iran. The results were similar to the ones obtained by the semi-parametric LMS method in the same data. Among all age groups from 0 to 5 years, the median values of children’s weight living in the northeast of Iran were lower than the corresponding values in WHO reference data. The weight curves of boys were higher than those of girls in all age groups. Conclusion: The differences between growth patterns of children living in the northeast of Iran versus international ones necessitate using local and regional growth charts. International normal values may not properly recognize the populations at risk for growth problems in Iranian children. Quantile regression (QR) as a flexible method which doesn’t require restricted assumptions, proposed for estimation reference curves and normal values. PMID:23618470

Renal damage detected by DMSA, despite normal renal ultrasound, in children with febrile UTI.

PubMed

Bush, N C; Keays, M; Adams, C; Mizener, K; Pritzker, K; Smith, W; Traylor, J; Villanueva, C; Snodgrass, W T

2015-06-01

2011 American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines recommended renal-bladder ultrasound (RBUS) as the only evaluation after febrile urinary tract infection (FUTI) in infants aged 2-24 months. We determined the sensitivity, specificity, and false negative rate of RBUS to identify DMSA-detected renal damage in this age group as well as in older children. Consecutive patients referred to pediatric urology with a history of FUTI underwent DMSA ≥ 3 months after FUTI. Abnormal RBUS was defined as: Society of Fetal Urology hydronephrosis grades I-IV; hydroureter ≥ 7 mm; renal scar defined as focal parenchymal thinning; and/or size discrepancy ≥ 1 cm between kidneys. Abnormal DMSA was presence of any focal uptake defects and/or split renal function < 44%. We calculated sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and false negative rates of RBUS compared to DMSA. 618 patients (79% female), median age 3.4 years, were referred for FUTIs. Of the 512 (83%) with normal RBUS, 99 (19%) had abnormal DMSA. Children with normal RBUS after their first FUTI had abnormal DMSA in 15/151 (10%) aged ≤ 24 months and 23/119 (19%) aged > 24 months. RBUS had poor sensitivity (34%) and low positive predictive value (47%) to identify patients with renal damage. 99/149 (66%) children with renal damage on DMSA had normal RBUS. After FUTI, 66% of children with reduced renal function and/or renal cortical defects found by DMSA scintigraphy had a normal RBUS. Since abnormal DMSA may correlate with increased risk for VUR, recurrent FUTI and renal damage, our data suggest RBUS alone will fail to detect a significant proportion of patients at risk. The data suggest that imaging after FUTI should include acute RBUS and delayed DMSA, reserving VCUG for patients with abnormal DMSA and/or recurrent FUTI. Copyright © 2015 Journal of Pediatric Urology Company. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comprehensive non-dimensional normalization of gait data.

PubMed

Pinzone, Ornella; Schwartz, Michael H; Baker, Richard

2016-02-01

Normalizing clinical gait analysis data is required to remove variability due to physical characteristics such as leg length and weight. This is particularly important for children where both are associated with age. In most clinical centres conventional normalization (by mass only) is used whereas there is a stronger biomechanical argument for non-dimensional normalization. This study used data from 82 typically developing children to compare how the two schemes performed over a wide range of temporal-spatial and kinetic parameters by calculating the coefficients of determination with leg length, weight and height. 81% of the conventionally normalized parameters had a coefficient of determination above the threshold for a statistical association (p<0.05) compared to 23% of those normalized non-dimensionally. All the conventionally normalized parameters exceeding this threshold showed a reduced association with non-dimensional normalization. In conclusion, non-dimensional normalization is more effective that conventional normalization in reducing the effects of height, weight and age in a comprehensive range of temporal-spatial and kinetic parameters. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Social conversational skills development in early implanted children.

PubMed

Guerzoni, Letizia; Murri, Alessandra; Fabrizi, Enrico; Nicastri, Maria; Mancini, Patrizia; Cuda, Domenico

2016-09-01

Social conversational skills are a salient aspect of early pragmatic development in young children. These skills include two different abilities, assertiveness and responsiveness. This study investigated the development of these abilities in early implanted children and their relationships with lexical development and some language-sensitive variables. Prospective, observational, nonrandomized study. Participants included 28 children with congenital profound sensorineural hearing loss. The mean age at device activation was 13.3 months (standard deviation [SD] ±4.2). The Social-Conversational Skills Rating Scale was used to evaluate assertiveness and responsiveness. The MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory (Words and Sentences form) was used to analyze the lexical development. The device experience was 12 months for each child, and the mean age at testing was 25.9 months (SD ±4.6). Assertiveness and responsiveness scores were within the normal range of normal-hearing age-matched peers. Age at cochlear implant activation exerted a significant impact, with the highest scores associated to the youngest patients. The residual correlations between assertiveness and responsiveness with the lexical development were positive and strongly significant (r = 0.69 and 0.73, respectively). Preoperative hearing threshold demonstrated an associated significant coefficient on the assertiveness score. Age at diagnosis and maternal education level were not correlated with the social conversational skills. Early-implanted children developed social conversational skills that are similar to normal-hearing peers matched for age 1 year after device activation. Social conversational skills and lexical development were strongly correlated, but the present study design cannot specify the direction of this relationship. Children with better preoperative residual hearing exhibited better assertive ability. 4 Laryngoscope, 126:2098-2105, 2016. © 2015 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.

Period for Normalization of Voice Acoustic Parameters in Indian Pediatric Cochlear Implantees.

PubMed

Joy, Jeena V; Deshpande, Shweta; Vaid, Dr Neelam

2017-05-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the duration required by children with cochlear implants to approximate the norms of voice acoustic parameters. The study design is retrospective. Thirty children with cochlear implants (chronological ages ranging between 4.1 and 6.7 years) were divided into three groups, based on the postimplantation duration. Ten normal-hearing children (chronological ages ranging between 4 and 7 years) were selected as the control group. All implanted children underwent an objective voice analysis using Dr. Speech software (Tiger DRS, Inc., Seattle, WA, USA) at 6 months and at 1 and 2 years of implant use. Voice analysis was done for the children in the control group and means were derived for all the parameters analyzed to obtain the normal values. Habitual fundamental frequency (HFF), jitter (frequency variation), and shimmer (amplitude variation) were the voice acoustic parameters analyzed for the vowels |a|, |i|, and |u|. The obtained values of these parameters were then compared with the norms. HFF for the children with implant use for 6 months and 1 year did significantly differ from the control group. However, there was no significant difference (P > 0.5) observed in the children with implant use for 2 years, thus matching the norms. Jitter and shimmer showed a significant difference (P < 0.5) even at 2 years of implant use when compared with the control group. The findings of the study divulge that children with cochlear implants approximate age-matched normal-hearing kids with respect to the voice acoustic parameter of HFF by 2 years of implant use. However, jitter and shimmer were not found to stabilize for the duration studied. Copyright © 2017 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Eye–Hand Coordination Skills in Children with and without Amblyopia

PubMed Central

Suttle, Catherine M.; Melmoth, Dean R.; Finlay, Alison L.; Sloper, John J.

2011-01-01

Purpose. To investigate whether binocular information provides benefits for programming and guidance of reach-to-grasp movements in normal children and whether these eye–hand coordination skills are impaired in children with amblyopia and abnormal binocularity. Methods. Reach-to-grasp performance of the preferred hand in binocular versus monocular (dominant or nondominant eye occluded) conditions to different objects (two sizes, three locations, and two to three repetitions) was quantified by using a 3D motion-capture system. The participants were 36 children (age, 5–11 years) and 11 adults who were normally sighted and 21 children (age, 4–8 years) who had strabismus and/or anisometropia. Movement kinematics and error rates were compared for each viewing condition within and between subject groups. Results. The youngest control subjects used a mainly programmed (ballistic) strategy and collided with the objects more often when viewing with only one eye, while older children progressively incorporated visual feedback to guide their reach and, eventually, their grasp, resulting in binocular advantages for both movement components resembling those of adult performance. Amblyopic children were the worst performers under all viewing conditions, even when using the dominant eye. They spent almost twice as long in the final approach to the objects and made many (1.5–3 times) more errors in reach direction and grip positioning than their normal counterparts, these impairments being most marked in those with the poorest binocularity, regardless of the severity or cause of their amblyopia. Conclusions. The importance of binocular vision for eye–hand coordination normally increases with age and use of online movement guidance. Restoring binocularity in children with amblyopia may improve their poor hand action control. PMID:21212188

Assessing the impact of adjusting for maturity in weight status classification in a cross-sectional sample of UK children.

PubMed

Gillison, Fiona; Cumming, Sean; Standage, Martyn; Barnaby, Catherine; Katzmarzyk, Peter

2017-06-26

To compare the weight categorisation of a cohort of UK children using standard procedures (ie, comparing body mass index (BMI) centiles to age-matched UK reference data) versus an approach adjusted for maturation status (ie, matching relative to biological age). Analysis of data collected from an observational study of UK primary school children. Schools in South West England. Four hundred and seven 9-11 year-old children (98% white British). Weight status was classified using BMI centiles using (1) sex and chronological age-matched referents and (2) sex and biological age-matched referents (based on % of predicted adult stature) relative to UK 1990 reference growth charts. For both approaches, children were classified as a normal weight if >2nd centile and <85thcentile, overweight if 85th and <95thcentiles, and obese if ≥95thcentile. Fifty-one children (12.5%) were overweight, and a further 51 obese (12.5%) according to standard chronological age-matched classifications. Adjustment for maturity resulted in 32% of overweight girls, and 15% of overweight boys being reclassified as a normal weight, and 11% and 8% of obese girls and boys, respectively, being reclassified as overweight. Early maturing children were 4.9 times more likely to be reclassified from overweight to normal weight than 'on-time' maturers (OR 95% CI 1.3 to 19). Incorporating assessments of maturational status into weight classification resulted in significant changes to the classification of early-maturing adolescents. Further research exploring the implications for objective health risk and well-being is needed. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Music activities and responses of young cochlear implant recipients.

PubMed

van Besouw, Rachel M; Grasmeder, Mary L; Hamilton, Mary E; Baumann, Sarah E

2011-05-01

The development of auditory receptive skills and spoken language is often delayed in children who use cochlear implants, which may affect their appreciation of and responses to music. This in turn may be interpreted as disinterest in music. A questionnaire was developed to determine whether differences in exposure and responses to music exist between young cochlear implant recipients and their normally hearing peers. The questionnaire was developed by a multidisciplinary team and distributed to parents of preschool children with normal hearing and to parents of preschool children who had been implanted at least one year prior. The cochlear implant group comprised 23 children and was gender and age matched (within ±2 months) to a group of children with normal hearing. Young cochlear implant recipients receive similar exposure to audiovisual music media, parental singing and musical instruments at home. However, the data suggest that they receive less exposure to children's music presented without visual stimuli. Parents also reported less sophisticated responses to music for this group. The findings of this study have important implications concerning the provision of age-appropriate music habilitation materials and activities for young cochlear implant recipients.

[Determine and parallel analysis of three kinds of PAEs in serum for obese children].

PubMed

Li, Ping; Dai, Xingbi; Dan, Hong; Huang, Xiaohong

2008-09-01

To study the serum contents of the PAEs of obese children at the ages of 10 to 12 years, in order to estimate the harm of PAEs on obese children. The contents of three kinds PAEs(DEP, DBP and DEHP) in the serum for two groups of children, including 36 obese children and 36 normal weight children, were determined by the reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) method And the average measure value of three kind PAEs between two groups of children were analysed. The median serum levels of PAEs were 0.0032 (DEP), 0.1649 (DBP) and 0.1680 (DEHP) in obese children. And the serum levels of PAEs were 0.0026 (DEP), 0.0359 (DBP) and 0.1063 (DEHP) in normal weight children. The differences of average measure value of DBP and DEHP in three kind PAEs between two groups of children were significant (P < 0.01). The amounts of obese children in high level were more than those of normal weight children, and the constitution ratios in three kinds of PAEs of obese children were higher than those of normal weight children. The differences between two groups of children were significant (P < 0.01). The average levels of DBP and DEHP in serum of obese children were more than those of serum of normal weight children. The amounts of obese children were higher than those of normal weight children in high level content of three kinds of PAEs.

Probabilities of Dilating Vesicoureteral Reflux in Children with First Time Simple Febrile Urinary Tract Infection, and Normal Renal and Bladder Ultrasound.

PubMed

Rianthavorn, Pornpimol; Tangngamsakul, Onjira

2016-11-01

We evaluated risk factors and assessed predicted probabilities for grade III or higher vesicoureteral reflux (dilating reflux) in children with a first simple febrile urinary tract infection and normal renal and bladder ultrasound. Data for 167 children 2 to 72 months old with a first febrile urinary tract infection and normal ultrasound were compared between those who had dilating vesicoureteral reflux (12 patients, 7.2%) and those who did not. Exclusion criteria consisted of history of prenatal hydronephrosis or familial reflux and complicated urinary tract infection. The logistic regression model was used to identify independent variables associated with dilating reflux. Predicted probabilities for dilating reflux were assessed. Patient age and prevalence of nonEscherichia coli bacteria were greater in children who had dilating reflux compared to those who did not (p = 0.02 and p = 0.004, respectively). Gender distribution was similar between the 2 groups (p = 0.08). In multivariate analysis older age and nonE. coli bacteria independently predicted dilating reflux, with odds ratios of 1.04 (95% CI 1.01-1.07, p = 0.02) and 3.76 (95% CI 1.05-13.39, p = 0.04), respectively. The impact of nonE. coli bacteria on predicted probabilities of dilating reflux increased with patient age. We support the concept of selective voiding cystourethrogram in children with a first simple febrile urinary tract infection and normal ultrasound. Voiding cystourethrogram should be considered in children with late onset urinary tract infection due to nonE. coli bacteria since they are at risk for dilating reflux even if the ultrasound is normal. Copyright © 2016 American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Developmental changes in hippocampal shape among preadolescent children.

PubMed

Lin, Muqing; Fwu, Peter T; Buss, Claudia; Davis, Elysia P; Head, Kevin; Muftuler, L Tugan; Sandman, Curt A; Su, Min-Ying

2013-11-01

It is known that the largest developmental changes in the hippocampus take place during the prenatal period and during the first two years of postnatal life. Few studies have been conducted to address the normal developmental trajectory of the hippocampus during childhood. In this study shape analysis was applied to study the normal developing hippocampus in a group of 103 typically developing 6- to 10-year-old preadolescent children. The individual brain was normalized to a template, and then the hippocampus was manually segmented and further divided into the head, body, and tail sub-regions. Three different methods were applied for hippocampal shape analysis: radial distance mapping, surface-based template registration using the robust point matching (RPM) algorithm, and volume-based template registration using the Demons algorithm. All three methods show that the older children have bilateral expanded head segments compared to the younger children. The results analyzed based on radial distance to the centerline were consistent with those analyzed using template-based registration methods. In analyses stratified by sex, it was found that the age-associated anatomical changes were similar in boys and girls, but the age-association was strongest in girls. Total hippocampal volume and sub-regional volumes analyzed using manual segmentation did not show a significant age-association. Our results suggest that shape analysis is sensitive to detect sub-regional differences that are not revealed in volumetric analysis. The three methods presented in this study may be applied in future studies to investigate the normal developmental trajectory of the hippocampus in children. They may be further applied to detect early deviations from the normal developmental trajectory in young children for evaluating susceptibility for psychopathological disorders involving hippocampus. Copyright © 2013 ISDN. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Long-term visual outcomes in extremely low-birth-weight children (an American Ophthalmological Society thesis).

PubMed

Spencer, Rand

2006-01-01

The goal is to analyze the long-term visual outcome of extremely low-birth-weight children. This is a retrospective analysis of eyes of extremely low-birth-weight children on whom vision testing was performed. Visual outcomes were studied by analyzing acuity outcomes at >/=36 months of adjusted age, correlating early acuity testing with final visual outcome and evaluating adverse risk factors for vision. Data from 278 eyes are included. Mean birth weight was 731g, and mean gestational age at birth was 26 weeks. 248 eyes had grating acuity outcomes measured at 73 +/- 36 months, and 183 eyes had recognition acuity testing at 76 +/- 39 months. 54% had below normal grating acuities, and 66% had below normal recognition acuities. 27% of grating outcomes and 17% of recognition outcomes were /=3 years of age. A slower-than-normal rate of early visual development was predictive of abnormal grating acuity (P < .0001) and abnormal recognition acuity (P < .0001) at >/=3 years of age. Eyes diagnosed with maximal retinopathy of prematurity in zone I had lower acuity outcomes (P = .0002) than did those with maximal retinopathy of prematurity in zone II/III. Eyes of children born at 28 weeks gestational age. Eyes of children with poorer general health after premature birth had a 5.3 times greater risk of abnormal recognition acuity. Long-term visual development in extremely low-birth-weight infants is problematic and associated with a high risk of subnormal acuity. Early acuity testing is useful in identifying children at greatest risk for long-term visual abnormalities. Gestational age at birth of

Standard-Chinese Lexical Neighborhood Test in normal-hearing young children.

PubMed

Liu, Chang; Liu, Sha; Zhang, Ning; Yang, Yilin; Kong, Ying; Zhang, Luo

2011-06-01

The purposes of the present study were to establish the Standard-Chinese version of Lexical Neighborhood Test (LNT) and to examine the lexical and age effects on spoken-word recognition in normal-hearing children. Six lists of monosyllabic and six lists of disyllabic words (20 words/list) were selected from the database of daily speech materials for normal-hearing (NH) children of ages 3-5 years. The lists were further divided into "easy" and "hard" halves according to the word frequency and neighborhood density in the database based on the theory of Neighborhood Activation Model (NAM). Ninety-six NH children (age ranged between 4.0 and 7.0 years) were divided into three different age groups of 1-year intervals. Speech-perception tests were conducted using the Standard-Chinese monosyllabic and disyllabic LNT. The inter-list performance was found to be equivalent and inter-rater reliability was high with 92.5-95% consistency. Results of word-recognition scores showed that the lexical effects were all significant. Children scored higher with disyllabic words than with monosyllabic words. "Easy" words scored higher than "hard" words. The word-recognition performance also increased with age in each lexical category. A multiple linear regression analysis showed that neighborhood density, age, and word frequency appeared to have increasingly more contributions to Chinese word recognition. The results of the present study indicated that performances of Chinese word recognition were influenced by word frequency, age, and neighborhood density, with word frequency playing a major role. These results were consistent with those in other languages, supporting the application of NAM in the Chinese language. The development of Standard-Chinese version of LNT and the establishment of a database of children of 4-6 years old can provide a reliable means for spoken-word recognition test in children with hearing impairment. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cognitive skills and academic achievement of deaf children with cochlear implants.

PubMed

Huber, Maria; Kipman, Ulrike

2012-10-01

To compare cognitive performance between children with cochlear implants (CI) and normal-hearing peers; provide information about correlations between cognitive performance, basic academic achievement, and medical/audiological and social background variables; and assess the predictor quality of these variables for cognition. Cross-sectional study with comparison group, diagnostic test assessment. Data were collected in the authors' clinic (children with CI) and in Austrian schools (normal-hearing children). Forty children with CI (of the initial 65 children eligible for this study), aged 7 to 11 years, and 40 normal-hearing children, matched by age and sex, were tested with (a) the Culture Fair Intelligence Test (CFIT); (b) the Number Sequences subtest of the Heidelberger Rechentest 1-4 (HRT); (c) Comprehension, (d) Coding, (e) Digit Span, and (f) Vocabulary subtests of HAWIK III (German WISC III); (g) the Corsi Block Tapping Test; (h) the Arithmetic Operations subtests of the HRT; and (i) Salzburger Lese-Screening (SLS, reading). In addition, medical, audiological, social, and educational data from children with CI were collected. The children with CI equaled normal-hearing children in (a), (d), (e), (g), (h), and (i) and performed significantly worse in (b), (c) and (f). Background variables correlate significantly with cognitive skills and academic achievement. Medical/audiological variables explain 44.3% of the variance in CFT1 (CFIT, younger children). Social variables explain 55% of CFT1 and 24.5% of the Corsi test. This study augments the knowledge about cognitive skills and academic skills of children with CI. Cognitive performance is dependent on the early feasibility to hear and the social/educational background of the family.

[Event-related potentials in character semantic priming of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder children and normal children: a comparative study].

PubMed

Xie, Na; Wang, Su-Hong; Ren, Yan-Ling; Ma, Ling; Dong, Xuan

2009-02-17

To investigate the cognitive event related potentials in Chinese character priming effect of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and to analyze the neural mechanism of the priming effect. Fifty-two ADHD children aged (9.5 +/- 1.7) and 45 age-matched children without ADHD were asked to perform a Chinese character semantic priming task while electroencephalogram was recorded. During the Chinese character semantic priming task the subjects were instructed to judge whether the presented target word was a related word, unrelated word, or a pseudoword and event-related potentials (ERPs) were elicited and analyzed with the brain electricity source analysis (BESA) software. (1) The behavioral results showed that the reaction time to the unrelated character stimuli in the ADHD children was (1252 +/- 256) ms, significantly longer than that in the normal control [(1131 +/- 194) ms, P < 0.05]. (2) The amplitude of the character related N2 at the Cz lead in the ADHD children was -7.7 (-12.8, -5.0) microV, significantly larger than that of the normal controls [-5.6 (-9.4, -3.2) microV, P < 0.05]. (3) The amplitude of character unrelated stimuli P3 at the Cz lead of the ADHD children was 5.4 (2.0, 9.5) microV, significantly lower than that of the normal control [9.5 (4.2, 16.9) microV, P < 0.01]. There is a positive correlation between the amplitude of N2 and the difficulty in character semantic priming. It is more difficult for the ADHD children than normal controls to accomplish the same semantic task. ADHD children need more attention resources than normal controls. The amplitudes of character related-N2 and unrelated-P3 may become markers to measure the development of recognition in the ADHD children, thus being helpful in the ADHD diagnosis.

The Effect of Psychosocial Stimulation on Cognition and Behaviour at 6 Years in a Cohort of Term, Low-Birthweight Jamaican Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walker, Susan P.; Chang, Susan M.; Younger, Novie; Grantham-McGregor, Sally M.

2010-01-01

Aim: The aim of this study was to determine whether psychosocial stimulation up to the age of 2 years benefits cognition and behaviour at age 6 years in low-birthweight, term-born (LBW-T) children (gestational age greater than or equal to 37wk, birthweight less than 2500g), and to compare LBW-T and normal-birthweight (NBW) children. Method: LBW-T…

Advanced glycation end products in children with chronic renal failure and type 1 diabetes.

PubMed

Misselwitz, Joachim; Franke, Sybille; Kauf, Eberhard; John, Ulrike; Stein, Günter

2002-05-01

Serum levels of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are markedly elevated in adults with chronic renal failure (CRF) and diabetes mellitus. Accumulation of AGEs in tissues contributes to the development of long-term complications. Up to now little has been known about the formation of AGEs in childhood. We determined serum levels of the well known AGEs pentosidine and Nvarepsilon-carboxymethyllysine (CML) in children with CRF (n=12), end-stage renal disease (ESRD) (n=9), renal transplantation (n=12), and type 1 diabetes mellitus (n=42) and in healthy children (n=20). Pentosidine was measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), CML by a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) system. Serum levels of pentosidine and CML were significantly higher in the children with CRF and ESRD than in controls (P< 0.001), but nearly within the normal range after transplantation. Both AGEs showed a significant negative correlation with creatinine clearance (P< 0.001). During a single session of low-flux hemodialysis, total pentosidine and CML levels did not change. Free pentosidine, however, was reduced by 78% (P=0.04). Diabetic children showed significantly elevated pentosidine levels (P< 0.001) despite normal renal function. We conclude that, similar to adults, increased formation and accumulation of AGEs also exist in children with CRF and type 1 diabetes mellitus. At present the best prevention of AGE-related complications is an early renal transplantation in children with ESRD, as well as a careful metabolic monitoring of diabetics.

Sustained attention in school-age children with congenital hypothyroidism: Influence of episodes of overtreatment in the first three years of life.

PubMed

García Morales, L; Rodríguez Arnao, M D; Rodríguez Sánchez, A; Dulín Íñiguez, E; Álvarez González, M A

2017-11-20

Children with congenital hypothyroidism (CH) are at risk of developing mild cognitive impairment despite normal overall intellectual performance. These deficits may be caused by disease-related and treatment-related factors. This study explores the impact of abnormal thyroid function during the first 3 years of life on attention performance at school age. We included 49 children diagnosed with CH and receiving treatment for the condition: 14 boys (mean age 9.5±2.8 years) and 35 girls (9.6±2.6 years). The number of episodes of normal, under-, and overtreatment were estimated based on TSH levels during their first 3 years of life (at 12, 18, 24, 30, and 36 months). Children were assessed using a computerised version of a Sustained attention test. General linear models were calculated with the attention index as the dependent variable and sex, aetiology, and number of episodes of normal, under-, and overtreatment as independent variables. Higher numbers of episodes of overtreatment (low TSH level) were associated with poorer attention performance at school age (P=.005, r=-0.45). Children with CH should be monitored closely during the first 3 years of life in order to prevent not only hypothyroidism but also any adverse effects of overtreatment that may affect attentional function at school age. Copyright © 2017 Sociedad Española de Neurología. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Concurrent and Predictive Validity of Parent Reports of Child Language at Ages 2 and 3 Years

PubMed Central

Campbell, Thomas F.; Kurs-Lasky, Marcia; Rockette, Howard E.; Dale, Philip S.; Colborn, D. Kathleen; Paradise, Jack L.

2005-01-01

The MacArthur–Bates Communicative Development Inventories (CDI; Dale, 1996; Fenson et al., 1994), parent reports about language skills, are being used increasingly in studies of theoretical and public health importance. This study (N = 113) correlated scores on the CDI at ages 2 and 3 years with scores at age 3 years on tests of cognition and receptive language and measures from parent–child conversation. Associations indicated reasonable concurrent and predictive validity. The findings suggest that satisfactory vocabulary scores at age 2 are likely to predict normal language skills at age 3, although some children with limited skills at age 3 will have had satisfactory scores at age 2. Many children with poor vocabulary scores at 2 will have normal skills at 3. PMID:16026501

HEALTH STATUS OF EXTREMELY LOW BIRTH WEIGHT CHILDREN AT AGE 8 YEARS: CHILD AND PARENT PERSPECTIVE

PubMed Central

Hack, Maureen; Forrest, Christopher B; Schluchter, Mark; Taylor, H. Gerry; Drotar, Dennis; Holmbeck, Grayson; Andreias, Laura

2013-01-01

Context Parental proxy reports have indicated poorer health for preterm children as compared to normal birth weight controls. The perspective of their children may however differ. Objective To compare the self reported health of preterm children to normal birth weight controls and the children’s perspective to that of their parents. Design Study of extremely low birth weight (<1kg) and normal birth weight children and their parents conducted 2006–2009. Setting Children’s hospital. Participants Eight year old extremely low birth weight (n=202) and normal birth weight (n=176) children of similar sociodemographic status. Main Outcome Measures The Child Health and Illness Profile child and parent reports. Results There was poor agreement between the parent and child ratings of health for both the extremely low birth weight and normal birth weight cohorts. Extremely low birth weight children rated their health similar to normal birth weight children. In contrast parents of extremely low birth weight children reported significantly poorer health for their children than parents of normal birth weight controls including poorer Satisfaction with health, Comfort and Achievement and less Risk avoidance. Conclusion There is poor agreement between child and parent reports of health. Eight year old extremely low birth weight children rate their health similar to that of normal birth weight controls. Their parents however report significantly poorer health. Both child and parent perspective needs to be considered when making health care decisions. PMID:21969395

Speech and language development in six infants adopted from China

PubMed Central

PRICE, JOHANNA R.; POLLOCK, KAREN E.; OLLER, D. KIMBROUGH

2012-01-01

Children adopted from China currently represent the largest group of newly internationally adopted children in the US. An exploratory investigation of the communicative development of six young females adopted at ages 9 to 17 months from China by US families was conducted. Children were followed longitudinally from approximately three months post-adoption to age three years. English language skills were assessed at approximately three-month intervals, detailed communicative analyses were conducted at six months post-adoption, and outcomes were measured at three years of age. Results indicated wide variability in rates of English language development. Phonological, social-communicative, and lexical bases of communication were intact for each child at six months post-adoption. At age three years, four of the children demonstrated speech and language skills within one standard deviation of standardized test norms, one child demonstrated skills above the normal range, and one child’s skills were below the normal range. This study provides evidence of the resiliency of children’s language learning abilities. PMID:23204925

Low empathy in deaf and hard of hearing (pre)adolescents compared to normal hearing controls.

PubMed

Netten, Anouk P; Rieffe, Carolien; Theunissen, Stephanie C P M; Soede, Wim; Dirks, Evelien; Briaire, Jeroen J; Frijns, Johan H M

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the level of empathy in deaf and hard of hearing (pre)adolescents compared to normal hearing controls and to define the influence of language and various hearing loss characteristics on the development of empathy. The study group (mean age 11.9 years) consisted of 122 deaf and hard of hearing children (52 children with cochlear implants and 70 children with conventional hearing aids) and 162 normal hearing children. The two groups were compared using self-reports, a parent-report and observation tasks to rate the children's level of empathy, their attendance to others' emotions, emotion recognition, and supportive behavior. Deaf and hard of hearing children reported lower levels of cognitive empathy and prosocial motivation than normal hearing children, regardless of their type of hearing device. The level of emotion recognition was equal in both groups. During observations, deaf and hard of hearing children showed more attention to the emotion evoking events but less supportive behavior compared to their normal hearing peers. Deaf and hard of hearing children attending mainstream education or using oral language show higher levels of cognitive empathy and prosocial motivation than deaf and hard of hearing children who use sign (supported) language or attend special education. However, they are still outperformed by normal hearing children. Deaf and hard of hearing children, especially those in special education, show lower levels of empathy than normal hearing children, which can have consequences for initiating and maintaining relationships.

Drawing Insight from Pictures: The Development of Concepts of False Drawing and False Belief in Children with Deafness, Normal Hearing, and Autism.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peterson, Candida C.

2002-01-01

Three studies examined theory-of-mind concepts among children ages 6-13 years with deafness or autism, and 4-year-olds with normal development. Findings indicated that while the children with deafness or autism scored significantly lower on standard tests of false belief understanding, they scored higher on even the most challenging drawing-based…

Influence of Obesity on Foot Loading Characteristics in Gait for Children Aged 1 to 12 Years

PubMed Central

Mueller, Steffen; Carlsohn, Anja; Mueller, Juliane; Baur, Heiner; Mayer, Frank

2016-01-01

Background Overweight and obesity are increasing health problems that are not restricted to adults only. Childhood obesity is associated with metabolic, psychological and musculoskeletal comorbidities. However, knowledge about the effect of obesity on the foot function across maturation is lacking. Decreased foot function with disproportional loading characteristics is expected for obese children. The aim of this study was to examine foot loading characteristics during gait of normal-weight, overweight and obese children aged 1–12 years. Methods A total of 10382 children aged one to twelve years were enrolled in the study. Finally, 7575 children (m/f: n = 3630/3945; 7.0±2.9yr; 1.23±0.19m; 26.6±10.6kg; BMI: 17.1±2.4kg/m2) were included for (complete case) data analysis. Children were categorized to normal-weight (≥3rd and <90th percentile; n = 6458), overweight (≥90rd and <97th percentile; n = 746) or obese (>97th percentile; n = 371) according to the German reference system that is based on age and gender-specific body mass indices (BMI). Plantar pressure measurements were assessed during gait on an instrumented walkway. Contact area, arch index (AI), peak pressure (PP) and force time integral (FTI) were calculated for the total, fore-, mid- and hindfoot. Data was analyzed descriptively (mean ± SD) followed by ANOVA/Welch-test (according to homogeneity of variances: yes/no) for group differences according to BMI categorization (normal-weight, overweight, obesity) and for each age group 1 to 12yrs (post-hoc Tukey Kramer/Dunnett’s C; α = 0.05). Results Mean walking velocity was 0.95 ± 0.25 m/s with no differences between normal-weight, overweight or obese children (p = 0.0841). Results show higher foot contact area, arch index, peak pressure and force time integral in overweight and obese children (p<0.001). Obese children showed the 1.48-fold (1 year-old) to 3.49-fold (10 year-old) midfoot loading (FTI) compared to normal-weight. Conclusion Additional body mass leads to higher overall load, with disproportional impact on the midfoot area and longitudinal foot arch showing characteristic foot loading patterns. Already the feet of one and two year old children are significantly affected. Childhood overweight and obesity is not compensated by the musculoskeletal system. To avoid excessive foot loading with potential risk of discomfort or pain in childhood, prevention strategies should be developed and validated for children with a high body mass index and functional changes in the midfoot area. The presented plantar pressure values could additionally serve as reference data to identify suspicious foot loading patterns in children. PMID:26914211

Story Comprehension as a Function of Modality and Reading Ability.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marlowe, Wendy; And Others

1979-01-01

In a study 12 normal children and 12 reading disabled (word recognition difficulties) children (mean age 9.2 years) were compared for reading and listening comprehension to test whether disabled readers, given an auditory presentation, would show comprehension of material comparable to that of normal readers given visual presentation. (PHR)

INTEGRATION OF STIMULUS CUES BY NORMAL AND MENTALLY RETARDED CHILDREN. FINAL REPORT.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

ELAM, CLAUDE B.

TWO EXPERIMENTS WERE CONDUCTED IN ORDER TO OBTAIN A MATHEMATICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE PERCEPTUAL PROCESS BY WHICH NORMAL AND MENTALLY RETARDED SUBJECTS SYNTHESIZE STIMULUS CUES IN PERCEPTUAL IDENTIFICATION. THE INITIAL STUDY EMPLOYED 50 COLLEGE STUDENTS, 34 GRADE SCHOOL STUDENTS, AND 24 MENTALLY RETARDED CHILDREN (AGES 9-16) AS SUBJECTS. THE…

Hearing screening in children with skeletal dysplasia.

PubMed

Tunkel, David E; Kerbavaz, Richard; Smith, Beth; Rose-Hardison, Danielle; Alade, Yewande; Hoover-Fong, Julie

2011-12-01

To determine the prevalence of hearing loss and abnormal tympanometry in children with skeletal dysplasia. Clinical screening program. National convention of the Little People of America. Convenience sample of volunteers aged 18 years or younger with skeletal dysplasias. Hearing screening with behavioral testing and/or otoacoustic emissions, otoscopy, and tympanometry. A failed hearing screen was defined as hearing 35 dB HL (hearing level) or greater at 1 or more tested frequencies or by a "fail" otoacoustic emissions response. Types B and C tympanograms were considered abnormal. A total of 58 children (aged ≤18 years) with skeletal dysplasia enrolled, and 56 completed hearing screening. Forty-one children had normal hearing (71%); 9 failed in 1 ear (16%); and 6 failed in both ears (10%). Forty-four children had achondroplasia, and 31 had normal hearing in both ears (71%); 8 failed hearing screening in 1 ear (18%), and 3 in both ears (7%). Tympanometry was performed in 45 children, with normal tympanograms found in 21 (47%), bilateral abnormal tympanograms in 15 (33%), and unilateral abnormal tympanograms in 9 (20%). Fourteen children with achondroplasia had normal tympanograms (42%); 11 had bilateral abnormal tympanograms (33%); and 8 had unilateral abnormal tympanograms (24%). For those children without functioning tympanostomy tubes, there was a 9.5 times greater odds of hearing loss if there was abnormal tympanometry (P = .03). Hearing loss and middle-ear disease are both highly prevalent in children with skeletal dysplasias. Abnormal tympanometry is highly associated with the presence of hearing loss, as expected in children with eustachian tube dysfunction. Hearing screening with medical intervention is recommended for these children.

Fine Motor Skills of Children With Amblyopia Improve Following Binocular Treatment.

PubMed

Webber, Ann L; Wood, Joanne M; Thompson, Benjamin

2016-09-01

The purpose of this study was to determine whether reduced fine motor skills in children with amblyopia improve after binocular treatment and whether improvements are sustained once treatment has ceased. Fine motor skills (FMS [Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency]), visual acuity (VA [Early Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy Study chart]) and level of binocular function (BF [Randot preschool stereoacuity and Worth 4 Dot]) were measured in children with amblyopia (n = 20; age: 8.5 ± 1.3 years; 11 anisometropic; 5 strabismic; 4 mixed) and in a group of visually normal children (n = 10; age: 9.63 ± 1.6 years). Eighteen children with amblyopia subsequently completed 5 weeks of binocular treatment provided by home-based dichoptic iPod game play. FMS, VA, and BF were retested at the end of treatment and 12 weeks after treatment cessation. All visually normal children also completed FMS measurements at baseline and 5 weeks later to assess test-retest variability of the FMS scores. Prior to treatment, FMS scores in children with amblyopia were poorer than those in children with normal vision (P < 0.05). In the children with amblyopia, binocular treatment significantly improved FMS scores (P < 0.05). Better baseline amblyopic eye VA and BF were associated with greater improvements in FMS score. Improvements were still evident at 12 weeks post treatment. In the visually normal children, FMS scores remained stable across the two test sessions. Binocular treatment provided by dichoptic iPod game play improved FMS performance in children with amblyopia, particularly in those with less severe amblyopia. Improvements were maintained at 3 months following cessation of treatment.

Laryngeal Aerodynamics in Children with Hearing Impairment versus Age and Height Matched Normal Hearing Peers.

PubMed

Das, Barshapriya; Chatterjee, Indranil; Kumar, Suman

2013-01-01

Lack of proper auditory feedback in hearing-impaired subjects results in functional voice disorder. It is directly related to discoordination of intrinsic and extrinsic laryngeal muscles and disturbed contraction and relaxation of antagonistic muscles. A total of twenty children in the age range of 5-10 years were considered for the study. They were divided into two groups: normal hearing children and hearing aid user children. Results showed a significant difference in the vital capacity, maximum sustained phonation, and fast adduction abduction rate having equal variance for normal and hearing aid user children, respectively, but no significant difference was found in the peak flow value with being statistically significant. A reduced vital capacity in hearing aid user children suggests a limited use of the lung volume for speech production. It may be inferred from the study that the hearing aid user children have poor vocal proficiency which is reflected in their voice. The use of voicing component in hearing impaired subjects is seen due to improper auditory feedback. It was found that there was a significant difference in the vital capacity, maximum sustained phonation (MSP), and fast adduction abduction rate and no significant difference in the peak flow.

Correlation between BMI and motor coordination in children.

PubMed

Lopes, Vítor P; Stodden, David F; Bianchi, Mafalda M; Maia, Jose A R; Rodrigues, Luis P

2012-01-01

To analyze the association between motor coordination (MC) and body mass index (BMI) across childhood and early adolescence. This study is cross-sectional. Data were collected in 7175 children (boys n=3616, girls n=3559), ages 6-14 years. BMI was calculated from measured height and weight [body mass (kg)/height (m(2))]. Motor coordination was evaluated using Kiphard-Schilling's body coordination test (KTK). Spearman's rank correlation was used to study the association between BMI and MC. A Kruskal-Wallis test was used to analyze the differences in MC between children of normal weight, overweight and obese children. Correlations between MC and BMI were negative and varied between 0.05 and 0.49. The highest negative correlations for both boys and girls was at 11 years of age. There was a general pattern of increasing negative correlations in both genders from 6 to 11 years of age and then a decrease in correlation strengths through 14 years of age. In both boys (χ(2)((2))=324.01; p<0.001) and girls (χ(2)((2))=291.20; p<0.001) there were significant differences in MC between the three groups' weight status. Normal weight children of both sexes demonstrated significantly higher MC scores than overweight. Obese children in both sexes had the lowest MC scores among all three groups. Motor coordination demonstrated an inverse relationship with BMI across childhood and into early adolescence. The strength of the inverse relation increased during childhood, but decreased through early adolescence. Overweight and obese children of both sexes demonstrated significantly lower MC than normal weight children. Copyright © 2011 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Serum osteoprotegerin and receptor activator of nuclear factors kB (RANKL) concentrations in normal children and in children with pubertal precocity, Turner's syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis.

PubMed

Buzi, F; Maccarinelli, G; Guaragni, B; Ruggeri, F; Radetti, G; Meini, A; Mazzolari, E; Cocchi, D

2004-01-01

Osteoprotegerin (OPG) is a secreted member of the TNF receptor superfamily. OPG is made by osteoblastic cells and is expressed in a wide variety of cell and tissue types. It acts as a decoy receptor by binding the receptor activator of nuclear factors kB (RANKL) and preventing RANKL-induced osteoclast formation and differentiation. Numerous cytokines and hormones (TGF-beta, PTH, vitamin D, glucocorticoids and oestrogens) exert their effects on osteoclastogenesis by regulating the production of OPG. In the present study we compared serum OPG and RANKL concentrations in a group of normal children (1-14 years old) with those of pair-aged children affected by different diseases [Turner's syndrome (TS), early/precocious puberty (PP) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA)]. OPG and RANKL concentrations were measured by an enzyme immunoassay method using a commercial kit. Mean (+/- SD) OPG level in normal children was 4.05 +/- 1.63 pmol/l with no difference between males and females. OPG values in children 1-4 years old (5.87 +/- 2.22 pmol/l) were significantly higher than in children 4-14 years old (3.55 +/- 0.97 pmol/l). OPG levels in children with RA were significantly higher than in controls (6.33 +/- 2.57 pmol/l vs. 4.05 +/- 1.63 pmol/l, P < 0.01); patients with TS or PP had OPG levels superimposable to those of controls (2.61 +/- 0.67 pmol/l and 3.99 +/- 0.85 pmol/l, respectively), but in TS OPG levels were significantly lower than in age-matched females. Mean RANKL concentration in normal subjects was 0.81 +/- 1.55 pmol/l; there was a slight decline in RANKL levels with age. RANKL concentrations in subjects with TS, PP, RA and controls did not differ significantly, and did not differ from those published in adult normal subjects. It appears from our data that OPG serum levels in healthy children aged > 4 years are similar to those present in young adult men, with higher levels in the first 4 years of life. Although the meaning of the alterations of OPG levels observed in pathological conditions is still obscure, they appear potentially interesting in view of a key role played by this protein in bone homeostasis.

Academic achievements and classroom performance in Mandarin-speaking prelingually deafened school children with cochlear implants.

PubMed

Wu, Che-Ming; Liu, Tien-Chen; Liao, Pei-Ju; Chen, Chin-Kuo; Chang, Bey-Lih; Lin, Bao-Guey

2013-09-01

To document academic achievements and classroom performance in 35 Mandarin-speaking, congenital/pre-lingual, deafened children who used cochlear implants (CIs) for 5-11 years. The possible associated factors were also analyzed. Cross-sectional case series. Standardized Chinese literacy ability and mathematics tests were administered to evaluate the academic achievement of these children. Raw scores derived from both literacy ability and mathematics tests were compared with normative data from children with normal hearing (NH). A modified Mandarin edition of the Screening Instrument for Targeting Educational Risk (SIFTER) and a Regular School Adjustment Scale (RSAS) for students with hearing impairments filled out by regular classroom teachers were used to assess the children's classroom performances. The mean standard T-scores for Chinese literacy ability and mathematics ability were 48.6 and 50.3 (NORM=50 ± 10), respectively. A total of 85.7% of children with CIs scored within or above the normal range of their age-matched hearing peers in Chinese literacy ability, and 82.9% were within normal ranges in mathematics ability. The SIFTER results showed that 45.7% failure was noted on the communication subscale, and the RSAS also indicated 40% of CI students to have communication problems. The academic subscale scores on the SIFTER were associated with the children's Chinese literacy abilities. The Verbal Comprehension Index (VCI) of the Wechsler IQ test IV was related to the children's mathematics abilities. The academic achievements of Mandarin-speaking children who receive CIs from a young age and are integrated into mainstream elementary school system appear to fall within the normal range of their age-matched hearing counterparts after 5-11 years of use. This study strongly suggests the need for future ongoing support for these children in communication field. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Response of Indian growth hormone deficient children to growth hormone therapy: association with pituitary size.

PubMed

Khadilkar, Vaman V; Prasad, Hemchand Krishna; Ekbote, Veena H; Rustagi, Vaishakhi T; Singh, Joshita; Chiplonkar, Shashi A; Khadilkar, Anuradha V

2015-05-01

To ascertain the impact of pituitary size as judged by Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), on response to Growth Hormone (GH) therapy in GH deficient children. Thirty nine children (9.1 ± 2.7 y, 22 boys) with non-acquired GH deficiency (21 Isolated GH deficiency and 18 Combined pituitary hormone deficiency) were consecutively recruited and followed up for one year. Clinical, radiological (bone age and MRI) and biochemical parameters were studied. Children with hypoplastic pituitary (pituitary height < 3 mm) had more severe height deficit (height for age Z-score -6.0 vs. -5.0) and retardation of skeletal maturation (bone age chronological age ratio of 0.59 vs. 0.48) at baseline as compared to children with normal pituitary heights (p < 0.05 for both). After one year of GH therapy, height for age Z scores and percentage change in height for age Z scores were significantly higher in children with hypoplastic pituitaries (13.8 ± 3.6 and 28.7 % vs. 11.2 ± 4.1 and 21.4 %). Significant co-relation was observed between pituitary height and height for age Z-scores at baseline (r = 0.39, p < 0.05). The predicted adult height using Tanner Whitehouse-2 equations improved from 140.8 to 152.3 cm in children with hypoplastic pituitary when compared to an increase from 145.8 to 153.5 cm observed in children with normal pituitary height (p < 0.05). Indian growth hormone deficient children with hypoplastic pituitary respond better to therapy with GH in short term.

Persistent Language Delay Versus Late Language Emergence in Children With Early Cochlear Implantation

PubMed Central

Nicholas, Johanna; Tobey, Emily; Davidson, Lisa

2016-01-01

Purpose The purpose of the present investigation is to differentiate children using cochlear implants (CIs) who did or did not achieve age-appropriate language scores by midelementary grades and to identify risk factors for persistent language delay following early cochlear implantation. Materials and Method Children receiving unilateral CIs at young ages (12–38 months) were tested longitudinally and classified with normal language emergence (n = 19), late language emergence (n = 22), or persistent language delay (n = 19) on the basis of their test scores at 4.5 and 10.5 years of age. Relative effects of demographic, audiological, linguistic, and academic characteristics on language emergence were determined. Results Age at CI was associated with normal language emergence but did not differentiate late emergence from persistent delay. Children with persistent delay were more likely to use left-ear implants and older speech processor technology. They experienced higher aided thresholds and lower speech perception scores. Persistent delay was foreshadowed by low morphosyntactic and phonological diversity in preschool. Logistic regression analysis predicted normal language emergence with 84% accuracy and persistent language delay with 74% accuracy. Conclusion CI characteristics had a strong effect on persistent versus resolving language delay, suggesting that right-ear (or bilateral) devices, technology upgrades, and improved audibility may positively influence long-term language outcomes. PMID:26501740

Developmental Correlates of Head Circumference at Birth and Two Years in a Cohort of Extremely Low Gestational Age Newborns

PubMed Central

Kuban, Karl C. K.; Allred, Elizabeth N.; O’Shea, T. Michael; Paneth, Nigel; Westra, Sjirk; Miller, Cindy; Rosman, N. Paul; Leviton, Alan

2009-01-01

Objectives To evaluate the developmental correlates of microcephaly evident at birth and at 2 years in a cohort born at extremely low gestational age. Methods We assessed development and motor function at 2 years of 958 children born before the 28th week of gestation, comparing those who had microcephaly at birth or 2 years with children with normal head circumference while considering the contribution of neonatal cranial ultrasound lesions. Results A total of 11% of infants in our sample had microcephaly at 2 years. Microcephaly at 2 years, but not at birth, predicts severe motor and cognitive impairments at 2 years. A total of 71% of children with congenital microcephaly had a normal head circumference at 2 years and had neurodevelopmental outcomes comparable with those with normal head circumference at birth and 2 years. Among children with microcephaly at 2 years, more than half had a Mental Developmental Index <70, and nearly a third had cerebral palsy. The risks were increased if the child also had cerebral white matter damage on a cranial ultrasound scan obtained 2 years previously. Conclusion Among extremely low gestational age newborns, microcephaly at 2 years, but not at birth, is associated with motor and cognitive impairment at age 2. PMID:19555967

Maternal perception of weight status in first-born Australian toddlers aged 12-16 months--the NOURISH and SAIDI cohorts.

PubMed

Byrne, R; Magarey, A; Daniels, L

2016-05-01

The preference amongst parents for heavier infants is in contrast to obesity prevention efforts worldwide. Parents are poor at identifying overweight in older children, but few studies have investigated maternal perception of weight status amongst toddlers and none in the Australian setting. Mothers (n = 290) completed a self-administered questionnaire at child age 12-16 months, defining their child's weight status as underweight, normal weight, somewhat overweight or very overweight. Weight-for-length z-score was derived from measured weight and length, and children categorized as underweight, normal weight, at risk overweight or obese (WHO standards). Objective classification was compared with maternal perception of weight status. Mean weight-for-length z-score was compared across categories of maternal perception using one-way ANOVA. Multinomial logistic regression was used to determine child or maternal characteristics associated with inaccurate weight perception. Most children (83%) were perceived as normal weight. Twenty nine were described as underweight, although none were. Sixty-six children were at risk of overweight, but 57 of these perceived as normal weight. Of the 14 children who were overweight, only 4 were identified as somewhat overweight by their mother. Compared with mothers who could accurately classify their normal weight child, mothers who were older had higher odds of perceiving their normal weight child as underweight, while mothers with higher body mass index had slightly higher odds of describing their overweight/at risk child as normal weight. The leaner but healthy weight toddler was perceived as underweight, while only the heaviest children were recognized as overweight. Mothers unable to accurately identify children at risk are unlikely to act to prevent further excess weight gain. Practitioners can lead a shift in attitudes towards weight in infants and young children, promoting routine growth monitoring and adequate but not rapid weight gain. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

[A survey of pubertal development in children born with assisted reproductive technology].

PubMed

Liu, Zi-Yuan; Wang, Xin-Li; Han, Tong-Yan; Cui, Yun-Pu; Wang, Xue-Mei; Tong, Xiao-Mei; Song, Yi; Wang, Hai-Jun; Li, Song

2017-06-01

To investigate the status of pubertal development in children born with assisted reproductive technology (ART). A retrospective analysis was performed on the pubertal development data of children born with ART in Peking University Third Hospital from 1994 to 2003 (ART group). The data in the cross-sectional study "Reports on the Physical Fitness and Health Research of Chinese School Students in 2010" were used as a control. The age at menarche and the age at spermarche were compared between the two groups. The status of pubertal development in the overweight and obese children in the ART group was evaluated to investigate the correlation between pubertal development and body mass index (BMI). A total of 200 children born with ART were enrolled in this study, and 72 of them (41 males and 31 females) completed the survey (response rate=36.0%). In the ART group, the mean age at spermarche and the mean age at menarche were 13.9 years (95%CI: 13.7-14.3 years) and 12.2 years (95%CI: 11.8-12.6 years), respectively. There were no significant differences in the age at spermarche and the age at menarche between the ART and control groups (P>0.05). In the ART group, there were no significant differences in the age at spermarche and the age at menarche between the overweight and obese children and the normal weight children (P>0.05). There were also no significant differences in overweight rate and obesity rate between the children in the ART group and the adolescents in Beijing (P>0.05). In the ART group, there was no significant correlation between the age at spermarche or menarche and BMI (P>0.05). No delayed or precocious puberty is observed in children born with ART. This is consistent with the normal control data. And there is no significant correlation between pubertal development and BMI in children born with ART.

Children's grammatical categories of verb and noun: a comparative look at children with specific language impairment (SLI) and normal language (NL).

PubMed

Skipp, Amy; Windfuhr, Kirsten L; Conti-Ramsden, Gina

2002-01-01

The study investigated the development of grammatical categories (noun and verb) in young language learners. Twenty-eight children with specific language impairment (SLI) with a mean language age of 35 months and 28 children with normal language (NL) with a mean language age of 34 months were exposed to four novel verbs and four novel nouns during 10 experimental child-directed play sessions. The lexical items were modelled with four experimentally controlled argument structures. Both groups of children showed little productivity with syntactic marking of arguments in the novel verb conditions. Thus, both groups of children mostly followed the surface structure of the model presented to them, regardless of the argument they were trying to express. Therefore, there was little evidence of verb-general processes. In contrast, both groups used nouns in semantic roles that had not been modelled for them. Importantly, however, children with SLI still appeared to be more input dependent than NL children. This suggests that children with NL were working with a robust noun schema, whereas children with SLI were not. Taken together, the findings suggest that neither group of children had a grammatical category of verb, but demonstrated a general knowledge of the grammatical category of noun. These findings are discussed in relation to current theories of normal and impaired language development.

Puberty, statural growth, and growth hormone release in children with cerebral palsy

PubMed Central

Kuperminc, Michelle N.; Gurka, Matthew J.; Houlihan, Christine M.; Henderson, Richard C.; Roemmich, James N.; Rogol, Alan D.

2010-01-01

Objective Children with cerebral palsy (CP) are smaller than normally growing children.. The association between the growth hormone (GH) axis and growth in children with CP during puberty is unknown. We compared growth and markers of the GH axis in pre-pubertal and pubertal children with moderate to severe CP and without CP over a three-year period. Study design Twenty children with CP, ages 6–18, Gross Motor Function Classification System levels III–V, were compared to a group of sixty-three normally growing children of similar age. Anthropometry, Tanner stage, bone age, and laboratory analyses were performed every six months for three years. Laboratory values included spontaneous overnight GH release, fasting IGF-1 and IGFBP-3. Repeated measures models were used to evaluate interactions among Tanner stage and group (children with CP vs. reference children), taking into account gender, age, and nutritional status. Results Children with CP grew more slowly than those without CP at all Tanner stages (p<0.01). Patterns of IGF-1 and GH secretion in children with CP were similar to those of the reference group; however, the concentrations of IGF-1 (p<0.01) and GH (p<0.01) were lower in girls with CP, with a similar trend for boys (p=0.10 and 0.14, respectively). Conclusions Diminished circulating IGF-1 and GH concentrations may explain the differences in growth between the two groups. PMID:20216931

Developmental sex-specific change in auditory-vocal integration: ERP evidence in children.

PubMed

Liu, Peng; Chen, Zhaocong; Jones, Jeffery A; Wang, Emily Q; Chen, Shaozhen; Huang, Dongfeng; Liu, Hanjun

2013-03-01

The present event-related potential (ERP) study examined the developmental mechanisms of auditory-vocal integration in normally developing children. Neurophysiological responses to altered auditory feedback were recorded to determine whether they are affected by age and sex. Forty-two children were pairwise matched for sex and were divided into a group of younger (10-12years) and a group of older (13-15years) children. Twenty healthy young adults (20-25years) also participated in the experiment. ERPs were recorded from the participants who heard their voice pitch feedback unexpectedly shifted -50, -100, or -200 cents during sustained vocalization. P1 amplitudes became smaller as subjects increased in age from childhood to adulthood, and males produced larger N1 amplitudes than females. An age-related decrease in the P1-N1 latencies was also found: latencies were shorter in young adults than in school children. A complex age-by-sex interaction was found for the P2 component, where an age-related increase in P2 amplitudes existed only in girls, and boys produced longer P2 latencies than girls but only in the older children. These findings demonstrate that neurophysiological responses to pitch errors in voice auditory feedback depend on age and sex in normally developing children. The present study provides evidence that there is a sex-specific development of the neural mechanisms involved in auditory-vocal integration. Copyright © 2012 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Longitudinal Development of Phonology and Morphology in Children with Late-Identified Mild-Moderate Sensorineural Hearing Loss

PubMed Central

Moeller, Mary Pat; McCleary, Elizabeth; Putman, Coille; Tyler-Krings, Amy; Hoover, Brenda; Stelmachowicz, Patricia

2010-01-01

Objective Studies of language development in children with mild-moderate hearing loss are relatively rare. Longitudinal studies of children with late-identified hearing loss have not been conducted, and they are relevant for determining how a period of unaided mild-moderate hearing loss impacts development. In recent years, newborn hearing screening programs have effectively reduced the ages of identification for most children with permanent hearing loss. However, some children continue to be identified late and research is needed to guide management decisions. Further, studies of this group may help to discern if language normalizes following intervention, and/or if certain aspects of language might be vulnerable to persistent delays. The current study examines the impact of late identification and reduced audibility on speech and language outcomes via a longitudinal study of four children with mild-moderate sensorineural hearing loss. Design Longitudinal outcomes of four children with late-identified mild-moderate sensorinueral hearing loss were studied using standardized measures and language sampling procedures, from at or near the point of identification (28 – 41 months) through 84 months of age. The children with hearing loss were compared to ten age-matched children with normal hearing on a majority of the measures through 60 months of age. Spontaneous language samples were collected from mother-child interaction sessions, recorded at consistent intervals in a laboratory-based play setting. Transcripts were analyzed using computer-based procedures (Systematic Analysis of Language Transcripts) and the Index of Productive Syntax. Possible influences of audibility were explored by examining the onset and productive use of a set of verb tense markers, and by monitoring the children’s accuracy in use of morphological endings. Phonological samples at baseline were transcribed and analyzed using Computerized Profiling. Results At entry to the study, the four children with hearing loss demonstrated language delays, with pronounced delays in phonological development. Three of the four children demonstrated rapid progress with development and interventions, and performed within the average range on standardized speech and language measures compared to age-matched children by 60-months of age. However, persistent differences from children with normal hearing were observed in the areas of morphosyntax, speech intelligibility in conversation, and production of fricatives. Children with mild-moderate hearing loss demonstrated later than typical emergence of certain verb tense markers, which may be related to reduced or inconsistent audibility. Conclusions The results of this study suggest that early communication delays will resolve for children with late-identified mild-moderate hearing loss, given appropriate amplification and intervention services. A positive result is that three of four children demonstrated normalization of broad language behaviors by 60-months of age, in spite of significant delays at baseline. However, these children are at risk for persistent delays in phonology at the conversational level and for accuracy in use of morphological markers. The ways in which reduced auditory experiences and audibility may contribute to these delays are explored, along with implications for evaluation of outcomes. PMID:20548239

Blood pressure-to-height ratio for screening prehypertension and hypertension in Chinese children.

PubMed

Dong, B; Wang, Z; Wang, H-J; Ma, J

2015-10-01

The diagnosis of hypertension in children is complicated because of the multiple age-, sex- and height-specific thresholds. To simplify the process of diagnosis, blood pressure-to-height ratio (BPHR) was employed in this study. Data were obtained from a Chinese national survey conducted in 2010, and 197 191 children aged 7-17 years were included. High normal and elevated blood pressure (BP) were defined according to the National High Blood Pressure Education Program (NHBPEP) Working Group definition. The optimal thresholds were selected by Youden's index. Sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value (NPV), positive predictive value (PPV) and area under the curve (AUC) were assessed for the performance of these thresholds. The systolic and diastolic BPHR thresholds for identifying high normal BP were 0.84/0.55, 0.78/0.50 and 0.75/0.46 for children aged 7-8 years, 9-11 years and 12-17 years, respectively. The corresponding thresholds for identifying elevated BP were 0.87/0.57, 0.81/0.53 and 0.76/0.49, respectively. These proposed thresholds revealed high sensitivity and NPVs, all above 0.96, moderate to high specificity and AUCs, and low PPVs. Our finding suggested the proposed BPHR thresholds were accurate for identifying children without high normal or elevated BP, and could be employed to simplify the procedure of screening prehypertension and hypertension in children.

Neologisms and Idiosyncratic Language in Autistic Speakers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Volden, Joanne; Lord, Catherine

1991-01-01

This study of 80 autistic (ages 6-18), mentally handicapped, and normal children found that more autistic subjects used neologisms and idiosyncratic language than age- and language-skill-matched control groups. More autistic children used words inappropriately that were neither phonologically nor conceptually related to intended English words than…

Preliminary Study of Disfluency in School-Aged Children with Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scaler Scott, Kathleen; Tetnowski, John A.; Flaitz, James R.; Yaruss, J. Scott

2014-01-01

Background: In recent years, there has been increased identification of disfluencies in individuals with autism, but limited examination of disfluencies in the school-age range of this population. We currently lack information about whether the disfluencies of children with autism represent concomitant stuttering, normal disfluency, excessive…

Lower Urinary Tract Urological Abnormalities and Urodynamic Findings of Physiological Urinary Incontinence Versus Non-mono Symptomatic Nocturnal Enuresis in Children.

PubMed

Naseri, Mitra

2014-03-01

Although 98% of children attain daytime bladder control by three years of age, urinary incontinence is regarded physiological up to the fifth year of life. This study aimed to assess whether lower urinary tract urological abnormalities and abnormal urodynamic findings are infrequent in children with physiological urinary incontinence in contrast to those with non-monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis (NMNE). During a three-year period (2007-2009), 66 neurologically normal children including 51 children (34 girls, 17 boys) older than five years of age with NMNE and intermittent daytime incontinence, and 15 children with physiological urinary incontinence (eight girls and seven boys) aged four to five years of age without any known urological abnormalities were enrolled in the study. Patients with neurologic deficits or known urological anomalies were excluded from the study. Kidney-bladder ultrasonography, voiding cystourethrography (VCUG), and urodynamic studies were performed to evaluate the anatomy of urinary tract and bladder function. Urinary tract infection was found in 23 (34.8%) children, 17 (33.3%) and 6 (40%) patients with NMNE and physiological urinary incontinence, respectively. Out of 48 patients who underwent VCUG, vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) was found in seven and eight children younger and older than five years of age, respectively. Abnormal urodynamic findings were reported in 5 (62.5%) of eight children younger than five-year-old, and 14 (63.6%) of 22 patients older than 5-year-old. VUR might be more frequent in children with physiological urinary incontinence than the normal population, and might be as common as NMNE with intermittent daytime incontinence.

The Overjustification Effect in Retarded Children: Durability and Generalizability.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ogilvie, Lee; Prior, Margot

1982-01-01

Generalizability and durability of the overjustification effect (on decline in intrinsic motivation due to the lack of rewards in behavior modification programs) were examined in 35 normal preschool children and 17 mental age-matched retarded children. (Author/SW)

Lipreading in School-Age Children: The Roles of Age, Hearing Status, and Cognitive Ability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tye-Murray, Nancy; Hale, Sandra; Spehar, Brent; Myerson, Joel; Sommers, Mitchell S.

2014-01-01

Purpose: The study addressed three research questions: Does lipreading improve between the ages of 7 and 14 years? Does hearing loss affect the development of lipreading? How do individual differences in lipreading relate to other abilities? Method: Forty children with normal hearing (NH) and 24 with hearing loss (HL) were tested using 4…

Children's Age, Intelligence and Sex as Variables Mediating Reactions to TV Commercials: Repetition and Content Complexity Implications for Advertisers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hendon, Donald W.; And Others

To learn if differences in age, intelligence, and sex account for differences in children's recall of TV commercials and in the degree of insistence with which they request that the advertised product be purchased, 54 gifted, 71 normal, and 53 educable mentally retarded children of both sexes were questioned after viewing commercials for breakfast…

Evaluation of selected auditory tests in school-age children suspected of auditory processing disorders.

PubMed

Vanniasegaram, Iyngaram; Cohen, Mazal; Rosen, Stuart

2004-12-01

To compare the auditory function of normal-hearing children attending mainstream schools who were referred for an auditory evaluation because of listening/hearing problems (suspected auditory processing disorders [susAPD]) with that of normal-hearing control children. Sixty-five children with a normal standard audiometric evaluation, ages 6-14 yr (32 of whom were referred for susAPD, with the rest age-matched control children), completed a battery of four auditory tests: a dichotic test of competing sentences; a simple discrimination of short tone pairs differing in fundamental frequency at varying interstimulus intervals (TDT); a discrimination task using consonant cluster minimal pairs of real words (CCMP), and an adaptive threshold task for detecting a brief tone presented either simultaneously with a masker (simultaneous masking) or immediately preceding it (backward masking). Regression analyses, including age as a covariate, were performed to determine the extent to which the performance of the two groups differed on each task. Age-corrected z-scores were calculated to evaluate the effectiveness of the complete battery in discriminating the groups. The performance of the susAPD group was significantly poorer than the control group on all but the masking tasks, which failed to differentiate the two groups. The CCMP discriminated the groups most effectively, as it yielded the lowest number of control children with abnormal scores, and performance in both groups was independent of age. By contrast, the proportion of control children who performed poorly on the competing sentences test was unacceptably high. Together, the CCMP (verbal) and TDT (nonverbal) tasks detected impaired listening skills in 56% of the children who were referred to the clinic, compared with 6% of the control children. Performance on the two tasks was not correlated. Two of the four tests evaluated, the CCMP and TDT, proved effective in differentiating the two groups of children of this study. The application of both tests increased the proportion of susAPD children who performed poorly compared with the application of each test alone, while reducing the proportion of control subjects who performed poorly. The findings highlight the importance of carrying out a complete auditory evaluation in children referred for medical attention, even if their standard audiometric evaluation is unremarkable.

Analysis of the Averaged Visually Evoked Potentials in Normal Children. (RIEEC Research Bulletin 3.)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mizutani, Tohru; And Others

Evaluated were the properties and fine structures of averaged visually evoked potentials (AVEP) in 60 normal children between the ages of 2 and 9 years. Electroencephalographic recordings were taken while white diffuse flashes were used to deliver visual stimuli to the Ss. Three types of AVEP patterns were discerned, with no relationship observed…

Normality and Impairment following Profound Early Institutional Deprivation: A Longitudinal follow-up into Early Adolescence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kreppner, Jana M.; Rutter, Michael; Beckett, Celia; Castle, Jenny; Colvert, Emma; Groothues, Christine; Hawkins, Amanda; O'Connor, Thomas G.; Stevens, Suzanne; Sonuga-Barke, Edmund J. S.

2007-01-01

Longitudinal analyses on normal versus impaired functioning across 7 domains were conducted in children who had experienced profound institutional deprivation up to the age of 42 months and were adopted from Romania into U.K. families. Comparisons were made with noninstitutionalized children adopted from Romania and with nondeprived within-U.K.…

High prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency and its association with BMI-for-age among primary school children in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Deficiencies of micronutrients can affect the growth and development of children. There is increasing evidence of vitamin D deficiency world-wide resulting in nutritional rickets in children and osteoporosis in adulthood. Data on the micronutrient status of children in Malaysia is limited. The aim of this study was to determine the anthropometric and micronutrient status of primary school children in the capital city of Kuala Lumpur. Methods A cross sectional study of primary aged school children was undertaken in 2008. A total of 402 boys and girls aged 7-12 years, attending primary schools in Kuala Lumpur participated in the study. Fasting blood samples were taken to assess vitamin D [as 25(OH)D], vitamin B12, folate, zinc, iron, and ferritin and haemoglobin concentrations. Height-for-age and body mass index for age (BMI-for-age) of the children were computed. Results Most of the children had normal height-for-age (96.5%) while slightly over half (58.0%) had normal BMI-for-age. A total of 17.9% were overweight and 16.4% obese. Prevalence of obesity was significantly higher among the boys (25%) than in the girls (9.5%) (χ2 = 22.949; P < .001). Most children had adequate concentrations of haemoglobin, serum ferritin, zinc, folate and vitamin B12. In contrast, 35.3% of the children had serum 25(OH)D concentrations indicative of vitamin D deficiency(≤37.5 nmol/L) and a further 37.1% had insufficiency concentrations (> 37.5-≤50 nmol/L). Among the boys, a significant inverse association was found between serum vitamin D status and BMI-for-age (χ2 = 5.958; P = .016). Conclusions This study highlights the presence of a high prevalence of sub-optimal vitamin D status among urban primary school children in a tropical country. In light of the growing problem of obesity in Malaysian children, these findings emphasize the important need for appropriate interventions to address both problems of obesity and poor vitamin D status in children. PMID:21310082

High prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency and its association with BMI-for-age among primary school children in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

PubMed

Khor, Geok L; Chee, Winnie S S; Shariff, Zalilah M; Poh, Bee K; Arumugam, Mohan; Rahman, Jamalludin A; Theobald, Hannah E

2011-02-11

Deficiencies of micronutrients can affect the growth and development of children. There is increasing evidence of vitamin D deficiency world-wide resulting in nutritional rickets in children and osteoporosis in adulthood. Data on the micronutrient status of children in Malaysia is limited. The aim of this study was to determine the anthropometric and micronutrient status of primary school children in the capital city of Kuala Lumpur. A cross sectional study of primary aged school children was undertaken in 2008. A total of 402 boys and girls aged 7-12 years, attending primary schools in Kuala Lumpur participated in the study. Fasting blood samples were taken to assess vitamin D [as 25(OH)D], vitamin B12, folate, zinc, iron, and ferritin and haemoglobin concentrations. Height-for-age and body mass index for age (BMI-for-age) of the children were computed. Most of the children had normal height-for-age (96.5%) while slightly over half (58.0%) had normal BMI-for-age. A total of 17.9% were overweight and 16.4% obese. Prevalence of obesity was significantly higher among the boys (25%) than in the girls (9.5%) (χ2 = 22.949; P < .001). Most children had adequate concentrations of haemoglobin, serum ferritin, zinc, folate and vitamin B12. In contrast, 35.3% of the children had serum 25(OH)D concentrations indicative of vitamin D deficiency(≤ 37.5 nmol/L) and a further 37.1% had insufficiency concentrations (> 37.5-≤ 50 nmol/L). Among the boys, a significant inverse association was found between serum vitamin D status and BMI-for-age (χ2 = 5.958; P = .016). This study highlights the presence of a high prevalence of sub-optimal vitamin D status among urban primary school children in a tropical country. In light of the growing problem of obesity in Malaysian children, these findings emphasize the important need for appropriate interventions to address both problems of obesity and poor vitamin D status in children.

Children with Down Syndrome: oral development and morphology after use of palatal plates between 6 and 18 months of age.

PubMed

Bäckman, B; Grevér-Sjölander, A-C; Holm, A-K; Johansson, I

2003-09-01

The aim of this study was to describe oral development and morphology in 18-month-old children with Down syndrome (DS) treated with palatal plates in combination with structured communication and speech training. The aim is further to describe the design of the palatal plates, compliance in their use and to give a brief report of their effect on oral motor function and speech. Forty-two children with DS were followed from < or = 6 months of age until 18+/-3 months old. In addition to language intervention, and oral motor and sensory stimulation provided by speech therapists for all children with DS in Sweden, palatal plates provided by dentists are included in the training programme. In the evaluation, the children in the project were compared with two control groups of children matched for age; one group of children with DS who had not been treated with palatal plates, and one group of children with normal development. Compared to the children with normal development, both groups of children with DS had fewer teeth erupted and a lower prevalence of sucking habits. Deviant morphology of the tongue in the form of diastase, lingua plicata or a sulcus in the anterior third of the tongue was only seen in children with DS. All children with normal development had positive values for overjet compared to 53% of the children with DS. The palatal plates were used 2-3 times daily for a total mean time of 15 min. Compliance in use of the plates decreased with age, mainly due to eruption of teeth and subsequent loss of retention. Evaluation of oral motor function and speech show that the children with DS in the project had better motor prerequisites for articulation than the control children with DS. Palatal plate therapy did not affect oral parameters, i.e., eruption of teeth, types and prevalence of sucking habits, tongue morphology and symptoms of hypotonia. In combination with oral motor and sensory stimulation, palatal plate therapy had a positive effect on oral motor performance and prerequisites for articulation.

Reference values of MRI measurements of the common bile duct and pancreatic duct in children.

PubMed

Gwal, Kriti; Bedoya, Maria A; Patel, Neal; Rambhatla, Siri J; Darge, Kassa; Sreedharan, Ram R; Anupindi, Sudha A

2015-07-01

Magnetic resonance imaging/cholangiopancreatography (MRI/MRCP) is now an essential imaging modality for the evaluation of biliary and pancreatic pathology in children, but there are no data depicting the normal diameters of the common bile duct (CBD) and pancreatic duct. Recognition of abnormal duct size is important and the increasing use of MRCP necessitates normal MRI measurements. To present normal MRI measurements for the common bile duct and pancreatic duct in children. In this retrospective study we searched all children ages birth to 10 years in our MR urography (MRU) database from 2006 until 2013. We excluded children with a history of hepatobiliary or pancreatic surgery. We stratified 204 children into five age groups and retrospectively measured the CBD and the pancreatic duct on 2-D axial and 3-D coronal T2-weighted sequences. We performed statistical analysis, using logistic and linear regressions to detect the age association of the visibility and size of the duct measurements. We used non-parametric tests to detect gender and imaging plane differences. Our study included 204 children, 106 (52%) boys and 98 (48%) girls, with a median age of 33 months (range 0-119 months). The children were distributed into five age groups. The common bile duct was visible in all children in all age groups. The pancreatic duct was significantly less visible in the youngest children, group 1 (54/67, 80.5%; P = 0.003) than in the oldest children, group 5 (22/22, 100%). In group 2 the pancreatic duct was seen in 19/21 (90.4%), in group 3 52/55 (94.5%), and in group 4 39/39 (100%). All duct measurements increased with age (P < 0.001; r-value > 0.423), and the incremental differences between ages were significant. The measurement variations between the axial and coronal planes were statistically significant (P < 0.001); however these differences were fractions of millimeters. For example, in group 1 the mean coronal measurement of the CBD was 2.1 mm and the axial measurement was 2.0 mm; the mean coronal measurement of the pancreatic duct was 0.9 mm and the axial measurement was 0.8 mm. Our study provides normative measurements for the common bile duct and pancreatic duct for children up to age 10 years. The upper limits of the CBD and pancreatic duct increase with age, and the values range 1.1-4.0 mm for the CBD and 0.6-1.9 mm for the pancreatic duct.

Children with obesity: peer influence as a predictor of body dissatisfaction.

PubMed

Amaya-Hernández, Adriana; Ortega-Luyando, Mayaro; Bautista-Díaz, María Leticia; Alvarez-Rayón, Georgina L; Mancilla-Díaz, Juan Manuel

2017-03-07

To analyze self-esteem, as well as the different peer influence components (messages, interactions and likability) as predictors of body dissatisfaction in children with obesity. A total of 123 children aged between 10 and 12 years were divided into two groups according to their body mass index. The group with obesity was comprised of 36 boys and 21 girls and the group with normal weight of 32 boys and 34 girls. All of the participants answered the Body Shape Questionnaire-16, the Inventory of Peer Influence on Eating Concerns, and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. The hierarchical multiple regression analysis for each group showed that likability and peer messages explain 67% of the body dissatisfaction variance in children with obesity and 54% in children with normal weight. Peer influence predicted body dissatisfaction in children; however, children with obesity assimilate messages from their peers differently compared with children with normal weight.

An investigation into the dental health of children with obesity: an analysis of dental erosion and caries status.

PubMed

Tong, H J; Rudolf, M C J; Muyombwe, T; Duggal, M S; Balmer, R

2014-06-01

To investigate whether children with obesity experienced more erosion and caries than children with normal weight. This study involved children aged 7-15 years. The study and control group comprised 32 children with BMI > 98th centile and 32 healthy children with normal BMI-for-age, respectively. O'Sullivan Erosion Index and WHO Caries Index were used in the examination of erosion and caries, respectively. Stimulated salivary flow rate, buffering capacity, Streptococcus mutans and lactobacilli counts (CFU/ml) were evaluated. A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was employed to collect information on participant's demographic background, oral health history and habits, and utilisation of dental care services. Children with obesity were more likely to have erosion than healthy children (p < 0.001), and had more erosion in terms of severity (p < 0.0001) and area affected (p < 0.0001), but not in the number of surfaces affected (p = 0.167). Posterior teeth were less likely than anterior teeth to be affected by erosion (OR 0.32, 95 % CI 0.012-0.082). Gender had no effect on erosion. There were no statistically significant differences in the DMFT, saliva profiles or questionnaire responses between the groups. Children with obesity may have high risk of dental erosion, but do not necessarily have higher risk of dental caries than children with normal weight.

Underweight and overweight among children and adolescents in Tuscany (Italy). Prevalence and short-term trends.

PubMed

Lazzeri, G; Rossi, S; Pammolli, A; Pilato, V; Pozzi, T; Giacchi, M V

2008-03-01

The recent increase in both childhood obesity and adolescent anorexia nervosa in developed countries has underlined the important consequences that these trends may have on public health, as there is an increased risk that these conditions may become chronic diseases in adulthood. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor prevalence rates and trends in thinness and overweight (including obesity) among children and adolescents at different levels: international, national and sub-national. Since 2001/2002, a nutritional surveillance system has been implemented in the Tuscany Region to estimate the nutritional status and lifestyles of children and adolescents. The main objectives were to assess the prevalence of thinness, overweight and obesity among Tuscan children and adolescents and to provide baseline information on the prevalence of thinness, for the first time calculated according to the new international definitions, for geographical comparisons and descriptions of time trends. Independent cross-sectional sample surveys were conducted in 2002, 2004 and 2006 in Tuscany, North-Central Italy. Data were collected from stratified two-stage cluster samples of children aged 9 years (n = 3,048 in 2002 and n = 1,430 in 2006) and of adolescents aged 11-13-15 years (n = 1,066, n = 1185 and n = 1,160 in 2004 and n = 1,189, n = 1,211 and n = 1,178 in 2006, respectively). Weights and heights of primary school children were measured by means of standardized methods, while those of adolescents were self-reported. Decimal age was calculated from the date of birth to the date of measurement. Body Mass Index classes were calculated according to the International Obesity Task Force standards. Instead of the term underweight in children, we used the term thinness, which the World Health Organization uses to mean low Body Mass Index for age in adults and adolescents. According to Cole's recently published cut-offs for thinness, we divided our Body Mass Index values below 18.5 into three grades. This study presents data on the prevalence of different grades of nutritional status (thinness, normal weight, overweight and obesity) among Tuscan school-aged children from primary to high school (9-11-13-15-y-old), assessed by means of Body Mass Index, according to international definitions. From 2002 to 2006 the prevalence of thinness among children aged 9 years decreased from 4.6% to 4.2%, and the prevalence of normal weight from 63.7% to 62.4%; the prevalence of overweight (including obesity) rose from 31.7% to 33.4%. From 2004 to 2006, among pre-adolescents aged 11 years, the prevalence of thinness declined from 11.0% to 10.1%; the prevalence of normal weight rose from 68.4% to 70.2%, and the prevalence of overweight declined from 20.7% to 19.6%. Among adolescents aged 13 years, the prevalence of thinness declined from 9.8% to 8.0%; the prevalence of normal weight rose from 73.5% to 74.0%, and the prevalence of overweight from 16.8% to 17.9%. Among adolescents aged 15 years, the prevalence of thinness declined from 9.8% to 8.7%, and the prevalence of normal weight from 77.0% to 71.6%, while the prevalence of overweight rose from 13.3% to 19.7%. The 2006 data showed that the trend in the prevalence of overweight (including obesity) tended to decrease with age for both sexes, though more markedly in girls (from 34.0% at 9-y of age to 12.2% at 15-y of age) than in boys (from 32.8% at 9-y of age to 22.8% at 13-y of age to 27.5% at 15-y of age). By contrast, the prevalence of thinness increased with age in girls (from 4.9% at 9-y of age to 14,1% at 15-y of age), while boys presented a similar low prevalence at 9 and 15-y of age (3.3% and 3.1%), doubling the values at 11 and 13-y of age (7.5% and 6.5%). The trend in the prevalence of normal weight increased with age from 62.4% at 9-y of age to 74.0% at 13-y of age and to 71.6% at 15-y of age. Boys displayed a higher prevalence than girls only at 9-y of age (63.9% vs. 61.0%). The results of this study allow us to analyze data from the nutritional surveillance system in Tuscany using recent definitions of Body Mass Index cut-off points among children, pre-adolescents and adolescents. As a rule, the trend in the prevalence of overweight (including obesity) among girls from 9-y to 15-y-old strongly decreased, while the prevalence of thinness increased. In boys, this decrease was less marked and the prevalence of thinness displayed an irregular trend, with an increment from 9-y to 11-y-old and a decrease from 13-y to 15-y old. The trend in the prevalence of normal weight increased with age, with a higher prevalence among boys than girls.

High Body Mass Index in Infancy May Predict Severe Obesity in Early Childhood.

PubMed

Smego, Allison; Woo, Jessica G; Klein, Jillian; Suh, Christina; Bansal, Danesh; Bliss, Sherri; Daniels, Stephen R; Bolling, Christopher; Crimmins, Nancy A

2017-04-01

To characterize growth trajectories of children who develop severe obesity by age 6 years and identify clinical thresholds for detection of high-risk children before the onset of obesity. Two lean (body mass index [BMI] 5th to ≤75th percentile) and 2 severely obese (BMI ≥99th percentile) groups were selected from populations treated at pediatric referral and primary care clinics. A population-based cohort was used to validate the utility of identified risk thresholds. Repeated-measures mixed modeling and logistic regression were used for analysis. A total of 783 participants of normal weight and 480 participants with severe obesity were included in the initial study. BMI differed significantly between the severely obese and normal-weight cohorts by age 4 months (P < .001), at 1 year before the median age at onset of obesity. A cutoff of the World Health Organization (WHO) 85th percentile for BMI at 6, 12, and 18 months was a strong predictor of severe obesity by age 6 years (sensitivity, 51%-95%; specificity, 95%). This BMI threshold was validated in a second independent cohort (n = 2649), with a sensitivity of 33%-77% and a specificity of 74%-87%. A BMI ≥85th percentile in infancy increases the risk of severe obesity by age 6 years by 2.5-fold and the risk of clinical obesity by age 6 years by 3-fold. BMI trajectories in children who develop severe obesity by age 6 years differ from those in children who remain at normal weight by age 4-6 months, before the onset of obesity. Infants with a WHO BMI ≥85th percentile are at increased risk for developing severe obesity by age 6 years. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Caregiver perceptions of child nutritional status in Magallanes, Chile

PubMed Central

Heitzinger, Kristen; Vélez, Juan Carlos; Parra, Sonia G.; Barbosa, Clarita; Fitzpatrick, Annette L.

2012-01-01

Background We aimed to identify risk factors for childhood overweight and obesity and the accuracy of caregivers’ perceptions of their child’s nutritional status in the Magallanes region, Patagonia, Chile. Methods Heights and weights of children attending day care centers and elementary schools were collected and caregivers completed questionnaires regarding their child’s health and behavior. The child’s nutritional status was diagnosed using the 2006 WHO Child Growth Standards (for children under age 6) and the CDC 2000 Growth Charts (for children age 6 and older). Logistic regression was used to evaluate factors related to childhood overweight/obesity and weight underestimation by caregivers of overweight or obese children. Results Of the 795 children included in the study, 247 (31.1%) were overweight and 223 (28.1%) were obese. Risk factors for overweight/obesity included younger age and being perceived to eat more than normal by the caregiver. Caregivers were less likely to underestimate their child’s weight if the child was older or if the caregiver believed the child ate more than a normal amount. Conclusions There is a high prevalence of overweight and obesity among children in Magallanes and the majority of caregivers underestimate the extent of the problem in their children. PMID:24548582

Dose of Dialysis Based on Body Surface Area Is Markedly Less in Younger Children Than in Older Adolescents

PubMed Central

Hanna, Melisha G.; Becker-Cohen, Rachel; Langman, Craig B.

2010-01-01

Background and observations: The current denominator for dosing dialysis is the urea distribution volume (V). Normalizing Kt/V to body surface area (S) has been proposed, but the implications of doing this in children have not been examined. Design, setting, participants, & measurements: Dialysis dose given to children and adolescents was calculated in terms of conventional V-based scaling and surface-area-normalized standard Kt/V (SAN-stdKt/V) calculated as stdKt/V·(Vant/S)/17.5, where Vant was an anthropometric estimate of V calculated using the Morgenstern equation. Formal 2-pool modeling was used to compute all dialysis adequacy outputs. Results: In 34 children (11 girls, 23 boys) dialyzed 3 times a week, age range 1.4 to 18 years, the mean delivered equilibrated Kt/V (eKt/V) was 1.40, and the mean stdKt/V was 2.49, both of which tended to be higher in younger children. The ratio of Vant to S was 15.6 ± 2.69 and was strongly associated with age between ages 2 and 16. SAN-stdKt/V averaged 2.21 and was strongly correlated with age between ages 2 and 16. If one considers a desired target for SAN-stdKt/V to be 2.45, all children less than 10 years of age were below target, despite having relatively high values of eKt/V and stdKt/V. Conclusions: If a surface-area-based denominator were to be adopted for dialysis dosing, most children under 10 years of age would receive markedly less dialysis than adolescent patients and would require 6- to 8-hour hemodialysis sessions or, for the youngest children, treatments given more frequently than 3 times/wk. PMID:20299373

Dose of dialysis based on body surface area is markedly less in younger children than in older adolescents.

PubMed

Daugirdas, John T; Hanna, Melisha G; Becker-Cohen, Rachel; Langman, Craig B

2010-05-01

BACKGROUND AND OBSERVATIONS: The current denominator for dosing dialysis is the urea distribution volume (V). Normalizing Kt/V to body surface area (S) has been proposed, but the implications of doing this in children have not been examined. Dialysis dose given to children and adolescents was calculated in terms of conventional V-based scaling and surface-area-normalized standard Kt/V (SAN-stdKt/V) calculated as stdKt/V x (Vant/S)/17.5, where Vant was an anthropometric estimate of V calculated using the Morgenstern equation. Formal 2-pool modeling was used to compute all dialysis adequacy outputs. In 34 children (11 girls, 23 boys) dialyzed 3 times a week, age range 1.4 to 18 years, the mean delivered equilibrated Kt/V (eKt/V) was 1.40, and the mean stdKt/V was 2.49, both of which tended to be higher in younger children. The ratio of Vant to S was 15.6 +/- 2.69 and was strongly associated with age between ages 2 and 16. SAN-stdKt/V averaged 2.21 and was strongly correlated with age between ages 2 and 16. If one considers a desired target for SAN-stdKt/V to be 2.45, all children less than 10 years of age were below target, despite having relatively high values of eKt/V and stdKt/V. If a surface-area-based denominator were to be adopted for dialysis dosing, most children under 10 years of age would receive markedly less dialysis than adolescent patients and would require 6- to 8-hour hemodialysis sessions or, for the youngest children, treatments given more frequently than 3 times/wk.

Children's Moral Emotion Attribution in the Happy Victimizer Task: The Role of Response Format.

PubMed

Gummerum, Michaela; López-Pérez, Belén; Ambrona, Tamara; Rodríguez-Cano, Sonia; Dellaria, Giulia; Smith, Gary; Wilson, Ellie

2016-01-01

Previous research in the happy victimizer tradition indicated that preschool and early elementary school children attribute positive emotions to the violator of a moral norm, whereas older children attribute negative (moral) emotions. Cognitive and motivational processes have been suggested to underlie this developmental shift. The current research investigated whether making the happy victimizer task less cognitively demanding by providing children with alternative response formats would increase their attribution of moral emotions and moral motivation. In Study 1, 93 British children aged 4-7 years old responded to the happy victimizer questions either in a normal condition (where they spontaneously pointed with a finger), a wait condition (where they had to wait before giving their answers), or an arrow condition (where they had to point with a paper arrow). In Study 2, 40 Spanish children aged 4 years old responded to the happy victimizer task either in a normal or a wait condition. In both studies, participants' attribution of moral emotions and moral motivation was significantly higher in the conditions with alternative response formats (wait, arrow) than in the normal condition. The role of cognitive abilities for emotion attribution in the happy victimizer task is discussed.

Word learning in deaf children with cochlear implants: effects of early auditory experience.

PubMed

Houston, Derek M; Stewart, Jessica; Moberly, Aaron; Hollich, George; Miyamoto, Richard T

2012-05-01

Word-learning skills were tested in normal-hearing 12- to 40-month-olds and in deaf 22- to 40-month-olds 12 to 18 months after cochlear implantation. Using the Intermodal Preferential Looking Paradigm (IPLP), children were tested for their ability to learn two novel-word/novel-object pairings. Normal-hearing children demonstrated learning on this task at approximately 18 months of age and older. For deaf children, performance on this task was significantly correlated with early auditory experience: Children whose cochlear implants were switched on by 14 months of age or who had relatively more hearing before implantation demonstrated learning in this task, but later implanted profoundly deaf children did not. Performance on this task also correlated with later measures of vocabulary size. Taken together, these findings suggest that early auditory experience facilitates word learning and that the IPLP may be useful for identifying children who may be at high risk for poor vocabulary development. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Word learning in deaf children with cochlear implants: effects of early auditory experience

PubMed Central

Houston, Derek M.; Stewart, Jessica; Moberly, Aaron; Hollich, George; Miyamoto, Richard T.

2013-01-01

Word-learning skills were tested in normal-hearing 12- to 40-month-olds and in deaf 22- to 40-month-olds 12 to 18 months after cochlear implantation. Using the Intermodal Preferential Looking Paradigm (IPLP), children were tested for their ability to learn two novel-word/novel-object pairings. Normal-hearing children demonstrated learning on this task at approximately 18 months of age and older. For deaf children, performance on this task was significantly correlated with early auditory experience: Children whose cochlear implants were switched on by 14 months of age or who had relatively more hearing before implantation demonstrated learning in this task, but later implanted profoundly deaf children did not. Performance on this task also correlated with later measures of vocabulary size. Taken together, these findings suggest that early auditory experience facilitates word learning and that the IPLP may be useful for identifying children who may be at high risk for poor vocabulary development. PMID:22490184

Body mass index and motor coordination: Non-linear relationships in children 6-10 years.

PubMed

Lopes, V P; Malina, R M; Maia, J A R; Rodrigues, L P

2018-05-01

Given the concern for health-related consequences of an elevated body mass index (BMI; obesity), the potential consequences of a low BMI in children are often overlooked. The purpose was to evaluate the relationship between the BMI across its entire spectrum and motor coordination (MC) in children 6-10 years. Height, weight, and MC (Körperkoordinationstest für Kinder, KTK test battery) were measured in 1,912 boys and 1,826 girls of 6-10 years of age. BMI (kg/m 2 ) was calculated. KTK scores for each of the four tests were also converted to a motor quotient (MQ). One-way ANOVA was used to test differences in the BMI, individual test items, and MQ among boys and girls within age groups. Sex-specific quadratic regressions of individual KTK items and the MQ on the BMI were calculated. Girls and boys were also classified into four weight status groups using International Obesity Task Force criteria: thin, normal, overweight, and obese. Differences in specific test items and MQ between weight status groups were evaluated by age group in each sex. Thirty-one percent of the sample was overweight or obese, whereas 5% was thin. On average, normal weight children had the highest MQ in both sexes across the age range with few exceptions. Overweight/obese children had a lower MQ than normal weight and thin children. The quadratic regression lines generally presented an inverted parabolic relationship between the BMI and MC and suggested a decrease in MC with an increase in the BMI. In general, BMI shows a curvilinear, inverted parabolic relationship with MC in children 6-10 years. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Motor outcome at the age of one after perinatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.

PubMed

van Schie, P E M; Becher, J G; Dallmeijer, A J; Barkhof, F; Weissenbruch, M M; Vermeulen, R J

2007-04-01

The aim of this report is to describe the motor outcome in one year-old children who were born at full-term with perinatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). Relationships between motor ability tests and neurological examination at one year, and between these tests and neonatal brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were investigated. 32 surviving children, born full-term with perinatal HIE, are included in this report. All children had a neonatal MRI. At one year, motor ability was assessed with the Alberta Infant Motor Scale and the Bayley Scales of Infant Development (2nd version). Neurological examinations included the neurological optimality score (NOS). At one year, 14 children (44%) had normal motor ability, nine (28%) had mildly delayed, and nine had significantly delayed motor ability. The NOS ranged from 14.6-27 points. All children with normal motor ability had (near) optimal NOS, however, not all children with high NOS had normal motor ability. Eleven children (34%) had normal neonatal MRI; at one year, six of them had normal, and five had mildly delayed motor ability. Eight children with normal motor ability showed abnormalities on neonatal MRI. Neonatal brain MRI does not predict motor outcome at one year. Motor ability tests and neurological examinations should be used in a complementary manner to describe outcome after HIE.

Ethnicity and cardiovascular risk factors: evaluation of 40,921 normal-weight, overweight or obese children and adolescents living in Central Europe.

PubMed

Martin, L; Oepen, J; Reinehr, T; Wabitsch, M; Claussnitzer, G; Waldeck, E; Ingrisch, S; Stachow, R; Oelert, M; Wiegand, S; Holl, R

2015-01-01

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major global health problem and the leading cause of death in Europe. Risk factors such as obesity and hypertension that accelerate the development of CVD begin in childhood. Ethnicity is a known risk factor for CVD in adults. The aim of this study is to explore differences in the prevalence of hypertension and dyslipidemia among overweight/obese and normal-weight children/adolescents of three different ethnic origins living in Central Europe. Prevalence of hypertension and dyslipidemia was calculated among obese/overweight children/adolescents (n = 25,986; mean age 12.7 ± 3.0 years; range: 0-18 years; 46% males) documented in the German-Austrian-Swiss APV (Prospective Documentation of Overweight Children and Adolescents) registry and among normal-weight subjects (n = 14,935; mean age: 8.8 ± 5.1 years; range 0-18 years; 51% males) from the population-based cross-sectional German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS) study. In both cohorts, subjects were categorized into three ethnic groups (Central European: Germany, Austria, Switzerland; Southeastern European: Turkish; Southern European: Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Malta) based on the country of birth of both parents. Regression models were used to examine ethnic differences after adjustment for age and gender and body mass index (BMI) category. Age-, gender- and BMI category-adjusted prevalence of hypertension were 38% and 39% for the ethnic minority groups, compared with 35% among German/Austrian/Swiss counterparts. Turkish ethnicity was significantly associated with hypertension (odds ratio (OR) 1.14; 95% confidence interval: 1.02-1.27; P = 0.0446). No significant ethnic differences were found in lipid levels. Prevalence of hypertension found among normal-weight subjects (Central European vs Southeastern vs Southern European: 6.8% vs 6.3% vs 7.2%) did not differ significantly. Turkish obese/overweight children/adolescents showed a significantly higher prevalence of hypertension relative to their peers of Central European descent. No significant ethnic difference in the prevalence of hypertension was found among normal-weight children/adolescents. The high prevalence of hypertension among Turkish obese/overweight children/adolescents indicates the need for greater preventive and therapeutic efforts to reduce cardiovascular risk factors among vulnerable populations.

Age- and sex-related growth patterns of the craniofacial complex in European children aged 3-6 years.

PubMed

Tutkuviene, Janina; Cattaneo, Cristina; Obertová, Zuzana; Ratnayake, Melanie; Poppa, Pasquale; Barkus, Arunas; Khalaj-Hedayati, Kerstin; Schroeder, Inge; Ritz-Timme, Stefanie

2016-11-01

Craniofacial growth changes in young children are not yet completely understood. Up-to-date references for craniofacial measurements are crucial for clinical assessment of orthodontic anomalies, craniofacial abnormalities and subsequent planning of interventions. To provide normal reference data and to identify growth patterns for craniofacial dimensions of European boys and girls aged 3-6 years. Using standard anthropometric methodology, body weight, body height and 23 craniofacial measurements were acquired for a cross-sectional sample of 681 healthy children (362 boys and 319 girls) aged 3-6 years from Germany, Italy and Lithuania. Descriptive statistics, correlation coefficients, percentage annual changes and percentage growth rates were used to analyse the dataset. Between the ages of 3-6 years, craniofacial measurements showed age- and sex-related patterns independent from patterns observed for body weight and body height. Sex-related differences were observed in the majority of craniofacial measurements. In both sexes, face heights and face depths showed the strongest correlation with age. Growth patterns differed by craniofacial measurement and can be summarised into eight distinct age- and sex-related patterns. This study provided reference data and identified sex- and age-related growth patterns of the craniofacial complex of young European children, which may be used for detailed assessment of normal growth in paediatrics, maxillofacial reconstructive surgery and possibly for forensic age assessment.

No radiation protection reasons for restrictions on 14C urea breath tests in children.

PubMed

Gunnarsson, M; Leide-Svegborn, S; Stenström, K; Skog, G; Nilsson, L-E; Hellborg, R; Mattsson, S

2002-12-01

Traditional (14)C urea breath tests are normally not used for younger children because the radiation exposure is unknown. High sensitivity accelerator mass spectrometry and an ultra-low amount (440 Bq) of (14)C urea were therefore used both to diagnose Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection in seven children, aged 3-6 years, and to make radiation dose estimates. The activity used was 125 times lower than the amount normally used for older children and 250 times lower than that used for adults. Results were compared with previously reported biokinetic and dosimetric data for adults and older children aged 7-14 years. (14)C activity concentrations in urine and exhaled air per unit administered activity for younger children (3-6 years) correspond well with those for older children (7-14 years). For a child aged 3-6 years who is HP negative, the urinary bladder wall receives the highest absorbed dose, 0.3 mGy MBq(-1). The effective dose is 0.1 mSv MBq(-1) for the 3-year-old child and 0.07 mSv MBq(-1) for the 6-year-old child. For two children, the 10 min and 20 min post-(14)C administration samples of exhaled air showed a significantly higher amount of (14)C activity than for the rest of the children, that is 6% and 19% of administered activity exhaled per hour compared with 0.3-0.9% (mean 0.5%) of administered activity exhaled per hour indicating that these two children that is were HP positive. For a 3-year-old HP positive child, absorbed dose to the urinary bladder wall was 0.3 mGy MBq(-1) and effective dose per unit of administered activity was 0.4 mSv MBq(-1). Using 55 kBq, which is a normal amount for older children when liquid scintillation counters are used for measurement, the effective dose will be approximately 6 micro Sv to a 3-year-old HP negative child and 20 microSv to a HP positive child. Thus there is no reason for restrictions on performing a normal (14)C urea breath test, even on young children.

Low Empathy in Deaf and Hard of Hearing (Pre)Adolescents Compared to Normal Hearing Controls

PubMed Central

Netten, Anouk P.; Rieffe, Carolien; Theunissen, Stephanie C. P. M.; Soede, Wim; Dirks, Evelien; Briaire, Jeroen J.; Frijns, Johan H. M.

2015-01-01

Objective The purpose of this study was to examine the level of empathy in deaf and hard of hearing (pre)adolescents compared to normal hearing controls and to define the influence of language and various hearing loss characteristics on the development of empathy. Methods The study group (mean age 11.9 years) consisted of 122 deaf and hard of hearing children (52 children with cochlear implants and 70 children with conventional hearing aids) and 162 normal hearing children. The two groups were compared using self-reports, a parent-report and observation tasks to rate the children’s level of empathy, their attendance to others’ emotions, emotion recognition, and supportive behavior. Results Deaf and hard of hearing children reported lower levels of cognitive empathy and prosocial motivation than normal hearing children, regardless of their type of hearing device. The level of emotion recognition was equal in both groups. During observations, deaf and hard of hearing children showed more attention to the emotion evoking events but less supportive behavior compared to their normal hearing peers. Deaf and hard of hearing children attending mainstream education or using oral language show higher levels of cognitive empathy and prosocial motivation than deaf and hard of hearing children who use sign (supported) language or attend special education. However, they are still outperformed by normal hearing children. Conclusions Deaf and hard of hearing children, especially those in special education, show lower levels of empathy than normal hearing children, which can have consequences for initiating and maintaining relationships. PMID:25906365

Primary MPNST in Childhood- A Rare Case Report

PubMed Central

Kudesia, Sandip; Bhardwaj, Aparna; Kishore, Sanjeev; Bahal, Neelima

2014-01-01

Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumour usually occurs between 20-50 years of age, comprising about 5-10% of soft tissue sarcomas. Only 1.7% of them have been reported to occur in children < 5 months of age according to the literature. Here, we are describing 18 mnth old male child presented with a swelling in the lower back. MRI showed a sacrcoccygeal swelling extending to and communicating with CSF at lower sacral level. Birth history of the child was normal with normal apgar score. The histological diagnosis was malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumour. IHC showed focal positivity of GFAP and S100. Primary spinal MPNST in children are rarer. A careful neurological examination is warranted in children. Early diagnosis and referral to multidisciplinary team are important in ensuring the best diagnosis and optimal therapy in this young age. PMID:25584230

Facial tissue depths in children with cleft lip and palate.

PubMed

Starbuck, John M; Ghoneima, Ahmed; Kula, Katherine

2015-03-01

Cleft lip and palate (CLP) is a craniofacial malformation affecting more than seven million people worldwide that results in defects of the hard palate, teeth, maxilla, nasal spine and floor, and maxillodental asymmetry. CLP facial soft-tissue depth (FSTD) values have never been published. The purpose of this research is to report CLP FSTD values and compare them to previously published FSTD values for normal children. Thirty-eight FSTDs were measured on cone beam computed tomography images of CLP children (n = 86; 7-17 years). MANOVA and ANOVA tests determined whether cleft type, age, sex, and bone graft surgical status affect tissue depths. Both cleft type (unilateral/bilateral) and age influence FSTDs. CLP FSTDs exhibit patterns of variation that differ from normal children, particularly around the oronasal regions of the face. These differences should be taken into account when facial reconstructions of children with CLP are created. © 2014 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

The enuretic episode--a complete micturition from a bladder with normal capacity? A critical reappraisal of the definition.

PubMed

Rasmussen, P V; Kirk, J; Rittig, S; Djurhuus, J C

1997-01-01

Fifty-five normal children, aged between 7 and 12 years, were hospitalised for four consecutive nights. On three of these nights, the subjects received 25 ml/kg body weight of fluid prior to bedtime. Such fluid-loading provoked 28 enuresis-like episodes in 17 children, most of which occurred during the first few hours of sleep. The incidence of these enuretic events decreased with increasing age, more boys than girls were affected, there was a statistically significant correlation between total enuresis volume and nocturia volume, and the micturition was frequently incomplete, leaving large volumes of residual urine in the bladder. It was concluded that if nocturnal urine production exceeds bladder capacity, enuresis may be provoked, even in children who do not normally wet the bed. Furthermore, the definition of nocturnal enuresis as a complete emptying of the bladder during sleep may need revision.

Behavioral Outcomes of Extremely Low Birth Weight Children at Age 8 Years

PubMed Central

Hack, Maureen; Taylor, Hudson G.; Schluchter, Mark; Andreias, Laura; Drotar, Dennis; Klein, Nancy

2011-01-01

Objective To describe the prevalence of behavioral problems and symptomatology suggestive of Autism and Asperger’s disorders at age 8 years among extremely low birth weight (ELBW, <1 kg) children, born 1992 through 1995. Method Parent reports of the behavior of 219 ELBW (mean birth weight, 810 g; gestational age 26 weeks) were compared with 176 normal birth weight children of similar maternal sociodemographic status, sex, and age. Behavior was assessed via the Child Symptom Inventory that includes both Symptom Severity Scores and scores meeting DSM-IV criteria for disorders. Results ELBW compared with normal birth weight children had significantly higher mean Symptom Severity Scores for the inattentive, hyperactive, and combined types of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (all p < .001) as well as higher scores for Generalized Anxiety (p < .01) and Autistic (p < .001) and Asperger’s (p < .01) disorders. When DSM-IV criteria were considered, ELBW children also had significantly higher rates of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder of the inattentive (10% vs 3%, p < .01) and combined (5% vs 0.6%, p < .05) types. Conclusions Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, mainly the inattentive type is prevalent among ELBW children. Our findings of an increase in symptoms pertaining to Autistic and Asperger’s disorders at school age agree with recent reports of others during early childhood. Early identification and intervention for these problems might improve child functioning and ameliorate parent and child distress. PMID:19322106

Reading deficits in very low birthweight children are associated with vocabulary and attention issues at the age of seven.

PubMed

Leijon, Ingemar; Ingemansson, Fredrik; Nelson, Nina; Wadsby, Marie; Samuelsson, Stefan

2016-01-01

This Swedish study compared reading skills between seven-year-old children with a very low birthweight (VLBW) and controls with a normal birthweight, exploring associations between reading variables and cognition, parent-rated behaviour, perinatal factors and family factors. We studied 51 VLBW children, with no major neurodevelopmental impairments and attending their first year at a regular school, and compared them with the 51 sex- and age-matched controls. The test battery, carried out at 7.8 ± 0.4 years of age, included reading skills, the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children - III and the Child Behaviour Checklist. Very low birthweight children with a mean birthweight of 1105 g (± 291 g) and a gestational age of 28.8 (± 2.2) weeks scored significantly lower in all reading subtests and cognition and demonstrated more behavioural problems than normal birthweight controls. We also found significant associations between poor vocabulary, combined with attention problems, and phonological awareness, rapid naming and spelling control. Perinatal factors had no association with reading function, and socio-economic factors had very few. Very low birthweight children demonstrated deficits in all reading domains and had poorer cognition and more behavioural problems at the age of seven, with reading ability related to vocabulary and attention. ©2015 The Authors. Acta Paediatrica published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Foundation Acta Paediatrica.

Shape of magnifiers affects controllability in children with visual impairment.

PubMed

Liebrand-Schurink, Joyce; Boonstra, F Nienke; van Rens, Ger H M B; Cillessen, Antonius H N; Meulenbroek, Ruud G J; Cox, Ralf F A

2016-12-01

This study aimed to examine the controllability of cylinder-shaped and dome-shaped magnifiers in young children with visual impairment. This study investigates goal-directed arm movements in low-vision aid use (stand and dome magnifier-like object) in a group of young children with visual impairment (n = 56) compared to a group of children with normal sight (n = 66). Children with visual impairment and children with normal sight aged 4-8 years executed two types of movements (cyclic and discrete) in two orientations (vertical or horizontal) over two distances (10 cm and 20 cm) with two objects resembling the size and shape of regularly prescribed stand and dome magnifiers. The visually impaired children performed slower movements than the normally sighted children. In both groups, the accuracy and speed of the reciprocal aiming movements improved significantly with age. Surprisingly, in both groups, the performance with the dome-shaped object was significantly faster (in the 10 cm condition and 20 cm condition with discrete movements) and more accurate (in the 20 cm condition) than with the stand-shaped object. From a controllability perspective, this study suggests that it is better to prescribe dome-shaped than cylinder-shaped magnifiers to young children with visual impairment. © 2016 Acta Ophthalmologica Scandinavica Foundation. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

16 CFR 1500.48 - Technical requirements for determining a sharp point in toys and other articles intended for use...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... sharp point in toys and other articles intended for use by children under 8 years of age. 1500.48... requirements for determining a sharp point in toys and other articles intended for use by children under 8... intended for use by children under 8 years of age, and such points exposed in normal use or as a result of...

16 CFR 1500.48 - Technical requirements for determining a sharp point in toys and other articles intended for use...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... sharp point in toys and other articles intended for use by children under 8 years of age. 1500.48... requirements for determining a sharp point in toys and other articles intended for use by children under 8... intended for use by children under 8 years of age, and such points exposed in normal use or as a result of...

16 CFR 1500.48 - Technical requirements for determining a sharp point in toys and other articles intended for use...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... sharp point in toys and other articles intended for use by children under 8 years of age. 1500.48... requirements for determining a sharp point in toys and other articles intended for use by children under 8... intended for use by children under 8 years of age, and such points exposed in normal use or as a result of...

Strategy Choices in Simple and Complex Addition: Contributions of Working Memory and Counting Knowledge for Children with Mathematical Disability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Geary, David C.; Hoard, Mary K.; Byrd-Craven, Jennifer; DeSoto, M. Catherine

2004-01-01

Groups of first-grade (mean age = 82 months), third-grade (mean age = 107 months), and fifth-grade (mean age = 131 months) children with a learning disability in mathematics (MD, n=58) and their normally achieving peers (n = 91) were administered tasks that assessed their knowledge of counting principles, working memory, and the strategies used to…

Speed of processing and reading disability: a cross-linguistic investigation of dyslexia and borderline intellectual functioning.

PubMed

Bonifacci, Paola; Snowling, Margaret J

2008-06-01

English and Italian children with dyslexia were compared with children with reading difficulties associated with low-IQ on tests of simple and choice RT, and in number and symbol scanning tasks. On all four speed-of-processing tasks, children with low-IQ responded more slowly than children with dyslexia and age-controls. In the choice RT task, the performance of children with low-IQ was also less accurate than that of children of normal IQ, consistent with theories linking processing speed limitations with low-IQ. These findings support the hypothesis that dyslexia is a specific cognitive deficit that can arise in the context of normal IQ and normal speed of processing. The same cognitive phenotype was observed in readers of a deep (English) and a shallow (Italian) orthography.

Longitudinal posturography and rotational testing in children 3-9 years of age: Normative data

PubMed Central

Casselbrant, Margaretha L.; Mandel, Ellen M.; Sparto, Patrick J; Perera, Subashan; Redfern, Mark S.; Fall, Patricia A.; Furman, Joseph M.

2010-01-01

Objective To obtain normative longitudinal vestibulo-ocular and balance test data in children from ages 3 to 9 with normal middle-ear status. Study Design Prospective, longitudinal cohort Setting Tertiary care pediatric hospital Subjects and Methods Three-year-old children were entered and tested yearly. Subjects underwent earth vertical axis rotation testing using sinusoidal and constant velocity stimuli and performed the Sensory Organization Test. Results One hundred forty-eight children were entered and usable data were collected on 127 children. A linear increase in the vestibulo-ocular reflex gain as children aged was found, without a change in the phase of the response. An age-related linear increase in Equilibrium Scores, indicating reduced postural sway, was also observed. Conclusion These normative data can be used in the evaluation of dizziness and balance disorders in children. PMID:20416461

Children's University: Evaluation Report and Executive Summary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gorard, Stephen; Siddiqui, Nadia; See, Beng Huat; Smith, Emma; White, Patrick

2017-01-01

Children's University (CU) aims to improve the aspirations, attainment, and skills of pupils aged 5-14 by providing learning activities beyond the normal school day. This trial focused on pupils in Years 5 and 6 (aged 9-11), and activities included after-school clubs, visits to universities, museums, and libraries, and 'social action'…

The Development of Temporal Discrimination in Young Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walker, John

The purpose of this study was to perform pilot research upon two normal children aged six years (an age midway between complete absence of time conceptualization and maturation of time concepts) in order to chart the characteristic responses within a conditioning paradigm. Previous literature in the field is reviewed for the purpose of providing a…

A Look at the Memory Performance of Retarded and Normal Children Utilizing the Levels of Processing Framework.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lupart, Judy L.; Mulcahy, Robert F.

Memory performance differences of mental age matched (9-12 years) educable mentally retarded (EMR) (n=56) and normal (n=56) children were examined in two experiments using the F. Craik and R. Lockhart levels of processing framework. In experiment 1, Ss were randomly assigned to an incidental, intentional, or planned intentional learning condition,…

[Intelligence level and structure in school age children with fetal growth restriction].

PubMed

Ma, Jian; Ma, Hong-Wei; Tian, Xiao-Bo; Liu, Fang

2009-10-01

To study the intelligence level and structure in school age children with fetal growth restriction (FGR). The intelligence levels were tested by the Wechsler Children Scales of Intelligence (C-WISC) in 54 children with FGR and in 84 normal children. The full intelligence quotient (FIQ), verbal IQ (VIQ) and performance IQ (PIQ) in the FGR group were 105.9+/-10.3, 112.4+/-11.2 and 97.1+/-10.6 respectively, and they all were in a normal range. But the PIQ was significantly lower than that in the control group (104.8+/-10.5; p<0.001), and the picture arrangement and the decipher subtest scores were significantly lower than those in the control group (p<0.01). The scores of perception/organization and memory/attention factors in the FGR group were 99.8+/-11.1 and 116.3+/-14.4, respectively, which were inferior to those in the control group (104.6+/-11.5 and 113.4+/-14.5 respectively; p<0.05). The total intelligence level of children with FGR is normal, but there are imbalances in the intelligence structure and dysfunctions in performance ability related to right cerebral hemisphere. Performance trainings should be done from the infancy in children with FGR.

Dental caries and childhood obesity: roles of diet and socioeconomic status.

PubMed

Marshall, Teresa A; Eichenberger-Gilmore, Julie M; Broffitt, Barbara A; Warren, John J; Levy, Steven M

2007-12-01

Our objective was to determine (a) if caries and obesity were associated in a pediatric population and (b) if so, then to explore diet and socioeconomic status as additional risk factors. Subjects were recruited at birth and are members of the Iowa Fluoride Study. Data such as parental age, parental education levels and family incomes were obtained by questionnaire at recruitment. Children's primary dentition was examined and their weight and height measured at 4.5-6.9 years of age. Parental weight and height were measured when children were 7.6-10.9 years of age. Beverage and nutrient intake patterns were obtained from 3-day food and beverage diaries completed at 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 years of age. Children with caries had lower family incomes, less educated parents, heavier mothers and higher soda-pop intakes at 2, 3 and for 1-5 years than children without caries (P < 0.05). 'Overweight' children had less educated fathers and heavier parents than 'normal' weight children (P < 0.05). Children 'at risk' of overweight had higher caries rates than 'normal' or 'overweight' children (P < 0.05). In stepwise logistic regression models to predict caries experience, soda-pop intakes were displaced by mother's education, leaving 'at risk' of overweight and mother's education in the final model. Caries and obesity coexist in children of low socioeconomic status. Public health measures to improve dietary education and access to appropriate foodstuffs could decrease the risk of both diseases.

Weight changes in children in foster care for 1 year.

PubMed

Schneiderman, Janet U; Smith, Caitlin; Arnold-Clark, Janet S; Fuentes, Jorge; Duan, Lei

2013-10-01

The aims of this study of predominately racial/ethnic minority children in foster care (N=360, birth to 19 years old) in Los Angeles, CA were to examine the (1) prevalence of obesity (≥ 95 percentile) and overweight/obese (≥ 85 percentile) upon entrance to foster care (T1) and after 1 year in foster care (T2); (2) comparison of high weight categories to national statistics; (3) relationship of changes in weight status to age, reason for entry into foster care, and placement. Chi-square test and McNemar test comparing paired proportions were used to determine whether there were significant changes in the proportion of high weight categories between T1 and T2. Chi-square test or Fisher's exact test were used to evaluate the association between age, placement, and reason for foster care with the change in weight category. Changes in weight were categorized as (1) decreased in weight, (2) remained at overweight or obese, (3) increased in weight, or (4) remained normal. The proportion of obese and obese/overweight children between ages 2 and 5 were significantly lower at T2 than T1. There were no significant changes in the prevalence of obesity for the total population at T2. Children age 6 or older had a higher prevalence of obesity and overweight/obesity compared to national statistics. Of children at all ages, 64.7% of children of all ages entered foster care with a normal weight and stayed in the normal range during their first year in foster care, 12.2% decreased their weight, 15.4% remained overweight or obese, and 7.7% increased their weight. Age and parental substance use was related to change in weight category from T1 to T2. Children did not become more overweight or obese in foster care; however 28% of the children were obese or overweight upon entry into foster care. Children who are 6 years or older and obese upon entering foster care should be targeted for weight reduction. The pediatric community and child welfare system need to work together by including weight percentiles in the foster care file and training/monitoring child welfare caregivers in weight reduction interventions. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

LONG-TERM VISUAL OUTCOMES IN EXTREMELY LOW-BIRTH-WEIGHT CHILDREN (AN AMERICAN OPHTHALMOLOGICAL SOCIETY THESIS)

PubMed Central

Spencer, Rand

2006-01-01

Purpose The goal is to analyze the long-term visual outcome of extremely low-birth-weight children. Methods This is a retrospective analysis of eyes of extremely low-birth-weight children on whom vision testing was performed. Visual outcomes were studied by analyzing acuity outcomes at ≥36 months of adjusted age, correlating early acuity testing with final visual outcome and evaluating adverse risk factors for vision. Results Data from 278 eyes are included. Mean birth weight was 731g, and mean gestational age at birth was 26 weeks. 248 eyes had grating acuity outcomes measured at 73 ± 36 months, and 183 eyes had recognition acuity testing at 76 ± 39 months. 54% had below normal grating acuities, and 66% had below normal recognition acuities. 27% of grating outcomes and 17% of recognition outcomes were ≤20/200. Abnormal early grating acuity testing was predictive of abnormal grating (P < .0001) and recognition (P = .0001) acuity testing at ≥3 years of age. A slower-than-normal rate of early visual development was predictive of abnormal grating acuity (P < .0001) and abnormal recognition acuity (P < .0001) at ≥3 years of age. Eyes diagnosed with maximal retinopathy of prematurity in zone I had lower acuity outcomes (P = .0002) than did those with maximal retinopathy of prematurity in zone II/III. Eyes of children born at ≤28 weeks gestational age had 4.1 times greater risk for abnormal recognition acuity than did those of children born at >28 weeks gestational age. Eyes of children with poorer general health after premature birth had a 5.3 times greater risk of abnormal recognition acuity. Conclusions Long-term visual development in extremely low-birth-weight infants is problematic and associated with a high risk of subnormal acuity. Early acuity testing is useful in identifying children at greatest risk for long-term visual abnormalities. Gestational age at birth of ≤ 28 weeks was associated with a higher risk of an abnormal long-term outcome. PMID:17471358

CDC Kerala 14: Early child care practices at home among children (2-6 y) with autism--a case control study.

PubMed

George, Babu; Padmam, M S Razeena; Nair, M K C; Leena, M L; Russell, Paul Swamidhas Sudhakar

2014-12-01

To compare early child care practices at home as possible risk factors among children between 2 and 6 y of age with autism and a control group of normal children without any symptom of autism, presenting at the well-baby/immunization clinic. This case control study was undertaken at the autism clinic of CDC Kerala, comparing possible risk factors for autism among 143 children between 2 and 6 y with autism as per CARS criteria and a control group of 200 normal children of the same age from well-baby/immunization clinic of SAT hospital. The data was collected using a structured pre-piloted questionnaire, which included 11 questions administered by the same senior social scientist, on early child care practices at home that have been universally considered as important for child development. On multivariate analysis on early child care practices at home as possible risk factors for autism, it was observed that statistically significant high odds ratios were present for (i) no outings (OR = 3.36; 95% CI: 1.39-8.16; p 0.007); (ii) child does not play with children of same age (OR = 19.57; 95% CI: 9.50-40.32); (iii) do not tell stories/sing songs to the child (OR = 3.21; 9 % CI: 1.61-6.41); and (iv) breastfeeding duration nil/ < 6 mo (OR = 3.40; 95% CI: 1.28-8.99). This case control study involving 143 children between 2 and 6 y with autism as per CARS criteria and a control group of 200 normal children has shown that early child care practices at home, specifically breastfeeding duration nil/ < 6 mo, child does not play with children of same age, do not tell stories/sing songs to the child and no outings for the child are possible risk factors for autism.

Monocular oral reading after treatment of dense congenital unilateral cataract

PubMed Central

Birch, Eileen E.; Cheng, Christina; Christina, V; Stager, David R.

2010-01-01

Background Good long-term visual acuity outcomes for children with dense congenital unilateral cataracts have been reported following early surgery and good compliance with postoperative amblyopia therapy. However, treated eyes rarely achieve normal visual acuity and there has been no formal evaluation of the utility of the treated eye for reading. Methods Eighteen children previously treated for dense congenital unilateral cataract were tested monocularly with the Gray Oral Reading Test, 4th edition (GORT-4) at 7 to 13 years of age using two passages for each eye, one at grade level and one at +1 above grade level. In addition, right eyes of 55 normal children age 7 to 13 served as a control group. The GORT-4 assesses reading rate, accuracy, fluency, and comprehension. Results Visual acuity of treated eyes ranged from 0.1 to 2.0 logMAR and of fellow eyes from −0.1 to 0.2 logMAR. Treated eyes scored significantly lower than fellow and normal control eyes on all scales at grade level and at +1 above grade level. Monocular reading rate, accuracy, fluency, and comprehension were correlated with visual acuity of treated eyes (rs = −0.575 to −0.875, p < 0.005). Treated eyes with 0.1-0.3 logMAR visual acuity did not differ from fellow or normal control eyes in rate, accuracy, fluency, or comprehension when reading at grade level or at +1 above grade level. Fellow eyes did not differ from normal controls on any reading scale. Conclusions Excellent visual acuity outcomes following treatment of dense congenital unilateral cataracts are associated with normal reading ability of the treated eye in school-age children. PMID:20603057

Body fat assessed from body density and estimated from skinfold thickness in normal children and children with cystic fibrosis.

PubMed

Johnston, J L; Leong, M S; Checkland, E G; Zuberbuhler, P C; Conger, P R; Quinney, H A

1988-12-01

Body density and skinfold thickness at four sites were measured in 140 normal boys, 168 normal girls, and 6 boys and 7 girls with cystic fibrosis, all aged 8-14 y. Prediction equations for the normal boys and girls for the estimation of body-fat content from skinfold measurements were derived from linear regression of body density vs the log of the sum of the skinfold thickness. The relationship between body density and the log of the sum of the skinfold measurements differed from normal for the boys and girls with cystic fibrosis because of their high body density even though their large residual volume was corrected for. However the sum of skinfold measurements in the children with cystic fibrosis did not differ from normal. Thus body fat percent of these children with cystic fibrosis was underestimated when calculated from body density and invalid when calculated from skinfold thickness.

Normally Occurring Human Anti-GM1 Immunoglobulin M Antibodies and the Immune Response to Bacteria

PubMed Central

Alaniz, María E.; Lardone, Ricardo D.; Yudowski, Silvia L.; Farace, María I.; Nores, Gustavo A.

2004-01-01

Anti-GM1 antibodies of the immunoglobulin M (IgM) isotype are normal components of the antibody repertoire of adult human serum. Using a sensitive high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) immunostaining assay, we found that these antibodies were absent in the umbilical vein and children <1 month of age but could be detected after 1 month of age. Although most of the children older than 6 months of age were positive, there were still a few negative children. The appearance of anti-GM1 IgM antibodies showed a perfect concordance with two well-characterized antibacterial antibodies, anti-Forssman and anti-blood group A, which indicates a similar origin. We also studied IgM reactivity with lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) from gram-negative bacteria isolated from stool samples from healthy babies and from Escherichia coli HB101 in serum from individuals of different ages. We found a positive reaction with both LPSs in all the children more than 1 month of age analyzed, even in those that were negative for anti-GM1 antibodies. Anti-GM1 IgM antibodies were purified from adult serum by affinity chromatography and tested for the ability to bind LPSs from different bacteria. This highly specific preparation showed reactivity only with LPS from a strain of Campylobacter jejuni isolated from a patient with diarrhea. We conclude that normally occurring IgM antibodies are generated after birth, probably during the immune defense against specific bacterial strains. PMID:15039337

Analysis of Morphological Characteristics and Origins of Idiopathic Premature Ventricular Contractions Under a 12-Lead Electrocardiogram in Children with Structurally Normal Hearts.

PubMed

Jiang, Jianbin; He, Yuee; Qiu, Huixian; Zhang, Yuanhai; Chu, Maoping; Li, Yuechun; Chen, Qi

2017-10-21

Up to 40% of healthy children have premature ventricular complexes or contractions (PVCs) detected with 24-hour Holter monitoring. We aimed to investigate the morphological characteristics and origins of idiopathic PVCs under a 12-lead electrocardiogram in children with structurally normal hearts. All asymptomatic monomorphic PVC patients with structurally normal hearts under 18 years of age were included in this retrospective study. Characteristics of PVCs in lead V 1 under a 12-lead electrocardiogram were classified as left bundle branch block (PVC-LBBB) or right bundle branch block (PVC-RBBB). According to limb leads, PVC-LBBB or PVC-RBBB was divided into: PVCs-LBBB type I; PVCs-LBBB type II; PVCs-RBBB type I; PVCs-RBBB type II; and PVCs-RBBB type III. Out of 178 PVC patients, 94 cases of PVCs-LBBB (PVCs-LBBB type I = 60; PVCs-LBBB type II = 34) and 84 cases of PVCs-RBBB (PVCs-RBBB type I = 3; PVCs-RBBB type II = 55; PVCs-RBBB type III = 26) were identified. The frequency of PVCs-LBBB type I increased with age and the frequency of PVCs-RBBB type II and III decreased with age. Among the children monitor tested, from 1 years old to 18 years old, PVCs originating from the left or right ventricular outflow tract gradually increased with age, while PVCs originating from the branch sources decreased with age.

Disordered Connectivity Associated with Memory Deficits in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chan, Agnes S.; Han, Yvonne M. Y.; Sze, Sophia L.; Cheung, Mei-chun; Leung, Winnie Wing-man; Chan, Raymond C. K.; To, Cho Yee

2011-01-01

The present study examined the memory performance and cortical connectivity of children with ASD, and investigated whether the memory deficits exhibited by these children were associated with the cortical connectivity. Twenty-one children with ASD and 21 children with normal development (NC), aged 5-14 years, participated in the study. Each child…

Risk of metabolic syndrome among children living in metropolitan Kuala Lumpur: a case control study.

PubMed

Wee, Bee S; Poh, Bee K; Bulgiba, Awang; Ismail, Mohd N; Ruzita, Abdul T; Hills, Andrew P

2011-05-18

With the increasing prevalence of childhood obesity, the metabolic syndrome has been studied among children in many countries but not in Malaysia. Hence, this study aimed to compare metabolic risk factors between overweight/obese and normal weight children and to determine the influence of gender and ethnicity on the metabolic syndrome among school children aged 9-12 years in Kuala Lumpur and its metropolitan suburbs. A case control study was conducted among 402 children, comprising 193 normal-weight and 209 overweight/obese. Weight, height, waist circumference (WC) and body composition were measured, and WHO (2007) growth reference was used to categorise children into the two weight groups. Blood pressure (BP) was taken, and blood was drawn after an overnight fast to determine fasting blood glucose (FBG) and full lipid profile, including triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and total cholesterol (TC). International Diabetes Federation (2007) criteria for children were used to identify metabolic syndrome. Participants comprised 60.9% (n = 245) Malay, 30.9% (n = 124) Chinese and 8.2% (n = 33) Indian. Overweight/obese children showed significantly poorer biochemical profile, higher body fat percentage and anthropometric characteristics compared to the normal-weight group. Among the metabolic risk factors, WC ≥90th percentile was found to have the highest odds (OR = 189.0; 95%CI 70.8, 504.8), followed by HDL-C≤1.03 mmol/L (OR = 5.0; 95%CI 2.4, 11.1) and high BP (OR = 4.2; 95%CI 1.3, 18.7). Metabolic syndrome was found in 5.3% of the overweight/obese children but none of the normal-weight children (p < 0.01). Overweight/obese children had higher odds (OR = 16.3; 95%CI 2.2, 461.1) of developing the metabolic syndrome compared to normal-weight children. Binary logistic regression showed no significant association between age, gender and family history of communicable diseases with the metabolic syndrome. However, for ethnicity, Indians were found to have higher odds (OR = 5.5; 95%CI 1.5, 20.5) compared to Malays, with Chinese children (OR = 0.3; 95%CI 0.0, 2.7) having the lowest odds. We conclude that being overweight or obese poses a greater risk of developing the metabolic syndrome among children. Indian ethnicity is at higher risk compared to their counterparts of the same age. Hence, primary intervention strategies are required to prevent this problem from escalating.

Risk of metabolic syndrome among children living in metropolitan Kuala Lumpur: A case control study

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background With the increasing prevalence of childhood obesity, the metabolic syndrome has been studied among children in many countries but not in Malaysia. Hence, this study aimed to compare metabolic risk factors between overweight/obese and normal weight children and to determine the influence of gender and ethnicity on the metabolic syndrome among school children aged 9-12 years in Kuala Lumpur and its metropolitan suburbs. Methods A case control study was conducted among 402 children, comprising 193 normal-weight and 209 overweight/obese. Weight, height, waist circumference (WC) and body composition were measured, and WHO (2007) growth reference was used to categorise children into the two weight groups. Blood pressure (BP) was taken, and blood was drawn after an overnight fast to determine fasting blood glucose (FBG) and full lipid profile, including triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and total cholesterol (TC). International Diabetes Federation (2007) criteria for children were used to identify metabolic syndrome. Results Participants comprised 60.9% (n = 245) Malay, 30.9% (n = 124) Chinese and 8.2% (n = 33) Indian. Overweight/obese children showed significantly poorer biochemical profile, higher body fat percentage and anthropometric characteristics compared to the normal-weight group. Among the metabolic risk factors, WC ≥90th percentile was found to have the highest odds (OR = 189.0; 95%CI 70.8, 504.8), followed by HDL-C≤1.03 mmol/L (OR = 5.0; 95%CI 2.4, 11.1) and high BP (OR = 4.2; 95%CI 1.3, 18.7). Metabolic syndrome was found in 5.3% of the overweight/obese children but none of the normal-weight children (p < 0.01). Overweight/obese children had higher odds (OR = 16.3; 95%CI 2.2, 461.1) of developing the metabolic syndrome compared to normal-weight children. Binary logistic regression showed no significant association between age, gender and family history of communicable diseases with the metabolic syndrome. However, for ethnicity, Indians were found to have higher odds (OR = 5.5; 95%CI 1.5, 20.5) compared to Malays, with Chinese children (OR = 0.3; 95%CI 0.0, 2.7) having the lowest odds. Conclusions We conclude that being overweight or obese poses a greater risk of developing the metabolic syndrome among children. Indian ethnicity is at higher risk compared to their counterparts of the same age. Hence, primary intervention strategies are required to prevent this problem from escalating. PMID:21592367

Effects of lexical characteristics and demographic factors on mandarin chinese open-set word recognition in children with cochlear implants.

PubMed

Liu, Haihong; Liu, Sha; Wang, Suju; Liu, Chang; Kong, Ying; Zhang, Ning; Li, Shujing; Yang, Yilin; Han, Demin; Zhang, Luo

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the open-set word recognition performance of Mandarin Chinese-speaking children who had received a multichannel cochlear implant (CI) and examine the effects of lexical characteristics and demographic factors (i.e., age at implantation and duration of implant use) on Mandarin Chinese open-set word recognition in these children. Participants were 230 prelingually deafened children with CIs. Age at implantation ranged from 0.9 to 16.0 years, with a mean of 3.9 years. The Standard-Chinese version of the Monosyllabic Lexical Neighborhood test and the Multisyllabic Lexical Neighborhood test were used to evaluate the open-set word identification abilities of the children. A two-way analysis of variance was performed to delineate the lexical effects on the open-set word identification, with word difficulty and syllable length as the two main factors. The effects of age at implantation and duration of implant use on open-set, word-recognition performance were examined using correlational/regressional models. First, the average percent-correct scores for the disyllabic "easy" list, disyllabic "hard" list, monosyllabic "easy" list, and monosyllabic "hard" list were 65.0%, 51.3%, 58.9%, and 46.2%, respectively. For both the easy and hard lists, the percentage of words correctly identified was higher for disyllabic words than for monosyllabic words, Second, the CI group scored 26.3%, 31.3%, and 18.8 % points lower than their hearing-age-matched normal-hearing peers for 4, 5, and 6 years of hearing age, respectively. The corresponding gaps between the CI group and the chronological-age-matched normal-hearing group were 47.6, 49.6, and 42.4, respectively. The individual variations in performance were much greater in the CI group than in the normal-hearing group, Third, the children exhibited steady improvements in performance as the duration of implant use increased, especially 1 to 6 years postimplantation. Last, age at implantation had significant effects on postimplantation word-recognition performance. The benefit of early implantation was particularly evident in children 5 years old or younger. First, Mandarin Chinese-speaking pediatric CI users' open-set word recognition was influenced by the lexical characteristics of the stimuli. The score was higher for easy words than for hard words and was higher for disyllabic words than for monosyllabic words, Second, Mandarin-Chinese-speaking pediatric CI users exhibited steady progress in open-set word recognition as the duration of implant use increased. However, the present study also demonstrated that, even after 6 years of CI use, there was a significant deficit in open-set, word-recognition performance in the CI children compared with their normal-hearing peers. Third, age at implantation had significant effects on open-set, word-recognition performance. Early implanted children exhibited better performance than children implanted later.

[Estimated glucose disposal rate in patients under 18 years of age with type 1 diabetes mellitus and overweight or obesity].

PubMed

Palomo Atance, Enrique; Ballester Herrera, M José; Giralt Muiña, Patricio; Ruiz Cano, Rafael; León Martín, Alberto; Giralt Muiña, Juan

2013-01-01

To assess the estimated glucose disposal rate (eGDR), insulin dose, and lipoprotein profile in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and overweight or obesity as compared to children with T1DM and normal weight. A total of 115 patients (aged 5-16 years) with T1DM on intensive insulin therapy were recruited. The following parameters were measured: weight, height, body mass index, waist and hip circumference, insulin dose, eGDR, glycosylated hemoglobin, blood pressure, and lipoprotein profile. Results were stratified by sex and age. No significant differences were found in eGDR between children with normal weight, overweight, and obesity. However, obese children older than 11 years had lower eGDR values (9.3±1.3 vs 10.1±0.8 mg kg(-1)min(-1); p<0.01). Insulin dose was higher in overweight and obese children, especially in IU/m2/day (37.7 vs 36.1 vs. 29.4 respectively; p<0.01). Obese children had higher low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels than children with overweight and normal weight (106.5 vs 91.7 vs 91.5mg/dL respectively; p<0.01). No correlation was found between waist circumference and the different markers of insulin resistance. Values of eGDR values were lower in obese children with T1DM older than 11 years, and this may therefore be considered a marker of insulin resistance. Insulin dose was higher in diabetic patients with overweight or obesity, specially in IU/m2/day. Obese children with T1DM had a lipoprotein profile of cardiovascular risk. Copyright © 2012 SEEN. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Self-perception of weight status and its association with weight-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors among Chinese children in Guangzhou.

PubMed

Cai, Li; Zhang, Ting; Ma, Jun; Ma, Lu; Jing, Jin; Chen, Yajun

2017-07-01

How weight perception influences weight-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors in Chinese children is unknown. We investigated self-perception of body weight and its correlates, and analyzed the relationship between weight perception and weight-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors in children in Guangzhou, China. We assessed self-reported weight perception, weight-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors in 3752 children aged 7-12 years. Underweight or overweight was defined using the Chinese criteria based on body mass index (BMI). Binary logistic regression analyses were performed to assess correlates of weight underestimation. In total, 27.3% of children underestimated and 6.7% overestimated their weight status. Weight underestimation was common among normal-weight (34.1%) and overweight children (25.3%). Older age, female sex, and child BMI z-score were negatively associated with normal-weight children's underestimation, whereas older age, paternal obesity, maternal obesity, and child BMI z-score were negatively associated with overweight children's underestimation. Correct answers on weight-related knowledge questions ranged from 81.5% to 98.6% and did not differ by weight perception within BMI categories. Although negative perceivers (i.e., those who perceived themselves as underweight or overweight) had a higher intention to change weight, they behaved more unhealthily on fruit intake, breakfast, screen time, and daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activities time than counterparts. Weight underestimation was prevalent in normal-weight and overweight children in Guangzhou. Negative perceivers had stronger willingness to change weight but tended to behave more unhealthily on certain behaviors than positive perceivers. Childhood obesity interventions should incorporate health education and practical support to promote healthy eating and physical activity. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Comparison of Social Interaction between Cochlear-Implanted Children with Normal Intelligence Undergoing Auditory Verbal Therapy and Normal-Hearing Children: A Pilot Study.

PubMed

Monshizadeh, Leila; Vameghi, Roshanak; Sajedi, Firoozeh; Yadegari, Fariba; Hashemi, Seyed Basir; Kirchem, Petra; Kasbi, Fatemeh

2018-04-01

A cochlear implant is a device that helps hearing-impaired children by transmitting sound signals to the brain and helping them improve their speech, language, and social interaction. Although various studies have investigated the different aspects of speech perception and language acquisition in cochlear-implanted children, little is known about their social skills, particularly Persian-speaking cochlear-implanted children. Considering the growing number of cochlear implants being performed in Iran and the increasing importance of developing near-normal social skills as one of the ultimate goals of cochlear implantation, this study was performed to compare the social interaction between Iranian cochlear-implanted children who have undergone rehabilitation (auditory verbal therapy) after surgery and normal-hearing children. This descriptive-analytical study compared the social interaction level of 30 children with normal hearing and 30 with cochlear implants who were conveniently selected. The Raven test was administered to the both groups to ensure normal intelligence quotient. The social interaction status of both groups was evaluated using the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale, and statistical analysis was performed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21. After controlling age as a covariate variable, no significant difference was observed between the social interaction scores of both the groups (p > 0.05). In addition, social interaction had no correlation with sex in either group. Cochlear implantation followed by auditory verbal rehabilitation helps children with sensorineural hearing loss to have normal social interactions, regardless of their sex.

Waist-height ratio in children of 7 to 11 years with high weight at birth and its relationship with gender, age and diet.

PubMed

Rodríguez Vargas, Nuris; Fernandez-Britto, Jose Emilio; Martinez Perez, Tania Paula; Martinez Garcia, Rolando; Castañeda Garcia, Cecilia Margarita; Garriga Reyes, Mailin; Cabrera Estrada, Claudia; Plana Labrada, Rossana; García Niebla, Rosa María; Blanco Aranguren, Fabiola

2018-03-26

Obesity (OB), considered as one of the Non-Transmissible Chronic Diseases, has as its fundamental characteristics that of being prevalent at a global level, increasing in number, affecting developed and developing countries, affecting both genders, and all ages and social groups. To identify if high birth weight is a predictive factor (risk factor) for abdominal obesity in children 7 to 11 years old, and its relationship to gender, age and diet. A case-control descriptive study was carried out with children born between January 1992 and December 1995, in order to identify early risk factors (atherosclerotic accelerators) such as abdominal obesity in children aged 7 to 11, and who have a history of macrosomia or high birth weight, as well as their relationship with gender, age and diet. It was observed that the waist/height value was normal in 60.8% of the study group and in 64.00% in the control group. The difference between groups, gender, and age was not significant (P=.6859). As regards the diet in the study group (macrosomic), there was no significant association between the type of diet and waist circumference/height values, with an χ 2 =0.223 and P=.6373 (not significant). In the control group (with normal weight at birth), it was found that there is a significant statistical association between the type of diet and waist circumference/height values. This means that it can be stated, with 95% reliability, that the type of diet is associated with waist/height values. High birth weight is not a predictive factor (risk factor) for abdominal obesity (increased waist/height index). Gender and age are independent for abdominal obesity (macrosomic and normal weight at birth). The diet in high birth weight children is not related to the index waist-height index, which is not the case in those born with normal weight under the same conditions. The marked increase in abdominal obesity (Waist/height index) in children between 7 and 11 years old in both groups is worrying. Copyright © 2018 Sociedad Española de Arteriosclerosis. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Head circumference

MedlinePlus

... a child's head circumference. Normal ranges for a child's sex and age (weeks, months), based on values that experts have obtained for normal growth rates of infants' and children's heads. Measurement of the head circumference is an ...

The music perception abilities of prelingually deaf children with cochlear implants.

PubMed

Stabej, Katja Kladnik; Smid, Lojze; Gros, Anton; Zargi, Miha; Kosir, Andrej; Vatovec, Jagoda

2012-10-01

To investigate the music perception abilities of prelingually deaf children with cochlear implants, in comparison to a group of normal-hearing children, and to consider the factors that contribute to music perception. The music perception abilities of 39 prelingually deaf children with unilateral cochlear implants were compared to the abilities of 39 normal hearing children. To assess the music listening abilities, the MuSIC perception test was adopted. The influence of the child's age, age at implantation, device experience and type of sound-processing strategy on the music perception were evaluated. The effects of auditory performance, nonverbal intellectual abilities, as well as the child's additional musical education on music perception were also considered. Children with cochlear implants and normal hearing children performed significantly differently with respect to rhythm discrimination (55% vs. 82%, p<0.001), instrument identification (57% vs. 88%, p<0.001) and emotion rating (p=0.022). However we found no significant difference in terms of melody discrimination and dissonance rating between the two groups. There was a positive correlation between auditory performance and melody discrimination (r=0.27; p=0.031), between auditory performance and instrument identification (r=0.20; p=0.059) and between the child's grade (mark) in school music classes and melody discrimination (r=0.34; p=0.030). In children with cochlear implant only, the music perception ability assessed by the emotion rating test was negatively correlated to the child's age (r(S)=-0.38; p=0.001), age at implantation (r(S)=-0.34; p=0.032), and device experience (r(S)=-0.38; p=0.019). The child's grade in school music classes showed a positive correlation to music perception abilities assessed by rhythm discrimination test (r(S)=0.46; p<0.001), melody discrimination test (r(S)=0.28; p=0.018), and instrument identification test (r(S)=0.23; p=0.05). As expected, there was a marked difference in the music perception abilities of prelingually deaf children with cochlear implants in comparison to the group of normal hearing children, but not for all the tests of music perception. Additional multi-centre studies, including a larger number of participants and a broader spectrum of music subtests, considering as many as possible of the factors that may contribute to music perception, seem reasonable. Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

Randomized controlled GH trial: effects on anthropometry, body composition and body proportions in a large group of children with Prader-Willi syndrome.

PubMed

Festen, Dederieke A M; de Lind van Wijngaarden, Roderick; van Eekelen, Marielle; Otten, Barto J; Wit, Jan M; Duivenvoorden, Hugo J; Hokken-Koelega, Anita C S

2008-09-01

Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) children have impaired growth, and abnormal body composition. Previous 1-year controlled studies showed improvement of height and body composition during GH-treatment. To evaluate growth, body composition and body proportions during GH-treatment in a large group of PWS children. We performed a randomized controlled GH trial in 91 prepubertal PWS children (42 infants, 49 children, aged 3-14 years). After stratification for age, infants were randomized to GH-treatment (GH-group; 1 mg/m(2)/day; n = 20), or no treatment (control group; n = 22) for 1 year. In the second year all infants were treated with GH. After stratification for BMI, children > 3 years of age were randomized to GH-treatment (GH-group; 1 mg/m(2)/day; n = 27) or no treatment (control group; n = 22) for 2 years. Anthropometric parameters were assessed once in every 3 months. Body composition was measured by Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry. Median (interquartile range, iqr) height SDS increased during 2 years of GH in infants from -2.3 (-2.8 to -0.7) to -0.4 (-1.1-0.0) and in prepubertal children from -2.0 (-3.1 to -1.7) to -0.6 (-1.1 to -0.1). In non-GH-treated children height SDS did not increase. Head circumference completely normalized during 1 and 2 years of GH in infants and children, respectively. Body fat percentage and body proportions improved in GH-treated children, but did not completely normalize. Lean body mass SDS improved compared to the control group. Serum IGF-I increased to levels above the normal range in most GH-treated children. Our randomized study shows that GH-treatment in PWS children significantly improves height, BMI, head circumference, body composition and body proportions. PWS children are highly sensitive to GH, suggesting that monitoring of serum IGF-I is indicated.

Iron Deficiency and Iron-deficiency Anemia in Toddlers Ages 18 to 36 Months: A Prospective Study.

PubMed

Levin, Carina; Harpaz, Shira; Muklashi, Isam; Lumelsky, Nadia; Komisarchik, Ina; Katzap, Ilia; Abu Hanna, Manhal; Koren, Ariel

2016-04-01

In young children, iron deficiency (ID)-the most common cause of anemia-may adversely affect long-term neurodevelopment and behavior. We prospectively evaluated the prevalence of ID and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) in 256 healthy 18- to 36-month-old children in Northern Israel. Complete blood count and ferritin evaluation were performed, and risk factors were assessed. Hemoglobin (Hgb) was compared with first-year routine screening. Complete data were obtained from 208 children: 56.2% were boys; the mean age was 26.1±5.27 months. A prevalence of 5.8% IDA, 16.3% ID without anemia, 9.6% anemia with normal ferritin, and 68.3% normal Hgb and ferritin was found. In nonanemic infants at 1 year of age (n=156), ID/IDA was found in 19.9%, and 12.8% became anemic at study evaluation. Despite iron supplementation in the first year, and normal Hgb at first-year screening, ID and IDA were still prevalent, and might develop during the second year of life. Recognition of this child subset and consideration of iron supplementation are mandatory.

Identifying children at risk for type 2 diabetes in underserved communities.

PubMed

Vivian, Eva M; Carrel, Aaron L; Becker, Tara

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to identify and assess health behaviors among ethnic minority children at high risk for type 2 diabetes. Diabetes screenings were conducted at community centers, churches, and local neighborhood health fairs in Madison, Wisconsin. During these events, diabetes risk assessment surveys were given to parents of children between the ages of 10 to 19 years. Parents who identified their children as having 2 or more risk factors for type 2 diabetes were invited to have their child screened for type 2 diabetes. A total of 86 children between the ages of 10 to 19 years (mean age = 13; 58% male) were screened for diabetes. Fifty-one percent of the children were overweight or obese with 38% having >3 risk factors for type 2 diabetes. While there was no significant difference in the nutritional habits reported between normal, overweight, or obese children, fewer overweight and obese children reported exercising at least 30 minutes 5 to 7 days a week compared to children with a normal weight (P = .033). Prevention of diabetes is a powerful public health intervention. Targeted diabetes screening in disadvantaged, underserved communities is an effective way to identify families with children at risk for type 2 diabetes. In addition, information obtained from these screenings can assist researchers and clinicians in designing accessible and affordable health promotion interventions that are culturally relevant to the youth and families within the community.

Physical fitness of overweight and underweight preschool children from southern Poland.

PubMed

Kryst, Łukasz; Woronkowicz, Agnieszka; Jankowicz-Szymańska, Agnieszka; Pociecha, Mariusz; Kowal, Małgorzata; Sobiecki, Jan; Brudecki, Janusz; Żarów, Ryszard

The main aim of this study was to assess differences in the level of physical fitness between children of preschool age with different BMI, as overweight and obesity are an increasing problem even in this age group. The study group consisted of 3,945 children aged 4 to 6 years living in southern Poland. Analysis included the results of body height and weight measurements (from which BMI was calculated) and motor skills tests: sit-and-reach test, standing broad jump and handgrip strength. Children were grouped according to the Obesity Task Force categories. Significant differences in body height were visible (i) between overweight and normal children and (ii) between overweight and underweight children. In terms of body weight and BMI, significant differences existed between all groups. With regard to fitness tests, the greatest differences were observed for handgrip strength and standing broad jump. The sit-and-reach test did not reveal any differences between the groups. The results showed that overall physical fitness was negatively correlated with relative weight; general fitness in overweight children was lower than in normal or underweight children. As it is obvious that physical activity is indispensable even for preschool children, any increase in physical activity could at least partially alleviate the problem of excessive weight and improve the general fitness of children. In the future this would reduce the incidence of diseases related to obesity and a lack of exercise.

Lactose Intolerance: Lack of Evidence for Short Stature or Vitamin D Deficiency in Prepubertal Children

PubMed Central

Setty-Shah, Nithya; Maranda, Louise; Candela, Ninfa; Fong, Jay; Dahod, Idris; Rogol, Alan D.; Nwosu, Benjamin Udoka

2013-01-01

ABSTRACT Background The health consequences of lactose intolerance (LI) are unclear. Aims To investigate the effects of LI on stature and vitamin D status. Hypotheses LI subjects will have similar heights and vitamin D status as controls. Subjects and Methods Prepubertal children of ages 3-12 years with LI (n=38, age 8.61 ± 3.08y, male/female 19/19) were compared to healthy, age- and gender-matched controls (n=49, age 7.95±2.64, male/female 28/21). Inclusion criteria: prepubertal status (boys: testicular volume <3cc; girls: Tanner 1 breasts), diagnosis of LI by hydrogen breath test, and no history of calcium or vitamin D supplementation. Vitamin D deficiency was defined as 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] <50 nmol/L. Gender-adjusted midparental target height (MPTH) z-score was calculated using NCHS data for 18 year-old adults. Data were expressed as mean ± SD. Results There was no significant difference in 25(OH)D between the LI and non-LI subjects (60.1±21.1, vs. 65.4 ± 26.1 nmol/L, p = 0.29). Upon stratification into normal weight (BMI <85th percentile) vs. overweight/obese (BMI ≥85th percentile), the normal weight controls had significantly higher 25(OH)D level than both the normal weight LI children (78.3 ± 32.6 vs. 62.9 ± 23.2, p = 0.025), and the overweight/obese LI children (78.3±32.6 vs. 55.3±16.5, p = 0.004). Secondly, there was no overall difference in height z-score between the LI children and controls. The normal weight LI patients had similar height as normal controls (-0.46 ± 0.89 vs. -0.71 ± 1.67, p = 0.53), while the overweight/obese LI group was taller than the normal weight controls (0.36 ± 1.41 vs. -0.71 ± 1.67, p = 0.049), and of similar height as the overweight/obese controls (0.36 ± 1.41 vs. 0.87 ± 1.45, p = 0.28). MPTH z-score was similar between the groups. Conclusion Short stature and vitamin D deficiency are not features of LI in prepubertal children. PMID:24205288

The relationship between self-esteem and depression in obese children.

PubMed

Sheslow, D; Hassink, S; Wallace, W; DeLancey, E

1993-10-29

It has been suggested that obese children have increased problems with self-esteem and depression when compared to the normal pediatric population. Fifty-one consecutive patients enrolled in a hospital based weight management program received the CDI and the PHSCS as part of their initial evaluation. There were 24 males and 27 females with ages ranging from 5-17 years and BMI (kg/m2) of 22-63 (mean 33.3). Results of the CDI were classified into three groups. Children with CDI scores greater than 13 were classified as depressed (n = 16). Scores between 9 and 12 were considered borderline depression (n = 11). Scores less than 9 were considered normal (n = 24). The children in the depressed and borderline groups were significantly different from the children in the normal group in their level of self-esteem. As depression increased, self-esteem decreased, indicating an inverse relationship between self-esteem and depression. Depressed and borderline depressed children were also more anxious (i.e., nervous, worried) and had more perceived behavior problems (increased frequency of punishment, difficulty obeying orders) than the normal group. They also had fewer interests in school and felt their physical appearance was not acceptable. The depressed group's scores were significantly lower on the happiness and popularity scales of the PHSCS than the normal group. Scores on the CDI did not correlate with age, race, sex, Tanner stage, socioeconomic status, or body mass index. In this study obese pediatric patients showed significant depression and lowered self-esteem.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Age-related changes in physical examination and gait parameters in normally developing children and adolescents.

PubMed

Lee, Seung Yeol; Lee, Sang Hyeong; Chung, Chin Youb; Park, Moon Seok; Lee, Kyoung Min; Akhmedov, Bekhzad; Choi, In Ho; Cho, Tae-Joon; Yoo, Won Joon; Sung, Ki Hyuk

2013-03-01

This study aimed to examine the correlations between physical examinations and gait kinematics, and age-related changes in 47 normally developing children. Physical examinations were not found to be significantly correlated with kinematics, except for Thomas and Staheli tests. Unilateral and bilateral popliteal angles decreased significantly by 2.2 and 1.6° per annum, and ankle dorsiflexion with knee extension and 90° flexion decreased significantly by 0.7 and 0.8°. Physical examinations and gait parameters might represent different dimensions of gait, and care should be taken when assessing gait problems. Age-related changes should be considered when interpreting physical examination and gait kinematics for surgery.

Maternal and child awareness and expectations of child overweight.

PubMed

Brødsgaard, Anne; Wagner, Lis; Peitersen, Birgit; Poulsen, Ingrid; Sørensen, Thorkild I A

2011-01-01

We investigated mothers' and children's assessments of body weight and their expectations about perceived body size in relation to overweight of the children. We performed a case-control study of 111 cases of overweight children and 149 controls of non-overweight children (mean age 8.1 years) and their mothers. All were examined and interviewed about their assessment of body weight and their perception of a normal, attractive and acceptable body size. Case children were less able than control children to correctly assess their own body weight (p < 0.001), as were mothers of overweight children (MOC) to assess their children's body weight (p < 0.001). The majority of mothers from both groups wished their children to have a normal body size, but 18% of MOC wished their children to have an overweight body size (p < 0.013). The majority of case children, control children and mothers found a normal body size for boys and girls to be the most attractive and socially acceptable, but more MOC found overweight among boys to be the most attractive (p = 0.006). Overweight children and their mothers show increased uncertainty in the assessment of overweight and obesity, but the perception of a normal, attractive and socially acceptable body size is not distorted. Copyright © 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel.

The influence of birth size on intelligence in healthy children.

PubMed

Broekman, Birit F P; Chan, Yiong-Huak; Chong, Yap-Seng; Quek, Swee-Chye; Fung, Daniel; Low, Yen-Ling; Ooi, Yoon-Phaik; Gluckman, Peter D; Meaney, Michael J; Wong, Tien-Yin; Saw, Seang-Mei

2009-06-01

Birth parameters have been hypothesized to have an influence on IQ. However, studies within the range of normal birth size have been sparse. With this study we examined the associations between birth length, birth weight, head circumference, and gestational age within the normal birth size range in relation to childhood IQ in Asian children. A cohort of 1979 of 2913 Asian children aged 7 to 9 years, recruited from 3 schools in Singapore, were followed yearly from 1999 onward. Birth parameters were recorded by health personnel. Childhood IQ was measured with the Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices at ages 8 to 12. The mean IQ score across the sample (n = 1645) was 114.2. After controlling for multiple confounders for every 1-cm increment in birth length, 1 kg in birth weight, or 1 cm in head circumference, there was a corresponding increase in IQ of 0.49 points (P for trend < .001), 2.19 points (P for trend = .007) and .62 points (P for trend = .003), respectively. These associations persisted even after exclusion of premature children and children with extreme weights and head circumferences. Longer birth length, higher birth weight, or larger head circumferences within the normal birth size range are associated with higher IQ scores in Asian children. Our results suggest that antenatal factors reflected in altered rates of growth but within the normative range of pregnancy experiences play a role in generating cognitive potential. This has implications for targeting early intervention and preventative programs.

Effect of Recovery From Obesity on Cardiovascular Risk Factors Among Japanese Schoolchildren: The Iwata Population-Based Follow-Up Study

PubMed Central

Kouda, Katsuyasu; Fujita, Yuki; Nakamura, Harunobu; Takeuchi, Hiroichi; Iki, Masayuki

2011-01-01

Background The effect of recovery from obesity on cardiovascular risk factors is not well understood in Japanese children. Methods We analyzed follow-up data from the Iwata city population-based study of schoolchildren in Japan. The Iwata Board of Education conducted health screenings of children aged 10 and 14 years. A total of 914 children aged 10 years (451 boys and 463 girls, 87.1% of all children in the city in 1997) were followed until 14 years of age and classified by pattern of obesity as Normal, Recovered, Worsened, or Persistent. Results Of the 914 children, 111 (12%) were obese at 10 years of age. Of those children, 44 (40%) were no longer obese at 14 years (ie, Recovered). At follow-up, Recovered boys had the greatest decrease in non-HDL cholesterol (mean ± SE, −21.3 ± 3.6 mg/dL) among the 4 groups, and Recovered girls had a significantly lower level of non-HDL cholesterol (Recovered, 107.1 ± 5.4 mg/dL vs. Persistent, 126.1 ± 4.5 mg/dL). The Recovered boys also had a significantly higher level of HDL cholesterol at age 14 (Recovered, 67.2 ± 2.7 mg/dL vs. Persistent, 53.3 ± 2.1 mg/dL). In the Recovered group, 68% of children who were dyslipidemic at baseline had normal cholesterol levels at age 14. The recovery rate from dyslipidemia was significantly higher in the Recovered group (cumulative incidence rate ratio, 2.5; 95% confidence interval, 1.4–4.7) as compared with the Persistent group. Conclusions Dyslipidemia was reversed in children who recovered from obesity. Our findings suggest that reducing obesity is beneficial to the health of Japanese schoolchildren. PMID:21727757

Effect of recovery from obesity on cardiovascular risk factors among Japanese schoolchildren: the Iwata population-based follow-up study.

PubMed

Kouda, Katsuyasu; Fujita, Yuki; Nakamura, Harunobu; Takeuchi, Hiroichi; Iki, Masayuki

2011-01-01

The effect of recovery from obesity on cardiovascular risk factors is not well understood in Japanese children. We analyzed follow-up data from the Iwata city population-based study of schoolchildren in Japan. The Iwata Board of Education conducted health screenings of children aged 10 and 14 years. A total of 914 children aged 10 years (451 boys and 463 girls, 87.1% of all children in the city in 1997) were followed until 14 years of age and classified by pattern of obesity as Normal, Recovered, Worsened, or Persistent. Of the 914 children, 111 (12%) were obese at 10 years of age. Of those children, 44 (40%) were no longer obese at 14 years (ie, Recovered). At follow-up, Recovered boys had the greatest decrease in non-HDL cholesterol (mean ± SE, -21.3 ± 3.6 mg/dL) among the 4 groups, and Recovered girls had a significantly lower level of non-HDL cholesterol (Recovered, 107.1 ± 5.4 mg/dL vs. Persistent, 126.1 ± 4.5 mg/dL). The Recovered boys also had a significantly higher level of HDL cholesterol at age 14 (Recovered, 67.2 ± 2.7 mg/dL vs. Persistent, 53.3 ± 2.1 mg/dL). In the Recovered group, 68% of children who were dyslipidemic at baseline had normal cholesterol levels at age 14. The recovery rate from dyslipidemia was significantly higher in the Recovered group (cumulative incidence rate ratio, 2.5; 95% confidence interval, 1.4-4.7) as compared with the Persistent group. Dyslipidemia was reversed in children who recovered from obesity. Our findings suggest that reducing obesity is beneficial to the health of Japanese schoolchildren.

Everyday physical activity and adiposity in Prader-Willi syndrome.

PubMed

van den Berg-Emons, Rita; Festen, Dederieke; Hokken-Koelega, Anita; Bussmann, Johannes; Stam, Henk

2008-11-01

The aim of this study was to assess the impact of Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) on the level of everyday physical activity and to explore whether the activity level is related to adiposity. Measurements were performed with an accelerometry-based Activity Monitor during two consecutive schooldays in 12 children with PWS (7-16 years of age) and in 12 age- and gender-matched, healthy children. Adiposity was assessed by body mass index standard deviation scores and by percentage body fat (dual energy X-ray absorptiometry). Mean duration of dynamic activities (expressed as percentage of 24 h) was lower in children with PWS than in the comparison group (8.7 [2.5]% and 12.0 [3.1]%, respectively; p = 0.01). Six children with PWS had normal activity levels. Physical activity level was not related to adiposity. The results indicate that, as a group, children with PWS have an inactive lifestyle. However, children with PWS cannot be stereotyped as inactive since half of them had normal activity levels.

[Character of brain interhemispheric relation in children at forming labile arterial hypertension].

PubMed

Koroleva, N V; Kolesnikov, S I; Bugun, O V; Dolgikh, V V

2010-01-01

Electroencephalography investigations were carried out twice in 26 schoolchildren in the age of 7-8 years and in the age of 9-10 years. The control group included healthy children: the research group included children in whom in the age of 7-8 years the normal level of arterial pressure was registered, and in whom in the age of 9-10 years labile arterial hypertension was revealed. It is revealed, that in children of younger school age forming of the labile form of arterial hypertension is connected whit infringement of processes of age changes of intercortical and cortical-subcortical interrelations and forming of rigidly integrated system of interhemispheric relations. Its mechanism of realization is carried out due to hyperactivation of the right hemisphere and it is incorporated on preclinical stage.

Production of Sentence-Final Intonation Contours by Hearing-Impaired Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allen, George D.; Arndorfer, Patricia M.

2000-01-01

This study compared the relationship between acoustic parameters and listeners' perceptions of intonation contours produced by 12 children (ages 7-14) either with severe-to-profound hearing impairments (HI) or normal-hearing (NH). The HI children's productions were generally similar to the NH children in that they used fundamental frequency,…

Are Language and Social Communication Intact in Children with Congenital Visual Impairment at School Age?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tadic, Valerie; Pring, Linda; Dale, Naomi

2010-01-01

Background: Development of children with congenital visual impairment (VI) has been associated with vulnerable socio-communicative outcomes often bearing striking similarities to those of sighted children with autism. To date, very little is known about language and social communication in children with VI of normal intelligence. Methods: We…

Audiovisual integration in children listening to spectrally degraded speech.

PubMed

Maidment, David W; Kang, Hi Jee; Stewart, Hannah J; Amitay, Sygal

2015-02-01

The study explored whether visual information improves speech identification in typically developing children with normal hearing when the auditory signal is spectrally degraded. Children (n=69) and adults (n=15) were presented with noise-vocoded sentences from the Children's Co-ordinate Response Measure (Rosen, 2011) in auditory-only or audiovisual conditions. The number of bands was adaptively varied to modulate the degradation of the auditory signal, with the number of bands required for approximately 79% correct identification calculated as the threshold. The youngest children (4- to 5-year-olds) did not benefit from accompanying visual information, in comparison to 6- to 11-year-old children and adults. Audiovisual gain also increased with age in the child sample. The current data suggest that children younger than 6 years of age do not fully utilize visual speech cues to enhance speech perception when the auditory signal is degraded. This evidence not only has implications for understanding the development of speech perception skills in children with normal hearing but may also inform the development of new treatment and intervention strategies that aim to remediate speech perception difficulties in pediatric cochlear implant users.

Children's perceptions of weight, obesity, nutrition, physical activity and related health and socio-behavioural factors.

PubMed

Economos, Christina D; Bakun, Peter J; Herzog, Julia Bloom; Dolan, Peter R; Lynskey, Vanessa M; Markow, Dana; Sharma, Shanti; Nelson, Miriam E

2014-01-01

Approximately one-third of children in the USA are either overweight or obese. Understanding the perceptions of children is an important factor in reversing this trend. An online survey was conducted with children to capture their perceptions of weight, overweight, nutrition, physical activity and related socio-behavioural factors. Within the USA. US children (n 1224) aged 8-18 years. Twenty-seven per cent of children reported being overweight; 47·1% of children overestimated the rate of overweight/obesity among US children. A higher percentage of self-classified overweight children (81·9%) worried about weight than did self-classified under/normal weight children (31·1%). Most children (91·1%) felt that it was important to not be overweight, for both health-related and social-related reasons. The majority of children believed that if someone their age is overweight they will likely be overweight in adulthood (93·1%); get an illness such as diabetes or heart disease in adulthood (90·2%); not be able to play sports well (84·5%); and be teased or made fun of in school (87·8%). Children focused more on food/drink than physical activity as reasons for overweight at their age. Self-classified overweight children were more likely to have spoken with someone about their weight over the last year than self-classified under/normal weight children. Children demonstrated good understanding of issues regarding weight, overweight, nutrition, physical activity and related socio-behavioural factors. Their perceptions are important and can be helpful in crafting solutions that will resonate with children.

Children Using Cochlear Implants Capitalize on Acoustical Hearing for Music Perception

PubMed Central

Hopyan, Talar; Peretz, Isabelle; Chan, Lisa P.; Papsin, Blake C.; Gordon, Karen A.

2012-01-01

Cochlear implants (CIs) electrically stimulate the auditory nerve providing children who are deaf with access to speech and music. Because of device limitations, it was hypothesized that children using CIs develop abnormal perception of musical cues. Perception of pitch and rhythm as well as memory for music was measured by the children’s version of the Montreal Battery of Evaluation of Amusia (MBEA) in 23 unilateral CI users and 22 age-matched children with normal hearing. Children with CIs were less accurate than their normal hearing peers (p < 0.05). CI users were best able to discern rhythm changes (p < 0.01) and to remember musical pieces (p < 0.01). Contrary to expectations, abilities to hear cues in music improved as the age at implantation increased (p < 0.01). Because the children implanted at older ages also had better low frequency hearing prior to cochlear implantation and were able to use this hearing by wearing hearing aids. Access to early acoustical hearing in the lower frequency ranges appears to establish a base for music perception, which can be accessed with later electrical CI hearing. PMID:23133430

Low-frequency pitch perception in children with cochlear implants in comparison to normal hearing peers.

PubMed

Dincer D'Alessandro, Hilal; Filipo, Roberto; Ballantyne, Deborah; Attanasio, Giuseppe; Bosco, Ersilia; Nicastri, Maria; Mancini, Patrizia

2015-11-01

The aim of the present study was to investigate the application of two new pitch perception tests in children with cochlear implants (CI) and to compare CI outcomes to normal hearing (NH) children, as well as investigating the effect of chronological age on performance. The tests were believed to be linked to the availability of Temporal Fine Structure (TFS) cues. 20 profoundly deaf children with CI (5-17 years) and 31 NH peers participated in the study. Harmonic Intonation (HI) and Disharmonic Intonation (DI) tests were used to measure low-frequency pitch perception. HI/DI outcomes were found poorer in children with CI. CI and NH groups showed a statistically significant difference (p < 0.001). HI scores were better than those of DI test (p < 0.001). Chronological age had a significant effect on DI performance in NH group (p < 0.05); children under the age of 8.5 years showed larger inter-subject-variability; however, the majority of NH children showed outcomes that were considered normal at adult-level. For the DI test, bimodal listeners had better performance than when listening with CI alone. HI/DI tests were applicable as clinical tools in the pediatric population. The majority of CI users showed abnormal outcomes on both tests confirming poor TFS processing in the hearing-impaired population. Findings indicated that the DI test provided more differential low-frequency pitch perception outcomes in that it reflected phase locking and TFS processing capacities of the ear, whereas HI test provided information of its place coding capacity as well.

Ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia, non-specific colitis, and pervasive developmental disorder in children.

PubMed

Wakefield, A J; Murch, S H; Anthony, A; Linnell, J; Casson, D M; Malik, M; Berelowitz, M; Dhillon, A P; Thomson, M A; Harvey, P; Valentine, A; Davies, S E; Walker-Smith, J A

1998-02-28

We investigated a consecutive series of children with chronic enterocolitis and regressive developmental disorder. 12 children (mean age 6 years [range 3-10], 11 boys) were referred to a paediatric gastroenterology unit with a history of normal development followed by loss of acquired skills, including language, together with diarrhoea and abdominal pain. Children underwent gastroenterological, neurological, and developmental assessment and review of developmental records. Ileocolonoscopy and biopsy sampling, magnetic-resonance imaging (MRI), electroencephalography (EEG), and lumbar puncture were done under sedation. Barium follow-through radiography was done where possible. Biochemical, haematological, and immunological profiles were examined. Onset of behavioural symptoms was associated, by the parents, with measles, mumps, and rubella vaccination in eight of the 12 children, with measles infection in one child, and otitis media in another. All 12 children had intestinal abnormalities, ranging from lymphoid nodular hyperplasia to aphthoid ulceration. Histology showed patchy chronic inflammation in the colon in 11 children and reactive ileal lymphoid hyperplasia in seven, but no granulomas. Behavioural disorders included autism (nine), disintegrative psychosis (one), and possible postviral or vaccinal encephalitis (two). There were no focal neurological abnormalities and MRI and EEG tests were normal. Abnormal laboratory results were significantly raised urinary methylmalonic acid compared with age-matched controls (p=0.003), low haemoglobin in four children, and a low serum IgA in four children. We identified associated gastrointestinal disease and developmental regression in a group of previously normal children, which was generally associated in time with possible environmental triggers.

The Healthy Fitness Zone Continuum Score as a Measure of Change in Body Mass Index of School-Aged Children and Adolescents, Georgia, 2012-2014.

PubMed

Saint-Maurice, Pedro F; Welk, Gregory J; Bai, Yang

The FitnessGram Healthy Fitness Zone continuum (HFZc) score reflects the relative difference of a person's body mass index (BMI) from the established FitnessGram standard. As such, it may provide added utility for public health programming and research on obesity among school-aged children and adolescents. We used the standard BMI Z (BMIz) score and the alternative HFZc score to describe changes in BMI of school-aged children and adolescents in Georgia over time. We compiled 2012-2014 BMI data from the Georgia FitnessGram database. The sample included 162 992 boys and 141 711 girls enrolled in 239 schools from a large urban district in Georgia. We analyzed trends in BMIz and HFZc scores separately for normal-weight, overweight, and obese categories for school-aged children and adolescents using hierarchical linear models. From 2012 to 2014, the BMIz score shifted favorably in up to 40.7% (2052/5047) of normal-weight, 51.0% (758/1485) of overweight, and 52.8% (5430/10 279) of obese students. We also found favorable shifts in HFZc score in up to 69.8% (105 831/151 739) of normal-weight, 78.3% (3605/4603) of overweight, and 80.8% (8305/10 279) of obese students. Compared with the BMIz score, the HFZc score may be a better indicator of favorable changes in BMI over time among school-aged children and adolescents with different baseline BMI levels, making it potentially valuable for use in individualized assessments, school programs, obesity research, and public health curriculum and policy development.

The prevalence of lumbar spondylolysis in young children: a retrospective analysis using CT.

PubMed

Lemoine, Thibaut; Fournier, Joseph; Odent, Thierry; Sembély-Taveau, Catherine; Merenda, Pauline; Sirinelli, Dominique; Morel, Baptiste

2018-05-01

Although lumbar spondylolysis is encountered in general population with an incidence estimated to be 3-10%, limited information is available for children. The aim of the study is to determine the prevalence of spondylolysis according to associated vertebral bony malformation and spinopelvic parameters in children under eight requiring CT evaluation for unrelated lumbar conditions. Seven hundred and seventeen abdominal and pelvic multi-detector CT scans were obtained in patients under 8 years of age were reviewed. Two board certificated radiologists and two resident radiologists retrospectively evaluated CT scans for lumbar spondylolysis and associated malformations. Pelvic incidence and spondylolisthesis were reported. Our analysis included 717 CT scans in 532 children (259 girls and 273 boys). Twenty-five cases of spondylolysis were diagnosed (16 bilateral and 9 unilateral, 64 and 36%, respectively) in 14 boys (56%) and 11 girls (44%), associating with 12 grade I spondylolisthesis. The mean normal pelvic incidence was 45° (median 44°, SD 7°). The prevalence of spondylolysis was 1% in children under age 3 (n = 3 among 292 patients), 3.7% in children under age 6 (n = 17 among 454 patients) and 4.7% among the 532 patients. Unilateral spondylolysis was significantly associated with a spinal malformation (p = 0.04, Fisher's exact test), with normal pelvic incidence. Half of the patients with bilateral spondylolysis had high pelvic incidence. We observed a prevalence peak of unilateral spondylolysis in the context of a specific malformation in young infants under age 4 with normal pelvic incidence, and, then, a progressive increase in the prevalence of bilateral isolated spondylolysis.

Comparison of auditory comprehension skills in children with cochlear implant and typically developing children.

PubMed

Mandal, Joyanta Chandra; Kumar, Suman; Roy, Sumit

2016-12-01

The main goal of this study was to obtain auditory comprehension skills of native Hindi speaking children with cochlear implant and typically developing children across the age of 3-7 years and compare the scores between two groups. A total of sixty Hindi speaking participants were selected for the study. They were divided into two groups- Group-A consisted of thirty children with normal hearing and Group-B thirty children using cochlear implants. To assess the auditory comprehension skills, Test of auditory comprehension in Hindi (TACH) was used. The participant was required to point to one of three pictures which would best correspond to the stimulus presented. Correct answers were scored as 1 and incorrect answers as 0. TACH was administered on for both groups. Independent t-test was applied and it was found that auditory comprehension scores of children using cochlear implant were significantly poorer than the score of children with normal hearing for all three subtests. Pearson's correlation coefficient revealed poor correlation between the scores of children with normal hearing and children using cochlear implant. The results of this study suggest that children using cochlear implant have poor auditory comprehension skills than children with normal hearing. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development of Independent Locomotion in Children with a Severe Visual Impairment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hallemans, Ann; Ortibus, Els; Truijen, Steven; Meire, Francoise

2011-01-01

Locomotion of children and adults with a visual impairment (ages 1-44, n = 28) was compared to that of age-related individuals with normal vision (n = 60). Participants walked barefoot at preferred speed while their gait was recorded by a Vicon[R] system. Walking speed, heading angle, step frequency, stride length, step width, stance phase…

Factors Affecting Sensitivity to Frequency Change in School-Age Children and Adults

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buss, Emily; Taylor, Crystal N.; Leibold, Lori J.

2014-01-01

Purpose: The factors affecting frequency discrimination in school-age children are poorly understood. The goal of the present study was to evaluate developmental effects related to memory for pitch and the utilization of temporal fine structure. Method: Listeners were 5.1- to 13.6-year-olds and adults, all with normal hearing. A subgroup of…

Study on relationship between the nutritional status and dental caries in 8-12 year old children of Udaipur City, India.

PubMed

Panwar, N K; Mohan, A; Arora, R; Gupta, A; Marya, C M; Dhingra, S

2014-01-01

The future health of individuals depends on the well being of the children of today. Proper nutrition for children is very important. The most commonly used index of obesity and over weight is Body Mass Index. The growth of children should be monitored using the Body Mass Index (BMI) and risk factors assessed through a dietary and physical activity history. The increase in obesity is attributed to increased carbohydrate consumption among children. Obesity and caries are both diet-based conditions that share a cause that is, excessive ingestion of fermentable carbohydrates. This study was undertaken to determine the association of nutritional status with dental caries in 8 to 12 year old children of Udaipur city. The present study was conducted on a random sample of 1000 boys and girls, aged 8-12 years. The children were selected from schools located in the Udaipur City, Rajasthan. The schools examined were of government and private sector schools in Udaipur city. The children from schools of Udaipur city was taken in the study with male, female and age group ratio as per distribution in population. A proforma was used to record children's age, gender, school, year, height, weight, parental income and dental caries status. Statistical analysis was done using Statistical Package of Social Science (SPSS Version 15; Chicago Inc., USA). It was found that caries free individuals were more from normal nutritional status group with 134 (13.4 %) subjects where as only 11 (1.1 %) of subjects obese children were found caries free. Study shows that the children with normal BMI for age had more caries in their primary teeth, as well as in their permanent teeth, than the overweight children.

Research Institute for the Education of Exceptional Children. Research Report 43.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tokyo Gakugei Univ. (Japan). Research Inst. for the Education of Exceptional Children.

This Japanese research report, with English abstracts, presents the following papers: "The Deterioration of the Intelligence with Age in Mental Retardation" (Atsushi Kanno and Souichi Hasimoto); "Development of Janken Skills in Autistic Children--Additional Data on Janken Echolalia in Normal Children" (Tohsuke Nomura);…

Control of Echolalic Speech in Psychotic Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carr, Edward G.; And Others

1975-01-01

Immediate echolalia (repeating what someone has just said) was studied in a series of replicated single-subject designs across six schizophrenic and five normal children (all ranging in age from 2 to 15 years). (Author/SBH)

Gastric emptying of solids in children: reference values for the (13) C-octanoic acid breath test.

PubMed

Hauser, B; Roelants, M; De Schepper, J; Veereman, G; Caveliers, V; Devreker, T; De Greef, E; Vandenplas, Y

2016-10-01

(99m) Technetium scintigraphy ((99m) TS) is the 'gold standard' for measuring gastric emptying (GE), but it is associated with a radiation exposure. For this reason, the (13) C-octanoic acid breath test ((13) C-OBT) was developed for measuring GE of solids. The objective of this study was to determine normal values for gastric half-emptying time (t1/2 GE) of solids in healthy children. Gastric emptying of a standardized solid test meal consisting of a pancake evaluated with (99m) TS and (13) C-OBT was compared in 22 children aged between 1 and 15 years with upper gastrointestinal symptoms. Subsequently, the (13) C-OBT was used to determine normal values for GE of the same solid test meal in 120 healthy children aged between 1 and 17 years. The results showed a significant correlation (r = 0.748, p = 0.0001) between t1/2 GE measured with both techniques in the group of children with upper gastrointestinal symptoms. In the group of healthy children, mean t1/2 GE was 157.7 ± 54.0 min (range 71-415 min), but t1/2 GE decreased with age between 1 and 10 years and remained stable afterward. There was no influence of gender, weight, height, body mass index, and body surface area on t1/2 GE. Normal values for GE of solids measured with the (13) C-OBT using a standardized methodology were determined in healthy children. We propose to use this method and corresponding reference ranges to study GE of solids in children with gastrointestinal problems. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Exploring the Language and Literacy Outcomes of Pediatric Cochlear Implant Users

PubMed Central

Spencer, Linda J.; Barker, Brittan A.; Tomblin, J. Bruce

2011-01-01

Objective The principal goal of this study was to investigate the relationship between language and literacy (i.e., reading and writing) skills in pediatric cochlear implant users. A peripheral objective was to identify the children's skills that were in need of remediation and subsequently to provide suggestions for remedial programming. It was predicted that the robust language skills often associated with children who have cochlear implant experience would facilitate the development of literacy skills. It was further proposed that the language and literacy skills of pediatric cochlear implant users would approximate the language and literacy skills of children with normal hearing. Design Sixteen pediatric cochlear implant users' language and literacy skills were evaluated and then compared with a reference group of 16 age-matched, normal-hearing children. All 32 participants were educated in mainstream classes within the public school system in the Midwest. The “Sentence Formulation” and “Concepts and Directions” subtests of the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals-3 test were used to evaluate receptive and expressive language skills. Reading comprehension was evaluated with the “Paragraph Comprehension” subtest of the Woodcock Reading Mastery Test. Performance measures for the writing analyses included productivity, complexity and grammaticality measures. Results Children with cochlear implants performed within 1 SD of the normal-hearing, age-matched children on measures of language comprehension, reading comprehension and writing accuracy. However, the children with cochlear implants performed significantly poorer than the children with normal hearing on the expressive “Sentence Formulation” subtest. The cochlear implant users also produced fewer words on the written narrative task than did the normal-hearing children, although there was not a significant difference between groups with respect to total words per clause. Furthermore there was a strong correlation between language performance and reading performance, as well as language performance and total words produced on the written performance measure for the children using cochlear implants. Conclusions The results of this study suggest that the language skills of pediatric cochlear implant users are related to and correlated with the development of literacy skills within these children. Consequently, the performance of the cochlear implant users, on various language and literacy measures, compared favorably to an age-matched group of children with normal hearing. There were significant differences in the ability of the cochlear implant users to correctly utilize grammatical structures such as conjunctions and correct verb forms when they were required to formulate written and oral sentences. Given this information, it would be appropriate for their educational or remedial language programs to emphasize the use and development of these structures. PMID:12799546

Inferences and metaphoric comprehension in unilaterally implanted children with adequate formal oral language performance.

PubMed

Nicastri, Maria; Filipo, Roberto; Ruoppolo, Giovanni; Viccaro, Marika; Dincer, Hilal; Guerzoni, Letizia; Cuda, Domenico; Bosco, Ersilia; Prosperini, Luca; Mancini, Patrizia

2014-05-01

To assess skills in inferences during conversations and in metaphors comprehension of unilaterally cochlear implanted children with adequate abilities at the formal language tests, comparing them with well-matched hearing peers; to verify the influence of age of implantation on overall skills. The study was designed as a matched case-control study. 31 deaf children, unilateral cochlear implant users, with normal linguistic competence at formal language tests were compared with 31 normal hearing matched peers. Inferences and metaphor comprehension skills were assessed through the Implicit Meaning Comprehension, Situations and Metaphors subtests of the Italian Standardized Battery of "Pragmatic Language Skills MEDEA". Differences between patient and control groups were tested by the Mann-Whitney U test. Correlations between age at implantation and time of implant use with each subtest were investigated by the Spearman rank correlation coefficient. No significant differences between the two groups were found in inferencing skills (p=0.24 and p=0.011 respectively for Situations and Implicit Meaning Comprehension). Regarding figurative language, unilaterally cochlear implanted children performed significantly below their normal hearing peers in Verbal Metaphor comprehension (p=0.001). Performances were related to age at implantation, but not with time of implant use. Unilaterally cochlear implanted children with normal language level showed responses similar to NH children in discourse inferences, but not in figurative language comprehension. Metaphors still remains a challenge for unilateral implant users and above all when they have not any reference, as demonstrated by the significant difference in verbal rather than figurative metaphors comprehension. Older age at implantation was related to worse performance for all items. These aspects, until now less investigated, had to receive more attention to deeply understand specific mechanisms involved and possible effects of different levels of figurative language complexity (presence or absence of contextual input, degree of transparency and syntactic frozenness). New insight is needed to orient programs in early intervention settings in considering and adequately responding to all these complex communicative need of children with hearing loss. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Normal values of spleen stiffness in healthy children assessed by acoustic radiation force impulse imaging (ARFI): comparison between two ultrasound transducers.

PubMed

Cañas, Teresa; Fontanilla, Teresa; Miralles, María; Maciá, Araceli; Malalana, Ana; Román, Enriqueta

2015-08-01

Portal hypertension, a major complication of hepatic fibrosis, can affect the stiffness of the spleen. To suggest normal values of spleen stiffness determined by acoustic radiation force impulse imaging in healthy children and to compare measurements using two different US probes. In a prospective study, 60 healthy children between 1 day and 14 years of age were assigned to four age groups with 15 children in each. Measurements were performed using two transducers (convex 4C1 and linear 9L4), and 10 measurements were obtained in each child, 5 with each probe. The mean splenic shear wave velocities were 2.17 m/s (SD 0.35, 95% CI 2.08-2.26) with the 4C1 probe and 2.15 m/s (SD 0.23, 95% CI 2.09-2.21) with the 9L4 probe (not significant). We found normal values for spleen stiffness with no difference in the mean values obtained using two types of US transducers, but with higher variability using a convex compared to a linear transducer.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sanders, J.E.; Buckner, C.D.; Leonard, J.M.

One hundred thirty-seven patients had gonadal function evaluated 1-11 years after marrow transplantation. All 15 women less than age 26 and three of nine older than age 26 who were treated with 200 mg/kg cyclophosphamide recovered normal gonadotropin levels and menstruation. Five have had five pregnancies resulting in three live births, one spontaneous abortion, and one elective abortion. Three of 38 women who were prepared with 120 mg/kg cyclophosphamide and 920-1200 rad total-body irradiation had normal gonadotropin levels and menstruation. Two had pregnancies resulting in one spontaneous and one elective abortion. Of 31 men prepared with 200 mg/kg cyclophosphamide, 30more » had normal luteinizing hormone levels, 20 had normal follicle-stimulating hormone levels, and 10 of 15 had spermatogenesis. Four have fathered five normal children. Thirty-six of 41 men prepared with 120 mg/kg cyclophosphamide and 920-1750 rad total-body irradiation had normal luteinizing hormone levels, ten had normal follicle-stimulating hormone levels, and 2 of 32 studied had spermatogenesis. One has fathered two normal children. It was concluded that cyclophosphamide does not prevent return of normal gonadal function in younger women and in most men. Total-body irradiation prevents return of normal gonadal function in the majority of patients.« less

Changes to medial gastrocnemius architecture after surgical intervention in spastic diplegia.

PubMed

Shortland, Adam P; Fry, Nicola R; Eve, Linda C; Gough, Martin

2004-10-01

We assessed the architecture of the medial gastrocnemius in nine children (five males, four females; age range 6 to 15 years; mean 10 years 10 months, SD 3 years 6 months) with spastic diplegia by ultrasound imaging before and after a gastrocnemius recession. The children were ambulant (seven independent, one with a posterior walker, one using crutches) before and after surgical intervention. We compared values for fascicle lengths and deep fascicular-aponeurosis angles with those from a group of normally developing children (five males, five females; age range 6 to 11 years; mean 8 years 4 months, SD 1 year 4 months). Despite a variable interval between assessments (from 56 to 610 days), fascicles were shorter (p=0.00226) and the deep fascicular-aponeurosis angle increased (p=0.0152) after intervention. Fascicle lengths of patients were similar to those in the group of normally developing children before surgery. After surgery, fascicles in the group of children with spastic diplegia were shorter than in their normally developing peers (p=0.00109). The gastrocnemius recession procedure alters muscle architecture, though the degree of fascicular shortening varied, with four of the participants in our study losing less than 10% of their original fascicular length at maximum dorsiflexion. Increases in ankle-joint power in walking, observed after surgical intervention in children with spastic diplegia, may be due to a more normal ankle position rather than to improvements in the active mechanical performance of the gastrocnemius.

Role of body mass index in school-aged children with lower urinary tract dysfunction: Does weight classification predict treatment outcome?

PubMed

Arlen, Angela M; Cooper, Christopher S; Leong, Traci

2017-10-01

Lower urinary tract (LUT) dysfunction comprises a large percentage of pediatric urology referrals. Childhood obesity is a major health concern, and has been associated with voiding symptoms. We assessed the impact of body mass index (BMI) on treatment outcomes of children presenting with LUT or bladder-bowel dysfunction (BBD). Children aged 5-17 years diagnosed with non-neurogenic LUT dysfunction and no prior urologic diagnoses were identified. Patient demographics including BMI, lower urinary tract symptoms, constipation, medical and psychologic comorbidities, imaging, and treatment outcomes were evaluated. BMI was normalized by age and gender according to percentiles: underweight < 5th, healthy 5th to <85th, overweight 85th to <95th, and obese > 95th percentile. Uni- and multivariate analyses were performed to identify predictors of treatment response. During an 18-month period, 100 children (54 girls, 46 boys) met the inclusion criteria. The mean age at diagnosis was 7.7 ± 2.4 years, and mean length of follow-up 15.3 ± 13.1 months. Sixty-nine patients were a normal weight, 22 were overweight, and nine were obese. Fifteen percent of the children had complete treatment response, 63% partial response, and 22% non-response. On univariate analysis, children with elevated BMI (p = 0.04) or history of urinary tract infection (p = 0.01) were statistically more likely to not respond to treatment. Controlling for all other variables, children with BMI > 85th percentile had 3.1 times (95% CI 1.11-8.64; p = 0.03) increased odds of treatment failure (Table). BBD management includes implementation of a bowel program and timed voiding regimen, with additional treatment modalities tailored on the basis of the prevailing symptoms. We observed that school-aged children with a BMI ≥ 85th percentile were over three times more likely to experience treatment failure when controlling for all other patient characteristics including constipation and a history of urinary tract infection. Limitations of the study include the relatively small sample size, lack of uroflow with electromyography to confirm the presence or the absence of detrusor sphincter dyssynergia, and inconsistent anticholinergic dosing. Nearly one-third of school-aged children presenting to our institution with LUT or BBD were overweight or obese when normalized for age and gender. Children with LUT dysfunction and elevated BMI are significantly less likely to experience treatment response. Copyright © 2017 Journal of Pediatric Urology Company. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparison of Gingival Health and Salivary Parameters among Autistic and Non-Autistic School Children in Riyadh.

PubMed

Diab, Hafez M; Motlaq, Suha Saeed; Alsharare, Amal; Alshammery, Ashwaq; Alshammery, Nadia; Khawja, Shabnam Gulzar; Shah, Altaf H

2016-10-01

Autism is a neuro-developmental disorder which is manifested as impairment of social interaction, communication and a repetitive behaviour. Autism can obscure dental treatment for the affected patients; furthermore, children with autism commonly have destructive oral habits. The aims of this study were to evaluate the Modified Gingival Index (MGI), Plaque Index (PI), salivary pH and buffering capacity of the saliva among autistic children compared to normal children in Riyadh City that may provide baseline data to enable comparison and future planning of dental services for autistic children. A total of 50 children diagnosed with autism (mean age 8.5 years) were selected from Azzam Autism School, Riyadh City. The control group consisted of 50 non-autistic school children (mean age 8.7 years), gender matched, selected from Outpatient Clinic, Riyadh Colleges of Dentistry and Pharmacy. MGI, PI, salivary pH and salivary buffer capacity tests were done for all participants. The buffering capacity of the stimulated saliva was grouped under 'very low', 'low' and 'normal'. Pearson's Chi square and one way ANOVA were used to find statistical significance if any among the autistic and the normal control group. The results of the study showed that the mean ± standard deviation of MGI, PI and pH of unstimulated resting saliva for autistic group were 1.82 ± 0.65, 1.92 ± 0.35 and 6.8 ± 0.5 respectively. Normal control group had values 1.35 ± 0.85, 1.44 ± 0.43 and 7 ± 0.4 respectively. A statistically significant difference between both groups for all parameters was found. Salivary buffering capacity was found to be normal for the majority among both groups. However, 60% children among the autistic group presented with normal buffering capacity of the stimulated saliva as compared to 70% among the normal control group. However, this difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.544). Children with autism appear to have higher gingival inflammation, poor oral hygiene and a slightly lower salivary pH as compared to healthy control group. Special oral health programmes regarding treatment and maintenance of good oral health should be taken in consideration for autistic children.

Visual and binocular status in elementary school children with a reading problem.

PubMed

Christian, Lisa W; Nandakumar, Krithika; Hrynchak, Patricia K; Irving, Elizabeth L

2017-11-21

This descriptive study provides a summary of the binocular anomalies seen in elementary school children identified with reading problems. A retrospective chart review of all children identified with reading problems and seen by the University of Waterloo, Optometry Clinic, from September 2012 to June 2013. Files of 121 children (mean age 8.6 years, range 6-14 years) were reviewed. No significant refractive error was found in 81% of children. Five and 8 children were identified as strabismic at distance and near respectively. Phoria test revealed 90% and 65% of patients had normal distance and near phoria. Near point of convergencia (NPC) was <5cm in 68% of children, and 77% had stereoacuity of ≤40seconds of arc. More than 50% of the children had normal fusional vergence ranges except for near positive fusional vergencce (base out) break (46%). Tests for accommodation showed 91% of children were normal for binocular facility, and approximately 70% of children had an expected accuracy of accommodation. Findings indicate that some children with an identified reading problem also present with abnormal binocular test results compared to published normal values. Further investigation should be performed to investigate the relationship between binocular vision function and reading performance. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Association between Childhood Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome: Evidence from a Large Sample of Chinese Children and Adolescents

PubMed Central

Chen, Fangfang; Shan, Xiaoyi; Cheng, Hong; Hou, Dongqing; Zhao, Xiaoyuan; Wang, Tianyou; Zhao, Di

2012-01-01

Data about metabolic syndrome (MetS) in children is limited in China. We aimed to assess the prevalence of MetS related components, and their association with obesity. Data were collected as part of a representative study on MetS among 19593 children, aged 6–18 years old in Beijing. General obesity was assessed by body mass index (BMI) and central obesity by waist circumference. Finger capillary blood tests were used to assess triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC) and impaired fasting glucose (IFG). Vein blood samples were collected from a subsample of 3814 children aged 10–18 years to classify MetS. MetS was defined according to the International Diabetes Federation 2007 definition. The associations between MetS related components and the degree and type of obesity were tested using logistic regression models. The prevalence of overweight, obesity, high blood pressure, elevated TG, TC and IFG were13.6%, 5.8%, 8.5%, 8.8%, 1.2% and 2.5%, respectively. Compared with normal weight children, overweight and obese children were more likely to have other MetS related components. In the subsample of 3814 children aged 10–18 years, the prevalence of MetS was much higher in obese subjects than in their normal weight counterparts (27.6% vs. 0.2%). Children with both general and central obesity had the highest prevalence of MetS. Compared with normal weight children, overweight and obese children were more likely to have MetS (overweight: OR = 67.33, 95%CI = 21.32–212.61; obesity: OR = 249.99, 95% CI = 79.51–785.98). Prevalence of MetS related components has reached high level among Beijing children who were overweight or obese. The association between metabolic disorders and obesity was strong. PMID:23082159

The effect of age, sex and obesity on fundamental motor skills among 4 to 6 years-old children.

PubMed

Vameghi, Roshanak; Shams, Amir; Shamsipour Dehkordi, Parvane

2013-04-01

To examine the effect of age, sex and obesity on Fundamental Motor Skills (FMS) in 4 to 6 years-old children. A total of 400 preschool children (200 boys and 200 girls) between the ages of 4 to 6 years old participated in this research. Subjects were selected through multi-stage cluster random sampling. Fundamental motor skills (FMS) were assessed with using the OSU-SIGMA scale. Body mass index (BMI) was directly measured from height(m)(2)/weight(kg) for each child and based on CDC growth charts, normal weight, overweight and obesity were defined. The results showed that age and sex variables were a significant effect on walking and running skills, but BMI was not significant (P>0.05). Also, these variables had a significant effect on jumping, skipping, hopping and ladder climbing. In both ages, boys in jumping and ladder climbing skills were better than girls, but the girls were better in skipping and hopping skills (P<0.05). Moreover, the results showed that age and BMI variables have a significant effect on stair climbing skill, but sex was not significant (P>0.05). For object control skills, the results showed that age and sex variables were a significant effect on catching and throwing skills, but BMI was not significant (P>0.05). Finally, the age, sex and BMI variables were a significant effect on kicking and sticking skills. This research demonstrated that boys performed better than girls, and both overweight and obese children have lower performance than normal children.

The Sounds of Silence: Language, Cognition, and Anxiety in Selective Mutism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manassis, Katharina; Tannock, Rosemary; Garland, E. Jane; Minde, Klaus; McInnes, Alison; Clark, Sandra

2007-01-01

Objectives: To determine whether oral language, working memory, and social anxiety differentiate children with selective mutism (SM), children with anxiety disorders (ANX), and normal controls (NCs) and explore predictors of mutism severity. Method: Children ages 6 to 10 years with SM (n = 44) were compared with children with ANX (n = 28) and NCs…

Memory Deficits in Early Infantile Autism: Some Similarities to the Amnesiac Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boucher, Jill; Warrington, Elizabeth K.

1976-01-01

Autistic children were compared with control children on tasks in which retention was tested by different methods. In three tests of recall, using named pictures, written words and spoken words as test stimuli, autistic children were impaired in comparison with age-matched normal children and with controls matched for verbal and non-verbal…

Comparison of biomechanical gait parameters of young children with haemophilia and those of age-matched peers.

PubMed

Stephensen, D; Drechsler, W; Winter, M; Scott, O

2009-03-01

Quality of life for children with haemophilia has improved since the introduction of prophylaxis. The frequency of joint haemorrhages has reduced, but the consequences of reduced bleeding on the biomechanical parameters of walking are not well understood. This study explored the differences in sagittal plane biomechanics of walking between a control group (Group 1) of normal age-matched children and children with haemophilia (Group 2) with a target ankle joint. A motion capture system and two force platforms were used to collect sagittal plane kinematic, kinetic and temporal-spatial data during walking of 14 age-matched normal children and 14 children with haemophilia aged 7-13 years. Group differences in maximum and minimum flexion/extension angles and moments of the hip, knee and ankle joints, ground reaction forces and temporal-spatial gait cycle parameters were analysed using one-way anova. Significant changes (P < 0.05) in kinematic and kinetic parameters but not temporal-spatial parameters were found in children with haemophilia; greater flexion angles and external moments of force at the knee, greater ankle plantarflexion external moments and lower hip flexion external moments. These results suggest that early biomechanical changes are present in young haemophilic children with a history of a target ankle joint and imply that lower limb joint function is more impaired than current clinical evaluations indicate. Protocols and quantitative data on the biomechanical gait pattern of children with haemophilia reported in this study provide a baseline to evaluate lower limb joint function and clinical progression.

Cognitive and Emotional Factors in Children with Mathematical Learning Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Passolunghi, Maria Chiara

2011-01-01

Emotional and cognitive factors were examined in 18 children with mathematical learning disabilities (MLD), compared with 18 normally achieving children, matched for chronological age, school level, gender and verbal IQ. Working memory, short-term memory, inhibitory processes, speed of processing and level of anxiety in mathematics were assessed…

Comparison and Item Analysis of the MESSY for Autistic and Normal Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matson, Johnny L.; And Others

1991-01-01

Social skills and levels of inappropriate assertiveness/impulsiveness were assessed using the Matson Evaluation of Social Skills with Youngsters, with 17 autistic children (ages 2-21) and 17 matched nonautistic children. Significant differences in both appropriate and inappropriate social behaviors were found. Results suggest the importance of…

Longitudinal Association Between Human Parechovirus Central Nervous System Infection And Gross-motor Neurodevelopment in Young Children.

PubMed

van Hinsbergh, Ted M T; Elbers, Roy G; van Furth, Marceline A M; Obihara, Charlie C C

2018-03-27

A paucity of studies investigated the association between human parechovirus (HPeV) central nervous system (CNS) infection and motor and neurocognitive development of children. This study describes the gross-motor function (GMF) in young children during 24 months after HPeV-CNS-infection compared with children in whom no pathogen was detected. GMF of children was assessed with alberta infant motor scale, bayley scales of infant and toddler development or movement assessment battery for children. We conducted multivariate analyses and adjusted for age at onset, maternal education and time from infection. Of 91 included children, aged at onset <24 months, 11 had HPeV-CNS-infection and in 47 no pathogen was detected. Nineteen children were excluded due to the presence of other infection, preterm birth or genetic disorder and in 14 children parents refused to consent for participation. We found no longitudinal association between HPeV-CNS-infection and GMF (β = -0.53; 95%CI =-1.18 to 0.07; P = 0.11). At 6 months, children with HPeV-CNS-infection had suspect GMF delay compared with the non-pathogen group (mean difference = 1.12; 95%CI =-1.96 to -0.30; P = 0.03). This difference disappeared during 24 months follow-up and, after adjustment for age at onset, both groups scored within the normal range for age. Maternal education and time from infection did not have any meaningful influence. We found no longitudinal association between HPeV-CNS-infection and GMF during the first 24 months follow-up. Children with HPeV-CNS-infection showed a suspect GMF delay at 6 months follow-up. This normalized during 24 month follow-up.

Obesity increases metabolic syndrome risk factors in school-aged children from an urban school in Mexico city.

PubMed

Perichart-Perera, Otilia; Balas-Nakash, Margie; Schiffman-Selechnik, Esther; Barbato-Dosal, Annarella; Vadillo-Ortega, Felipe

2007-01-01

To characterize the nutritional status of school-aged children from an urban public school in Mexico City, Mexico, and to assess the influence of obesity on health status in a subgroup of these children. Cross-sectional descriptive study. A nutrition screening was done for all children, including anthropometric (ie, weight, height, and waist circumference) and blood pressure assessment. In the subgroup of children, complementary dietary and biochemical assessment (ie, glucose, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglyceride, insulin, albumin, hemoglobin, and hematocrit levels) was done. Children from an urban school in Mexico City (N=561) aged 6 to 13 years. The representative subgroup (n=88) was selected based on age (9 to 12 years) and weight status (ie, normal, overweight, or obese). Descriptive statistics, correlations, mean differences tests (analysis of variance, Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U), and chi(2) tests (categorical variables) were done with SPSS version 13 (2005, SPSS Inc, Chicago, IL). In the whole school, overweight and obesity prevalence were 27.1% and 21.4%, respectively. High systolic blood pressure was seen in 8.4% of children and 6.2% of children had prehypertension. Higher hypertension risk was seen in children with body mass index > or =95th percentile and waist circumference > or =90th percentile (88 cm). Significantly higher waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, insulin resistance indexes, and triglyceride levels were found among the obese when compared with normal-weight children. Childhood obesity prevalence is high in Mexico and it is having an influence on children's health. It is urgent to design, implement, and evaluate specific childhood obesity prevention programs.

Establishing age-associated normative ranges of the cerebral 18F-FDG uptake ratio in children.

PubMed

Hua, Chiaho; Merchant, Thomas E; Li, Xingyu; Li, Yimei; Shulkin, Barry L

2015-04-01

In this study, we reported age-associated ranges of the regional cerebral (18)F-FDG uptake ratio in pediatric patients as a surrogate to normative data from healthy children. (18)F-FDG PET scans of 132 children and adolescents (age, 1-20 y) with non-central nervous system-related diseases and normal-appearing tracer distributions in the brain were retrospectively analyzed. PET images of individual patients were warped to a 3-dimensional reference template. Uptake ratio was calculated for 63 anatomic regions by normalizing the regional count per voxel with the average count per voxel in all regions. Models of regional uptake ratio as a function of age and sex were developed to calculate the 95% prediction interval. The paracentral lobule and cuneus had the highest resting metabolic state among all gray matter regions, whereas the brain stem, uncus, and hippocampus had the lowest uptake. A large left-right asymmetry was present in the angular gyrus and inferior occipital gyrus. Quantitative data of the regression, 95% confidence interval, and 95% prediction interval for each age were summarized for the 63 regions. In 52 of 63 regions, the (18)F-FDG uptake ratio had a significant age effect. The linear model was optimal for 12 regions, whereas the spline model with 1 age knot was a better fit for 40 regions. In children younger than 5 y, frontal and temporal lobes had a lower uptake than parietal and occipital lobes in general. However, uptake in the frontal lobe continued to increase with age but it decreased in the parietal and occipital lobes. Anatomic regions of the brain in children and adolescents exhibited uniquely different (18)F-FDG uptake trends with age. Our results may be useful for studying childhood development and possibly regional metabolic defects in children with traumatic brain injury or central nervous system disorders or children receiving cancer treatment. © 2015 by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Inc.

The Associations between Adiposity, Cognitive Function, and Achievement in Children.

PubMed

Raine, Lauren; Drollette, Eric; Kao, Shih-Chun; Westfall, Daniel; Chaddock-Heyman, Laura; Kramer, Arthur F; Khan, Naiman; Hillman, Charles

2018-04-27

Although obesity has been related to measures of academic achievement and cognition in children, the influence of fat distribution, specifically visceral adiposity, on select aspects of achievement and cognitive function remains poorly characterized among preadolescent children. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relation of adiposity, particularly visceral adipose tissue, on achievement and cognitive function among children. Children with obesity (ages 7-9 years old, N= 55, 35 females) completed cognitive and academic tests. Normal weight children (N= 55, 35 females) were matched to this group on demographic characteristics and aerobic fitness. Covariate analyses included age, Brief Intellectual Ability (BIA), SES, and fat free VO2 (VO2 peak adjusted for lean mass; ml/kg lean/min). Adiposity (i.e., whole body percent fat, subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue (SAAT), and visceral adipose tissue (VAT)) was assessed using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. The results of this study revealed that, relative to their normal weight counterparts, children with obesity had significantly lower performance on tests of reading and math. Analyses revealed that among children with obesity, %Fat and SAAT were not related to cognitive abilities. However, higher VAT was associated with poorer intellectual abilities, p's≤0.04; and cognitive performance (i.e. Thinking Ability and Cognitive Efficiency), p's≤0.04. However, among normal weight children, VAT was positively associated with intellectual abilities and cognitive efficiency. In conclusion, the results suggest that VAT was selectively and negatively related with cognition among children with obesity. Along with the dangerous metabolic nature of VAT, its detrimental relationship with obese children's intellectual and cognitive functioning is concerning.

[Association between dental caries and nutritional status of 7-and 12-years-old children].

PubMed

Chłapowska, Joanna; Rataj-Kulmacz, Agata; Krzyżaniak, Alicja; Borysewicz-Lewicka, Maria

2014-01-01

One of the etiological factors of dental caries are improper eating habits, which also influence the nutritional state of the organism. This similarity tends to establish the relationship between the intensity of tooth decay, and body weight disorders. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of dental caries in 7 and 12-year-old children, depending on the nutritional status. The study included 225 children of both sex, age 7 (132) and 12 years (93) attending to randomly selected schools in Poznań. Dental examination was performed by dentists in schools in artificial light using mirrors and dental probe (criteria according to WHO 1997 ). Based on collected data, caries frequency and caries intensity were calculated (DMF-t -7 and 12-year-olds and dmf-t 7-year olds). Anthropometric measurements such as height and weight were made by school nurses in accordance with guidelines for the performance of screening tests for people of school age. A deficiency or excess body weight in surveyed children rated BMI (Body Mass Index), including percentile ranges for the population of children in Poznań. Assessment of dental caries in groups of pupils were formed due to nutritional status of the respondents i. e. normal-weight and underweight and overweight. Caries frequency in children of normal weight in the population of 7-year-olds was 82.2% and 53.2% of children aged 12 years. In the group of 7-year-old pupils with overweight and underweight was respectively, 95.0% and 90.9%, 84.2% and 50.0% in the older group. A statistically significant difference between the attendance of dental caries in a group of 12-year-old children with overweight and normal weight and its deficiency was show. The average value of dmf-t in 7-year-old children was 4.02, and the DMF-permanent dentition - 0.19 and the children with over- and underweight respectively dmf- 4.25 and 3,82 and DMF- 0.35 and 0,27. In population of 12-year olds caries DMF was - 1.62, and for children with overweight and underweight, respectively, 2.68 and 1.25. Approximately 66.7% of 12- year old children were classified as normal weight, 20.4% as overweight and 12,9% as underweight, in the 7- year olds respectively 76.5%, 15.2% and 8.3%. Statistically relevant difference between DMF-t values at examined children of both gender with normal weight and overweight were observed only in the group of 12 years old. The surveys revealed that with increase of body the weight prevalence of dental caries grows in the group of older children. The children with observed abnormal body weight status should be classified in the higher dental caries risk group.

Reduced auditory efferent activity in childhood selective mutism.

PubMed

Bar-Haim, Yair; Henkin, Yael; Ari-Even-Roth, Daphne; Tetin-Schneider, Simona; Hildesheimer, Minka; Muchnik, Chava

2004-06-01

Selective mutism is a psychiatric disorder of childhood characterized by consistent inability to speak in specific situations despite the ability to speak normally in others. The objective of this study was to test whether reduced auditory efferent activity, which may have direct bearings on speaking behavior, is compromised in selectively mute children. Participants were 16 children with selective mutism and 16 normally developing control children matched for age and gender. All children were tested for pure-tone audiometry, speech reception thresholds, speech discrimination, middle-ear acoustic reflex thresholds and decay function, transient evoked otoacoustic emission, suppression of transient evoked otoacoustic emission, and auditory brainstem response. Compared with control children, selectively mute children displayed specific deficiencies in auditory efferent activity. These aberrations in efferent activity appear along with normal pure-tone and speech audiometry and normal brainstem transmission as indicated by auditory brainstem response latencies. The diminished auditory efferent activity detected in some children with SM may result in desensitization of their auditory pathways by self-vocalization and in reduced control of masking and distortion of incoming speech sounds. These children may gradually learn to restrict vocalization to the minimal amount possible in contexts that require complex auditory processing.

Modelling category goodness judgments in children with residual sound errors.

PubMed

Dugan, Sarah Hamilton; Silbert, Noah; McAllister, Tara; Preston, Jonathan L; Sotto, Carolyn; Boyce, Suzanne E

2018-05-24

This study investigates category goodness judgments of /r/ in adults and children with and without residual speech errors (RSEs) using natural speech stimuli. Thirty adults, 38 children with RSE (ages 7-16) and 35 age-matched typically developing (TD) children provided category goodness judgments on whole words, recorded from 27 child speakers, with /r/ in various phonetic environments. The salient acoustic property of /r/ - the lowered third formant (F3) - was normalized in two ways. A logistic mixed-effect model quantified the relationships between listeners' responses and the third formant frequency, vowel context and clinical group status. Goodness judgments from the adult group showed a statistically significant interaction with the F3 parameter when compared to both child groups (p < 0.001) using both normalization methods. The RSE group did not differ significantly from the TD group in judgments of /r/. All listeners were significantly more likely to judge /r/ as correct in a front-vowel context. Our results suggest that normalized /r/ F3 is a statistically significant predictor of category goodness judgments for both adults and children, but children do not appear to make adult-like judgments. Category goodness judgments do not have a clear relationship with /r/ production abilities in children with RSE. These findings may have implications for clinical activities that include category goodness judgments in natural speech, especially for recorded productions.

Neuropsychological Impairment in School-Aged Children Born to Mothers With Gestational Diabetes.

PubMed

Bolaños, Lourdes; Matute, Esmeralda; Ramírez-Dueñas, María de Lourdes; Zarabozo, Daniel

2015-10-01

The aim of this study was to determine whether school-aged children born to mothers with gestational diabetes show delays in their neuropsychological development. Several key neuropsychological characteristics of 32 children aged 7 to 9 years born to mothers with gestational diabetes were examined by comparing their performance on cognitive tasks to that of 28 children aged 8 to 10 years whose mothers had glucose levels within normal limits during pregnancy. The gestational diabetes group showed low performance on graphic, spatial, and bimanual skills and a higher presence of soft neurologic signs. Lower scores for general intellectual level and the working memory index were also evident. Our results suggest that gestational diabetes is associated with mild cognitive impairment. © The Author(s) 2015.

Adaptation, validity, and reliability of the Preschool Language Scale-Fifth Edition (PLS-5) in the Turkish context: The Turkish Preschool Language Scale-5 (TPLS-5).

PubMed

Sahli, A Sanem; Belgin, Erol

2017-07-01

Speech and language assessment is very important in early diagnosis of children with hearing and speech disorders. Aim of this study is to determine the validity and reliability of Preschool Language Scale (5th edition) test with its Turkish translation and adaptation. Our study is conducted on 1320 children aged between 0-7 years 11 months. While 1044 of these children have normal hearing, language and speech development, 276 of them have receptive and/or expressive language disorder. After the English-Turkish and Turkish-English translations of PLS-5 made by two experts command of both languages, some of the test items are reorganized because of the grammatical features of Turkish and the cultural structure of the country. The pilot study was conducted with 378 children. The test which is reorganized in the light of data obtained in pilot application, is applied to children chosen randomly with layering technique from different regions of Turkey, then 15 days later the first test applied again to 120 children. While 1044 of 1320 children aged between 0 and 7 years 11 months are normal, 276 of them have receptive and/or expressive language disorder. While 98 of 103 healthy children of 120 taken under the second evaluation have normal language development, 8 of 9 who used to have language development disorder in the past still remaining (Kappa coefficient:0,468, p<0,001). Pearson correaltion coefficient for TPLS-5 standard gauge are; IA raw score:0,937, IED raw score: 0,908 and TDP: 0,887 respectively. Correlation coefficient for age equivalance is found as IA:0,871, IED: 0,896, TDP: 0,887. TPLS-5 is the first and only language test in our country that can evaluate receptive and/or expressive language skills of children aged between 0-7 years 11 months. Results of the study show that TPLS-5 is a valid and reliable language test for the Turkish children. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Speech recognition for bilaterally asymmetric and symmetric hearing aid microphone modes in simulated classroom environments.

PubMed

Ricketts, Todd A; Picou, Erin M

2013-09-01

This study aimed to evaluate the potential utility of asymmetrical and symmetrical directional hearing aid fittings for school-age children in simulated classroom environments. This study also aimed to evaluate speech recognition performance of children with normal hearing in the same listening environments. Two groups of school-age children 11 to 17 years of age participated in this study. Twenty participants had normal hearing, and 29 participants had sensorineural hearing loss. Participants with hearing loss were fitted with behind-the-ear hearing aids with clinically appropriate venting and were tested in 3 hearing aid configurations: bilateral omnidirectional, bilateral directional, and asymmetrical directional microphones. Speech recognition testing was completed in each microphone configuration in 3 environments: Talker-Front, Talker-Back, and Question-Answer situations. During testing, the location of the speech signal changed, but participants were always seated in a noisy, moderately reverberant classroom-like room. For all conditions, results revealed expected effects of directional microphones on speech recognition performance. When the signal of interest was in front of the listener, bilateral directional microphone was best, and when the signal of interest was behind the listener, bilateral omnidirectional microphone was best. Performance with asymmetric directional microphones was between the 2 symmetrical conditions. The magnitudes of directional benefits and decrements were not significantly correlated. In comparison with their peers with normal hearing, children with hearing loss performed similarly to their peers with normal hearing when fitted with directional microphones and the speech was from the front. In contrast, children with normal hearing still outperformed children with hearing loss if the speech originated from behind, even when the children were fitted with the optimal hearing aid microphone mode for the situation. Bilateral directional microphones can be effective in improving speech recognition performance for children in the classroom, as long as child is facing the talker of interest. Bilateral directional microphones, however, can impair performance if the signal originates from behind a listener. However, these data suggest that the magnitude of decrement is not predictable from an individual's benefit. The results re-emphasize the importance of appropriate switching between microphone modes so children can take full advantage of directional benefits without being hurt by directional decrements. An asymmetric fitting limits decrements, but does not lead to maximum speech recognition scores when compared with the optimal symmetrical fitting. Therefore, the asymmetric mode may not be the best option as a default fitting for children in a classroom environment. While directional microphones improve performance for children with hearing loss, their performance in most conditions continues to be impaired relative to their normal-hearing peers, particularly when the signals of interest originate from behind or from an unpredictable location.

Normative data for the Words-in-Noise Test for 6- to 12-year-old children.

PubMed

Wilson, Richard H; Farmer, Nicole M; Gandhi, Avni; Shelburne, Emily; Weaver, Jamie

2010-10-01

To establish normative data for children on the Words-in-Noise Test (WIN; R. H. Wilson, 2003; R. H. Wilson & R. McArdle, 2007). Forty-two children in each of 7 age groups, ranging in age from 6 to 12 years (n=294), and 24 young adults (age range: 18-27 years) with normal hearing for pure tones participated. All listeners were screened at 15 dB HL (American National Standards Institute, 2004) with the octave interval between 500 and 4000 Hz. Randomizations of WIN Lists 1, 2, and 1 or WIN Lists 2, 1, and 2 were presented with the noise fixed at 70 dB SPL, followed by presentation at 90 dB SPL of the 70 Northwestern University Auditory Test No. 6 (T. W. Tillman & R. Carhart, 1966) words used in the WIN. Finally, the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised (L. M. Dunn & L. M. Dunn, 1981) was administered. Testing was conducted in a quiet room. There were 3 main findings: (a) The biggest change in recognition performance occurred between the ages of 6 and 7 years; (b) from 9 to 12 years, recognition performance was stable; and (c) performance by young adults (18-27 years) was slightly better (1-2 dB) than performance by the older children. The WIN can be used with children as young as 6 years of age; however, age-specific ranges of normal recognition performance must be used.

Receptive Vocabulary Knowledge in Low-Functioning Autism as Assessed by Eye Movements, Pupillary Dilation, and Event-Related Potentials

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-06-01

screening questionnaire for Asperger Syndrome and other high-functioning autism spectrum disorders in school age children. Journal of Autism...populations in whom behavioral responses are expected to be reliable: normal adults, normally developing children, and higher -functioning...additional 7 participants with autism were recruited for participation. Of these, 5 were determined to be higher -functioning. These participants were asked

Sleep Disturbances, Behavioural Problems and Adaptive Skills in Children with Down's Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kelmanson, Igor A.

2017-01-01

The study was performed in St. Petersburg in 2015 and comprised 34 children with diagnosed Down's syndrome (DS) aged 9-15 (mean 11) years (17 boys, 17 girls) who attended special schools. Control group was made up of 34 clinically healthy normal intelligence schoolchildren matched for age, sex and geographical distribution. The mothers were…

Immunogenicity, safety and tolerability of inactivated trivalent influenza vaccine in overweight and obese children.

PubMed

Esposito, Susanna; Giavoli, Claudia; Trombetta, Claudia; Bianchini, Sonia; Montinaro, Valentina; Spada, Anna; Montomoli, Emanuele; Principi, Nicola

2016-01-02

Obesity may be a risk factor for increased hospitalization and deaths from infections due to respiratory pathogens. Additionally, obese patients appear to have impaired immunity after some vaccinations. To evaluate the immunogenicity, safety and tolerability of an inactivated trivalent influenza vaccine (TIV) in overweight and obese children, 28 overweight/obese pediatric patients and 23 healthy normal weight controls aged 3-14 years received a dose of TIV. Four weeks after vaccine administration, significantly higher seroprotection rates against the A/H1N1 strain were observed among overweight/obese children compared with normal weight controls (p<0.05). Four months after vaccination, similar or slightly higher seroconversion and seroprotection rates against the A/H1N1 and A/H3N2 strains were detected in overweight/obese than in normal weight children, whereas significantly higher rates of seroconversion and seroprotection against the B strain were found in overweight/obese patients than in normal weight controls (p<0.05 for seroconversion and seroprotection). Geometric mean titers (GMTs) and fold increase against B strains were significantly higher in overweight/obese patients than in normal weight controls 4 months after vaccine administration (p<0.01 for GMT values and p<0.05 for fold increase). The frequency of local and systemic reactions was similar between the groups, and there were no serious adverse events. The results of this study indicate that in overweight and obese children, antibody response to TIV administration is similar or slightly higher than that evidenced in normal weight subjects of similar age and this situation persists for at least 4 months after vaccine administration in the presence of a favorable safety profile. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

New Reference Centiles for Left Ventricular Mass Relative to Lean Body Mass in Children.

PubMed

Foster, Bethany J; Khoury, Philip R; Kimball, Thomas R; Mackie, Andrew S; Mitsnefes, Mark

2016-05-01

Echocardiographic measurement of left ventricular (LV) mass is routinely performed in pediatric patients with elevated cardiovascular risk. The complex relationship between heart growth and body growth in children requires normalization of LV mass to determine its appropriateness relative to body size. LV mass is strongly determined by lean body mass (LBM). Using new LBM predictive equations, the investigators generated sex-specific LV mass-for-LBM centile curves for children 5 to 18 years of age. This retrospective study used M-mode echocardiographic data collected from 1995 through 2003 from 939 boys and 771 girls between 5 and 18 years of age (body mass index < 85th percentile for sex and age) to create smoothed sex-specific LV mass-for-LBM reference centile curves using the Lamda Mu Sigma method. The newly developed reference centiles were applied to children with essential hypertension and with chronic kidney disease, groups known to be at high risk for LV hypertrophy (LVH). The identification of LVH using two different normalization approaches was compared: LV mass-for-LBM and LV mass index-for-age percentiles. Among 231 children at risk for LVH, on average, relative LV mass was higher using the LV mass index-for-age percentile method than the LV mass-for-LBM percentile method. LVH was more likely to be diagnosed among overweight children and less likely among thin children. This study provides new LV mass reference centiles expressing LV mass relative to LBM, the strongest determinant of LV mass. These reference centiles may allow more accurate stratification of cardiovascular risk in children. Copyright © 2016 American Society of Echocardiography. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Carotid artery intima-media thickness and distensibility in children and adolescents: reference values and role of body dimensions.

PubMed

Doyon, Anke; Kracht, Daniela; Bayazit, Aysun K; Deveci, Murat; Duzova, Ali; Krmar, Rafael T; Litwin, Mieczyslaw; Niemirska, Anna; Oguz, Berna; Schmidt, Bernhard M W; Sözeri, Betul; Querfeld, Uwe; Melk, Anette; Schaefer, Franz; Wühl, Elke

2013-09-01

Carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) and carotid artery distensibility are reliable screening methods for vascular alterations and the assessment of cardiovascular risk in adult and pediatric cohorts. We sought to establish an international reference data set for the childhood and adolescence period and explore the impact of developmental changes in body dimensions and blood pressure (BP) on carotid wall thickness and elasticity. cIMT, the distensibility coefficient, the incremental modulus of elasticity, and the stiffness index β were assessed in 1155 children aged 6 to 18 years and sex-specific reference charts normalized to age or height were constructed from 1051 nonobese and nonhypertensive children. The role of body dimensions, BP, and family history, as well as the association between cIMT and distensibility, was investigated. cIMT increased and distensibility decreased with age, height, body mass index, and BP. A significant sex difference was apparent from the age of 15 years. Age- and height-normalized cIMT and distensibility values differed in children who are short or tall for their age. By stepwise multivariate analysis, standardized systolic BP and body mass index were independently positively associated with cIMT SD scores (SDS). Systolic BP SDS independently predicted all distensibility measures. Distensibility coefficient SDS was negatively and β SDS positively associated with cIMT SDS, whereas incremental modulus of elasticity was independent of cIMT. Morphological and functional aspects of the common carotid artery are particularly influenced by age, body dimensions, and BP. The reference charts established in this study allow to accurately compare vascular phenotypes of children with chronic conditions with those of healthy children.

Comparison of optic disc topography in non-glaucomatous eyes of children with juvenile diabetes mellitus and normal children.

PubMed

Elgin, Ufuk; Cankaya, Bülent; Simsek, Tulay; Batman, Aygen

2010-01-01

To compare the optic disc topography parameters of children with juvenile diabetes mellitus and normal children using the Heidelberg Retinal Tomograph (HRT III) (Heidelberg Engineering, Heidelberg, Germany). The topographic optic disc parameters (cup volume, cup area, rim volume, rim area, disc area, mean cup-to-disc ratio, and mean cup depth) of 28 non-glaucomatous eyes of 28 children with type 1 diabetes mellitus and 28 eyes of 28 age-matched healthy children were compared using the nonparametric Mann-Whitney U test. No statistically significant differences were found between cup volume (P = .782), cup area (P = .878), rim volume (P = .853), disc area (P = .452), mean cup-to-disc ratio (P = .852), and mean cup depth (P = .711) of eyes of cases with diabetes mellitus and normal subjects. This result suggests that non-glaucomatous eyes of children with type 1 diabetes mellitus and healthy subjects have similar topographic optic disc characteristics. Copyright 2010, SLACK Incorporated.

Effects of Vocal Fold Nodules on Glottal Cycle Measurements Derived from High-Speed Videoendoscopy in Children

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

The goal of this study is to quantify the effects of vocal fold nodules on vibratory motion in children using high-speed videoendoscopy. Differences in vibratory motion were evaluated in 20 children with vocal fold nodules (5–11 years) and 20 age and gender matched typically developing children (5–11 years) during sustained phonation at typical pitch and loudness. Normalized kinematic features of vocal fold displacements from the mid-membranous vocal fold point were extracted from the steady-state high-speed video. A total of 12 kinematic features representing spatial and temporal characteristics of vibratory motion were calculated. Average values and standard deviations (cycle-to-cycle variability) of the following kinematic features were computed: normalized peak displacement, normalized average opening velocity, normalized average closing velocity, normalized peak closing velocity, speed quotient, and open quotient. Group differences between children with and without vocal fold nodules were statistically investigated. While a moderate effect size was observed for the spatial feature of speed quotient, and the temporal feature of normalized average closing velocity in children with nodules compared to vocally normal children, none of the features were statistically significant between the groups after Bonferroni correction. The kinematic analysis of the mid-membranous vocal fold displacement revealed that children with nodules primarily differ from typically developing children in closing phase kinematics of the glottal cycle, whereas the opening phase kinematics are similar. Higher speed quotients and similar opening phase velocities suggest greater relative forces are acting on vocal fold in the closing phase. These findings suggest that future large-scale studies should focus on spatial and temporal features related to the closing phase of the glottal cycle for differentiating the kinematics of children with and without vocal fold nodules. PMID:27124157

Association between Body Mass Index and Dental Caries among Anganwadi Children of Belgaum City, India.

PubMed

Aluckal, Eby; Anzil, Ksa; Baby, Mathews; George, Eldhose K; Lakshmanan, Sanju; Chikkanna, Shilpa

2016-10-01

Body mass index (BMI) is an index that measures height for weight, which is commonly used to categorize underweight, overweight, and obese individuals. Deviation from normal weight results from an imbalance between caloric consumption and energy expenditure. Childhood obesity and childhood dental caries are coincidental in many populations, probably due to common confounding risk factors, such as intake frequency, cariogenic diet, and poor oral hygiene. So the aim of the present study was to assess the BMI status and to corelate between dental caries and BMI among the Anganwadi children of Belgaum city, Karnataka, India. Four hundred and thirty three children from 20 Anganwadi's belonging to the age group of 2 to 6 years of both sexes were measured for BMI and dental caries status. The caries index was measured as the number of decayed (d) and filled (f) teeth (t) (dft). The BMI in units of kg/m 2 was determined and children were categorized according to age-and gender-specific criteria as underweight (<5th percentile), normal (5th-85th percentile), at risk for overweight (85th- 95th percentile), and overweight (>95th percentile). The data were subjected to statistical analysis using Student's t-test, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and Karl Pearson's correlation coefficient test with the help of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 18.0. The proportion of subjects in Centre for Disease Control (CDC) weight categories was: 5% underweight, 79% normal, 9% under the risk for overweight, and 6% overweight. A significant association was found between children with normal BMI and those who were underweight, overweight, and under the risk for overweight. Children with overweight/obese or underweight/malnourished children had higher decayed and filled surfaces compared to children with normal weight. Nutritional status has a profound effect on dental caries. Both underweight/malnutrition and overweight/ obesity have significant adverse implications for health. Childhood obesity and childhood dental caries are coincidental in many populations.

[Association between time of permanence at early education program (Estancias Infantiles) and developmental level for children in situation of poverty].

PubMed

Rizzoli-Córdoba, Antonio; Vargas-Carrillo, Laura Ibernia; Vásquez-Ríos, Jorge Rodrigo; Reyes-Morales, Hortensia; Villasís-Keever, Miguel Ángel; O'Shea-Cuevas, Gabriel; Aceves-Villagrán, Daniel; Muñoz-Hernández, Onofre; García-Aranda, José Alberto

Early education program (EEP) was created to support parents with 1 to 3 year olds living in poverty situation in Mexico, and includes education and child daycare for 8h five days per week. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between length of stay in EEP and the level of development in children. Cross sectional, population-based study conducted in two Mexican states. All children aged between 12 to 48 months enrolled in EEP from November 2014 to January 2015 were included. Child Development Evaluation (CDE) test was used to screen early development in every child. Normal early development prevalence odds ratio (OR) was calculated adjusted by gender, impairment and state, using as a reference those children with less than 30 days in the program. The study included 3,387 children from 177 EEP nurseries, from which 53% were male; age by group was divided in 12-24 months (22.3%), 25-36 months (37.6%) and 37-42 months (40.1%). Normal development adjusted OR by age was 1.9 (CI95%: 1.30-2.78) for 6-11 months, 2.36 (CI95%: 1.60-3.50) for 12-17 months, 2.78 (CI95%: 1.65-4.65) for 18-23 months and 3.46 (CI95%: 2.13-5.60) for >24 months. By area of development, a greater probability of having a normal result for language and social areas was observed after 6 months in the program, and for motor (both gross and fine) and knowledge areas after 12 months. The length of the stay in the EEP after 6 months significantly and progressively increases the probability of normal development regardless of gender and age. Copyright © 2017 Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez. Publicado por Masson Doyma México S.A. All rights reserved.

Variability in developmental timings of the knee in young American children as assessed through Pyle and Hoerr's radiographic atlas.

PubMed

Schaefer, Maureen; Hackman, Lucina; Gallagher, John

2016-03-01

This study examines the accuracy of the Pyle and Hoerr radiographic atlas technique in an effort to document the extent of normal variation associated with developmental timings in the knee for purposes of age estimation. The atlas has been previously tested; however, accuracy rates were produced from a dataset, which spread in age from mostly 7-16 years. This study took a closer look at the younger age groups, examining radiographs from 297 children (147 female and 150 male) from birth to 6 years. Standard deviations representing the difference between the skeletal and chronological age were calculated according to two groupings. Each group represents episodes, or time periods, of differential developmental rates as expressed through the number of plates within the atlas dedicated to documenting each year of life. The beginning year of life is characterized by the most rapid of development as represented by the numerous image plates used to depict this time period. Individuals assigned to plates with a skeletal age between birth and 1 year were grouped collectively to document the variation associated with such rapidly changing morphology (SD = 2.5 months in female children; 2.3 months in male children). Years 1-3.8 years (female) and 1-4.5 years (male) were represented by two or three images within the atlas, and therefore, individuals assigned to plates with a skeletal age falling within this range were placed within a second grouping (SD = 5.2 months in female children; 7.0 months in male children). As expected, variation was observed to decrease as developmental processes accelerated in the younger children. The newly calculated standard deviations offer tighter predictions for estimating age in young children while at the same time maintaining an acceptable width that accounts for normal variation in developmental timings.

Intrauterine myelomeningocele repair postnatal results and follow-up at 3.5 years of age--initial experience from a single reference service in Brazil.

PubMed

Hisaba, Wagner Jou; Cavalheiro, Sérgio; Almodim, Carlos Gilberto; Borges, Carolina Peixoto; de Faria, Tereza Cristina Carbonari; Araujo Júnior, Edward; Nardozza, Luciano Marcondes Machado; Moron, Antonio Fernandes

2012-03-01

Present the outcomes of six cases submitted to intrauterine myelomeningocele (MMC) repair. Descriptive observational study of six children submitted to antenatal surgical repair of MMC between 26 and 27 weeks gestation. All deliveries were through cesarean section. The following neonatal variables were assessed: gestational age at delivery, birth weight, Apgar scores, need for intubation, duration of hospital stay and need for postnatal shunt procedures. After 3.5 years, the children were evaluated using the Columbia Mental Maturity Scale or Denver II tests and the Hoffer Ambulation Scale. All deliveries were preterm at a mean gestational age of 32 + 4 weeks and mean birth weight was 1,942 g. Two infants had Apgar scores <7 at 1 min and 1 at 5 min. Ventricular-peritoneal shunts were placed in two cases. All six children are alive: five have normal cognitive development and one has a neuropsychomotor developmental delay. Two children had normal leg movements, a sacral functional level and are community ambulators. Three children had upper lumbar anatomical level lesions and one had a lower thoracic level lesion at the time of fetal surgery. One child, with an L1-L2 anatomical level lesion, in noambulatory and fully dependent on a wheelchair for mobility. Antenatal surgical repair of MMC reduced the need for postnatal shunt placements. Despite preterm delivery, the cognitive development of most children at 3.5 years was normal. Antenatal surgery seemed to improve lower limb motor function in these cases.

Lesional perfusion abnormalities in Leigh disease demonstrated by arterial spin labeling correlate with disease activity.

PubMed

Whitehead, Matthew T; Lee, Bonmyong; Gropman, Andrea

2016-08-01

Leigh disease is a metabolic disorder of the mitochondrial respiratory chain culminating in symmetrical necrotizing lesions in the deep gray nuclei or brainstem. Apart from classic gliotic/necrotic lesions, small-vessel proliferation is also characteristic on histopathology. We have observed lesional hyperperfusion on arterial spin-labeling (ASL) sequence in children with Leigh disease. In this cross-sectional analysis, we evaluated lesional ASL perfusion characteristics in children with Leigh syndrome. We searched the imaging database from an academic children's hospital for "arterial spin labeling, perfusion, necrosis, lactate, and Leigh" to build a cohort of children for retrospective analysis. We reviewed each child's medical record to confirm a diagnosis of Leigh disease, excluding exams with artifact, technical limitations, and without ASL images. We evaluated the degree and extent of cerebral blood flow and relationship to brain lesions. Images were compared to normal exams from an aged-matche cohort. The database search yielded 45 exams; 30 were excluded. We evaluated 15 exams from 8 children with Leigh disease and 15 age-matched normal exams. In general, Leigh brain perfusion ranged from hyperintense (n=10) to hypointense (n=5). Necrotic lesions appeared hypointense/hypoperfused. Active lesions with associated restricted diffusion demonstrated hyperperfusion. ASL perfusion patterns differed significantly from those on age-matched normal studies (P=<.0001). Disease activity positively correlated with cerebral deep gray nuclei hyperperfusion (P=0.0037) and lesion grade (P=0.0256). Children with Leigh disease have abnormal perfusion of brain lesions. Hyperperfusion can be found in active brain lesions, possibly associated with small-vessel proliferation characteristic of the disease.

Serum Amino Acid Profiling in Citrin-Deficient Children Exhibiting Normal Liver Function During the Apparently Healthy Period.

PubMed

Miyazaki, Teruo; Nagasaka, Hironori; Komatsu, Haruki; Inui, Ayano; Morioka, Ichiro; Tsukahara, Hirokazu; Kaji, Shunsaku; Hirayama, Satoshi; Miida, Takashi; Kondou, Hiroki; Ihara, Kenji; Yagi, Mariko; Kizaki, Zenro; Bessho, Kazuhiko; Kodama, Takahiro; Iijima, Kazumoto; Yorifuji, Tohru; Matsuzaki, Yasushi; Honda, Akira

2018-04-14

Citrin (mitochondrial aspartate-glutamate transporter) deficiency causes the failures in both carbohydrate-energy metabolism and the urea cycle, and the alterations in the serum levels of several amino acids in the stages of newborn (NICCD) and adult (CTLN2). However, the clinical manifestations are resolved between the NICCD and CTLN2, but the reasons are still unclear. This study evaluated the serum amino acid profile in citrin-deficient children during the healthy stage. Using HPLC-MS/MS analysis, serum amino acids were evaluated among 20 citrin-deficient children aged 5-13 years exhibiting normal liver function and 35 age-matched healthy controls. The alterations in serum amino acids characterized in the NICCD and CTLN2 stages were not observed in the citrin-deficient children. Amino acids involved in the urea cycle, including arginine, ornithine, citrulline, and aspartate, were comparable in the citrin-deficient children to the respective control levels, but serum urea was twofold higher, suggestive of a functional urea cycle. The blood sugar level was normal, but glucogenic amino acids and glutamine were significantly decreased in the citrin-deficient children compared to those in the controls. In addition, significant increases of ketogenic amino acids, branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), a valine intermediate 3-hydroxyisobutyrate, and β-alanine were also found in the citrin-deficient children. The profile of serum amino acids in the citrin-deficient children during the healthy stage showed different characteristics from the NICCD and CTLN2 stages, suggesting that the failures in both urea cycle function and energy metabolism might be compensated by amino acid metabolism. In the citrin-deficient children during the healthy stage, the characteristics of serum amino acids, including decrease of glucogenic amino acids, and increase of ketogenic amino acids, BCAAs, valine intermediate, and β-alanine, were found by comparison to the age-matched healthy control children, and it suggested that the characteristic alteration of serum amino acids may be resulted from compensation for energy metabolism and ammonia detoxification.

Effect of growth hormone treatment on the adult height of children with chronic renal failure. German Study Group for Growth Hormone Treatment in Chronic Renal Failure.

PubMed

Haffner, D; Schaefer, F; Nissel, R; Wühl, E; Tönshoff, B; Mehls, O

2000-09-28

Growth hormone treatment stimulates growth in short children with chronic renal failure. However, the extent to which this therapy increases final adult height is not known. We followed 38 initially prepubertal children with chronic renal failure treated with growth hormone for a mean of 5.3 years until they reached their final adult height. The mean (+/-SD) age at the start of treatment was 10.4+/-2.2 years, the mean bone age was 7.1+/-2.3 years, and the mean height was 3.1+/-1.2 SD below normal. Fifty matched children with chronic renal failure who were not treated with growth hormone served as controls. The children treated with growth hormone had sustained catch-up growth, whereas the control children had progressive growth failure. The mean final height of the growth hormone-treated children was 165 cm for boys and 156 cm for girls. The mean final adult height of the growth hormone-treated children was 1.6+/-1.2 SD below normal, which was 1.4 SD above their standardized height at base line (P< 0.001). In contrast, the final height of the untreated children (2.1+/-1.2 SD below normal) was 0.6 SD below their standardized height at base line (P<0.001). Although prepubertal bone maturation was accelerated in growth hormone-treated children, treatment was not associated with a shortening of the pubertal growth spurt. The total height gain was positively associated with the initial target-height deficit and the duration of growth hormone therapy and was negatively associated with the percentage of the observation period spent receiving dialysis treatment. Long-term growth hormone treatment of children with chronic renal failure induces persistent catch-up growth, and the majority of patients achieve normal adult height.

Tone perception in Mandarin-speaking school age children with otitis media with effusion

PubMed Central

McPherson, Bradley; Li, Caiwei; Yang, Feng

2017-01-01

Objectives The present study explored tone perception ability in school age Mandarin-speaking children with otitis media with effusion (OME) in noisy listening environments. The study investigated the interaction effects of noise, tone type, age, and hearing status on monaural tone perception, and assessed the application of a hierarchical clustering algorithm for profiling hearing impairment in children with OME. Methods Forty-one children with normal hearing and normal middle ear status and 84 children with OME with or without hearing loss participated in this study. The children with OME were further divided into two subgroups based on their severity and pattern of hearing loss using a hierarchical clustering algorithm. Monaural tone recognition was measured using a picture-identification test format incorporating six sets of monosyllabic words conveying four lexical tones under speech spectrum noise, with the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) conditions ranging from -9 to -21 dB. Results Linear correlation indicated tone recognition thresholds of children with OME were significantly correlated with age and pure tone hearing thresholds at every frequency tested. Children with hearing thresholds less affected by OME performed similarly to their peers with normal hearing. Tone recognition thresholds of children with auditory status more affected by OME were significantly inferior to those of children with normal hearing or with minor hearing loss. Younger children demonstrated poorer tone recognition performance than older children with OME. A mixed design repeated-measure ANCOVA showed significant main effects of listening condition, hearing status, and tone type on tone recognition. Contrast comparisons revealed that tone recognition scores were significantly better under -12 dB SNR than under -15 dB SNR conditions and tone recognition scores were significantly worse under -18 dB SNR than those obtained under -15 dB SNR conditions. Tone 1 was the easiest tone to identify and Tone 3 was the most difficult tone to identify for all participants, when considering -12, -15, and -18 dB SNR as within-subject variables. The interaction effect between hearing status and tone type indicated that children with greater levels of OME-related hearing loss had more impaired tone perception of Tone 1 and Tone 2 compared to their peers with lesser levels of OME-related hearing loss. However, tone perception of Tone 3 and Tone 4 remained similar among all three groups. Tone 2 and Tone 3 were the most perceptually difficult tones for children with or without OME-related hearing loss in all listening conditions. Conclusions The hierarchical clustering algorithm demonstrated usefulness in risk stratification for tone perception deficiency in children with OME-related hearing loss. There was marked impairment in tone perception in noise for children with greater levels of OME-related hearing loss. Monaural lexical tone perception in younger children was more vulnerable to noise and OME-related hearing loss than that in older children. PMID:28829840

Tone perception in Mandarin-speaking school age children with otitis media with effusion.

PubMed

Cai, Ting; McPherson, Bradley; Li, Caiwei; Yang, Feng

2017-01-01

The present study explored tone perception ability in school age Mandarin-speaking children with otitis media with effusion (OME) in noisy listening environments. The study investigated the interaction effects of noise, tone type, age, and hearing status on monaural tone perception, and assessed the application of a hierarchical clustering algorithm for profiling hearing impairment in children with OME. Forty-one children with normal hearing and normal middle ear status and 84 children with OME with or without hearing loss participated in this study. The children with OME were further divided into two subgroups based on their severity and pattern of hearing loss using a hierarchical clustering algorithm. Monaural tone recognition was measured using a picture-identification test format incorporating six sets of monosyllabic words conveying four lexical tones under speech spectrum noise, with the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) conditions ranging from -9 to -21 dB. Linear correlation indicated tone recognition thresholds of children with OME were significantly correlated with age and pure tone hearing thresholds at every frequency tested. Children with hearing thresholds less affected by OME performed similarly to their peers with normal hearing. Tone recognition thresholds of children with auditory status more affected by OME were significantly inferior to those of children with normal hearing or with minor hearing loss. Younger children demonstrated poorer tone recognition performance than older children with OME. A mixed design repeated-measure ANCOVA showed significant main effects of listening condition, hearing status, and tone type on tone recognition. Contrast comparisons revealed that tone recognition scores were significantly better under -12 dB SNR than under -15 dB SNR conditions and tone recognition scores were significantly worse under -18 dB SNR than those obtained under -15 dB SNR conditions. Tone 1 was the easiest tone to identify and Tone 3 was the most difficult tone to identify for all participants, when considering -12, -15, and -18 dB SNR as within-subject variables. The interaction effect between hearing status and tone type indicated that children with greater levels of OME-related hearing loss had more impaired tone perception of Tone 1 and Tone 2 compared to their peers with lesser levels of OME-related hearing loss. However, tone perception of Tone 3 and Tone 4 remained similar among all three groups. Tone 2 and Tone 3 were the most perceptually difficult tones for children with or without OME-related hearing loss in all listening conditions. The hierarchical clustering algorithm demonstrated usefulness in risk stratification for tone perception deficiency in children with OME-related hearing loss. There was marked impairment in tone perception in noise for children with greater levels of OME-related hearing loss. Monaural lexical tone perception in younger children was more vulnerable to noise and OME-related hearing loss than that in older children.

Brain imaging in normal kids: a community-based MRI study in Malawian children.

PubMed

Potchen, M J; Kampondeni, S D; Mallewa, M; Taylor, T E; Birbeck, G L

2013-04-01

To collect normative MRI data for effective clinical and research applications. Such data may also offer insights into common neurological insults. We identified a representative, community-based sample of children aged 9-14 years. Children were screened for neurodevelopmental problems. Demographic data, medical history and environmental exposures were ascertained. Eligible children underwent the Neurologic Examination for Subtle Signs (NESS) and a brain MRI. Descriptive findings and analyses to identify risk factors for MRI abnormalities are detailed. One hundred and two of 170 households screened had age-appropriate children. Two of 102 children had neurological problems - one each with cerebral palsy and epilepsy. Ninety-six of 100 eligible children were enrolled. Mean age was 11.9 years (SD 1.5), and 43 (45%) were boys. No acute MRI abnormalities were seen. NESS abnormalities were identified in 6 of 96 children (6%). Radiographic evidence of sinusitis in 29 children (30%) was the most common MRI finding. Brain abnormalities were found in 16 (23%): mild diffuse atrophy in 4 (4%), periventricular white matter changes/gliosis in 6 (6%), multifocal punctuate subcortical white matter changes in 2 (2%), vermian atrophy in 1 (1%), empty sella in 3 (3%) and multifocal granulomas with surrounding gliosis in 1 (1%). Having an abnormal MRI was not associated with age, sex, antenatal problems, early malnutrition, febrile seizures, an abnormal neurological examination or housing quality (all P values >0.05). No predictors of radiographic sinusitis were identified. Incidental brain MRI abnormalities are common in normal Malawian children. The incidental atrophy and white matter abnormalities seen in this African population have not been reported among incidental findings from US populations, suggesting Malawi-specific exposures may be the cause. © 2013 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

What you see is what you eat: an ALE meta-analysis of the neural correlates of food viewing in children and adolescents.

PubMed

van Meer, Floor; van der Laan, Laura N; Adan, Roger A H; Viergever, Max A; Smeets, Paul A M

2015-01-01

Food cues are omnipresent and may enhance overconsumption. In the last two decades the prevalence of childhood obesity has increased dramatically all over the world, largely due to overconsumption. Understanding children's neural responses to food may help to develop better interventions for preventing or reducing overconsumption. We aimed to determine which brain regions are concurrently activated in children/adolescents in response to viewing food pictures, and how these relate to adult findings. Two activation likelihood estimation (ALE) meta-analyses were performed: one with studies in normal weight children/adolescents (aged 8-18, 8 studies, 137 foci) and one with studies in normal weight adults (aged 18-45, 16 studies, 178 foci). A contrast analysis was performed for children/adolescents vs. adults. In children/adolescents, the most concurrent clusters were in the left lateral orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), the bilateral fusiform gyrus, and the right superior parietal lobule. In adults, clusters in similar areas were found. Although the number of studies for a direct statistical comparison between the groups was relatively low, there were indications that children/adolescents may not activate areas important for cognitive control. Overall, the number of studies that contributed to the significant clusters was moderate (6-75%). In summary, the brain areas most consistently activated in children/adolescents by food viewing are part of the appetitive brain network and overlap with those found in adults. However, the age range of the children studied was rather broad. This study offers important recommendations for future research; studies making a direct comparison between adults and children in a sufficiently narrow age range would further elucidate how neural responses to food cues change during development. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Diurnal changes in postural control in normal children: Computerized static and dynamic assessments.

PubMed

Bourelle, Sophie; Taiar, Redha; Berge, Benoit; Gautheron, Vincent; Cottalorda, Jerome

2014-01-01

Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) causes postural control deficits and accordingly comparison of aberrant postural control against normal postural control may help diagnose mTBI. However, in the current literature, little is known regarding the normal pattern of postural control in young children. This study was therefore conducted as an effort to fill this knowledge gap. Eight normal school-aged children participated. Posture assessment was conducted before (7-8 a.m. in the morning) and after (4-7 p.m. in the afternoon) school on regular school days using the Balance Master® evaluation system composed of 3 static tests and 2 dynamic balance tests. A significant difference in the weight-bearing squats was detected between morning hours and afternoon hours (P < 0.05). By end of afternoon, the body weight was borne mainly on the left side with the knee fully extended and at various degrees of knee flexion. A significantly better directional control of the lateral rhythmic weight shifts was observed at the end of the afternoon than at morning hours (P < 0.05). In summary, most of our findings are inconsistent with results from previous studies in adults, suggesting age-related differences in posture control in humans. On a regular school day, the capacity of postural control and laterality or medio-lateral balance in children varies between morning and afternoon hours. We suggest that posturographic assessment in children, either in normal (e.g., physical education and sports training) or in abnormal conditions (e.g., mTBI-associated balance disorders), be better performed late in the afternoon.

Phonological processes in the speech of school-age children with hearing loss: Comparisons with children with normal hearing.

PubMed

Asad, Areej Nimer; Purdy, Suzanne C; Ballard, Elaine; Fairgray, Liz; Bowen, Caroline

2018-04-27

In this descriptive study, phonological processes were examined in the speech of children aged 5;0-7;6 (years; months) with mild to profound hearing loss using hearing aids (HAs) and cochlear implants (CIs), in comparison to their peers. A second aim was to compare phonological processes of HA and CI users. Children with hearing loss (CWHL, N = 25) were compared to children with normal hearing (CWNH, N = 30) with similar age, gender, linguistic, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Speech samples obtained from a list of 88 words, derived from three standardized speech tests, were analyzed using the CASALA (Computer Aided Speech and Language Analysis) program to evaluate participants' phonological systems, based on lax (a process appeared at least twice in the speech of at least two children) and strict (a process appeared at least five times in the speech of at least two children) counting criteria. Developmental phonological processes were eliminated in the speech of younger and older CWNH while eleven developmental phonological processes persisted in the speech of both age groups of CWHL. CWHL showed a similar trend of age of elimination to CWNH, but at a slower rate. Children with HAs and CIs produced similar phonological processes. Final consonant deletion, weak syllable deletion, backing, and glottal replacement were present in the speech of HA users, affecting their overall speech intelligibility. Developmental and non-developmental phonological processes persist in the speech of children with mild to profound hearing loss compared to their peers with typical hearing. The findings indicate that it is important for clinicians to consider phonological assessment in pre-school CWHL and the use of evidence-based speech therapy in order to reduce non-developmental and non-age-appropriate developmental processes, thereby enhancing their speech intelligibility. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Combined multichannel intraluminal impedance and pH monitoring is helpful in managing children with suspected gastro-oesophageal reflux disease.

PubMed

Rossi, Paolo; Isoldi, Sara; Mallardo, Saverio; Papoff, Paola; Rossetti, Danilo; Dilillo, Anna; Oliva, Salvatore

2018-04-05

Gastro-oesophageal reflux is very common in the paediatric age group. There is no single and reliable test to distinguish between physiologic and pathological gastro-oesophageal reflux, and this lack of clear distinction between disease and normal can have a negative impact on the management of children. To evaluate the usefulness of 24-h oesophageal pH-impedance study in infants and children with suspected gastro-oesophageal reflux disease. Patients were classified by age groups (A-C) and reflux-related symptoms (typical and atypical). All underwent pH-impedance study. If the latter suggested an abnormal reflux, patients received therapy in accordance with NASPGHAN/ESPGHAN recommendations, while those with normal study had an additional diagnostic work-up. The efficacy of therapy was evaluated with a specific standardized questionnaire for different ages. The study was abnormal in 203/428 patients (47%) while normal in 225/428 (53%). Of those with abnormal study, 109 exhibited typical symptoms (54%), and 94 atypical (46%). The great majority of the patients with abnormal study were responsive to medical anti-reflux therapy. We confirm the utility of prolonged oesophageal pH-impedance study in detecting gastro-oesophageal reflux disease in children and in guiding therapy. Performing oesophageal pH-impedance monitoring in children with suspected gastro-oesophageal reflux disease is helpful to establish the diagnosis and avoid unnecessary therapy. Copyright © 2018 Editrice Gastroenterologica Italiana S.r.l. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Contralateral suppression of transient-evoked otoacoustic emissions in children with sickle cell disease.

PubMed

Stuart, Andrew; Preast, June L

2012-01-01

In previous studies, otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) have been found to be larger in normal-hearing children with sickle cell disease (SCD). It was hypothesized that some dysfunction or reduction in the medial olivocochlear efferent suppression of outer hair cell activity was responsible for this phenomenon. To test this hypothesis, contralateral suppression of transient-evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs) was examined in children with and without SCD. Thirteen African American school-aged normal-hearing children with homozygous SCD and 13 age- and gender-matched control children participated. TEOAEs were obtained bilaterally with 80 dB peSPL nonlinear click stimuli. To examine contralateral suppression, TEOAEs were obtained with 60 dB peSPL linear click stimuli with and without a contralateral 65 dB SPL white noise suppressor. Overall and half-octave band TEOAE levels were found to be larger in children with SCD relative to the normal control children (p < 0.05), consistent with previous reports of increased OAE levels. There was no significant difference (p > 0.05) in the absolute or proportional amount of TEOAE suppression as a function of group and ear. There were also no significant correlations or linear predictive relationships between TEOAE suppression and TEOAE level for either ear or group (p > 0.05). These findings do not support the notion that increased OAE levels in children with SCD are a consequence of abnormal medial olivocochlear system function as assessed with contralateral suppression of TEOAEs.

Oral Health Characteristics of Preschool Children with Autistic Syndrome Disorder.

PubMed

Sarnat, Haim; Samuel, Eli; Ashkenazi-Alfasi, Naomi; Peretz, Benjamin

2016-01-01

to assess the dental status of young children with Autistic Syndrome Disorder (ASD) in order to allow better understanding of the dentist's role in treating these children. The ASD group consisted of 47 children diagnosed as ASD from three special kindergartens from three towns in Israel. The control group was 44 normally developed children from 4 kindergartens from 2 neighboring towns. Parents were asked to complete a questionnaire requesting the following: socio-demographic information, general medical condition, dental information (previous visit to a dentist, feeding habits, oral hygiene behavior, oral habits and the Vinland Adaptive Behavioral Scales (VABS). While in the control group there was no report of no brushing at all, among the ASD children 25% did not brush at all. Use of pacifier, fussy eating and eating problems were significantly more prevalent among the ASD group. In addition, the ASD children significantly preferred more salty, spicy and sweet foods than the control. There were more cariesfree children among the ASD group. In the ASD group, the ability to perform everyday life functions was slightly more than half of what is expected for age. autistic children have a relative age of one half, meaning they function at half the level of normally developed children at their chronological age, more eating problems and more persistent oral habits yet no correlation to dental health could be shown. Caries experience of autistic children was lower than in the control group, maintaining good oral hygiene is difficult for autistic children yet their gingival health was found to be good.

The effect of cochlear implantation in development of intelligence quotient of 6-9 deaf children in comparison with normal hearing children (Iran, 2009-2011).

PubMed

Hashemi, Seyed Basir; Monshizadeh, Leila

2012-06-01

Before the introduction of cochlear implant (CI) in 1980, hearing aids were the only means by which profoundly deaf children had access to auditory stimuli. Nowadays, CI is firmly established as effective option in speech and language rehabilitation of deaf children, but much of the literature regarding outcomes for children after CI are focused on development of speech and less is known about language acquisition. So, the main aim of this study is the evaluation of verbal intelligence quotient (IQ) of cochlear implanted children in comparison with normal children. 30 cochlear implanted and 30 normal hearing children with similar socio-economic level at the same age were compared by a revised version (in Persian) of WISC test (Wechsler, 1991). Then the data were analyzed through SPSS software 16. In spite of the fact that cochlear implanted children did well in different parameters of WISC test, the average scores of this group was less than normal hearing children. But in similarities (one of the parameters of WISC test) 2 group's performance was approximately the same. CI plays an important role in development of verbal IQ and language acquisition of deaf children. Different researches indicate that most of the cochlear implanted children show less language delay during the time. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Acoustic and Perceptual Profiles of Swallowing Sounds in Children: Normative Data for 4-36 Months from a Cross-Sectional Study Cohort.

PubMed

Frakking, Thuy T; Chang, Anne B; O'Grady, Kerry-Ann F; Yang, Julie; David, Michael; Weir, Kelly A

2017-04-01

Limited data on cervical auscultation (CA) sounds during the transitional feeding period of 4-36 months in healthy children exist. This study examined the acoustic and perceptual parameters of swallowing sounds in children aged 4-36 months over a range of food and fluid consistencies. Using CA, swallowing sounds were recorded from a microphone as children ate or drank. Acoustic parameters of duration, peak frequency and peak intensity were determined. Perceptual parameters of swallowing/breath sounds heard pre-, during and post-swallow were rated ('present', 'absent', 'cannot be determined') for each texture. 74 children (35 males; mean age = 17.1 months [SD 10.0]) demonstrated mean swallow durations of <1 s. Increasing age correlated to reduced peak frequency on puree (r = -0.48, 95 % CI -0.66, -0.24). Age correlated to peak amplitude when swallowing puree (r = 0.27, 95 % CI 0.02, 0.49), chewable solids (r = 0.31, 95 % CI 0.02, 0.56) and thin fluids (r = 0.48, 95 % CI 0.27, 0.64). The bolus transit sound was present in all swallows. A majority of children had normal breathing sounds and coordinated swallows. A swallow duration of <1 s and the presence of a quick bolus transit sound with normal breathing sounds were found in healthy children. The normative data reported in this study provide a platform for future comparison to abnormal swallowing sounds in children.

Children's Speech Perception in Noise: Evidence for Dissociation From Language and Working Memory.

PubMed

Magimairaj, Beula M; Nagaraj, Naveen K; Benafield, Natalie J

2018-05-17

We examined the association between speech perception in noise (SPIN), language abilities, and working memory (WM) capacity in school-age children. Existing studies supporting the Ease of Language Understanding (ELU) model suggest that WM capacity plays a significant role in adverse listening situations. Eighty-three children between the ages of 7 to 11 years participated. The sample represented a continuum of individual differences in attention, memory, and language abilities. All children had normal-range hearing and normal-range nonverbal IQ. Children completed the Bamford-Kowal-Bench Speech-in-Noise Test (BKB-SIN; Etymotic Research, 2005), a selective auditory attention task, and multiple measures of language and WM. Partial correlations (controlling for age) showed significant positive associations among attention, memory, and language measures. However, BKB-SIN did not correlate significantly with any of the other measures. Principal component analysis revealed a distinct WM factor and a distinct language factor. BKB-SIN loaded robustly as a distinct 3rd factor with minimal secondary loading from sentence recall and short-term memory. Nonverbal IQ loaded as a 4th factor. Results did not support an association between SPIN and WM capacity in children. However, in this study, a single SPIN measure was used. Future studies using multiple SPIN measures are warranted. Evidence from the current study supports the use of BKB-SIN as clinical measure of speech perception ability because it was not influenced by variation in children's language and memory abilities. More large-scale studies in school-age children are needed to replicate the proposed role played by WM in adverse listening situations.

[Malnutrition and poverty in Colombia].

PubMed

Rico Velasco, J; Acciarri, G; Fajardo, L F

1982-01-01

A history of colonial exploitation and a development model that concentrates wealth and excludes a large proportion of the population from the development process are the principal determinants of income distribution in Colombia. This work analyzes the extent of malnutrition among the poorest 30% of the Colombian population. The National Plan for Feeding and Nutrition (PAN), an important component of the national development plan, strives to improve the nutritional status of the most vulnerable population groups living in rural areas and marginal urban neighborhoods, with particular emphasis on mothers and children. The program initially was focussed on 11 priority regions where 5 types of interventions were developed: primary health care, environmental sanitation, food production, food distribution, and nutrition education. Because of the good results initially obtained, PAN now covers the entire national territory. A 1977 survey stratified by socioeconomic levels indicated that among the poorest 30% of the population, 67% of the children examined had low weight for age caused by a combination of chronic and acute malnutrition. 12% were considered to have severe and 23% moderate malnutrition. 8% had severe and 17% had moderate problems of height for age. 26% had deficient weight for height. Comparison of the data to normal values published by the World Health Organization clearly demonstrates the pattern of overall malnutrition indicated by weight for age figures. It can be concluded at 33% of children in the poorest 30% of the population are normal, 31% have mild malnutrition, 23% moderate malnutrition, and 12% severe malnutrition. Data on height for age indicated that 43% were normal, 32% had mild chronic malnutrition, 17% had moderate chronic malnutrition, and 8% had severe chronic malnutrition. The prevalence of acute malnutrition in the poor population measured by the ratio of weight to height was less than that of chronic or overall malnutrition. 21% were considered to show mild, 4% moderate, and 1% severe acute malnutrition. Nutritional status was greatly influenced by age, with the lowest rates of malnutrition occurring in children under 1. Mortality among children aged 1-2 years probably was responsible for a decline in malnutrition rates in children over 2. Patterns of malnutrition in children of the poorest 30% of the Colombian population were quite similar in the 11 departments included in the 1977 survey. Comparison with earlier data indicates that the nutritional status of children in the poorest population sector has not improved since the 1960s.

Quality of Life of SGA Children with Short Stature Receiving GH Treatment in Japan.

PubMed

Takahashi, Ryo; Ogawa, Madoka; Osada, Hisao

2017-03-01

The objective of this study was to compare the quality of life (QOL) of small for gestational age (SGA) children with short stature with that of children with normal height, and examine the effects of growth hormone (GH) treatment on the QOL of the SGA children using questionnaires administered to their parents or guardians. The results showed that QOL in daily living of SGA children with short stature was lower than that of normal children based on the perceptions of their parents or guardians. In addition, GH treatment improved the physical domain of QOL of SGA children with short stature. This study suggests that GH treatment can improve QOL and reduce psychosocial problems related to short stature. Copyright© of YS Medical Media ltd.

Initial Stop Voicing in Bilingual Children With Cochlear Implants and Their Typically Developing Peers With Normal Hearing.

PubMed

Bunta, Ferenc; Goodin-Mayeda, C Elizabeth; Procter, Amanda; Hernandez, Arturo

2016-08-01

This study focuses on stop voicing differentiation in bilingual children with normal hearing (NH) and their bilingual peers with hearing loss who use cochlear implants (CIs). Twenty-two bilingual children participated in our study (11 with NH, M age = 5;1 [years;months], and 11 with CIs, M hearing age = 5;1). The groups were matched on hearing age and a range of demographic variables. Single-word picture elicitation was used with word-initial singleton stop consonants. Repeated measures analyses of variance with three within-subject factors (language, stop voicing, and stop place of articulation) and one between-subjects factor (NH vs. CI user) were conducted with voice onset time and percentage of prevoiced stops as dependent variables. Main effects were statistically significant for language, stop voicing, and stop place of articulation on both voice onset time and prevoicing. There were no significant main effects for NH versus CI groups. Both children with NH and with CIs differentiated stop voicing in their languages and by stop place of articulation. Stop voicing differentiation was commensurate across the groups of children with NH versus CIs. Stop voicing differentiation is accomplished in a similar fashion by bilingual children with NH and CIs, and both groups differentiate stop voicing in a language-specific fashion.

Psychometric Evaluation of Children with Auditory Processing Disorder (APD): Comparison with Normal-Hearing and Clinical Non-APD Groups

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iliadou, Vasiliki; Bamiou, Doris Eva

2012-01-01

Purpose: To investigate the clinical utility of the Children's Auditory Processing Performance Scale (CHAPPS; Smoski, Brunt, & Tannahill, 1992) to evaluate listening ability in 12-year-old children referred for auditory processing assessment. Method: This was a prospective case control study of 97 children (age range = 11;4 [years;months] to…

Behavioural, Academic and Neuropsychological Profile of Normally Gifted Neurofibromatosis Type 1 Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Descheemaeker, M.-J.; Ghesquiere, P.; Symons, H.; Fryns, J. P.; Legius, E.

2005-01-01

In the present study the neuropsychological, academic and social-emotional profiles were examined in Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) children. Subjects: 17 NF1 children (ages 7-11) with NF1 without serious medical problems and with a full scale IQ (FSIQ) above 70. Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R), academic tests and an…

Young Autistic Children's Listening Preferences in Regard to Speech: A Possible Characterization of the Symptom of Social Withdrawal.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klin, Ami

1991-01-01

Twelve autistic children (ages 4-6) were given a choice between their mothers' speech and the noise of superimposed voices. In contrast to comparison groups of mentally retarded and normally developing children, the autistic children actively preferred the superimposed voices or showed a lack of preference for either audio segment. (Author/JDD)

Children's Performance in Complex Listening Conditions: Effects of Hearing Loss and Digital Noise Reduction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pittman, Andrea

2011-01-01

Purpose: To determine the effect of hearing loss (HL) on children's performance for an auditory task under demanding listening conditions and to determine the effect of digital noise reduction (DNR) on that performance. Method: Fifty children with normal hearing (NH) and 30 children with HL (8-12 years of age) categorized words in the presence of…

Quantifying Normal Craniofacial Form and Baseline Craniofacial Asymmetry in the Pediatric Population.

PubMed

Cho, Min-Jeong; Hallac, Rami R; Ramesh, Jananie; Seaward, James R; Hermann, Nuno V; Darvann, Tron A; Lipira, Angelo; Kane, Alex A

2018-03-01

Restoring craniofacial symmetry is an important objective in the treatment of many craniofacial conditions. Normal form has been measured using anthropometry, cephalometry, and photography, yet all of these modalities have drawbacks. In this study, the authors define normal pediatric craniofacial form and craniofacial asymmetry using stereophotogrammetric images, which capture a densely sampled set of points on the form. After institutional review board approval, normal, healthy children (n = 533) with no known craniofacial abnormalities were recruited at well-child visits to undergo full head stereophotogrammetric imaging. The children's ages ranged from 0 to 18 years. A symmetric three-dimensional template was registered and scaled to each individual scan using 25 manually placed landmarks. The template was deformed to each subject's three-dimensional scan using a thin-plate spline algorithm and closest point matching. Age-based normal facial models were derived. Mean facial asymmetry and statistical characteristics of the population were calculated. The mean head asymmetry across all pediatric subjects was 1.5 ± 0.5 mm (range, 0.46 to 4.78 mm), and the mean facial asymmetry was 1.2 ± 0.6 mm (range, 0.4 to 5.4 mm). There were no significant differences in the mean head or facial asymmetry with age, sex, or race. Understanding the "normal" form and baseline distribution of asymmetry is an important anthropomorphic foundation. The authors present a method to quantify normal craniofacial form and baseline asymmetry in a large pediatric sample. The authors found that the normal pediatric craniofacial form is asymmetric, and does not change in magnitude with age, sex, or race.

Considerations for Integration of Physically Handicapped and Non-Handicapped Preschool Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cormack, Elizabeth O.

Eight physically handicapped (blind, spina bifida, cerebral palsy, or genetic defect) preschool children and eight children with normal sensory motor abilities (mean age of both groups 3 1/2 years) participated in a preschool demonstration project designed to promote equal educational and social experiences in an integrated preschool through the…

Meditation and Relaxation Awareness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Napper-Owen, Gloria

2006-01-01

Children come to schools each day feeling many of the stressors that would normally be attributed to adult experiences. At an early age, children are confronted with situations that may make them anxious or begin to doubt their self-worth. Teachers can help children learn to manage their stress by helping them become more aware of negative…

Changing Realities in the Classroom for Hearing-Impaired Children with Cochlear Implant

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vermeulen, Anneke; De Raeve, Leo; Langereis, Margreet; Snik, Ad

2012-01-01

Auditory perception with cochlear implants (CIs) enables the majority of deaf children with normal learning potential to develop (near) age-appropriate spoken language. As a consequence, a large proportion of children now attend mainstream education from an early stage. The acoustical environment in kindergartens and schools, however, might be…

Family Environment and Parent-Child Relationships as Related to Executive Functioning in Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schroeder, Valarie M.; Kelley, Michelle L.

2010-01-01

The present study examines the associations between family environment, parenting practices and executive functions in normally developing children. One hundred parents of children between the ages of 5 and 12 completed the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functions from the Family Environment Scale and the Parent-Child Relationship…

Intermodal Matching of Emotional Expressions in Young Children with Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kahana-Kalman, Ronit; Goldman, Sylvie

2008-01-01

This study examined the ability of young children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) to detect affective correspondences between facial and vocal expressions of emotion using an intermodal matching paradigm. Four-year-old children with ASD (n = 18) and their age-matched normally developing peers (n = 18) were presented pairs of videotaped facial…

Eating responses to external food cues and internal satiety signals in weight discordant siblings

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Background: Compared to normal-weight children, over-weight children are more responsive to external food cues and less sensitive to internal satiety signals, either of which may facilitate greater energy intake. The ability to compensate for prior kcal intake may decrease with age, with children sh...

Using Play Behavior to Describe Young Children's Conversational Abilities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shulman, Brian B.

The effects of three play contexts on young children's turn taking, topic maintenance, and topic change skills were investigated. Participants were 40 normally-developing, English-speaking Caucasian children of middle-income parents; they ranged in age from approximately 4 years to 6 and one half years. Subjects were subdivided into younger and…

Wisconsin Card Sorting Test Performance in Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wuang, Yee-Pay; Su, Chwen-Yng; Su, Jui-Hsing

2011-01-01

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate and compare the executive functions measured by the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) between children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) and age-matched normal controls. A second purpose was to examine the relations between executive functions and school functions in DCD children.…

Body Awareness in Children with Mental Retardation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simons, Johan; Dedroog, Inge

2009-01-01

The body awareness of 124 toddlers with mental retardation and of 124 children developing normally matched to them on age and gender was examined. Twenty-nine of the children with mental retardation were diagnosed as Down syndrome (DS). The "Pointing and Naming" Test of Berges and Lezine [Berges, J., & Lezine, I. (1978). "Test d'imitation de…

[Alpha competitive structure in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder with/without learning disabilities].

PubMed

Sun, Li; Wang, Yu-feng; He, Hua; Chen, Jin

2007-10-18

To explore the alpha competitive structure in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with/without learning disabilities (LD). According to DSM-IV diagnostic criteria, the study involved ADHD children with LD, pure ADHD children and normal controls. Each group consisted of 68 subjects. All subjects were between the ages of 7 and 14 years, and the groups were matched by sex, age and ADHD subtypes. EEG data were recorded during an eye-closed resting period and then were analyzed with EEG-encephaloflutuographic technology (EEG-ET). (1) The pure ADHD children showed significantly more 8 Hz activity (25.84%+/-14.81%) than that of the normal control group (16.50%+/-11.42%, P=0.000); The main frequency of alpha band was 10 Hz in the pure ADHD children, while the energy distribution among alpha components was diffuse. (2) ADHD children with LD showed significantly more 8 Hz and 13 Hz activity (25.11%+/-11.88%, 1.14%+/-1.14%, separately) than that of the normal control (16.50%+/-11.42%, 0.74%+/-0.97%, P=0.000, P=0.009, separately); The dominant probability of 10 Hz (27.80%+/-13.28%) in this group was significantly lower than that of the control group (36.06%+/-17.21%, P=0.011); The energy distribution among alpha components was diffuse in ADHD children with LD, whose main frequency of alpha band was 9 Hz; The entropy value of the ADHD children with LD was significantly higher than that of the control group in the right brain and the left parietal region, temporal region, occipital region (P<0.01). In the right temporal region and right occipital region, the entropy value of the ADHD children with LD was significantly higher than that of the pure ADHD children (P<0.05). The pathogenic mechanisms are different between ADHD children with or without LD. The pure ADHD children show more maturational lag pattern in the central nervous system, while ADHD children with LD have a developmental deviation from normal children, whose brain function is in a lower efficient state.

Relationship Between Nutritional Status and Intensity of Common Intestinal Helminths Among Children in Enugu, South-East Nigeria

PubMed Central

Ilechukwu, GC; Ilechukwu, CGA; Ubesie, AC; Onyire, NB; Emechebe, G; Eze, JC

2014-01-01

Background: Intestinal helminthiasis is associated with malnutrition in children. Aim: The objective of this study was to determine the intensity and effect of the common intestinal helminths on the nutritional status of children in Enugu, Nigeria. Subjects and Methods: A cross-sectional study of 460 children conducted in Enugu metropolis, south-east Nigeria between August and September 2003. Their stools were analyzed at the research laboratory of the Federal Ministry of Health, National Arbovirus and Vector Research Center, Enugu. The intensity of the common intestinal helminths was determined using the standard Kato-Katz method of fresh stool samples. The classification intensity of helminthic infestation was according to the World Health Organization classification. Data were analyzed using Statistical Software for Social Sciences version 11.0 (Chicago IL, USA). P < 0.05 was regarded as statistically significant. Results: 452 of 460 children (98.3%) had normal height for age, weight for age and weight for height Z-scores. Six of the 460 children (1.3% were wasted), 1/460 stunted (0.2%) and 1/460 wasted and stunted (0.2%). 150 out of 460 (32.6%) studied were infected with helminths. There was no significant relationship between the intensity of helminth infection and the nutritional status of the children. Conclusion: Although the prevalence of helminthiasis in children in Enugu was high, intensity of helminthiasis in these children was mainly mild. Hence, majority of them had normal weight and height measurements for age and sex. PMID:25184077

The effects of limited bandwidth and noise on verbal processing time and word recall in normal-hearing children.

PubMed

McCreery, Ryan W; Stelmachowicz, Patricia G

2013-09-01

Understanding speech in acoustically degraded environments can place significant cognitive demands on school-age children who are developing the cognitive and linguistic skills needed to support this process. Previous studies suggest the speech understanding, word learning, and academic performance can be negatively impacted by background noise, but the effect of limited audibility on cognitive processes in children has not been directly studied. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the impact of limited audibility on speech understanding and working memory tasks in school-age children with normal hearing. Seventeen children with normal hearing between 6 and 12 years of age participated in the present study. Repetition of nonword consonant-vowel-consonant stimuli was measured under conditions with combinations of two different signal to noise ratios (SNRs; 3 and 9 dB) and two low-pass filter settings (3.2 and 5.6 kHz). Verbal processing time was calculated based on the time from the onset of the stimulus to the onset of the child's response. Monosyllabic word repetition and recall were also measured in conditions with a full bandwidth and 5.6 kHz low-pass cutoff. Nonword repetition scores decreased as audibility decreased. Verbal processing time increased as audibility decreased, consistent with predictions based on increased listening effort. Although monosyllabic word repetition did not vary between the full bandwidth and 5.6 kHz low-pass filter condition, recall was significantly poorer in the condition with limited bandwidth (low pass at 5.6 kHz). Age and expressive language scores predicted performance on word recall tasks, but did not predict nonword repetition accuracy or verbal processing time. Decreased audibility was associated with reduced accuracy for nonword repetition and increased verbal processing time in children with normal hearing. Deficits in free recall were observed even under conditions where word repetition was not affected. The negative effects of reduced audibility may occur even under conditions where speech repetition is not impacted. Limited stimulus audibility may result in greater cognitive effort for verbal rehearsal in working memory and may limit the availability of cognitive resources to allocate to working memory and other processes.

MRI-based assessment of the pineal gland in a large population of children aged 0-5 years and comparison with pineoblastoma: part II, the cystic gland.

PubMed

Sirin, Selma; de Jong, Marcus C; Galluzzi, Paolo; Maeder, Philippe; Brisse, Hervé J; Castelijns, Jonas A; de Graaf, Pim; Goericke, Sophia L

2016-07-01

Pineal cysts are a common incidental finding on brain MRI with resulting difficulties in differentiation between normal glands and pineal pathologies. The aim of this study was to assess the size and morphology of the cystic pineal gland in children (0-5 years) and compare the findings with published pineoblastoma cases. In this retrospective multicenter study, 257 MR examinations (232 children, 0-5 years) were evaluated regarding pineal gland size (width, height, planimetric area, maximal cyst(s) size) and morphology. We performed linear regression analysis with 99 % prediction intervals of gland size versus age for the size parameters. Results were compared with a recent meta-analysis of pineoblastoma by de Jong et al. Follow-up was available in 25 children showing stable cystic findings in 48 %, cyst size increase in 36 %, and decrease in 16 %. Linear regression analysis gave 99 % upper prediction bounds of 10.8 mm, 10.9 mm, 7.7 mm and 66.9 mm(2), respectively, for cyst size, width, height, and area. The slopes (size increase per month) of each parameter were 0.030, 0.046, 0.021, and 0.25, respectively. Most of the pineoblastomas showed a size larger than the 99 % upper prediction margin, but with considerable overlap between the groups. We presented age-adapted normal values for size and morphology of the cystic pineal gland in children aged 0 to 5 years. Analysis of size is helpful in discriminating normal glands from cystic pineal pathologies such as pineoblastoma. We also presented guidelines for the approach of a solid or cystic pineal gland in hereditary retinoblastoma patients.

Sensory deprivation due to otitis media episodes in early childhood and its effect at later age: A psychoacoustic and speech perception measure.

PubMed

Shetty, Hemanth Narayan; Koonoor, Vishal

2016-11-01

Past research has reported that children with repeated occurrences of otitis media at an early age have a negative impact on speech perception at a later age. The present study necessitates documenting the temporal and spectral processing on speech perception in noise from normal and atypical groups. The present study evaluated the relation between speech perception in noise and temporal; and spectral processing abilities in children with normal and atypical groups. The study included two experiments. In the first experiment, temporal resolution and frequency discrimination of listeners with normal group and three subgroups of atypical groups (had a history of OM) a) less than four episodes b) four to nine episodes and c) More than nine episodes during their chronological age of 6 months to 2 years) were evaluated using measures of temporal modulation transfer function and frequency discrimination test. In the second experiment, SNR 50 was evaluated on each group of study participants. All participants had normal hearing and middle ear status during the course of testing. Demonstrated that children with atypical group had significantly poorer modulation detection threshold, peak sensitivity and bandwidth; and frequency discrimination to each F0 than normal hearing listeners. Furthermore, there was a significant correlation seen between measures of temporal resolution; frequency discrimination and speech perception in noise. It infers atypical groups have significant impairment in extracting envelope as well as fine structure cues from the signal. The results supported the idea that episodes of OM before 2 years of agecan produce periods of sensory deprivation that alters the temporal and spectral skills which in turn has negative consequences on speech perception in noise. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Autistic children and the object permanence task.

PubMed

Adrien, J L; Tanguay, P; Barthélémy, C; Martineaú, J; Perrot, A; Hameury, L; Sauvage, D

1993-01-01

Many mentally retarded autistic children can understand the concept of object permanence, but, in comparison to developmental-age matched normal children, the behavioral strategies they employ in carrying out the Casati-Lezine Object Permanence Test are deficient and lead to failure. These deficiencies appear unrelated to interference of stereotypic or other bizarre behavior in task performance. Similar problem-solving deficiencies can be found in mentally retarded children who are not autistic, suggesting that the deficiencies themselves are less related to the social-communication deficits of autistic children, but more to the general problem-solving difficulties found in children with a lower developmental quotient. Nevertheless, the qualitative analysis of results shows a tendency in autistic children, despite their better developmental level, to use less coordinated and regular sequences to solve the task than normal or mentally retarded children.

Knee Muscle Strength at Varying Angular Velocities and Associations with Gross Motor Function in Ambulatory Children with Cerebral Palsy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hong, Wei-Hsien; Chen, Hseih-Ching; Shen, I-Hsuan; Chen, Chung-Yao; Chen, Chia-Ling; Chung, Chia-Ying

2012-01-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationships of muscle strength at different angular velocities and gross motor functions in ambulatory children with cerebral palsy (CP). This study included 33 ambulatory children with spastic CP aged 6-15 years and 15 children with normal development. Children with CP were categorized into level I (n =…

Validation of the Spanish Version of the Woodcock-Johnson Mathematics Achievement Tests for Children Aged 6 to 13

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Diamantopoulou, Sofia; Pina, Violeta; Valero-Garcia, Ana V.; Gonzalez-Salinas, Carmen; Fuentes, Luis J.

2012-01-01

This study validated the four mathematics tests of the Spanish version of the Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III) Achievement (ACH) battery for use in the first six grades of school in Spain. Developmental effects and gender differences were also examined. Participants were a normal population sample of 424 (216 boys) children aged 6 to 13 years.…

Physical Activity Levels in Normal Weight and Overweight Portuguese Children: An Intervention Study during an Elementary School Recess

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lopes, Luis; Lopes, Vitor; Pereira, Beatriz

2009-01-01

This study aimed to analyze the effects of an intervention strategy during the school recess on physical activity (PA) levels, by gender, age and body mass index (BMI). The sample comprises 158 Portuguese children aged 6 to 12 years. Weight and height were objectively measured. PA was assessed by accelerometry during the recess in pre-intervention…

Abnormal serum IgG subclass pattern in children with Down's syndrome.

PubMed

Annerén, G; Magnusson, C G; Lilja, G; Nordvall, S L

1992-05-01

Susceptibility to infections is a well known feature of Down's syndrome. The possible relation between this predisposition and the serum concentrations of the IgG subclasses was studied in 38 children with Down's syndrome aged 1-12 years. An age matched group of 50 healthy children served as controls. The serum concentrations of IgG1 and IgG3 were significantly raised among children with Down's syndrome in all three age groups studied (that is 1-2.5, 4-8, and 9-12 years). The serum concentrations of IgG2 were normal in the first two groups but significantly reduced in the third age group. In contrast, the concentrations of IgG4 among children with Down's syndrome were significantly reduced in all three age groups. Moreover, among the children with Down's syndrome aged 4-12 years 68% (15/22) had IgG4 concentrations below 2 SDs of the geometrical mean of the controls. The results may partially explain the proneness of children with Down's syndrome to infections with encapsulated bacteria. Although the underlying cause of these abnormalities is unknown, IgG subclass determination seems relevant in the clinical evaluation of children with Down's syndrome.

Abnormal serum IgG subclass pattern in children with Down's syndrome.

PubMed Central

Annerén, G; Magnusson, C G; Lilja, G; Nordvall, S L

1992-01-01

Susceptibility to infections is a well known feature of Down's syndrome. The possible relation between this predisposition and the serum concentrations of the IgG subclasses was studied in 38 children with Down's syndrome aged 1-12 years. An age matched group of 50 healthy children served as controls. The serum concentrations of IgG1 and IgG3 were significantly raised among children with Down's syndrome in all three age groups studied (that is 1-2.5, 4-8, and 9-12 years). The serum concentrations of IgG2 were normal in the first two groups but significantly reduced in the third age group. In contrast, the concentrations of IgG4 among children with Down's syndrome were significantly reduced in all three age groups. Moreover, among the children with Down's syndrome aged 4-12 years 68% (15/22) had IgG4 concentrations below 2 SDs of the geometrical mean of the controls. The results may partially explain the proneness of children with Down's syndrome to infections with encapsulated bacteria. Although the underlying cause of these abnormalities is unknown, IgG subclass determination seems relevant in the clinical evaluation of children with Down's syndrome. PMID:1534650

Relationships between different nutritional anthropometric statuses and health-related fitness of South African primary school children.

PubMed

Armstrong, M E G; Lambert, M I; Lambert, E V

2017-05-01

A double burden of both under- and over-nutrition exists among South African children. To describe associations between nutritional statuses and health-related fitness test performances. Height and weight of 10 285 children (6-13 years; n = 5604 boys and 4681 girls) were measured and used to calculate body mass index (BMI) and prevalence of overweight and obesity, stunting, wasting and underweight. Physical fitness scores for standing long jump, shuttle run, sit-and-reach, sit-up (EUROFIT) and cricket ball throw were assessed. Age- and gender-specific z-scores were calculated for these variables. Physical fitness for each nutritional status group was compared to children of normal weight. Compared to normal weight children, overweight and obese children scored lower on all fitness tests (p < .001), except cricket ball throw (p = .235) and sit-and-reach (p = .015). Stunted and underweight children performed poorer than normal weight children on most fitness tests (p < .001), except sit-and-reach (stunted: p = .829; underweight: p = .538) and shuttle run (underweight: p = .017). Performance of wasted children was not as highly compromised as other under-nourished groups, but they performed poorer on the cricket ball throw (p < .001). When compared to normal weight children, both under- and over-nourished children performed poorer on some, but not all, health-related fitness tests.

[Clinical correlation of hypnagogic hypersynchrony during sleep in normal children and those with learning disability].

PubMed

Olmos G de Alba, G; Fraire-Martínez, M I; Valenzuela-Romero, R

One of the electroencephalographic (EEG) patterns that can be mistaken for paroxysmal clinical activity, when not taken into account and especially in children, is hypnagogic hypersynchrony (HH). This consists in generalised, paroxysmal, synchronic, symmetrical, slow, high voltage waves lasting 2 8 seconds, which appear in drowsiness and in stage I. It was observed that this pattern often appeared in children with learning disability (LD). AIMS. To correlate clinical data with the presence of HH during sleep in normal children and those with LD. We assessed 180 children between the ages of 6 12 years with normal neurological development, 130 of which suffered LD and 50 who did not have LD. EEG was performed with sleep deprivation, following the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology guidelines. The presence or absence of HH, together with its characteristics, was assessed. Of the children with LD, 35.38% displayed HH and of the children without LD, only 4% displayed HH. Since the characteristics of HH in the children with LD were different to previous descriptions, we put forward criteria with which to evaluate those differences. HH appeared more often in children with LD than in normal children. Qualitative, quantitative (p< 0.05) and morphological changes were found in the paroxysmal activity of HH during the stages of sleep in children with LD.

[Foot arch shape in children aged 2-5 years according to the data of plantography and holographic interferometry].

PubMed

bol'shakov, O P; Kotov, I R; Poliakova, E L

2014-01-01

25 children aged 2 to 5 years were examined orthopedically using the methods of plantometry and holographic interferometry of three-dimensional casts of footprints. The computer maps of the foot arch surface were obtained and the graphic reconstruction of the arch shape was performed in normal cases and in children with flatfoot. Most significant deviations of the foot arch shape, probably associated with the development delay, were detected in 4-5-year-old children under the dynamic load. Some additional advantages of holographic interferometry for the early diagnosis of flatfoot in children were demonstrated.

The Growing Child: From Six Through Fifteen Years. Child Health and Safety Series. (Module VIII).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iscoe, Louise; Kihnel, Barbara

This manual for foster parents and child caregivers (1) provides an outline of normal physical, mental and social/emotional dimensions of child development from age 6 through 15 years of age; (2) indicates what children and youth need from adults in order to develop normally; and (3) identifies problems which may occur in the areas of physical,…

A longitudinal investigation of parenting stress in caregivers of children with retinoblastoma.

PubMed

Willard, Victoria W; Qaddoumi, Ibrahim; Zhang, Hui; Huang, Lu; Russell, Kathryn M; Brennan, Rachel; Wilson, Matthew W; Rodriguez-Galindo, Carlos; Phipps, Sean

2017-04-01

Retinoblastoma is typically diagnosed in young children and may present unique parenting challenges. Qualitative research suggests that parents experience distress related to the initial diagnosis and treatment that subsequently resolves. The objectives were to systematically assess parenting stress over time in parents of young children with retinoblastoma and to examine associations between parenting stress and child outcomes. Parents of children with retinoblastoma completed the Parenting Stress Index (PSI) during serial psychological assessments scheduled based on the child's age (6 months to 5 years). Caregivers of 92 patients (85.9% mothers) completed the assessments. Child outcomes included developmental functioning and parent-reported adaptive functioning. At baseline and age 5, all subscales on the PSI were within normal limits, and most were significantly below normative means (i.e., demonstrating low levels of stress). All domains remained relatively stable over time. Associations between parenting stress and child outcomes were much stronger at age 5 than at baseline. Child-directed parenting stress was a small but significant contributor to declines in child functioning over time. Parents of children with retinoblastoma report normal levels of parenting stress while their children are young. However, baseline parenting stress appears to contribute to changes in child functioning over time. Future studies should assess illness-related aspects of adjustment to further understand the parenting experience of young children with cancer and/or having a visually impaired child. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Patterns and Determinants of Double-Burden of Malnutrition among Rural Children: Evidence from China.

PubMed

Zhang, Nan; Bécares, Laia; Chandola, Tarani

2016-01-01

Chinese children are facing dual burden of malnutrition-coexistence of under-and over-nutrition. Little systematic evidence exists for explaining the simultaneous presence of under-and over-nutrition. This study aims to explore underlying mechanisms of under-and over-nutrition among children in rural China. This study used a nationwide longitudinal dataset of children (N = 5,017) from 9 provinces across China, with four exclusively categories of nutritional outcomes including under-nutrition (stunting and underweight), over-nutrition (overweight only including obesity), paradox (stunted overweight), with normal nutrition as reference. Multinomial logit models (Level-1: occasions; Level-2: children; Level-3: villages) were fitted which corrected for non-independence of observations due to geographic clustering and repeated observations of individuals. A mixture of risk factors at the individual, household and neighbourhood levels predicted under-and over-nutrition among children in rural China. Improved socioeconomic status and living in more urbanised villages reduced the risk of stunted overweight among rural children in China. Young girls appeared to have higher risk of under-nutrition, and the risk decreased with age more markedly than for boys up to age 5. From age 5 onwards, boys tended to have higher risk of under-nutrition than girls. Girls aged around 12 and older were less likely to suffer from under-nutrition, while boys' higher risk of under-nutrition persisted throughout adolescence. Children were less likely to suffer from over-nutrition compared to normal nutrition. Boys tended to have an even lower risk of over-nutrition than girls and the gender difference widened with age until adolescence. Our results have important policy implications that improving household economic status, in particular, maternal education and health insurance for children, and living environment are important to enhance rural children's nutritional status in China. Investments in early years of childhood can be effective to reduce gender inequality in nutritional health in rural China.

Comparisons of IQ in Children With and Without Cochlear Implants: Longitudinal Findings and Associations With Language.

PubMed

Cejas, Ivette; Mitchell, Christine M; Hoffman, Michael; Quittner, Alexandra L

2018-04-05

To make longitudinal comparisons of intelligence quotient (IQ) in children with cochlear implants (CIs) and typical hearing peers from early in development to the school-age period. Children with additional comorbidities and CIs were also evaluated. To estimate the impact of socioeconomic status and oral language on school-age cognitive performance. This longitudinal study evaluated nonverbal IQ in a multicenter, national sample of 147 children with CIs and 75 typically hearing peers. IQ was evaluated at baseline, prior to cochlear implantation, using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development and the Leiter International Performance Scale. School-age IQ was assessed using the Wechsler Intelligence Scales for Children. For the current study, only the Perceptual Reasoning and Processing Speed indices were administered. Oral language was evaluated using the Comprehensive Assessment of Spoken Language. Children in the CI group scored within the normal range of intelligence at both time points. However, children with additional comorbidities scored significantly worse on the Processing Speed, but not the Perceptual Reasoning Index. Maternal education and language were significantly related to school-age IQ in both groups. Importantly, language was the strongest predictor of intellectual functioning in both children with CIs and normal hearing. These results suggest that children using cochlear implants perform similarly to hearing peers on measures of intelligence, but those with severe comorbidities are at-risk for cognitive deficits. Despite the strong link between socioeconomic status and intelligence, this association was no longer significant once spoken language performance was accounted for. These results reveal the important contributions that early intervention programs, which emphasize language and parent training, contribute to cognitive functioning in school-age children with CIs. For families from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, who are at-risk for suboptimal outcomes, these early intervention programs are critical to improve overall functioning.

Comparison of Gingival Health and Salivary Parameters among Autistic and Non-Autistic School Children in Riyadh

PubMed Central

Diab, Hafez M; Motlaq, Suha Saeed; Alsharare, Amal; Alshammery, Ashwaq; Alshammery, Nadia; Khawja, Shabnam Gulzar

2016-01-01

Introduction Autism is a neuro-developmental disorder which is manifested as impairment of social interaction, communication and a repetitive behaviour. Autism can obscure dental treatment for the affected patients; furthermore, children with autism commonly have destructive oral habits. Aim The aims of this study were to evaluate the Modified Gingival Index (MGI), Plaque Index (PI), salivary pH and buffering capacity of the saliva among autistic children compared to normal children in Riyadh City that may provide baseline data to enable comparison and future planning of dental services for autistic children. Materials and Methods A total of 50 children diagnosed with autism (mean age 8.5 years) were selected from Azzam Autism School, Riyadh City. The control group consisted of 50 non-autistic school children (mean age 8.7 years), gender matched, selected from Outpatient Clinic, Riyadh Colleges of Dentistry and Pharmacy. MGI, PI, salivary pH and salivary buffer capacity tests were done for all participants. The buffering capacity of the stimulated saliva was grouped under ‘very low’, ‘low’ and ‘normal’. Pearson’s Chi square and one way ANOVA were used to find statistical significance if any among the autistic and the normal control group. Results The results of the study showed that the mean ± standard deviation of MGI, PI and pH of unstimulated resting saliva for autistic group were 1.82 ± 0.65, 1.92 ± 0.35 and 6.8 ± 0.5 respectively. Normal control group had values 1.35 ± 0.85, 1.44 ± 0.43 and 7 ± 0.4 respectively. A statistically significant difference between both groups for all parameters was found. Salivary buffering capacity was found to be normal for the majority among both groups. However, 60% children among the autistic group presented with normal buffering capacity of the stimulated saliva as compared to 70% among the normal control group. However, this difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.544). Conclusion Children with autism appear to have higher gingival inflammation, poor oral hygiene and a slightly lower salivary pH as compared to healthy control group. Special oral health programmes regarding treatment and maintenance of good oral health should be taken in consideration for autistic children. PMID:27891471

Food variety score is associated with dual burden of malnutrition in Orang Asli (Malaysian indigenous peoples) households: implications for health promotion.

PubMed

Saibul, Nurfaizah; Shariff, Zalilah Mohd; Lin, Khor Geok; Kandiah, Mirnalini; Ghani, Nawalyah Abdul; Rahman, Hejar Abdul

2009-01-01

This paper reports on the presence of dual burden households in Orang Asli (OA, indigenous people) communities and its associated factors. A total of 182 OA households in two districts in Selangor with the required criteria (182 non-pregnant women of child bearing age and 284 children aged 2-9 years old) participated in the study. Height and weight of both women and children were measured. Energy intake and food variety score (FVS) were determined using three 24-hour diet recalls. While 58% were underweight and 64% of the children were stunted, the prevalence of overweight and obesity in women were 31% and 20% respectively. The percentage of dual burden households (overweight mother/underweight child) was 25.8% while 14.8% households had normal weight mother/normal weight child. The mean food variety score (FVS) was similar for women (7.0+/-2.1) and children (6.9+/-1.9). Dual burden households were associated with women's employment status (OR: 3.18, 95% CI: 2.65-5.66), FVS of children (OR: 0.71, 95% CI: 0.51-0.95) and FVS of women (OR: 1.39, 95% CI: 1.02- 1.89). The FVS of children (OR: 0.49, 95% CI: 0.25-0.89) and women (OR: 1.92, 95% CI: 1.64-2.77) remained significant even when dual burden households were compared to only households with normal weight mother/normal weight child. In these OA communities, food variety may predict a healthier diet in children, but may increase the risk of overweight and obesity in adults. Efforts to address households with dual burden malnutrition should consider promotion of healthy diets and lifestyle for all members.

Body weight has no impact on self-esteem of minority children living in inner city, low-income neighborhoods: a cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Wong, William W; Mikhail, Carmen; Ortiz, Christina L; Lathan, Debra; Moore, Louis A; Konzelmann, Karen L; Smith, E O'Brian

2014-01-24

The relationship between body weight and self-esteem among underserved minority children is not well documented. We measured the self-esteem profile using the Self-Perception Profile for Children among 910 minority children at 17 Houston community centers. Weight status had no effect on any of the self-esteem scores among the minority children (P ≥ 0.21). Black children had higher scholastic competence than Hispanic children (P = 0.05). Social acceptance was not affected by age, gender, and race/ethnicity (P ≥ 0.13). Significant age x gender (P = 0.006) and race x gender (P = 0.005) interactions were detected on athletic competence. The younger boys had higher athletic competence than the younger and older girls (P ≤ 0.01). The older boys had higher athletic competence than the older girls (P = 0.008) but their scores were not different from those of the younger girls (P = 0.07). Within each race/ethnicity group, boys had higher athletic competence than girls (P ≤ 0.03). Black boys had higher athletic competence than Hispanic girls (P = 0.007) but their scores were not different from those of the Hispanic boys (P = 0.08). Age and gender had no effect on physical appearance but black children had higher scores than Hispanic children (P = 0.05). Behavioral conduct was not affected by age, gender, or race/ethnicity (P ≥ 0.11). There was an age x gender interaction on global self-worth (P = 0.02) with boys having similar scores regardless of ages (P = 0.40) or ethnicity (P = 0.98). However, boys from both age groups had higher global self-worth than the older girls (P ≤ 0.04) but their scores were not different from those of the younger girls (P ≥ 0.07). For the first time, we documented that being normal weight did not necessarily guarantee positive self-esteem among minority children. Their self-esteem scores were similar to those found among children who were diagnosed with obesity and obesity-related co-morbidities and lower than those reported among normal-weight white children. Therefore, activities to promote self-esteem are important when working with underserved minority children in order to promote a healthy lifestyle.

Neuromotor Development of Children Aged 6 and 7 Years Born before the 30th Week Gestation.

PubMed

Majewska, Joanna; Zajkiewicz, Katarzyna; Wacław-Abdul, Kamila; Baran, Joanna; Szymczyk, Daniel

2018-01-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the level of neuromotor function and somatic development in 6- and 7-year-old children born before the 30th week gestation with that in full-term children at the same age, as well as the correlation between prematurity and motor development. The study group consisted of prematurely born 40 children. Their mean gestational age at birth was 27.8 ± 1.6 weeks (range 24-30 weeks). The control group consisted of 40 healthy children born with normal birth weight (>2500 g). The neuromotor function was assessed using Touwen neurological examination criteria. During the examination, the attention was focused on the hand preference, laterality, synkinesis, and asymmetry. In addition, children's weight, height, and BMI index were measured. Premature children showed much worse results than full-term ones in hand function ( p < 0,001). They obtained the best results in paper tearing while crossing the body midline turned out to be the most difficult. Considering the quality of walking, the biggest difficulty for the premature children was to walk backwards along the straight line while during normal walking they showed the best results. The results for the muscle tone subcategory in the study group were also significantly worse than those in control group ( p < 0,001), as well as the total outcome for the movement coordination and diadochokinesis subcategories ( p < 0,001). The nondisabled, prematurely born children have significantly lower average outcomes regarding hand function, quality of walking, muscle tone, coordination, and diadochokinesis at age of six to seven, compared to the full-term peers.

Age-Related Changes in Immunological Factors and Their Relevance in Allergic Disease Development During Childhood.

PubMed

Chang, Woo Sung; Kim, Eun Jin; Lim, Yeon Mi; Yoon, Dankyu; Son, Jo Young; Park, Jung Won; Hong, Soo Jong; Cho, Sang Heon; Lee, Joo Shil

2016-07-01

Allergic diseases are triggered by Th2-mediated immune reactions to allergens and orchestrated by various immunological factors, including immune cells and cytokines. Although many reports have suggested that childhood is the critical period in the onset of allergic diseases and aging leads to alter the susceptibility of an individual to allergic diseases, age-related changes in various immunological factors in healthy individuals as well as their difference between healthy and allergic children have not yet been established. We investigated the ratio of Th1/Th2 cells and the levels of 22 allergy-related cytokines across all age groups in individuals who were classified as clinically non-atopic and healthy. We also examined their differences between healthy and allergic children to evaluate immunological changes induced by the development of allergic diseases during childhood. The Th1/Th2 ratio rose gradually during the growth period including childhood, reaching peak values in the twenties-thirties age group. Th1/Th2 ratios were significantly lower in allergic children than in healthy controls, whereas 14 of 22 cytokines were significantly higher in allergic children than in healthy controls. On the other hand, there were no differences in Th1/Th2 ratios and cytokines between healthy and allergic adolescents. In this study, age-related changes in Th1/Th2 ratios were found in normal controls across all age groups, and decreases in Th1/Th2 ratio were observed with increasing of 14 cytokines in allergic children. The results of this study may be helpful as reference values for both monitoring immunological changes according to aging in healthy individuals and distinguishing between normal and allergic subjects in terms of immune cells and soluble factors.

The relationship of working memory, inhibition, and response variability in child psychopathology.

PubMed

Verté, Sylvie; Geurts, Hilde M; Roeyers, Herbert; Oosterlaan, Jaap; Sergeant, Joseph A

2006-02-15

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between working memory and inhibition in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), high-functioning autism (HFA), and Tourette syndrome (TS), compared to normally developing children. Furthermore, the contribution of variation in processing speed on working memory and inhibition was investigated in these childhood psychopathologies. Four groups of children are reported in this study: 65 children with ADHD, 66 children with HFA, 24 children with TS, and 82 normal control children. All children were in the age range of 6-13 years. The relationship between working memory and inhibition was similar in children with ADHD, HFA, TS, and normally developing children. The relationship between both domains did not alter significantly for any of the groups, when variation in processing speed was taken into account. More symptoms of hyperactivity/impulsivity are related to a poorer inhibitory process and greater response variability. More symptoms of autism are related to a poorer working memory process. The current study showed that working memory, inhibition, and response variability, are distinct, but related cognitive domains in children with developmental psychopathologies. Research with experimental manipulations is needed to tackle the exact relationship between these cognitive domains.

Comparison of memory and meta-memory abilities of children with cochlear implant and normal hearing peers.

PubMed

Engel-Yeger, Batya; Durr, Doris H; Josman, Naomi

2011-01-01

This study aimed (1) to compare visual memory and meta-memory abilities, including the use of strategies as context, of children with cochlear implant (CI) and children with normal hearing; (2) to examine the concurrent and construct validity of 'The Contextual Memory Test for Children' (CMT-CH). Twenty children with CI and 20 children with normal hearing, aged 8-10 years, participated in this study. Memory abilities were measured by two subtests of the Children's Memory Scale (CMS) and by CMT-CH, which also measures meta-memory abilities. Children with CI scored significantly lower in both tests of memory and meta-memory and showed less efficient use of context to memorise. Significant positive correlations were found between CMS and CMT-CH memory tests in both groups. Visual memory and meta-memory abilities may be impaired in children with CI. Evaluation and intervention for children with CI should refer to their memory and meta-memory abilities in order to measure the outcomes of CIs, and enhance language development academic achievements. Although more studies on CMT-CH should be performed, the CMT-CH may be used for the evaluation of visual memory of children with CI.

Developmental Trajectory of McGurk Effect Susceptibility in Children and Adults With Amblyopia.

PubMed

Narinesingh, Cindy; Goltz, Herbert C; Raashid, Rana Arham; Wong, Agnes M F

2015-03-05

The McGurk effect is an audiovisual illusion that involves the concurrent presentation of a phoneme (auditory syllable) and an incongruent viseme (visual syllable). Adults with amblyopia show less susceptibility to this illusion than visually normal controls, even when viewing binocularly. The present study investigated the developmental trajectory of McGurk effect susceptibility in adults, older children (10-17 years), and younger children (4-9 years) with amblyopia. A total of 62 participants with amblyopia (22 adults, 12 older children, 28 younger children) and 66 visually normal controls (25 adults, 17 older children, 24 younger children) viewed videos that combined phonemes and visemes, and were asked to report what they heard. Videos with congruent (auditory and visual matching) and incongruent (auditory and visual not matching) stimuli were presented. Incorrect responses on incongruent trials correspond to high McGurk effect susceptibility, indicating that the viseme influenced the phoneme. Participants with amblyopia (28.0% ± 3.3%) demonstrated a less consistent McGurk effect than visually normal controls (15.2% ± 2.3%) across all age groups (P = 0.0024). Effect susceptibility increased with age (P = 0.0003) for amblyopic participants and controls. Both groups showed a similar response pattern to different speakers and syllables, but amblyopic participants invariably demonstrated a less consistent effect. Amblyopia is associated with reduced McGurk effect susceptibility in children and adults. Our findings indicate that the differences do not simply indicate delayed development in children with amblyopia; rather, they represent permanent alterations that persist into adulthood. Copyright 2015 The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Inc.

Oral language and narrative skills in children with specific language impairment with and without literacy delay: a three-year longitudinal study.

PubMed

Vandewalle, Ellen; Boets, Bart; Boons, Tinne; Ghesquière, Pol; Zink, Inge

2012-01-01

This longitudinal study compared the development of oral language and more specifically narrative skills (storytelling and story retelling) in children with specific language impairment (SLI) with and without literacy delay. Therefore, 18 children with SLI and 18 matched controls with normal literacy were followed from the last year of kindergarten (mean age=5 years 5 months) until the beginning of grade 3 (mean age=8 years 1 month). Oral language tests measuring vocabulary, morphology, sentence and text comprehension and narrative skills were administered yearly. Based on first and third grade reading and spelling achievement, both groups were divided into a group with and a group without literacy problems. Results showed that the children with SLI and literacy delay had persistent oral language problems across all assessed language domains. The children with SLI and normal literacy skills scored also persistently low on vocabulary, morphology and story retelling skills. Only on listening comprehension and storytelling, they evolved towards the level of the control group. In conclusion, oral language skills in children with SLI and normal literacy skills remained in general poor, despite their intact literacy development during the first years of literacy instruction. Only for listening comprehension and storytelling, they improved, probably as a result of more print exposure. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Association between family structure, maternal education level, and maternal employment with sedentary lifestyle in primary school-age children.

PubMed

Vázquez-Nava, Francisco; Treviño-Garcia-Manzo, Norberto; Vázquez-Rodríguez, Carlos F; Vázquez-Rodríguez, Eliza M

2013-01-01

To determine the association between family structure, maternal education level, and maternal employment with sedentary lifestyle in primary school-age children. Data were obtained from 897 children aged 6 to 12 years. A questionnaire was used to collect information. Body mass index (BMI) was determined using the age- and gender-specific Centers for Disease Control and Prevention definition. Children were categorized as: normal weight (5(th) percentile≤BMI<85(th) percentile), at risk for overweight (85(th)≤BMI<95(th) percentile), overweight (≥ 95(th) percentile). For the analysis, overweight was defined as BMI at or above the 85(th) percentile for each gender. Adjusted odds ratios (adjusted ORs) for physical inactivity were determined using a logistic regression model. The prevalence of overweight was 40.7%, and of sedentary lifestyle, 57.2%. The percentage of non-intact families was 23.5%. Approximately 48.7% of the mothers had a non-acceptable educational level, and 38.8% of the mothers worked outside of the home. The logistic regression model showed that living in a non-intact family household (adjusted OR=1.67; 95% CI=1.04-2.66) is associated with sedentary lifestyle in overweight children. In the group of normal weight children, logistic regression analysis show that living in a non-intact family, having a mother with a non-acceptable education level, and having a mother who works outside of the home were not associated with sedentary lifestyle. Living in a non-intact family, more than low maternal educational level and having a working mother, appears to be associated with sedentary lifestyle in overweight primary school-age children. Copyright © 2013 Sociedade Brasileira de Pediatria. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

Acoustic properties of vowel production in prelingually deafened Mandarin-speaking children with cochlear implants

PubMed Central

Yang, Jing; Brown, Emily; Fox, Robert A.; Xu, Li

2015-01-01

The present study examined the acoustic features of vowel production in Mandarin-speaking children with cochlear implants (CIs). The subjects included 14 native Mandarin-speaking, prelingually deafened children with CIs (2.9–8.3 yr old) and 60 age-matched, normal-hearing (NH) children (3.1–9.0 years old). Each subject produced a list of monosyllables containing seven Mandarin vowels: [i, a, u, y, ɤ, ʅ, ɿ]. Midpoint F1 and F2 of each vowel token were extracted and normalized to eliminate the effects of different vocal tract sizes. Results showed that the CI children produced significantly longer vowels and less compact vowel categories than the NH children did. The CI children's acoustic vowel space was reduced due to a retracted production of the vowel [i]. The vowel space area showed a strong negative correlation with age at implantation (r = −0.80). The analysis of acoustic distance showed that the CI children produced corner vowels [a, u] similarly to the NH children, but other vowels (e.g., [ʅ, ɿ]) differently from the NH children, which suggests that CI children generally follow a similar developmental path of vowel acquisition as NH children. These findings highlight the importance of early implantation and have implications in clinical aural habilitation in young children with CIs. PMID:26627755

Changes in Motor Development During a 4-Year Follow-up on Children With Univentricular Heart Defects.

PubMed

Mäenpää, Heidi; Häkkinen, Arja; Sarajuuri, Anne

2016-01-01

To compare changes in motor development from 1 to 5 years of age among 18 children with hypoplastic left heart syndrome and 12 with univentricular heart to 42 children without heart defect. Motor development was assessed with the Alberta Infant Motor Scale and Movement Assessment Battery for Children (Movement ABC). Children with hypoplastic left heart syndrome or univentricular heart had significantly lower scores on the Alberta Infant Motor Scale test at the age of 1 and on the Movement ABC test at the age of 5 years compared with controls. Children with clear abnormalities on brain magnetic resonance imaging had lower scores compared with those with normal images or mild changes, and their relative motor scores decreased during follow-up. Some children with univentricular heart defects may benefit from physiotherapeutic interventions to support their motor development.

Intravenous dextrose for children with gastroenteritis and dehydration: a double-blind randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Levy, Jason A; Bachur, Richard G; Monuteaux, Michael C; Waltzman, Mark

2013-03-01

We seek to determine whether an initial intravenous bolus of 5% dextrose in normal saline solution compared with normal saline solution will lead to a lower proportion of hospitalized patients and a greater reduction in serum ketone levels in children with gastroenteritis and dehydration. We enrolled children aged 6 months to 6 years in a double-blind, randomized controlled trial of patients presenting to a pediatric emergency department. Subjects were randomized to receive a 20 mL/kg infusion of either 5% dextrose in normal saline solution or normal saline solution. Serum ketone levels were measured before and at 1- and 2-hour intervals after the initial study fluid bolus administration. Primary outcome was the proportion of children hospitalized. Secondary outcome was change in serum ketone levels over time. One hundred eighty-eight children were enrolled. The proportion of children hospitalized did not differ between groups (35% in the 5% dextrose in normal saline solution group versus 44% in the normal saline solution group; risk difference 9%; 95% confidence interval [CI] -5% to 22%). Compared with children who received normal saline solution, those who received 5% dextrose in normal saline solution had a greater reduction in mean serum ketone levels at both 1 hour (mean Δ 1.2 versus 0.1 mmol/L; mean difference 1.1 mmol/L; 95% CI 0.4 to 1.9 mmol/L) and 2 hours (mean Δ 1.9 versus 0.3 mmol/L; mean difference 1.6 mmol/L; 95% CI 0.9 to 2.3 mmol/L). Administration of a dextrose-containing bolus compared with normal saline did not lead to a lower rate of hospitalization for children with gastroenteritis and dehydration. There was, however, a greater reduction in serum ketone levels in patients who received 5% dextrose in normal saline solution. Copyright © 2012. Published by Mosby, Inc.

[Cognitive functions of school children with normal IQ and histories of severe and early malnutrition].

PubMed

Perales, C G; Heresi, E; Pizarro, F; Colombo, M

1996-12-01

This is a cross section study designed to evaluate the long lasting consequences of early and severe undernutrition on the development of basic cognitive functions. Attention, memory and problem-solving capacity were assessed in a group of 16 school children, who were severely undernourished during the first two years of age. They were compared with a group of 16 children with a normal growth. All subjects, age 8 to 10, had a normal intellectual coefficient and they belonged to the me same socioeconomical level. Memory was measured with a modified version of subtest of digits from WISC; attention was evaluated with a modified version of the Continuous Performance Task and problem-solving was measured with the Anstey Domino Test. A personal computer was used to assess the cognitive functions. The children who were undernourished during infancy presented lower scores in memory (number of the digits) and in problems solving (number of correct answers). They also had a worse performance than the control group in the same response time, when attention was evaluated. These results suggest that early severe undernutrition had deletereous effects on basic cognitive functions.

Feeding, eating and behavioral disturbances in Prader-Willi syndrome and non-syndromal obesity.

PubMed

Sonnengrün, Lilli; Schober, Celestina; Vogel, Mandy; Hiemisch, Andreas; Döhnert, Mirko; Hilbert, Anja; Kiess, Wieland

2016-08-01

Although most individuals with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) are obese, little is known about the impact of obesity-related psychosocial factors in PWS. In the present study we compared feeding, eating, and behavioral disturbances in children and adolescents with PWS, peers with non-syndromal obesity, and normal weight controls. Twelve persons with PWS, aged 7-22 years, age- and gender-matched obese and normal weight individuals were analyzed regarding parental feeding practices, eating disturbances, and behavioral problems via standardized questionnaires. Parents of individuals with PWS reported significantly more restrictive feeding and monitoring than did parents of obese or normal weight children without PWS (p<0.05). Social problems were more common in the obese and the PWS group than in the normal-weight group (p<0.05). Behavioral problems were significantly correlated with parental restrictive feeding practices. Our data show that children and adolescents with PWS are affected by psychosocial problems, and that restrictive feeding practices might be associated with more severe behavioral problems. Further studies in larger samples will be necessary to replicate these results and possibly provide new therapeutic approaches for the management of PWS.

Factors Affecting Underweight and Obesity Among Elementary School Children in South Korea.

PubMed

Lee, GyuYoung; Ham, Ok Kyung

2015-12-01

The purpose of the study was to determine factors associated with underweight and obesity in elementary school children in Korea. Study participants included 4,895 children attending 59 elementary schools across Korea. Children were grouped into underweight [< 5% body mass index (BMI)-for-age], normal weight (5%-85% BMI-for-age), and overweight/obese (≥ 85% BMI-for age). The questionnaire included demographic characteristics, health status, and diet and exercise behavior of children, and environmental characteristics of schools. Twelve percent of the children were overweight or obese. The results showed that demographic (age and gender), health status (atopic dermatitis and poor subjective health), and the characteristics of diet and exercise (unbalanced diet and diet experiences) were associated with underweight (p < .05), while demographic (age and gender), health status (poor subjective health), behavioral characteristics (fast food consumption and diet experiences), and school environmental characteristics (rural area) were associated with overweight/obesity (p < .05). Programs and interventions to reduce underweight and overweight/obesity in Korean elementary schools must consider behavioral and environmental characteristics of children. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Behavioral Problems in Indian Children with Epilepsy.

PubMed

Mishra, Om P; Upadhyay, Aishvarya; Prasad, Rajniti; Upadhyay, Shashi K; Piplani, Satya K

2017-02-15

To assess prevalence of behavioral problems in children with epilepsy. This was a cross-sectional study of children with epilepsy, and normal controls enrolled between July 2013 to June 2015. Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) was used as a tool to assess the behavior based on parents reported observation. There were 60 children with epilepsy in 2-5 years and 80 in 6-14 years age groups, and 74 and 83 unaffected controls, respectively. Mean CBCL scores for most of the domains in children of both age groups were significantly higher than controls. Clinical range abnormalities were mainly detected in externalizing domain (23.3%) in 2-5 years, and in both internalizing (21.2%) and externalizing (45%) domains in children of 6-14 years. Younger age of onset, frequency of seizures and duration of disease had significant correlation with behavioral problems in both the age groups. Antiepileptic drug polytherapy was significantly associated with internalizing problems in older children. Age at onset, frequency of seizures and duration of disease were found to be significantly associated with occurrence of behavioral problems.

Association of vitamin D status with incidence of enterotoxigenic, enteropathogenic and enteroaggregative Escherichia coli diarrhoea in children of urban Bangladesh.

PubMed

Ahmed, A M S; Soares Magalhaes, R J; Long, K Z; Ahmed, T; Alam, Md A; Hossain, Md I; Islam, Md M; Mahfuz, M; Mondal, D; Haque, R; Mamun, A A

2016-08-01

To evaluate the association between vitamin D status and diarrhoeal episodes by enterotoxigenic (ETEC), enteropathogenic (EPEC) and enteroaggregative (EAEC) E. coli in underweight and normal-weight children aged 6-24 months in urban Bangladesh. Cohorts of 446 normal-weight and 466 underweight children were tested separately for ETEC, EPEC and EAEC from diarrhoeal stool samples collected during 5 months of follow-up while considering vitamin D status at enrolment as the exposure. Cox proportional hazards models with unordered failure events of the same type were used to determine diarrhoeal risk factors after adjusting for sociodemographic and concurrent micronutrient status. Vitamin D status was not independently associated with the risk of incidence of ETEC, EPEC and EAEC diarrhoea in underweight children, but moderate-to-severe retinol deficiency was associated with reduced risk for EPEC diarrhoea upon adjustment. Among normal-weight children, insufficient vitamin D status and moderate-to-severe retinol deficiency were independently associated with 44% and 38% reduced risk of incidence of EAEC diarrhoea, respectively. These children were at higher risk of ETEC diarrhoea with vitamin D deficiency status when adjusted for micronutrient status only. This study demonstrates for the first time that normal-weight children with insufficient vitamin D status have a reduced risk of EAEC diarrhoea than children with sufficient status. Moderate-to-severe deficiency of serum retinol is associated with reduced risk of EPEC and EAEC diarrhoea in underweight and normal-weight children. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Longer duration of obesity is associated with a reduction in urinary angiotensinogen in prepubertal children.

PubMed

Morato, Manuela; Correia-Costa, Liane; Sousa, Teresa; Cosme, Dina; Schaefer, Franz; Areias, José Carlos; Guerra, António; Afonso, Alberto Caldas; Barros, Henrique; Azevedo, Ana; Albino-Teixeira, António

2017-08-01

We aimed to study the impact of obesity on urinary excretion of angiotensinogen (U-AGT) in prepubertal children, focusing on the duration of obesity and gender. Also, we aimed to evaluate whether plasma angiotensinogen (P-AGT) and hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) play a role in the putative association. Cross-sectional evaluation of 305 children aged 8-9 years (160 normal weight, 86 overweight, and 59 obese). Anthropometric measurements and 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring were performed. Angiotensinogen (AGT) was determined by a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit and H 2 O 2 by a microplate fluorometric assay. U-AGT and P-AGT levels were similar across body mass index (BMI) groups and between sexes. However, boys who were overweight/obese since the age of 4 years presented lower levels of U-AGT compared with those of normal weight at the same age. In children who were overweight/obese since the age of 4, urinary H 2 O 2 decreased with P-AGT. A higher duration of obesity was associated with decreased U-AGT in boys, thus reflecting decreased intrarenal activity of the renin-angiotensin system. Also, children with a longer duration of obesity showed an inverse association between urinary H 2 O 2 and P-AGT. Future studies should address whether these results reflect an early compensatory mechanism to limit obesity-triggered renal dysfunction.

Neurological development of children born to liver transplant recipients.

PubMed

Schreiber-Zamora, J; Kociszewska-Najman, B; Borek-Dzięcioł, B; Drozdowska-Szymczak, A; Czaplińska, N; Pawlik, O; Cyganek, A; Pietrzak, B; Wielgoś, M

2014-10-01

Immunosuppressive treatment used in pregnant liver recipients may have a negative impact on fetal development and successively a child. The aim of the study was to make a neurological assessment of infants and children born to liver transplant recipients (LTRs) born between December 4, 2001, and February 11, 2013, in the 1(st) Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical University of Warsaw. The study involved 88 children, of whom 44 children were born to LTR mothers, and 44 children born to women who were not organ recipients and delivered at a similar gestational age. The gestational age of neonates ranged from 33 to 41 weeks, and the birth weight ranged from 1420 g to 4100 g. The neurological examination was performed in children from 7 weeks to 10 years of age. The neurological development was assessed by a specialist in pediatric neurology. The results of the examination were divided according to the following criteria: 1) normal development, 2) slight disorders, 3) moderate disorders, and 4) severe disorders. The Fisher's exact test was used for statistical analysis. Normal development was found in 35 of 44 (79.54%) children in the LTR group and 39 of 44 (88.63%) children in the control group (P = .3827). Slight disorders were observed in 6 of 44 (13.63%) children in LTR group and 5 of 44 (11.36%) children in the control group. Moderate disorders were found only in 3 of 44 (6.81%) children in the LTR group. No severe disorders were observed in both groups. Neurological development of children born to the liver recipients who were exposed to chronic immunosuppressive treatment in their fetal lives is the same as that of children whose mothers have not undergone organ transplantation.

Pubertal Height Velocity and Associations with Pre-pubertal and Adult Heights in Cystic Fibrosis

PubMed Central

Zhang, Zhumin; Lindstrom, Mary J.; Lai, HuiChuan J.

2013-01-01

Objectives To test the hypothesis that pubertal peak height velocity (PHV) in cystic fibrosis (CF) has improved and is influenced by pre-pubertal growth and genetic potential. Study design PHV from 1862 children born in 1984–87 and documented in the 1986–2008 US CF Foundation Registry was determined by statistical modeling and classified into normal, delayed (2-SD > average age), attenuated (magnitude < 5th percentile), or both (D&A). Genetic potential for height was estimated by parental stature. Results PHV averaged 8.4 cm/y at age 14.0 y in boys and 7.0 cm/y at age 12.1 y in girls, ~6 mo delay and ~15% reduction compared with healthy children. PHV was normal in 60%, delayed in 9%, attenuated in 21% and D&A in 5%. Patients with delayed PHV reached similar adult height percentile (boys: 34th, girls: 46th) to those with normal PHV (boys: 33rd, girls: 34th); both were significantly taller than the attenuated (boys: 11th, girls: 19th) and D&A PHV subgroups (boys: 8th, girls: 14th). Pancreatic sufficient patients had taller pre-pubertal and adult heights but similar PHV compared with pancreatic insufficient or meconium ileus patients. Adjusting for genetic potential reduced adult height percentiles more in boys (25th to 16th) than girls (28th to 24th). Height at age 7 y, PHV age and magnitude, and parental stature significantly predicted adult height. Conclusions Pubertal PHV has improved in children with CF born after mid 1980s compared with older cohorts but remains below normal. Suboptimal pre-pubertal and pubertal growth led to adult height below genetic potential in CF. PMID:23535012

Long-term follow-up of endocrine function among young children with newly diagnosed malignant central nervous system tumors treated with irradiation-avoiding regimens.

PubMed

Cochrane, Anne M; Cheung, Clement; Rangan, Kasey; Freyer, David; Nahata, Leena; Dhall, Girish; Finlay, Jonathan L

2017-11-01

The adverse effects of irradiation on endocrine function among patients with pediatric brain tumor are well documented. Intensive induction chemotherapy followed by marrow-ablative chemotherapy with autologous hematopoietic cell rescue (AuHCR) without central nervous system (CNS) irradiation has demonstrated efficacy in a proportion of very young children with some malignant CNS tumors. This study assessed the long-term endocrine function of young children following chemotherapy-only treatment regimens. A retrospective chart review was performed on 99 patients under 6 years of age with malignant brain tumors newly diagnosed between May 1991 and October 2010 treated with irradiation-avoiding strategies. Thirty patients survived post-AuHCR without cranial irradiation for a mean of 8.1 years (range 3.0-22.25 years). The patient cohort included 18 males and 12 females (mean age at AuHCR of 2.5 years, range 0.8-5.1 years). All 30 surviving patients had documented normal age-related thyroid function, insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3 (IGF-BP3), prolactin, testosterone, and estradiol levels. Insulin-like growth factor 1 age-related levels were abnormal in one child with normal height. Ninety-seven percent of patients had normal cortisol levels, while follicle-stimulating hormone and LH levels among females were normal in 83% and 92%, respectively, and in 100% of males. Growth charts demonstrated age-associated growth within 2 standard deviations of the mean in 67% of patients. Of 10 patients (33%) with short stature, 6 had proportional diminutions in both height and weight. These findings demonstrate that the use of relatively brief, intensive chemotherapy regimens including marrow-ablative chemotherapy with AuHCR results in fewer endocrine sequelae than treatment schemes utilizing CNS irradiation. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Inter-segment foot motion in girls using a three-dimensional multi-segment foot model.

PubMed

Jang, Woo Young; Lee, Dong Yeon; Jung, Hae Woon; Lee, Doo Jae; Yoo, Won Joon; Choi, In Ho

2018-05-06

Several multi-segment foot models (MFMs) have been introduced for in vivo analyses of dynamic foot kinematics. However, the normal gait patterns of healthy children and adolescents remain uncharacterized. We sought to determine normal foot kinematics according to age in clinically normal female children and adolescents using a Foot 3D model. Fifty-eight girls (age 7-17 years) with normal function and without radiographic abnormalities were tested. Three representative strides from five separate trials were analyzed. Kinematic data of foot segment motion were tracked and evaluated using an MFM with a 15-marker set (Foot 3D model). As controls, 50 symptom-free female adults (20-35 years old) were analyzed. In the hindfoot kinematic analysis, plantar flexion motion in the pre-swing phase was significantly greater in girls aged 11 years or older than in girls aged <11 years, thereby resulting in a larger sagittal range of motion. Coronal plane hindfoot motion exhibited pronation, whereas transverse plane hindfoot motion exhibited increased internal rotation in girls aged <11 years. Hallux valgus angles increased significantly in girls aged 11 years or older. The foot progression angle showed mildly increased internal rotation in the loading response phase and the swing phase in girls aged <11 years old. The patterns of inter-segment foot motion in girls aged 11 years or older showed low-arch kinematic characteristics, whereas those in girls aged 11 years or older were more similar to the patterns in young adult women. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Perception of association between normal development and environmental stimulation by mothers of children in the first three years of life.

PubMed

de Paula, Lila Isabel C; Pires, Cibelle Dutra; Mascarenhas, Tamara Santiago; Costa, Joyce Pinheiro L; Brito, Luciane Maria O

2013-06-01

To evaluate the perception of mothers with children aged zero to three years old on the association between environmental stimulation and normal development of these children assisted at a Health Unit in São Luís, Maranhão, Northeast Brazil, and to identify the level of maternal understanding on the stimulation of the family environment in which the child is inserted. Qualitative research that enrolled 15 mothers of children aged zero to three years old treated in the Health Unit Antonio Carlos Reis, Cidade Olímpica, in São Luís, Maranhão, Brazil, from October 2009 to March 2010. Data collection instruments were medical records, semi-structured interviews applied in household with parents, participant observations, and home visits. Most mothers were teenagers, single, did not work outside the household, had incomplete primary education, and family income from 0 to 0.5 minimum wage. The main difficulties were: lack of preparation to raise their children, low level of resolution of everyday situations, and father absence on family life. It was identified how mothers associated environmental deprivation with normal child development. The mothers presented perception on the environment in which their children lived and that the lack of stimulation in these places affected the children's development. Therefore, there is a need for improved levels of stimulation and of the links between child, family, and health professionals.

Attentional Bias towards Emotional Scenes in Boys with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

PubMed

Pishyareh, Ebrahim; Tehrani-Doost, Mehdi; Mahmoodi-Gharaie, Javad; Khorrami, Anahita; Joudi, Mitra; Ahmadi, Mehrnoosh

2012-01-01

Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) react explosively and inappropriately to emotional stimuli. It could be hypothesized that these children have some impairment in attending to emotional cues. Based on this hypothesis, we conducted this study to evaluate visual directions of children with ADHD towards paired emotional scenes. Thirty boys between the ages of 6 and 11 years diagnosed with ADHD were compared with 30 age-matched normal boys. All participants were presented paired emotional and neutral scenes in the four following categories: pleasant-neutral; pleasant-unpleasant; unpleasant-neutral; and neutral - neutral. Meanwhile, their visual orientations towards these pictures were evaluated using the eye tracking system. The number and duration of first fixation and duration of first gaze were compared between the two groups using the MANOVA analysis. The performance of each group in different categories was also analyzed using the Friedman test. With regards to duration of first gaze, which is the time taken to fixate on a picture before moving to another picture, ADHD children spent less time on pleasant pictures compared to normal group, while they were looking at pleasant - neutral and unpleasant - pleasant pairs. The duration of first gaze on unpleasant pictures was higher while children with ADHD were looking at unpleasant - neutral pairs (P<0.01). Based on the findings of this study it could be concluded that children with ADHD attend to unpleasant conditions more than normal children which leads to their emotional reactivity.

Tracking of overweight from early childhood to adolescence in cohorts born 1988 and 1994: overweight in a high birth weight population.

PubMed

Johannsson, E; Arngrimsson, S A; Thorsdottir, I; Sveinsson, T

2006-08-01

To investigate the prevalence and tracking of overweight and obesity in childhood cohorts born 1988 and 1994 in a population of high birth weight. Icelandic cohorts born in 1988 and 1994. Out of 1328, 9- and 15-year-old children from 18 randomly selected schools all over Iceland, 934 participated (71%). Height and mass were measured by the investigators. Also, height and mass at birth, and at age 2.5, 6, 9, and 12 years, were collected from maternity wards and school health registers. The prevalence of overweight children ranged from 10.1% for 2.5-year-olds to 18.7% for 9-year-olds. No difference was observed between the two cohorts or sex. The prevalence of obesity in the 1994 cohort (4.3%) was significantly higher (P = 0.01) at age 6 years, compared to the 1988 cohort (1.1%). The children who were overweight at age 2.5 years were more likely to be overweight at age 6 (OR=12.2) and 9 years (OR=4.9), but not significantly at age 12 or 15 years, compared with normal weight 2.5-year-olds. Overweight children at age 6 or 9 years were much more likely (OR 10.4 and OR 18.6, respectively) to be overweight at age 15 years compared to their normal weight peers. Of overweight 6-year-olds, 51% were overweight at 15 years, and were about one-third of all overweight children at that age. The children that weighed above the 85th percentile at birth were more likely than the other children to be overweight at the age of 6 years (OR = 1.8), 9 years (OR = 2.1), and 15 (OR = 2.0) years. The results show high prevalence of overweight and obesity even before the start of compulsory schooling. Approximately, 51% of overweight 6-year-olds were still overweight after puberty. Therefore, preschool overweight prevention, along with prevention at school age, seems to be of uttermost importance.

Evaluation of intellectual development of children following congenital, mildly symptomatic cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection. A prospective study.

PubMed

Milewska-Bobula, Bogumniła; Zebrowska, Joanna; Olszaniecka, Marzena; Pijanowska, Stefania; Radziszewska-Konopka, Marzanna; Lipka, Bozena

2010-01-01

Assessment of intellectual development of 6-year-old children following asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic congenital cytomegalovirus infection in infancy. A longitudinal, prospective cohort study concerning 38 (2%) children with congenital cytomegalovirus infection confirmed by specific serological and molecular tests, selected from the group of 1895 neonates preliminarily enrolled into the study. The first specialistic clinical assessment was performed during the neonatal and early infancy period, the second at the age of 12-18 months, and the final comprehensive clinical evaluation was carried out at the age of 6-6.5 years. Psychological evaluation showed normal mental development (Intelligence Quotient ranged from 88 to 114), but 12 (32%) children showed abnormalities in speech development and in 3 (8%) poor visual-motor integration was observed. Emotional and social functioning indicate a normal level of maturity, but 14 (37%) children exhibited increased emotional sensitivity. Psychological assessment indicate that 6 (16%) children may have problems with school maturity. Long-term follow-up of children with congenital cytomegalovirus infection is necessary, including those with a mild clinical course, in view of the possible late sequelae, especially concerning intellectual development and hearing impairment.

Rotatory and collic vestibular evoked myogenic potential testing in normal-hearing and hearing-impaired children.

PubMed

Maes, Leen; De Kegel, Alexandra; Van Waelvelde, Hilde; Dhooge, Ingeborg

2014-01-01

Vertigo and imbalance are often underestimated in the pediatric population, due to limited communication abilities, atypical symptoms, and relatively quick adaptation and compensation in children. Moreover, examination and interpretation of vestibular tests are very challenging, because of difficulties with cooperation and maintenance of alertness, and because of the sometimes nauseatic reactions. Therefore, it is of great importance for each vestibular laboratory to implement a child-friendly test protocol with age-appropriate normative data. Because of the often masked appearance of vestibular problems in young children, the vestibular organ should be routinely examined in high-risk pediatric groups, such as children with a hearing impairment. Purposes of the present study were (1) to determine age-appropriate normative data for two child-friendly vestibular laboratory techniques (rotatory and collic vestibular evoked myogenic potential [cVEMP] test) in a group of children without auditory or vestibular complaints, and (2) to examine vestibular function in a group of children presenting with bilateral hearing impairment. Forty-eight typically developing children (mean age 8 years 0 months; range: 4 years 1 month to 12 years 11 months) without any auditory or vestibular complaints as well as 39 children (mean age 7 years 8 months; range: 3 years 8 months to 12 years 10 months) with a bilateral sensorineural hearing loss were included in this study. All children underwent three sinusoidal rotations (0.01, 0.05, and 0.1 Hz at 50 degrees/s) and bilateral cVEMP testing. No significant age differences were found for the rotatory test, whereas a significant increase of N1 latency and a significant threshold decrease was noticeable for the cVEMP, resulting in age-appropriate normative data. Hearing-impaired children demonstrated significantly lower gain values at the 0.01 Hz rotation and a larger percentage of absent cVEMP responses compared with normal-hearing children. Seventy-four percent of hearing-impaired children showed some type of vestibular abnormality when examined with a combination of rotatory and cVEMP testing, in contrast to an abnormality rate of 60% with cVEMP and a rate of 49% with rotatory testing alone. The observed pediatric age correlations underscore the necessity of age-appropriate normative data to guarantee accurate interpretation of test results. The high percentages of abnormal vestibular test results in hearing-impaired children emphasize the importance of vestibular assessment in these children because the integrity of the vestibular system is a critical factor for motor and psychological development.

Language skills and phonological awareness in children with cochlear implants and normal hearing.

PubMed

Soleymani, Zahra; Mahmoodabadi, Najmeh; Nouri, Mina Mohammadi

2016-04-01

Early auditory experience plays a major role in language acquisition. Linguistic and metalinguistic abilities of children aged 5-5.5 years with cochlear implants (CIs) were compared to age-matched children with normal hearing (NH) to investigate the effect of hearing on development of these two skills. Eighteen children with NH and 18 children with CIs took part in the study. The Test of Language Development-Primary, third edition, was used to assess language and metalinguistic skills by assessment of phonological awareness (PA). Language skills and PA were then compared between groups. Hierarchical linear regression was conducted to determine whether the language skills explained the unique variance in PA. There were significant differences between children with NH and those with CIs for language skills and PA (p≤0.001). All language skills (semantics, syntax, listening, spoken language, organizing, and speaking) were uniquely predictive of PA outcome in the CI children. Linear combinations of listening and semantics and listening, semantics, and syntax correlated significantly with PA. The results show that children with CIs may have trouble with language skills and PA. Listening, semantics, and syntax, among other skills, are significant indicators of the variance in PA for children with CIs. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Joint association of birth weight and physical activity/sedentary behavior with obesity in children ages 9-11 years from 12 countries.

PubMed

Qiao, Yijuan; Zhang, Tao; Liu, Hongyan; Katzmarzyk, Peter T; Chaput, Jean-Philippe; Fogelholm, Mikael; Johnson, William D; Kuriyan, Rebecca; Kurpad, Anura; Lambert, Estelle V; Maher, Carol; Maia, José A R; Matsudo, Victor; Olds, Timothy; Onywera, Vincent; Sarmiento, Olga L; Standage, Martyn; Tremblay, Mark S; Tudor-Locke, Catrine; Zhao, Pei; Hu, Gang

2017-06-01

To examine the joint association of birth weight and physical activity/sedentary time with childhood obesity in 12 countries. A cross-sectional study of 5,088 children aged 9 to 11 years was conducted. Birth weight was recalled by parents or guardians. Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sedentary behavior were objectively measured using accelerometry. The association of birth weight with the odds of obesity, central obesity, and high body fat was significant among children with either low MVPA or high sedentary time but not among children with either high MVPA or low sedentary time. In comparison with children with normal birth weight and high MVPA, children with high birth weight and low MVPA showed 4.48- to 5.18-fold higher odds of obesity, central obesity, and high body fat; children with normal birth weight and low MVPA showed 3.00- to 3.30-fold higher odds of obesity, central obesity, and high body fat, and children with high birth weight and high MVPA showed 1.16- to 1.68-fold higher odds of obesity, central obesity, and high body fat. High MVPA is more important than high birth weight as a correlate of obesity in children. © 2017 The Obesity Society.

Joint association of birth weight and physical/sedentary activity with obesity at children ages 9–11 years in 12 countries

PubMed Central

Qiao, Yijuan; Zhang, Tao; Liu, Hongyan; Katzmarzyk, Peter T.; Chaput, Jean-Philippe; Fogelholm, Mikael; Johnson, William D.; Kuriyan, Rebecca; Kurpad, Anura; Lambert, Estelle V.; Maher, Carol; Maia, José A.R.; Matsudo, Victor; Olds, Timothy; Onywera, Vincent; Sarmiento, Olga L.; Standage, Martyn; Tremblay, Mark S.; Tudor-Locke, Catrine; Zhao, Pei; Hu, Gang

2017-01-01

Objective To examine the joint association of birth weight and physical/sedentary activity time with obesity in 12 countries. Methods A cross-sectional study of 5,088 children aged 9–11 years was conducted. Birth weight was recalled by parents or guardians. Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sedentary behavior were objectively measured using accelerometry. Results The association of birth weight with the odds of obesity, central obesity and high body fat was significant among children with either low MVPA or high sedentary time but not among children with either high MVPA or low sedentary time. In comparison with children with normal birth weight and high MVPA, children with high birth weight and low MVPA showed 4.48–5.18 fold higher odds of obesity, central obesity, and high body fat; children with normal birth weight and low MVPA showed 3.00–3.30 fold higher odds of obesity, central obesity, and high body fat, and children with high birth weight and high MVPA showed 1.16–1.68 fold higher odds of obesity, central obesity, and high body fat. Conclusions High MVPA is more important than high birth weight as a correlate of obesity in children. PMID:28544795

Bone mineral density and correlation factor analysis in normal Taiwanese children.

PubMed

Shu, San-Ging

2007-01-01

Our aim was to establish reference data and linear regression equations for lumbar bone mineral density (BMD) in normal Taiwanese children. Several influencing factors of lumbar BMD were investigated. Two hundred fifty-seven healthy children were recruited from schools, 136 boys and 121 girls, aged 4-18 years were enrolled on a voluntary basis with written consent. Their height, weight, blood pressure, puberty stage, bone age and lumbar BMD (L2-4) by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) were measured. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation and stepwise regression tests. All measurements increased with age. Prior to age 8, there was no gender difference. Parameters such as height, weight, and bone age (BA) in girls surpassed boys between ages 8-13 without statistical significance (p> or =0.05). This was reversed subsequently after age 14 in height (p<0.05). BMD difference had the same trend but was not statistically significant either. The influencing power of puberty stage and bone age over BMD was almost equal to or higher than that of height and weight. All the other factors correlated with BMD to variable powers. Multiple linear regression equations for boys and girls were formulated. BMD reference data is provided and can be used to monitor childhood pathological conditions. However, BMD in those with abnormal bone age or pubertal development could need modifications to ensure accuracy.

Lexical and age effects on word recognition in noise in normal-hearing children.

PubMed

Ren, Cuncun; Liu, Sha; Liu, Haihong; Kong, Ying; Liu, Xin; Li, Shujing

2015-12-01

The purposes of the present study were (1) to examine the lexical and age effects on word recognition of normal-hearing (NH) children in noise, and (2) to compare the word-recognition performance in noise to that in quiet listening conditions. Participants were 213 NH children (age ranged between 3 and 6 years old). Eighty-nine and 124 of the participants were tested in noise and quiet listening conditions, respectively. The Standard-Chinese Lexical Neighborhood Test, which contains lists of words in four lexical categories (i.e., dissyllablic easy (DE), dissyllablic hard (DH), monosyllable easy (ME), and monosyllable hard (MH)) was used to evaluate the Mandarin Chinese word recognition in speech spectrum-shaped noise (SSN) with a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of 0dB. A two-way repeated-measures analysis of variance was conducted to examine the lexical effects with syllable length and difficulty level as the main factors on word recognition in the quiet and noise listening conditions. The effects of age on word-recognition performance were examined using a regression model. The word-recognition performance in noise was significantly poorer than that in quiet and the individual variations in performance in noise were much greater than those in quiet. Word recognition scores showed that the lexical effects were significant in the SSN. Children scored higher with dissyllabic words than with monosyllabic words; "easy" words scored higher than "hard" words in the noise condition. The scores of the NH children in the SSN (SNR=0dB) for the DE, DH, ME, and MH words were 85.4, 65.9, 71.7, and 46.2% correct, respectively. The word-recognition performance also increased with age in each lexical category for the NH children tested in noise. Both age and lexical characteristics of words had significant influences on the performance of Mandarin-Chinese word recognition in noise. The lexical effects were more obvious under noise listening conditions than in quiet. The word-recognition performance in noise increased with age in NH children of 3-6 years old and had not reached plateau at 6 years of age in the NH children. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

Inhibition: Mental Control Process or Mental Resource?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Im-Bolter, Nancie; Johnson, Janice; Ling, Daphne; Pascual-Leone, Juan

2015-01-01

The current study tested 2 models of inhibition in 45 children with language impairment and 45 children with normally developing language; children were aged 7 to 12 years. Of interest was whether a model of inhibition as a mental-control process (i.e., executive function) or as a mental resource would more accurately reflect the relations among…

Urinary Cortisol Circadian Rhythm in a Group of High-Functioning Children with Autism.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richdale, Amanda L.; Prior, Margot R.

1992-01-01

This study found no evidence for abnormal temporal placement of the basal urinary cortisol circadian rhythm in a group of 18 high-functioning children (ages 4-14) with autism. There was a tendency toward cortisol hypersecretion during the day, predominantly in autistic children who were integrated into the normal school system. (Author/JDD)

Directional Effects on Infants and Young Children in Real Life: Implications for Amplification

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ching, Teresa Y. C.; O'Brien, Anna; Dillon, Harvey; Chalupper, Josef; Hartley, Lisa; Hartley, David; Raicevich, George; Hain, Jens

2009-01-01

Purpose: This study examined the head orientation of young children in naturalistic settings and the acoustics of their everyday environments for quantifying the potential effects of directionality. Method: Twenty-seven children (11 with normal hearing, 16 with impaired hearing) between 11 and 78 months of age were video recorded in naturalistic…

Auditory Temporal-Organization Abilities in School-Age Children with Peripheral Hearing Loss

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koravand, Amineh; Jutras, Benoit

2013-01-01

Purpose: The objective was to assess auditory sequential organization (ASO) ability in children with and without hearing loss. Method: Forty children 9 to 12 years old participated in the study: 12 with sensory hearing loss (HL), 12 with central auditory processing disorder (CAPD), and 16 with normal hearing. They performed an ASO task in which…

The Processing and Interpretation of Verb Phrase Ellipsis Constructions by Children at Normal and Slowed Speech Rates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Callahan, Sarah M.; Walenski, Matthew; Love, Tracy

2012-01-01

Purpose: To examine children's comprehension of verb phrase (VP) ellipsis constructions in light of their automatic, online structural processing abilities and conscious, metalinguistic reflective skill. Method: Forty-two children ages 5 through 12 years listened to VP ellipsis constructions involving the strict/sloppy ambiguity (e.g., "The…

The Role of Maternal Depression in Accessing Early Intervention Services for Children with Developmental Delay

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Colgan, Siobhan Eileen

2012-01-01

This study investigated the relationship between maternal depression and children's access to early intervention services among a sample of children with developmental delay at age two who were determined to be eligible for early intervention services, were full term and of normal birth weight, and were not previously identified with any special…

Motor Planning and Control in Autism. A Kinematic Analysis of Preschool Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Forti, Sara; Valli, Angela; Perego, Paolo; Nobile, Maria; Crippa, Alessandro; Molteni, Massimo

2011-01-01

Kinematic recordings in a reach and drop task were compared between 12 preschool children with autism without mental retardation and 12 gender and age-matched normally developing children. Our aim was to investigate whether motor anomalies in autism may depend more on a planning ability dysfunction or on a motor control deficit. Planning and…

Changes in Gustatory Function and Taste Preference Following Weight Loss.

PubMed

Sauer, Helene; Ohla, Kathrin; Dammann, Dirk; Teufel, Martin; Zipfel, Stephan; Enck, Paul; Mack, Isabelle

2017-03-01

To investigate taste changes of obese children during an inpatient weight reduction treatment in comparison with normal weight children. Obese (n = 60) and normal weight (n = 27) children aged 9-17 years were assessed for gustatory functions using taste strips (taste identification test for the taste qualities sour, salty, sweet, and bitter), taste preferences, and experienced taste sensitivity. Obese children were examined upon admission (T1) and before discharge (T2). Normal weight children served as the control group. Irrespective of taste quality, obese children exhibited a lower ability to identify taste (total taste score) than normal weight children (P < .01); this overall score remained stable during inpatient treatment in obese children. Group and treatment effects were seen when evaluating individual taste qualities. In comparison with normal weight children, obese children exhibited poorer sour taste identification performance (P < .01). Obese children showed improvement in sour taste identification (P < .001) and deterioration in sweet taste identification (P < .001) following treatment. Subjective reports revealed a lower preference for sour taste in obese children compared with normal weight children (P < .05). The sweet and bitter taste ability at T1 predicted the body mass index z score at T2 (R 2  = .23, P < .01). We identified differences in the ability to discriminate tastes and in subjective taste perception between groups. Our findings of increased sour and reduced sweet taste discrimination after the intervention in obese children are indicative of an exposure-related effect on taste performance, possibly mediated by increased acid and reduced sugar consumption during the intervention. Because the sweet and bitter taste ability at T1 predicted weight loss, addressing gustatory function could be relevant in individualized obesity treatment approaches. Germanctr.de: DRKS00005122. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of growth and development pattern in normal, low and very low birth weight neonates at 18 months of age.

PubMed

Abdeyazdan, Zahra; Ehsanpour, Soheila; Hemmati, Elahe

2014-01-01

Growth and development monitoring could lead to general judgment about children's health. With advances in NICUs establishment, the survival rate of very low birth weight (VLBW) neonates has increased in many countries including Iran. Because of the lack of studies about growth and development pattern of low birth weight (LBW) and VLBW neonates in Iran, the present study aimed to compare growth and development of normal, low and very low birth weight neonates at 18 months of age. In a cross- sectional descriptive study, 214 children with age 18 months were enrolled (90 LBW, 90 LBW and 34 VLBW) and their growth and development were assessed. Data gathering tool was a researcher made questionnaire including anthropometrics measures and developmental key points. Data analyzed by descriptive (mean and SD) and inferential (ANOVA) tests using SPSS version 15. There were significant differences in the mean of anthropometric indexes between three groups. Majority of subjects in three groups had normal weight growth trend. Mean scores of gross motor and fine motor development indexes had significant association with birth weight. Meanwhile, there was no significant association between mean scores of social/cognitive and also language developmental aspects and birth weight. Findings revealed that in LBW and VLBW children, growth indexes at the age of 18 months are so far from those of NBW neonates. Further nationwide prospective studies, with a longer period of time is needed to estimate when Iranian LBW children reach at the levels of NBW ones.

[Examination of relationship between level of hearing and written language skills in 10-14-year-old hearing impaired children].

PubMed

Turğut, Nedim; Karlıdağ, Turgut; Başar, Figen; Yalçın, Şinasi; Kaygusuz, İrfan; Keleş, Erol; Birkent, Ömer Faruk

2015-01-01

This study aims to review the relationship between written language skills and factors which are thought to affect this skill such as mean hearing loss, duration of auditory deprivation, speech discrimination score, and pre-school education attendance and socioeconomic status of hearing impaired children who attend 4th-7th grades in primary school in inclusive environment. The study included 25 hearing impaired children (14 males, 11 females; mean age 11.4±1.4 years; range 10 to 14 years) (study group) and 20 children (9 males, 11 females; mean age 11.5±1.3 years; range 10 to 14 years) (control group) with normal hearing in the same age group and studying in the same class. Study group was separated into two subgroups as group 1a and group 1b since some of the children with hearing disability used hearing aid while some used cochlear implant. Intragroup comparisons and relational screening were performed for those who use hearing aids and cochlear implants. Intergroup comparisons were performed to evaluate the effect of the parameters on written language skills. Written expression skill level of children with hearing disability was significantly lower than their normal hearing peers (p=0.001). A significant relationship was detected between written language skills and mean hearing loss (p=0.048), duration of auditory deprivation (p=0.021), speech discrimination score (p=0.014), and preschool attendance (p=0.005), when it comes to socioeconomic status we were not able to find any significant relationship (p=0.636). It can be said that hearing loss affects written language skills negatively and hearing impaired individuals develop low-level written language skills compared to their normal hearing peers.

Irisin and its relation to insulin resistance and puberty in obese children: a longitudinal analysis.

PubMed

Reinehr, Thomas; Elfers, Clinton; Lass, Nina; Roth, Christian L

2015-05-01

Irisin is a recently identified myokine affecting metabolic and glucose homeostasis. However, the role of irisin in obesity and its metabolic consequences are controversial, and data in children are scarce. To study the relationships between irisin, insulin resistance, and puberty before and after weight loss in obese children with and without impaired glucose tolerance. One-year follow-up study in obese children participating in a lifestyle intervention. Primary care. Forty obese children and 20 normal-weight children of similar age, gender, and pubertal stage. A 1-year outpatient intervention program based on exercise, behavior, and nutrition therapy. Fasting serum irisin, weight status (body mass index [BMI] SD score), and the following parameters of the metabolic syndrome: insulin resistance index (homeostasis model of assessment), blood pressure, and lipids. The irisin levels were the highest in obese children with impaired glucose tolerance, followed by obese children with normal glucose tolerance, and levels were lowest in normal-weight children (P < .001). In a multiple linear regression analysis, baseline irisin was significantly associated with pubertal stage, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, and homeostasis model of assessment, but not to age, gender, BMI, or any other parameter of the metabolic syndrome. The irisin concentrations were significantly (P = .010) lower in the prepubertal compared to the pubertal children. In longitudinal analyses, changes of irisin were significantly associated with entry into puberty, change of fasting glucose, and 2-hour glucose in an oral glucose tolerance test, but not with change of BMI or any other parameter. Irisin levels are related to pubertal stage and insulin resistance but not to weight status in childhood.

Patterns and Determinants of Double-Burden of Malnutrition among Rural Children: Evidence from China

PubMed Central

Zhang, Nan; Bécares, Laia; Chandola, Tarani

2016-01-01

Chinese children are facing dual burden of malnutrition—coexistence of under-and over-nutrition. Little systematic evidence exists for explaining the simultaneous presence of under-and over-nutrition. This study aims to explore underlying mechanisms of under-and over-nutrition among children in rural China. This study used a nationwide longitudinal dataset of children (N = 5,017) from 9 provinces across China, with four exclusively categories of nutritional outcomes including under-nutrition (stunting and underweight), over-nutrition (overweight only including obesity), paradox (stunted overweight), with normal nutrition as reference. Multinomial logit models (Level-1: occasions; Level-2: children; Level-3: villages) were fitted which corrected for non-independence of observations due to geographic clustering and repeated observations of individuals. A mixture of risk factors at the individual, household and neighbourhood levels predicted under-and over-nutrition among children in rural China. Improved socioeconomic status and living in more urbanised villages reduced the risk of stunted overweight among rural children in China. Young girls appeared to have higher risk of under-nutrition, and the risk decreased with age more markedly than for boys up to age 5. From age 5 onwards, boys tended to have higher risk of under-nutrition than girls. Girls aged around 12 and older were less likely to suffer from under-nutrition, while boys’ higher risk of under-nutrition persisted throughout adolescence. Children were less likely to suffer from over-nutrition compared to normal nutrition. Boys tended to have an even lower risk of over-nutrition than girls and the gender difference widened with age until adolescence. Our results have important policy implications that improving household economic status, in particular, maternal education and health insurance for children, and living environment are important to enhance rural children’s nutritional status in China. Investments in early years of childhood can be effective to reduce gender inequality in nutritional health in rural China. PMID:27391448

Regional cerebral blood flow in childhood autism: a SPET study with SPM evaluation.

PubMed

Burroni, Luca; Orsi, Alessandra; Monti, Lucia; Hayek, Youssef; Rocchi, Raffaele; Vattimo, Angelo G

2008-02-01

To establish a link between rCBF assessed with Tc-ECD SPET and the clinical manifestation of the disease. We performed the study on 11 patients (five girls and six boys; mean age 11.2 years) displaying autistic behaviour and we compared their data with that of an age-matched reference group of eight normal children. A quantitative analysis of rCBF was performed calculating a perfusion index (PI) and an asymmetry index (AI) in each lobe. Images were analysed with statistical parametric mapping software, following the spatial normalization of SPET images for a standard brain. A statistically significant (P=0.003) global reduction of CBF was found in the group of autistic children (PI=1.07+/-0.07) when compared with the reference group (PI=1.25+/-0.12). Moreover, a significant difference was also observed for the right-to-left asymmetry of hemispheric perfusion between the control group and autistic patients (P=0.0085) with a right prevalence greater in autistic (2.90+/-1.68) with respect to normal children (1.12+/-0.49). Our data show a significant decrease of global cerebral perfusion in autistic children in comparison with their normal counterparts and the existence of left-hemispheric dysfunction, especially in the temporo-parietal areas devoted to language and the comprehension of music and sounds. We suggest that these abnormal areas are related to the cognitive impairment observed in autistic children, such as language deficits, impairment of cognitive development and object representation, and abnormal perception and responses to sensory stimuli. Tc-ECD SPET seems to be sensitive in revealing brain blood flow alterations and left-to-right asymmetries, when neuroradiological patterns are normal.

Vestibular evoked myogenic potentials in young children: test parameters and normative data.

PubMed

Kelsch, Timothy A; Schaefer, Lynne A; Esquivel, Carlos R

2006-06-01

The vestibular evoked myogenic potential (VEMP) is a test of the vestibulocollic reflex that has been extensively studied in adults. Much is known about the normal values in adults as well as their changes with age. In children, the expected test values and their possible changes in development have not yet been described nor has the feasibility of reliable testing in this group. The aim of this prospective study is to accumulate normative data and to verify the viability of testing in young children. The study focused on optimal test parameters, reproducibility, and subject compliance in a pediatric population. Thirty normal-hearing children (60 ears) ages 3 to 11 completed VEMP testing and audiograms for analysis. VEMP testing was performed with alternating clicks at three intensities (80-, 85-, and 90-dB normalized hearing level) using averaged, unrectified electromyograms recorded by surface electrode on the sternocleidomastoid muscle ipsilateral to the stimulus. VEMP latencies, amplitude, compliance, and length of testing were recorded for each patient, as well as their feedback on the testing session. The subjects were divided into four age groups for analysis. All but one of the subjects attempting VEMP testing was able to finish. Of 30 children completing VEMP tests, bilateral reflexes were recorded for all subjects with symmetric responses in 28 of 30 subjects (93%). The mean peak latencies (+/- standard deviation [SD]) of pI and nII were 11.3 msec (1.3 ms) and 17.6 msec (1.4 ms), respectively. The mean pI-nII amplitude (+/- SD) was 122 muV (68 muV). There was a significantly shorter nII mean peak latency of group I (ages 3-5) left ear in comparison to other groups, with an absolute shorter mean latency nII in the right ear of group I (not significant). Average test time was 15 minutes with two researchers testing, and subjects were highly compliant. VEMP is a well-tolerated test for screening vestibular function in young children, performed with minimal test time and reproducible results. Mean latencies in this study suggested a shorter initial negative peak (nII) than in adult studies, consistent with prolongation seen in previous research on the effects of age. Ninety-decibel normalized hearing level clicks were adequate for uniform response rates. Expected latency and amplitude values in single-channel VEMP-unrectified electromyograms were established. This is the first study describing expected latencies and optimal testing parameters in children.

Body mass index trajectories of Indigenous Australian children and relation to screen time, diet, and demographic factors

PubMed Central

Dobbins, Timothy; Neeman, Teresa; Banwell, Cathy; Banks, Emily

2017-01-01

Objective Limited cross‐sectional data indicate elevated overweight/obesity prevalence among Indigenous versus non‐Indigenous Australian children. This study aims to quantify body mass index (BMI) trajectories among Indigenous Australian children aged 3‐6 and 6‐9 years and to identify factors associated with the development of overweight/obesity. Methods Three‐year BMI change was examined in up to 1,157 children in the national Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children. BMI trajectories among children with normal baseline BMI (n = 907/1,157) were quantified using growth curve models. Results Baseline prevalences of overweight/obesity were 12.1% and 25.4% among children of mean age 3 and 6 years, respectively. Of children with normal baseline BMI, 31.9% had overweight/obesity 3 years later; BMI increased more rapidly for younger versus older (difference: 0.59 kg/m2/year; 95% CI: 0.50‐0.69), female versus male (difference: 0.15 kg/m2/year; 95% CI: 0.07‐0.23), and Torres Strait Islander versus Aboriginal (difference: 0.36 kg/m2/year; 95% CI: 0.17‐0.55) children. Results were consistent with less rapid rates of BMI increase for children with lower sugar‐sweetened beverage (including fruit juice) and high‐fat food consumption. Children's BMI was lower in more disadvantaged areas. Conclusions Overweight/obesity is common, and increases rapidly, in early childhood. Interventions are required to reduce the overweight/obesity prevalence among Indigenous Australian children in the first 3 years of life and to slow the rapid overweight/obesity onset from age 3 to 9 years. PMID:28349661

Body mass index trajectories of Indigenous Australian children and relation to screen time, diet, and demographic factors.

PubMed

Thurber, Katherine Ann; Dobbins, Timothy; Neeman, Teresa; Banwell, Cathy; Banks, Emily

2017-04-01

Limited cross-sectional data indicate elevated overweight/obesity prevalence among Indigenous versus non-Indigenous Australian children. This study aims to quantify body mass index (BMI) trajectories among Indigenous Australian children aged 3-6 and 6-9 years and to identify factors associated with the development of overweight/obesity. Three-year BMI change was examined in up to 1,157 children in the national Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children. BMI trajectories among children with normal baseline BMI (n = 907/1,157) were quantified using growth curve models. Baseline prevalences of overweight/obesity were 12.1% and 25.4% among children of mean age 3 and 6 years, respectively. Of children with normal baseline BMI, 31.9% had overweight/obesity 3 years later; BMI increased more rapidly for younger versus older (difference: 0.59 kg/m 2 /year; 95% CI: 0.50-0.69), female versus male (difference: 0.15 kg/m 2 /year; 95% CI: 0.07-0.23), and Torres Strait Islander versus Aboriginal (difference: 0.36 kg/m 2 /year; 95% CI: 0.17-0.55) children. Results were consistent with less rapid rates of BMI increase for children with lower sugar-sweetened beverage (including fruit juice) and high-fat food consumption. Children's BMI was lower in more disadvantaged areas. Overweight/obesity is common, and increases rapidly, in early childhood. Interventions are required to reduce the overweight/obesity prevalence among Indigenous Australian children in the first 3 years of life and to slow the rapid overweight/obesity onset from age 3 to 9 years. © 2017 The Authors. Obesity published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of The Obesity Society (TOS).

Catch-up growth assessment in long-term physically neglected and emotionally abused preschool age male children.

PubMed

Oliván, Gonzalo

2003-01-01

To assess the catch-up growth of long-term physically neglected and emotionally abused preschool male children who have entered foster residential care and remained 1 year after initial placement. Longitudinal study over a 7-year period (1994-2001). So that a child was eligible for the study, three selection criteria were included: (1) aged between 24 and 48 months at the time of entry into residential facility, (2) having suffered both long-term (more than 6 months) physically neglected and emotionally abused, and (3) having stayed in foster care for 1 year after initial placement. Weight, height, and head circumference were established upon entry and re-assessed 1 year after initial placement, calculating the annual growth velocity. Results were compared with normal regional longitudinal standards of reference (Z score). Student's t test was used to assess statistically significant differences. During the study period, 87 children aged between 24 and 48 months (54 male/33 female) were admitted to residential facility after having suffered both long-term physical neglect and emotional abuse. Nevertheless, only 20 children (23% of the total admissions) met the third selection criteria (having remained 1 year after initial placement). Of these children, all were males and at placement they were between the ages of 30 and 42 months, with an average age of 36 months (1.9 SD). At placement, the analyzed parameters were below the normal standards, showing a statistically significant difference for height (Z score = -1.29; p = .008) and weight (Z score = -.75; p = .038). The annual growth velocity for all parameters was above the normal standards showing a statistically significant difference for height (Z score = +1.43; p = .009). One year after initial placement, the significant differences for height (Z score = -.68; p = .102) and weight (Z score = -.31; p = .435) with respect to the normal standards disappeared, though still remained below, showing a significant catch-up growth for height (improvement height Z = +.61 SD). At placement, the both long-term physically neglected and emotionally abused preschool age male children showed a mild form of chronic malnutrition with growth failure. Growth failure was reversible after the first year of stay, which demonstrates that this delay in growth was secondary to nutritional and psychosocial factors. Placement in foster residential care was beneficial for the catch-up growth of these patients. Copyright 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd.

Reaction time norms as measured by ruler drop method in school-going South Asian children: A cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Aranha, V P; Saxena, S; Moitra, M; Narkeesh, K; Arumugam, N; Samuel, A J

2017-01-01

This study aimed to estimate normative range for reaction time using ruler drop method for school-going South Asian children between 6 and 12 years of age. A cross-sectional study was used to evaluate the reaction time for 204 children. Normal values for each age group were obtained. The results of multiple linear regressions showed a decrease in the reaction time values with age, and a significant change occurring between six and eight years of age. No difference in reaction time was obtained between boys and girls. Ruler drop method is an easy to use test and the results of this study provide a normative data for age groups 6-12 years ranging from 214.2ms to 248.8ms. These values can serve as a reference to screen children with delayed reaction time. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Child Sexual Behaviors in School Context: Age and Gender Differences.

PubMed

Miragoli, Sarah; Camisasca, Elena; Di Blasio, Paola

2017-01-01

The main purpose of the study was to explore the child sexual behaviors that Italian teachers have observed in the school context. A representative sample of 227 children, from 5 to 10 years old, was rated by their teachers through the Child Sexual Behavior Inventory. Frequencies of sexual behaviors among children aged 5 to 6, 7 to 8, and 9 to 10 are presented. Younger children showed a broader range of sexual behaviors that decrease with the growing age, such as males in comparison to females. Moreover, findings showed that child sexual behavior is not only related to age and gender but also to family characteristics. These results suggested that child sexual behaviors reported by teachers through the Child Sexual Behavior Inventory may provide useful information about the development of children's sexuality. The knowledge of age appropriate sexual behaviors can help teachers discern normal sexual behaviors from problematic sexual behaviors.

Renal Parenchymal Area Growth Curves for Children 0 to 10 Months Old.

PubMed

Fischer, Katherine; Li, Chunming; Wang, Huixuan; Song, Yihua; Furth, Susan; Tasian, Gregory E

2016-04-01

Low renal parenchymal area, which is the gross area of the kidney in maximal longitudinal length minus the area of the collecting system, has been associated with increased risk of end stage renal disease during childhood in boys with posterior urethral valves. To our knowledge normal values do not exist. We aimed to increase the clinical usefulness of this measure by defining normal renal parenchymal area during infancy. In a cross-sectional study of children with prenatally detected mild unilateral hydronephrosis who were evaluated between 2000 and 2012 we measured the renal parenchymal area of normal kidney(s) opposite the kidney with mild hydronephrosis. Measurement was done with ultrasound from birth to post-gestational age 10 months. We used the LMS method to construct unilateral, bilateral, side and gender stratified normalized centile curves. We determined the z-score and the centile of a total renal parenchymal area of 12.4 cm(2) at post-gestational age 1 to 2 weeks, which has been associated with an increased risk of kidney failure before age 18 years in boys with posterior urethral valves. A total of 975 normal kidneys of children 0 to 10 months old were used to create renal parenchymal area centile curves. At the 97th centile for unilateral and single stratified curves the estimated margin of error was 4.4% to 8.8%. For bilateral and double stratified curves the estimated margin of error at the 97th centile was 6.6% to 13.2%. Total renal parenchymal area less than 12.4 cm(2) at post-gestational age 1 to 2 weeks had a z-score of -1.96 and fell at the 3rd percentile. These normal renal parenchymal area curves may be used to track kidney growth in infants and identify those at risk for chronic kidney disease progression. Copyright © 2016 American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Children with cow's milk allergy following an elimination diet had normal growth but relatively low plasma leptin at age two.

PubMed

Dong, Ping; Feng, Jing-Jing; Yan, Dong-Yong; Lyu, Yu-Jing; Xu, Xiu

2018-02-20

To assess nutrient intake, growth and nutritional status of infants with cow's milk allergy (CMA) who follow a therapeutic elimination diet since the first few months of life. Sixty infants younger than four months of age with challenge-proven CMA and 60 healthy age-matched children were investigated. Anthropometric and body composition (BC) were assessed up to 24 months. Dietary intake was recorded by the parents for three consecutive days before visits at 6, 12, 18 and 24 months. Blood albumin, prealbumin, retinol binding protein and metabolic-related hormones were examined at 24 months. The average age at enrolment was 2.9 ± 1.0 months. At the end of the follow-up, there were no differences in daily milk consumption, nutrient intake, weight and height z scores or BC measures between the groups; however, the plasma leptin level was lower in infants with CMA (1.67 ± 1.03 vs 2.05 ± 1.48) (ng/mL) (p < 0.05) compared to healthy children. Children with CMA who followed an elimination diet could achieve a normal nutritional status, except for relatively lower plasma leptin levels, at the age of 2. Further studies with larger cohorts and research on the long-term consequences of these early differences are needed. ©2018 Foundation Acta Paediatrica. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Time reproduction in children with ADHD and their nonaffected siblings.

PubMed

Rommelse, Nanda N J; Oosterlaan, Jaap; Buitelaar, Jan; Faraone, Stephen V; Sergeant, Joseph A

2007-05-01

Time reproduction is deficient in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Whether this deficit is familial and could therefore serve as a candidate endophenotype has not been previously investigated. It is unknown whether timing deficits are also measurable in adolescent children with ADHD and nonaffected siblings. These issues were investigated in 226 children with ADHD, 188 nonaffected siblings, and 162 normal controls ages 5 to 19. Children participated in a visual and auditory time reproduction task. They reproduced interval lengths of 4, 8, 12, 16, and 20 seconds. Children with ADHD and their nonaffected siblings were less precise than controls, particularly when task difficulty was systematically increased. Time reproduction skills were familial. Time reproduction deficits were more pronounced in younger children with ADHD than in older children. Children with ADHD could be clearly dissociated from control children until the age of 9. After this age, group differences were somewhat attenuated, but were still present. Differences between nonaffected siblings and controls were constant across the age range studied. Deficits were unaffected by modality. Time reproduction may serve as a candidate endophenotype for ADHD, predominantly in younger children with (a genetic risk for) ADHD.

Intelligence and Academic Achievement With Asymptomatic Congenital Cytomegalovirus Infection.

PubMed

Lopez, Adriana S; Lanzieri, Tatiana M; Claussen, Angelika H; Vinson, Sherry S; Turcich, Marie R; Iovino, Isabella R; Voigt, Robert G; Caviness, A Chantal; Miller, Jerry A; Williamson, W Daniel; Hales, Craig M; Bialek, Stephanie R; Demmler-Harrison, Gail

2017-11-01

To examine intelligence, language, and academic achievement through 18 years of age among children with congenital cytomegalovirus infection identified through hospital-based newborn screening who were asymptomatic at birth compared with uninfected infants. We used growth curve modeling to analyze trends in IQ (full-scale, verbal, and nonverbal intelligence), receptive and expressive vocabulary, and academic achievement in math and reading. Separate models were fit for each outcome, modeling the change in overall scores with increasing age for patients with normal hearing ( n = 78) or with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) diagnosed by 2 years of age ( n = 11) and controls ( n = 40). Patients with SNHL had full-scale intelligence and receptive vocabulary scores that were 7.0 and 13.1 points lower, respectively, compared with controls, but no significant differences were noted in these scores among patients with normal hearing and controls. No significant differences were noted in scores for verbal and nonverbal intelligence, expressive vocabulary, and academic achievement in math and reading among patients with normal hearing or with SNHL and controls. Infants with asymptomatic congenital cytomegalovirus infection identified through newborn screening with normal hearing by age 2 years do not appear to have differences in IQ, vocabulary or academic achievement scores during childhood, or adolescence compared with uninfected children. Copyright © 2017 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Contralateral Noise Stimulation Delays P300 Latency in School-Aged Children.

PubMed

Ubiali, Thalita; Sanfins, Milaine Dominici; Borges, Leticia Reis; Colella-Santos, Maria Francisca

2016-01-01

The auditory cortex modulates auditory afferents through the olivocochlear system, which innervates the outer hair cells and the afferent neurons under the inner hair cells in the cochlea. Most of the studies that investigated the efferent activity in humans focused on evaluating the suppression of the otoacoustic emissions by stimulating the contralateral ear with noise, which assesses the activation of the medial olivocochlear bundle. The neurophysiology and the mechanisms involving efferent activity on higher regions of the auditory pathway, however, are still unknown. Also, the lack of studies investigating the effects of noise on human auditory cortex, especially in peadiatric population, points to the need for recording the late auditory potentials in noise conditions. Assessing the auditory efferents in schoolaged children is highly important due to some of its attributed functions such as selective attention and signal detection in noise, which are important abilities related to the development of language and academic skills. For this reason, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of noise on P300 responses of children with normal hearing. P300 was recorded in 27 children aged from 8 to 14 years with normal hearing in two conditions: with and whitout contralateral white noise stimulation. P300 latencies were significantly longer at the presence of contralateral noise. No significant changes were observed for the amplitude values. Contralateral white noise stimulation delayed P300 latency in a group of school-aged children with normal hearing. These results suggest a possible influence of the medial olivocochlear activation on P300 responses under noise condition.

Childhood Obesity and Academic Performance: The Role of Working Memory

PubMed Central

Wu, Nan; Chen, Yulu; Yang, Jinhua; Li, Fei

2017-01-01

The present study examined the role of working memory in the association between childhood obesity and academic performance, and further determined whether memory deficits in obese children are domain-specific to certain tasks or domain-general. A total of 227 primary school students aged 10–13 years were analyzed for weight and height, of which 159 children (44 “obese,” 23 “overweight,” and 92 “normal weight”) filled out questionnaires on school performance and socioeconomic status. And then, all subjects finished three kinds of working memory tasks based on the digit memory task in 30 trials, which were image-generated with a series of numbers recall trial sets. After each trial set, subjects were given 5 s to recall and write down the numbers which hand appeared in the trial, in the inverse order in which they had appeared. The results showed there were significant academic performance differences among the three groups, with normal-weight children scoring higher than overweight and obese children after Bonferroni correction. A mediation model revealed a partial indirect effect of working memory in the relationship between obesity and academic performance. Although the performance of obese children in basic working memory tests was poorer than that of normal-weight children, they recalled more items than normal-weight children in working memory tasks involving with food/drink. Working memory deficits partially explain the poor academic performance of obese children. Those results indicated the obese children show domain-specific working memory deficits, whereas they recall more items than normal-weight children in working memory tasks associated with food/drink. PMID:28469593

Childhood Obesity and Academic Performance: The Role of Working Memory.

PubMed

Wu, Nan; Chen, Yulu; Yang, Jinhua; Li, Fei

2017-01-01

The present study examined the role of working memory in the association between childhood obesity and academic performance, and further determined whether memory deficits in obese children are domain-specific to certain tasks or domain-general. A total of 227 primary school students aged 10-13 years were analyzed for weight and height, of which 159 children (44 "obese," 23 "overweight," and 92 "normal weight") filled out questionnaires on school performance and socioeconomic status. And then, all subjects finished three kinds of working memory tasks based on the digit memory task in 30 trials, which were image-generated with a series of numbers recall trial sets. After each trial set, subjects were given 5 s to recall and write down the numbers which hand appeared in the trial, in the inverse order in which they had appeared. The results showed there were significant academic performance differences among the three groups, with normal-weight children scoring higher than overweight and obese children after Bonferroni correction. A mediation model revealed a partial indirect effect of working memory in the relationship between obesity and academic performance. Although the performance of obese children in basic working memory tests was poorer than that of normal-weight children, they recalled more items than normal-weight children in working memory tasks involving with food/drink. Working memory deficits partially explain the poor academic performance of obese children. Those results indicated the obese children show domain-specific working memory deficits, whereas they recall more items than normal-weight children in working memory tasks associated with food/drink.

The triglyceride-to-high density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio in overweight Korean children and adolescents.

PubMed

Yoo, Dong-Yoon; Kang, Yu Sun; Kwon, Eun Byul; Yoo, Eun-Gyong

2017-09-01

The triglyceride-to-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (TG/HDL-C) ratio has recently been reported as a biomarker of cardiometabolic risk in obese children and adolescents. The purpose of this study is to describe the TG/HDL-C ratio and related factors in overweight and normal weight Korean children and to evaluate whether the high TG/HDL-C ratio is associated with insulin resistance in overweight children and adolescents. Data from 255 overweight (aged 8.7±2.0 years) and 514 normal weight (aged 8.9±1.8 years) children and adolescents were evaluated. Glucose, insulin, total cholesterol (TC), HDL-C and TG levels were measured after overnight fasting, and the TG/HDL-C ratio, non-HDL-C and the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) were calculated. The TG/HDL-C ratio was higher in overweight group compared to normal weight group (P<0.001). Among overweight children and adolescents, alanine aminotransferase (P=0.018), non-HDL-C (P<0.001), and HOMA-IR (P=0.004) were different between the TG/HDL-C ratio tertile groups. The prevalence of elevated HOMA-IR was increased with increasing TG/HDL-C ratio tertiles (P for trend=0.003). On regression analysis adjusted for age and sex, the BMI (β=0.402, P=0.001) and TG/HDL-C ratio (β=0.251, P=0.014) were independently associated with HOMA-IR (adjusted R2=0.324). The TG/HDL-C ratio of 2.0 or more showed higher sensitivity (55.6%) and specificity (72.9%), when compared to TC (≥200 mg/dL), non-HDL-C (≥145 mg/dL), and LDL-C (≥130 mg/dL) for identifying overweight children with elevated HOMA-IR. The TG/HDL-C ratio is independently associated with insulin resistance in overweight children and adolescents, and it can be useful in identifying those at higher cardiometabolic risk.

The triglyceride-to-high density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio in overweight Korean children and adolescents

PubMed Central

Yoo, Dong-Yoon; Kang, Yu Sun; Kwon, Eun Byul

2017-01-01

Purpose The triglyceride-to-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (TG/HDL-C) ratio has recently been reported as a biomarker of cardiometabolic risk in obese children and adolescents. The purpose of this study is to describe the TG/HDL-C ratio and related factors in overweight and normal weight Korean children and to evaluate whether the high TG/HDL-C ratio is associated with insulin resistance in overweight children and adolescents. Methods Data from 255 overweight (aged 8.7±2.0 years) and 514 normal weight (aged 8.9±1.8 years) children and adolescents were evaluated. Glucose, insulin, total cholesterol (TC), HDL-C and TG levels were measured after overnight fasting, and the TG/HDL-C ratio, non–HDL-C and the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) were calculated. Results The TG/HDL-C ratio was higher in overweight group compared to normal weight group (P<0.001). Among overweight children and adolescents, alanine aminotransferase (P=0.018), non–HDL-C (P<0.001), and HOMA-IR (P=0.004) were different between the TG/HDL-C ratio tertile groups. The prevalence of elevated HOMA-IR was increased with increasing TG/HDL-C ratio tertiles (P for trend=0.003). On regression analysis adjusted for age and sex, the BMI (β=0.402, P=0.001) and TG/HDL-C ratio (β=0.251, P=0.014) were independently associated with HOMA-IR (adjusted R2=0.324). The TG/HDL-C ratio of 2.0 or more showed higher sensitivity (55.6%) and specificity (72.9%), when compared to TC (≥200 mg/dL), non–HDL-C (≥145 mg/dL), and LDL-C (≥130 mg/dL) for identifying overweight children with elevated HOMA-IR. Conclusions The TG/HDL-C ratio is independently associated with insulin resistance in overweight children and adolescents, and it can be useful in identifying those at higher cardiometabolic risk. PMID:29025201

The anterior tilt angle of the proximal tibia epiphyseal plate: a significant radiological finding in young children with trampoline fractures.

PubMed

Stranzinger, Enno; Leidolt, Lars; Eich, Georg; Klimek, Peter Michael

2014-08-01

Evaluation of the anterior tilt angle of the proximal tibia epiphyseal plate in young children, which suffered a trampoline fracture in comparison with a normal population. 62 children (31 females, 31 males) between 2 and 5 years of age (average 2 years 11 months, standard deviation 11 months) with radiographs in two views of the tibia were included in this retrospective study. 25 children with proximal tibia fractures were injured with a history of jumping on a trampoline. All other causes for tibia fractures were excluded. A normal age-mapped control cohort of 37 children was compared. These children had neither evidence of a trampoline related injury nor a fracture of the tibia. The anterior tilt angle of the epiphyseal plate of the tibia was defined as an angle between the proximal tibia physis and the distal tibia physis on a lateral view. Two radiologists evaluated all radiographs for fractures and measured the anterior tilt angle in consensus. An unpaired Student's t-test was used for statistical analysis (SPSS). Original reports were reviewed and compared with the radiological findings and follow-up radiographs. In the normal control group, the average anterior tilt angle measured -3.2°, SD ± 2.8°. The children with trampoline fractures showed an anterior tilt of +4.4°, SD ± 2.9°. The difference was statistically significant, P<0.0001. In 6 patients (24% of all patients with confirmed fractures) the original report missed to diagnose the proximal tibial fracture. Young children between 2 and 5 years of age are at risk for proximal tibia fractures while jumping on a trampoline. These fractures may be very subtle and difficult to detect on initial radiographs. Measurement of the anterior tilt angle of the proximal tibia epiphyseal plate on lateral radiographs is supportive for interpreting correctly trampoline fractures. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Intelligence level and intelligence structure of children with primary nocturnal enuresis].

PubMed

Dai, Xiao-Mei; Ma, Hong-Wei; Pan, Xue-Xia

2007-10-01

Some research has shown that there may be memory/caution (M/C) defects in children with primary nocturnal enuresis (PNE). This study aimed to investigate whether the defects affect the intelligence level and the intelligence structure in PNE children. Intelligence tests were performed by means of Wechsler Young Children Scales of Intelligence (C-WISC) in 40 children with PNE and 40 age-matched normal children. The full intelligence quotient (FIQ), verbal IQ (VIQ) and performances IQ (PIQ) in the PNE group were in a normal range and did not different from the control group. There were significant differences in the scores for digit extent, decipher, knowledge and arithmetics between the PNE and the control groups (P < 0.05). M/C factor in the PNE group was statistically lower than in the control group (93.44 +/-11.27 vs 100.03 +/-11.79; P < 0.05). The total intelligence level of children with PNE was normal, but the M/C factor in the intelligence structure had some defects, suggesting that PNE may be related to the abnormity of executive function in the frontal lobe.

Physical Activity of Malaysian Primary School Children: Comparison by Sociodemographic Variables and Activity Domains.

PubMed

Wong, Jyh Eiin; Parikh, Panam; Poh, Bee Koon; Deurenberg, Paul

2016-07-01

This study describes the physical activity of primary school children according to sociodemographic characteristics and activity domains. Using the Malaysian South East Asian Nutrition Surveys data, 1702 children aged 7 to 12 years were included in the analysis. Physical activity was reported as a total score and categorized into low, medium, and high levels based on Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children. Higher overall activity scores were found in boys, younger age, non-Chinese ethnicity, and normal body mass index category. Sex, age, and ethnicity differences were found in structured or organized, physical education, and outside-of-school domain scores. Transport-related scores differed by age group, ethnicity, household income, and residential areas but not among the three physical activity levels. Participation of girls, Chinese, and older children were low in overall and almost all activity domains. Sociodemographic characteristics are important factors to consider in increasing the different domains of physical activity among Malaysian children. © 2016 APJPH.

Making Choices in Functional Vision Evaluations: "Noodles, Needles, and Haystacks."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bishop, V. E.

1988-01-01

An approach to functional vision evaluations clarifies the types of data collection and suggests protocols for three broad categories of visually handicapped children: "normal" school-age students, "normal" preschoolers, and multiply handicapped pupils. Visually impaired infants are classified with multiply handicapped pupils…

[Microvascular and macrovascular complications in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus].

PubMed

Fröhlich-Reiterer, Elke E; Borkenstein, Martin H

2010-08-01

Diabetes-related microvascular and macrovascular complications, as retinopathy, nephropathy and neuropathy are life-threatening complications in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). Risk factors for the development of complications are longer duration of diabetes, older age and puberty. Further risk factors include smoking, hypertension, higher body mass index and dyslipoproteinaemia. Therefore prevention and screening for complications is an important part in the care of children and adolescents with T1DM. Target levels to reduce the risk of microvascular and macrovascular complications in children and adolescents with T1DM are the following: HbA1c<7.5%, lipids in normal range, blood pressure<90th percentile by age, sex and height, BMI<95th percentile, no smoking and physical activity. Screening for retinopathy and microalbuminuria should start from 11 years with two years diabetes duration and from 9 years with 5 years duration and after 2 years diabetes duration in an adolescent. Thereafter screening should be performed annually. Blood pressure should be measured at least annually. Screening for fasting blood lipids should be performed soon after diagnosis in all children with T1DM aged over 12 years. If normal results are obtained, this should be repeated every 5 years.

Total and regional brain volumes in a population-based normative sample from 4 to 18 years: the NIH MRI Study of Normal Brain Development.

PubMed

2012-01-01

Using a population-based sampling strategy, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study of Normal Brain Development compiled a longitudinal normative reference database of neuroimaging and correlated clinical/behavioral data from a demographically representative sample of healthy children and adolescents aged newborn through early adulthood. The present paper reports brain volume data for 325 children, ages 4.5-18 years, from the first cross-sectional time point. Measures included volumes of whole-brain gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM), left and right lateral ventricles, frontal, temporal, parietal and occipital lobe GM and WM, subcortical GM (thalamus, caudate, putamen, and globus pallidus), cerebellum, and brainstem. Associations with cross-sectional age, sex, family income, parental education, and body mass index (BMI) were evaluated. Key observations are: 1) age-related decreases in lobar GM most prominent in parietal and occipital cortex; 2) age-related increases in lobar WM, greatest in occipital, followed by the temporal lobe; 3) age-related trajectories predominantly curvilinear in females, but linear in males; and 4) small systematic associations of brain tissue volumes with BMI but not with IQ, family income, or parental education. These findings constitute a normative reference on regional brain volumes in children and adolescents.

Association between vestibular function and motor performance in hearing-impaired children.

PubMed

Maes, Leen; De Kegel, Alexandra; Van Waelvelde, Hilde; Dhooge, Ingeborg

2014-12-01

The clinical balance performance of normal-hearing (NH) children was compared with the balance performance of hearing-impaired (HI) children with and without vestibular dysfunction to identify an association between vestibular function and motor performance. Prospective study. Tertiary referral center. Thirty-six children (mean age, 7 yr 5 mo; range, 3 yr 8 mo-12 yr 11 mo) divided into three groups: NH children with normal vestibular responses, HI children with normal vestibular responses, and HI children with abnormal vestibular function. A vestibular test protocol (rotatory and collic vestibular evoked myogenic potential testing) in combination with three clinical balance tests (balance beam walking, one-leg hopping, one-leg stance). Clinical balance performance. HI children with abnormal vestibular test results obtained the lowest quotients of motor performance, which were significantly lower compared with the NH group (p < 0.001 for balance beam walking and one-leg stance; p = 0.003 for one-leg hopping). The balance performance of the HI group with normal vestibular responses was better in comparison with the vestibular impaired group but still significantly lower compared with the NH group (p = 0.020 for balance beam walking; p = 0.001 for one-leg stance; not significant for one-leg hopping). These results indicate an association between vestibular function and motor performance in HI children, with a more distinct motor deterioration if a vestibular impairment is superimposed to the auditory dysfunction.

Determining appropriate nutritional interventions for South African children living in informal urban settlements.

PubMed

Coutsoudis, A; Jinabhai, C C; Coovadia, H M; Mametja, L D

1994-09-01

Rapid urbanisation in South Africa has led to the creation of informal shack settlements where the health status of children is in jeopardy; it needs to be monitored so that appropriate intervention strategies can be formulated. Accordingly, the nutritional status of 190 children (3-6 years of age) living in Besters, a typical urban shack settlement north of Durban, was assessed anthropometrically. In addition the following biochemical values were determined: vitamins A and E, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, albumin, haemoglobin, serum iron and ferritin and percentage of transferrin saturation. Malnutrition was evident in 13% of the children who were underweight (below the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) third weight-for-age percentile) and 27% who were stunted (below the NCHS third height-for-age percentile). Concentrations of albumin, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and vitamin E were close to normal, with no more than 10% of the sample having values outside the normal range. However, 44% of the children had low serum retinol levels (< 20 micrograms/dl) and 21% of the children had anaemia (haemoglobin < 11 micrograms/dl). Significant positive correlations were found between serum retinol and all biochemical indicators of iron status except serum ferritin. This study highlights the fact that nutrient deficiencies are interrelated, particularly protein energy malnutrition and poor vitamin A and iron status. A broad multifaceted comprehensive health intervention programme is therefore required.

Children Born Through Reproductive Donation: A Longitudinal Study of Psychological Adjustment

PubMed Central

Golombok, Susan; Blake, Lucy; Casey, Polly; Roman, Gabriela; Jadva, Vasanti

2012-01-01

Background Parenting and children’s adjustment were examined in 30 surrogacy families, 31 egg donation families, 35 donor insemination families, and 53 natural conception families. Methods Parenting was assessed at age 3 by a standardized interview designed to assess quality of parenting and by questionnaire measures of anxiety, depression and marital quality. Children’s adjustment was assessed at ages 3, 7 and 10 using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Results Although children born through reproductive donation obtained SDQ scores within the normal range, surrogacy children showed higher levels of adjustment difficulties at age 7 than children conceived by gamete donation. Mothers who had kept their child’s origins secret showed elevated levels of distress. However, maternal distress had a more negative impact on children who were aware of their origins. Conclusions The absence of a gestational connection to the mother may be more problematic for children than the absence of a genetic link. PMID:23176601

A Comparison of Persian Vowel Production in Hearing-Impaired Children Using a Cochlear Implant and Normal-Hearing Children.

PubMed

Jafari, Narges; Drinnan, Michael; Mohamadi, Reyhane; Yadegari, Fariba; Nourbakhsh, Mandana; Torabinezhad, Farhad

2016-05-01

Normal-hearing (NH) acuity and auditory feedback control are crucial for human voice production and articulation. The lack of auditory feedback in individuals with profound hearing impairment changes their vowel production. The purpose of this study was to compare Persian vowel production in deaf children with cochlear implants (CIs) and that in NH children. The participants were 20 children (12 girls and 8 boys) with age range of 5 years; 1 month to 9 years. All patients had congenital hearing loss and received a multichannel CI at an average age of 3 years. They had at least 6 months experience of their current device (CI). The control group consisted of 20 NH children (12 girls and 8 boys) with age range of 5 to 9 years old. The two groups were matched by age. Participants were native Persian speakers who were asked to produce the vowels /i/, /e/, /ӕ/, /u/, /o/, and /a/. The averages for first formant frequency (F1) and second formant frequency (F2) of six vowels were measured using Praat software (Version 5.1.44, Boersma & Weenink, 2012). The independent samples t test was conducted to assess the differences in F1 and F2 values and the area of the vowel space between the two groups. Mean values of F1 were increased in CI children; the mean values of F1 for vowel /i/ and /a/, F2 for vowel /a/ and /o/ were significantly different (P < 0.05). The changes in F1 and F2 showed a centralized vowel space for CI children. F1 is increased in CI children, probably because CI children tend to overarticulate. We hypothesis this is due to a lack of auditory feedback; there is an attempt by hearing-impaired children to compensate via proprioceptive feedback during articulatory process. Copyright © 2016 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Contingent capture of involuntary visual spatial attention does not differ between normally hearing children and proficient cochlear implant users.

PubMed

Kamke, Marc R; Van Luyn, Jeanette; Constantinescu, Gabriella; Harris, Jill

2014-01-01

Evidence suggests that deafness-induced changes in visual perception, cognition and attention may compensate for a hearing loss. Such alterations, however, may also negatively influence adaptation to a cochlear implant. This study investigated whether involuntary attentional capture by salient visual stimuli is altered in children who use a cochlear implant. Thirteen experienced implant users (aged 8-16 years) and age-matched normally hearing children were presented with a rapid sequence of simultaneous visual and auditory events. Participants were tasked with detecting numbers presented in a specified color and identifying a change in the tonal frequency whilst ignoring irrelevant visual distractors. Compared to visual distractors that did not possess the target-defining characteristic, target-colored distractors were associated with a decrement in visual performance (response time and accuracy), demonstrating a contingent capture of involuntary attention. Visual distractors did not, however, impair auditory task performance. Importantly, detection performance for the visual and auditory targets did not differ between the groups. These results suggest that proficient cochlear implant users demonstrate normal capture of visuospatial attention by stimuli that match top-down control settings.

Video Comprehensibility and Attention in Very Young Children

PubMed Central

Pempek, Tiffany A.; Kirkorian, Heather L.; Richards, John E.; Anderson, Daniel R.; Lund, Anne F.; Stevens, Michael

2010-01-01

Earlier research established that preschool children pay less attention to television that is sequentially or linguistically incomprehensible. This study determines the youngest age for which this effect can be found. One-hundred and three 6-, 12-, 18-, and 24-month-olds’ looking and heart rate were recorded while they watched Teletubbies, a television program designed for very young children. Comprehensibility was manipulated by either randomly ordering shots or reversing dialogue to become backward speech. Infants watched one normal segment and one distorted version of the same segment. Only 24-month-olds, and to some extent 18-month-olds, distinguished between normal and distorted video by looking for longer durations towards the normal stimuli. The results suggest that it may not be until the middle of the second year that children demonstrate the earliest beginnings of comprehension of video as it is currently produced. PMID:20822238

An initial study of voice characteristics of children using two different sound coding strategies in comparison to normal hearing children.

PubMed

Coelho, Ana Cristina; Brasolotto, Alcione Ghedini; Bevilacqua, Maria Cecília

2015-06-01

To compare some perceptual and acoustic characteristics of the voices of children who use the advanced combination encoder (ACE) or fine structure processing (FSP) speech coding strategies, and to investigate whether these characteristics differ from children with normal hearing. Acoustic analysis of the sustained vowel /a/ was performed using the multi-dimensional voice program (MDVP). Analyses of sequential and spontaneous speech were performed using the real time pitch. Perceptual analyses of these samples were performed using visual-analogic scales of pre-selected parameters. Seventy-six children from three years to five years and 11 months of age participated. Twenty-eight were users of ACE, 23 were users of FSP, and 25 were children with normal hearing. Although both groups with CI presented with some deviated vocal features, the users of ACE presented with voice quality more like children with normal hearing than the users of FSP. Sound processing of ACE appeared to provide better conditions for auditory monitoring of the voice, and consequently, for better control of the voice production. However, these findings need to be further investigated due to the lack of comparative studies published to understand exactly which attributes of sound processing are responsible for differences in performance.

'Leukodystrophy-like' phenotype in children with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease.

PubMed

Hacohen, Yael; Rossor, Thomas; Mankad, Kshitij; Chong, Wk 'Kling'; Lux, Andrew; Wassmer, Evangeline; Lim, Ming; Barkhof, Frederik; Ciccarelli, Olga; Hemingway, Cheryl

2018-04-01

To review the demographics and clinical and paraclinical parameters of children with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) antibody-associated relapsing disease. In this UK-based, multicentre study, 31 children with MOG antibody-associated relapsing disease were studied retrospectively. Of the 31 children studied, 14 presented with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM); they were younger (mean 4.1y) than the remainder (mean 8.5y) who presented with optic neuritis and/or transverse myelitis (p<0.001). Similarly, children who had an abnormal brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at onset (n=20) were younger than patients with normal MRI at onset (p=0.001) or at follow-up (p<0.001). 'Leukodystrophy-like' MRI patterns of confluent largely symmetrical lesions was seen during the course of the disease in 7 out of 14 children with a diagnosis of ADEM, and was only seen in children younger than 7 years of age. Their disability after a 3-year follow-up was mild to moderate, and most patients continued to relapse, despite disease-modifying treatments. MOG antibody should be tested in children presenting with relapsing neurological disorders associated with confluent, bilateral white matter changes, and distinct enhancement pattern. Children with MOG antibody-associated disease present with age-related differences in phenotypes, with a severe leukoencephalopathy phenotype in the very young and normal intracranial MRI in the older children. This finding suggests a susceptibility of the very young and myelinating brain to MOG antibody-mediated mechanisms of damage. Myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) antibody-associated demyelination manifest with an age-related phenotype. Children with MOG antibody and 'leukodystrophy-like' imaging patterns tend to have poor response to second-line immunotherapy. © 2017 Mac Keith Press.

Investigation of habitual pitch during free play activities for preschool-aged children.

PubMed

Chen, Yang; Kimelman, Mikael D Z; Micco, Katie

2009-01-01

This study is designed to compare the habitual pitch measured in two different speech activities (free play activity and traditionally used structured speech activity) for normally developing preschool-aged children to explore to what extent preschoolers vary their vocal pitch among different speech environments. Habitual pitch measurements were conducted for 10 normally developing children (2 boys, 8 girls) between the ages of 31 months and 71 months during two different activities: (1) free play; and (2) structured speech. Speech samples were recorded using a throat microphone connected with a wireless transmitter in both activities. The habitual pitch (in Hz) was measured for all collected speech samples by using voice analysis software (Real-Time Pitch). Significantly higher habitual pitch is found during free play in contrast to structured speech activities. In addition, there is no showing of significant difference of habitual pitch elicited across a variety of structured speech activities. Findings suggest that the vocal usage of preschoolers appears to be more effortful during free play than during structured activities. It is recommended that a comprehensive evaluation for young children's voice needs to be based on the speech/voice samples collected from both free play and structured activities.

MRI-based assessment of the pineal gland in a large population of children aged 0-5 years and comparison with pineoblastoma: part I, the solid gland.

PubMed

Galluzzi, Paolo; de Jong, Marcus C; Sirin, Selma; Maeder, Philippe; Piu, Pietro; Cerase, Alfonso; Monti, Lucia; Brisse, Hervé J; Castelijns, Jonas A; de Graaf, Pim; Goericke, Sophia L

2016-07-01

Differentiation between normal solid (non-cystic) pineal glands and pineal pathologies on brain MRI is difficult. The aim of this study was to assess the size of the solid pineal gland in children (0-5 years) and compare the findings with published pineoblastoma cases. We retrospectively analyzed the size (width, height, planimetric area) of solid pineal glands in 184 non-retinoblastoma patients (73 female, 111 male) aged 0-5 years on MRI. The effect of age and gender on gland size was evaluated. Linear regression analysis was performed to analyze the relation between size and age. Ninety-nine percent prediction intervals around the mean were added to construct a normal size range per age, with the upper bound of the predictive interval as the parameter of interest as a cutoff for normalcy. There was no significant interaction of gender and age for all the three pineal gland parameters (width, height, and area). Linear regression analysis gave 99 % upper prediction bounds of 7.9, 4.8, and 25.4 mm(2), respectively, for width, height, and area. The slopes (size increase per month) of each parameter were 0.046, 0.023, and 0.202, respectively. Ninety-three percent (95 % CI 66-100 %) of asymptomatic solid pineoblastomas were larger in size than the 99 % upper bound. This study establishes norms for solid pineal gland size in non-retinoblastoma children aged 0-5 years. Knowledge of the size of the normal pineal gland is helpful for detection of pineal gland abnormalities, particularly pineoblastoma.

Children born through reproductive donation: a longitudinal study of psychological adjustment.

PubMed

Golombok, Susan; Blake, Lucy; Casey, Polly; Roman, Gabriela; Jadva, Vasanti

2013-06-01

Parenting and children's adjustment were examined in 30 surrogacy families, 31 egg donation families, 35 donor insemination families, and 53 natural conception families. Parenting was assessed at age 3 by a standardized interview designed to assess quality of parenting and by questionnaire measures of anxiety, depression, and marital quality. Children's adjustment was assessed at ages 3, 7, and 10 using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Although children born through reproductive donation obtained SDQ scores within the normal range, surrogacy children showed higher levels of adjustment difficulties at age 7 than children conceived by gamete donation. Mothers who had kept their child's origins secret showed elevated levels of distress. However, maternal distress had a more negative impact on children who were aware of their origins. The absence of a gestational connection to the mother may be more problematic for children than the absence of a genetic link. © 2012 The Authors. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry © 2012 Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

Spontaneous improvement in oculomotor function of children with cerebral palsy.

PubMed

Ego, Caroline; Orban de Xivry, Jean-Jacques; Nassogne, Marie-Cécile; Yüksel, Demet; Lefèvre, Philippe

2014-11-20

Eye movements are essential to get a clear vision of moving objects. In the present study, we assessed quantitatively the oculomotor deficits of children with cerebral palsy (CP). We recorded eye movements of 51 children with cerebral palsy (aged 5-16 years) with relatively mild motor impairment and compared their performance with age-matched control and premature children. Overall eye movements of children with CP are unexpectedly close to those of controls even though some oculomotor parameters are biased by the side of hemiplegia. Importantly, the difference in performance between children with CP and controls decreases with age, demonstrating that the oculomotor function of children with CP develops as fast as or even faster than controls for some visual tracking parameters. That is, oculomotor function spontaneously improves over the course of childhood. This evolution highlights the ability of lesioned brain of children with CP to compensate for impaired motor function beyond what would be achieved by normal development on its own. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Overweight/obesity and hypertension in schoolchildren aged 6-16 years, Aden Governorate, Yemen, 2009.

PubMed

Badi, M A H; Garcia-Triana, B E; Suarez-Martinez, R

2012-07-01

Hypertension and obesity in children are increasing concerns worldwide. A cross-sectional study of hypertension in relation to overweight/obesity was conducted in 2009 among schoolchildren aged 6-16 years in Aden, Yemen. Using multistage stratified random sampling 1885 children were classified into wasted, normal weight, overweight and obese according to body mass index. The prevalence of wasting was 10.1%, normal weight 69.2%, overweight 12.7% and obesity 8.0%. The rate of high blood pressure (World Health Organization criteria) was 8.2% for prehypertension and 2.4% for hypertension and was significantly related to the presence of overweight or obesity. Child's body mass index combined with age was a predictor for systolic and diastolic blood pressure. The study provides further evidence that overweight/obesity is associated with hypertension in these schoolchildren.

Teeth eruption in children with normal occlusion and malocclusion.

PubMed

Legović, Mario; Legović, Asja; Slaj, Martina; Mestrović, Senka; Lapter-Varga, Marina; Slaj, Mladen

2008-06-01

The aim of this study was to assess the differences in eruption of permanent teeth (C, P1, P2 and M2) in a group of children with and without malocclusion. A sample of 1758 children (921 boys and 837 girls), aged 8-13 was randomly selected. The subjects were grouped by chronological age (11 groups) and by presence of malocclusion. Statistically significant differences were found for both, upper and lower canines in the age group 11 (p<0.01). Statistically significant difference was found in the age group 8.5 for upper first (p<0.05), upper second premolars (p<0.01) in the age group 10, and the lower second premolars in the age group 11 (p<0.05). Premature loss of deciduous teeth caused early eruption of succedaneus permanent teeth, possibly leading to development of a malocclusion.

A Normal Reference of Bone Mineral Density (BMD) Measured by Dual Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry in Healthy Thai Children and Adolescents Aged 5–18 Years: A New Reference for Southeast Asian Populations

PubMed Central

Nakavachara, Pairunyar; Pooliam, Julaporn; Weerakulwattana, Linda; Kiattisakthavee, Pornpimol; Chaichanwattanakul, Katharee; Manorompatarasarn, Racahnee; Chokephaibulkit, Kulkanya; Viprakasit, Vip

2014-01-01

Ethnic-specific normative data of bone mineral density (BMD) is essential for the accurate interpretation of BMD measurement. There have been previous reports of normative BMD data for Caucasian and Asian children including Japanese, Chinese, Korean and Indian. However, the normative BMD data for Southeast Asian including Thai children and adolescents are not currently available. The goals of our study were 1) to establish normative data of BMD, bone mineral content (BMC), bone area (BA) and lean body mass (LBM) for healthy Thai children and adolescents; aged 5–18 years measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA, Lunar Prodigy) and 2) to evaluate the relationships between BMD vs. age, sex, puberty, weight, height, calcium intake and the age of menarche in our population. Gender and age-specific BMD (L2-4; LS and total body; TB), BMADLS (apparent BMD of the lumbar spine), BMC (L2-4 and total body), BA (L2-4 and total body) and LBM were evaluated in 367 children (174 boys and 193 girls). All parameters increased progressively with age. A rapid increase in BMD, BMC and BMADLS was observed at earlier ages in girls. Gender and Tanner stage-specific BMD normative data were also generated. The dynamic changes of BMD values from childhood to early and late puberty of Thai children appeared to be consistent with those of Caucasian and Asian populations. Using a multiple-regression, weight and Tanner stage significantly affected BMDLS, BMDTB and BMADLS in both genders. Only in girls, height was found to have significant influence on BMDTB and BMADLS. The positive correlation between BMD and several demographic parameters, except the calcium intake, was observed. In summary, we established a normal BMD reference for Thai children and adolescents and this will be of useful for clinicians and researchers to appropriately assess BMD in Thais and other Southeast Asian children. PMID:24847716

Effects of Noise on Speech Recognition and Listening Effort in Children With Normal Hearing and Children With Mild Bilateral or Unilateral Hearing Loss.

PubMed

Lewis, Dawna; Schmid, Kendra; O'Leary, Samantha; Spalding, Jody; Heinrichs-Graham, Elizabeth; High, Robin

2016-10-01

This study examined the effects of stimulus type and hearing status on speech recognition and listening effort in children with normal hearing (NH) and children with mild bilateral hearing loss (MBHL) or unilateral hearing loss (UHL). Children (5-12 years of age) with NH (Experiment 1) and children (8-12 years of age) with MBHL, UHL, or NH (Experiment 2) performed consonant identification and word and sentence recognition in background noise. Percentage correct performance and verbal response time (VRT) were assessed (onset time, total duration). In general, speech recognition improved as signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) increased both for children with NH and children with MBHL or UHL. The groups did not differ on measures of VRT. Onset times were longer for incorrect than for correct responses. For correct responses only, there was a general increase in VRT with decreasing SNR. Findings indicate poorer sentence recognition in children with NH and MBHL or UHL as SNR decreases. VRT results suggest that greater effort was expended when processing stimuli that were incorrectly identified. Increasing VRT with decreasing SNR for correct responses also supports greater effort in poorer acoustic conditions. The absence of significant hearing status differences suggests that VRT was not differentially affected by MBHL, UHL, or NH for children in this study.

Phonemic accuracy development in children with cochlear implants up to five years of age by using Levenshtein distance.

PubMed

Faes, Jolien; Gillis, Joris; Gillis, Steven

2016-01-01

Phonemic accuracy of children with cochlear implants (CI) is often reported to be lower in comparison with normally hearing (NH) age-matched children. In this study, we compare phonemic accuracy development in the spontaneous speech of Dutch-speaking children with CI and NH age-matched peers. A dynamic cost model of Levenshtein distance is used to compute the accuracy of each word token. We set up a longitudinal design with monthly data for comparisons up to age two and a cross-sectional design with yearly data between three and five years of age. The main finding is that phonemic accuracy steadily increases throughout the period studied. Children with CI's accuracy is lower than that of their NH age mates, but this difference is not statistically significant in the earliest stages of lexical development. But accuracy of children with CI initially improves significantly less steeply than that of NH peers. Furthermore, the number of syllables in the target word and target word's complexity influence children's accuracy, as longer and more complex target words are less accurately produced. Up to age four, children with CI are significantly less accurate than NH children with increasing word length and word complexity. This difference has disappeared at age five. Finally, hearing age is shown to influence accuracy development of children with CI, while age of implant activation is not. This article informs the reader about phonemic accuracy development in children. The reader will be able to (a) discuss different metrics to measure phonemic accuracy development, (b) discuss phonemic accuracy of children with CI up to five years of age and compare them with NH children, (c) discuss the influence of target word's complexity and target word's syllable length on phonemic accuracy, (d) discuss the influence of hearing experience and age of implantation on phonemic accuracy of children with CI. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Legg-Calve-Perthes disease

MedlinePlus

... 4 through 10 years old. There are many theories about the cause of this disease, but little is actually ... on the child's age and the severity of the disease. Children younger than 6 years old who receive treatment are more likely to end up with a normal hip joint. Children older ...

Inhibition, Reinforcement Sensitivity and Temporal Information Processing in ADHD and ADHD+ODD: Evidence of a Separate Entity?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Luman, Marjolein; van Noesel, Steffen J. P.; Papanikolau, Alky; Van Oostenbruggen-Scheffer, Janneke; Veugelers, Diane; Sergeant, Joseph A.; Oosterlaan, Jaap

2009-01-01

This study compared children with ADHD-only, ADHD+ODD and normal controls (age 8-12) on three key neurocognitive functions: response inhibition, reinforcement sensitivity, and temporal information processing. The goal was twofold: (a) to investigate neurocognitive impairments in children with ADHD-only and children with ADHD+ODD, and (b) to test…

Differential Olfactory Identification in Children with Autism and Asperger's Disorder: A Comparative and Longitudinal Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

May, Tamara; Brewer, Warrick J.; Rinehart, Nicole J.; Enticott, Peter G.; Brereton, Avril V.; Tonge, Bruce J.

2011-01-01

Key theories of autism implicate orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) compromise, while olfactory identification (OI) deficits are associated with OFC dysfunction. This study aimed to complete a 5-year follow-up of children with high-functioning autism (HFA) who previously lacked the normal age-OI association; and compare unirhinal-OI in children with HFA,…

Attentional Modulation of Word Recognition by Children in a Dual-Task Paradigm

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Choi, Sangsook; Lotto, Andrew; Lewis, Dawna; Hoover, Brenda; Stelmachowicz, Patricia

2008-01-01

Purpose: This study investigated an account of limited short-term memory capacity for children's speech perception in noise using a dual-task paradigm. Method: Sixty-four normal-hearing children (7-14 years of age) participated in this study. Dual tasks were repeating monosyllabic words presented in noise at 8 dB signal-to-noise ratio and…

Verbal Memory Deficits in Relation to Organization Strategy in High- and Low-Functioning Autistic Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cheung, Mei-chun; Chan, Agnes S.; Sze, Sophia L.; Leung, Winnie W.; To, Cho Yee

2010-01-01

The present study examined the verbal memory profile and its relation to organizational strategies in high-functioning (Hi-AUT) and low-functioning (Lo-AUT) children with autism. Twenty-two Hi-AUT and 16 Lo-AUT, and 22 age-, gender- and handedness-matched normal children (NC) were required to remember a list of semantically related words for…

Anticipatory Sentence Processing in Children with Specific Language Impairment: Evidence from Eye Movements during Listening

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Andreu, Llorenc; Sanz-Torrent, Monica; Trueswell, John C.

2013-01-01

Twenty-five children with specific language impairment (SLI; age 5 years, 3 months [5;3]-8;2), 50 typically developing children (3;3-8;2), and 31 normal adults participated in three eye-tracking experiments of spoken language comprehension that were designed to investigate the use of verb information during real-time sentence comprehension in…

Mathematics Deficiencies in Children with Very Low Birth Weight or Very Preterm Birth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor, H. Gerry; Espy, Kimberly Andrews; Anderson, Peter J.

2009-01-01

Children with very low birth weight (VLBW, less than 1500 g) or very preterm birth (VPTB, less than 32 weeks gestational age or GA) have more mathematics disabilities or deficiencies (MD) and higher rates of mathematics learning disabilities (MLD) than normal birth weight term-born children (NBW, greater than 2500 g and greater than 36 weeks GA).…

Further delineation of Nevo syndrome.

PubMed Central

al-Gazali, L I; Bakalinova, D; Varady, E; Scorer, J; Nork, M

1997-01-01

Nevo syndrome is an autosomal recessive syndrome characterised by prenatal overgrowth, joint laxity, kyphosis, wrist drop, spindle shaped fingers, and volar oedema. Four children from two families have been reported previously. We report two further children from two unrelated Arab families from two different tribes. Both presented at birth with hypotonia, joint laxity, kyphosis, wrist drop, spindle shaped fingers, and volar oedema. Both have delayed motor development at the ages of 2 years 10 months and 3 months respectively. Cognitive development is normal in one, and the other case appears to be developing normally at 3 months of age. One has, in addition, a wide spinal canal on MRI of the spine indicating some degree of dural ectasia. This report brings the total number of children reported with this syndrome to six from four families; three of these families are Arab. This indicates that the gene for this syndrome is probably commoner in Arabs than in other populations. Images PMID:9152832

Vocabulary Facilitates Speech Perception in Children With Hearing Aids

PubMed Central

Walker, Elizabeth A.; Kirby, Benjamin; McCreery, Ryan W.

2017-01-01

Purpose We examined the effects of vocabulary, lexical characteristics (age of acquisition and phonotactic probability), and auditory access (aided audibility and daily hearing aid [HA] use) on speech perception skills in children with HAs. Method Participants included 24 children with HAs and 25 children with normal hearing (NH), ages 5–12 years. Groups were matched on age, expressive and receptive vocabulary, articulation, and nonverbal working memory. Participants repeated monosyllabic words and nonwords in noise. Stimuli varied on age of acquisition, lexical frequency, and phonotactic probability. Performance in each condition was measured by the signal-to-noise ratio at which the child could accurately repeat 50% of the stimuli. Results Children from both groups with larger vocabularies showed better performance than children with smaller vocabularies on nonwords and late-acquired words but not early-acquired words. Overall, children with HAs showed poorer performance than children with NH. Auditory access was not associated with speech perception for the children with HAs. Conclusions Children with HAs show deficits in sensitivity to phonological structure but appear to take advantage of vocabulary skills to support speech perception in the same way as children with NH. Further investigation is needed to understand the causes of the gap that exists between the overall speech perception abilities of children with HAs and children with NH. PMID:28738138

Neighborhood Built and Social Environments and Change in Weight Status over the Summer in Low-Income Elementary School Children.

PubMed

Miles, Rebecca; Wang, Yuxia; Johnson, Suzanne Bennett

2018-05-31

Neighborhoods can provide opportunities for children to maintain a healthy weight or encourage unhealthy weight gain. Which neighborhood characteristics matter most remains poorly understood. We investigated links between neighborhood characteristics and weight change over the summer in children from 12 elementary schools with a high proportion of children from low-income families, in a mid-sized city in the US South. Mixed models and objective measures of height and weight were used. Study participants were 2770 children (average age 8.3, range 5.6⁻12.6 years). Older and female children and those who were already overweight were more likely to gain weight over the summer compared to younger, male, and normal weight children. Overweight children who lived near 2 or more small grocery stores gained less weight than overweight children who lived near 0 (weight change, p = 0.0468; body mass index (BMI) change, p = 0.0209) or 1 store (weight change, p = 0.0136; BMI change, p = 0.0033). Normal weight children living in neighborhoods with more large multifamily buildings gained more weight over the summer, although this association only approached significance. Additional efforts to understand which neighborhood factors have greater significance for overweight compared to normal weight children are warranted.

Normalization of cortical bone density in children and adolescents with hyperthyroidism treated with antithyroid medication.

PubMed

Numbenjapon, N; Costin, G; Pitukcheewanont, P

2012-09-01

We assessed bone size and bone density (BD) measurements using computed tomography (CT) in children and adolescents with hyperthyroidism treated with antithyroid medication. We found that cortical BD appeared to improve at 1 year and normalize at 2 years in all tested patients. Our previous study demonstrated that cortical BD in children and adolescents with untreated hyperthyroidism was significantly decreased as compared to age-, sex- and ethnicity-matched healthy controls. The present report evaluated whether attainment of euthyroidism by medical antithyroid treatment was able to improve or normalize cortical BD in these patients. Anthropometrics and three-dimensional CT bone measurements including cross-sectional area (CSA), cortical bone area (CBA) and cortical BD at midshaft of the femur (cortical bone), and CSA and BD of L(1) to L(3) vertebrae (cancellous bone) in 15 children and adolescents after 1- and 2-year treatments with antithyroid medication were reviewed and compared to their pretreatment results. All patients were euthyroid at 1 and 2 years after medical antithyroid treatment. After adjusting for age, height, weight and Tanner stage, a significant increase in cortical BD in all patients (15/15) was found after 1 year of treatment (P < 0.001). Normalization of cortical BD was demonstrated in all tested patients (10/15) after 2 years. There were no significant changes in the other cancellous or cortical bone parameters. Cortical BD was improved at 1 year and normalized at 2 years in hyperthyroid patients rendered euthyroid with antithyroid medication.

Maternal employment and childhood overweight in low- and middle-income countries.

PubMed

Oddo, Vanessa M; Mueller, Noel T; Pollack, Keshia M; Surkan, Pamela J; Bleich, Sara N; Jones-Smith, Jessica C

2017-10-01

To investigate the association between maternal employment and childhood overweight in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). Design/Setting We utilized cross-sectional data from forty-five Demographic and Health Surveys from 2010 to 2016 (n 268 763). Mothers were categorized as formally employed, informally employed or non-employed. We used country-specific logistic regression models to investigate the association between maternal employment and childhood overweight (BMI Z-score>2) and assessed heterogeneity in the association by maternal education with the inclusion of an interaction term. We used meta-analysis to pool the associations across countries. Sensitivity analyses included modelling BMI Z-score and normal weight (weight-for-age Z-score≥-2 to <2) as outcomes. Participants included children 0-5 years old and their mothers (aged 18-49 years). In most countries, neither formal nor informal employment was associated with childhood overweight. However, children of employed mothers, compared with children of non-employed mothers, had higher BMI Z-score and higher odds of normal weight. In countries where the association varied by education, children of formally employed women with high education, compared with children of non-employed women with high education, had higher odds of overweight (pooled OR=1·2; 95 % CI 1·0, 1·4). We find no clear association between employment and child overweight. However, maternal employment is associated with a modestly higher BMI Z-score and normal weight, suggesting that employment is currently associated with beneficial effects on children's weight status in most LMIC.

[Efficacy of highly active antiretroviral therapy for childhood acquired immunodeficiency syndrome].

PubMed

Hao, Jin-Li; Wang, Bao-Jin; Baptiste, Jean

2010-11-01

To investigate the efficacy of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in children. The clinical data of 38 children (2-15 years old) with AIDS from a region of Rwanda and who had received HAART were retrospectively reviewed. All of 13 children with anemia showed improved anemia symptoms after HAART. The hemoglobin contents returned to normal levels in 12 children with mild or moderate anemia. CD4 T lymphocytes increased by 24%-1 181% in 5 out of 6 cases with severe immunodeficiency after HAART. During the HAART, the weight gain averaged 2.3 kg yearly. The growth and development in 5 out of 8 children with delayed growth restored the levels of normal children of the same age after HAART. HAART can improve the health status in children with AIDS and is effective for childhood AIDS.

Preliminary normative data on the BORB for children aged 3-8.

PubMed

Brunsdon, Ruth; Joy, Pamela; Patten, Erin; Burton, Karen

2018-05-09

The Birmingham Object Recognition Battery (BORB) is a theoretically based test battery that is used in adult cognitive neuropsychology in research and for clinical assessment. It allows a detailed analysis of underlying impairments in individuals with brain injury who have visual object recognition difficulties. The BORB's usefulness in pediatrics is supported by numerous research studies. However, there is no published normative data for children, making clinical use of the test difficult. The aim of this brief report is to publish some preliminary normative data in 70 children aged between 3 and 8 years to assist both researchers and clinicians with interpretation of test scores. Results indicate that children's performance on individual BORB subtests varies according to task demands and age. For some subtests there is improvement in performance with increasing age. However, very young children (age 3-4 years) perform at adult levels on some subtests, or alternatively on other subtests they perform at the level of chance. The current paper supports the need for pediatric data for the BORB due to large normal individual variation in performance and varying age-related performance on individual BORB subtests.

Physical activity levels of normal-weight and overweight girls and boys during primary school recess.

PubMed

Stratton, Gareth; Ridgers, Nicola D; Fairclough, Stuart J; Richardson, David J

2007-06-01

This study aimed to compare moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and vigorous physical activity (VPA) in normal-weight and overweight boys and girls during school recess. Four hundred twenty children, age 6 to 10 years, were randomly selected from 25 schools in England. Three hundred seventy-seven children completed the study. BMI was calculated from height and weight measurements, and heart rate reserve thresholds of 50% and 75% reflected children's engagement in MVPA and VPA, respectively. There was a significant main effect for sex and a significant interaction between BMI category and sex for the percent of recess time spent in MVPA and VPA. Normal-weight girls were the least active group, compared with overweight boys and girls who were equally active. Fifty-one boys and 24 girls of normal weight achieved the 40% threshold; of these, 30 boys and 10 girls exceeded 50% of recess time in MVPA. Eighteen overweight boys and 22 overweight girls exceeded the 40% threshold, whereas 8 boys and 8 girls exceeded the 50% threshold. Overweight boys were significantly less active than their normal-weight male counterparts; this difference did not hold true for girls. Even though nearly double the number of normal-weight children achieved the 40% of MVPA during recess compared with overweight children, physical activity promotion in school playgrounds needs to be targeted not only at overweight but at other health parameters, as 40 overweight children met the 40% MVPA target proposed for recess.

Spatial Release From Masking in 2-Year-Olds With Normal Hearing and With Bilateral Cochlear Implants

PubMed Central

Hess, Christi L.; Misurelli, Sara M.; Litovsky, Ruth Y.

2018-01-01

This study evaluated spatial release from masking (SRM) in 2- to 3-year-old children who are deaf and were implanted with bilateral cochlear implants (BiCIs), and in age-matched normal-hearing (NH) toddlers. Here, we examined whether early activation of bilateral hearing has the potential to promote SRM that is similar to age-matched NH children. Listeners were 13 NH toddlers and 13 toddlers with BiCIs, ages 27 to 36 months. Speech reception thresholds (SRTs) were measured for target speech in front (0°) and for competitors that were either Colocated in front (0°) or Separated toward the right (+90°). SRM was computed as the difference between SRTs in the front versus in the asymmetrical condition. Results show that SRTs were higher in the BiCI than NH group in all conditions. Both groups had higher SRTs in the Colocated and Separated conditions compared with Quiet, indicating masking. SRM was significant only in the NH group. In the BiCI group, the group effect of SRM was not significant, likely limited by the small sample size; however, all but two children had SRM values within the NH range. This work shows that to some extent, the ability to use spatial cues for source segregation develops by age 2 to 3 in NH children and is attainable in most of the children in the BiCI group. There is potential for the paradigm used here to be used in clinical settings to evaluate outcomes of bilateral hearing in very young children. PMID:29761735

Reading vocabulary in children with and without hearing loss: the roles of task and word type.

PubMed

Coppens, Karien M; Tellings, Agnes; Verhoeven, Ludo; Schreuder, Robert

2013-04-01

To address the problem of low reading comprehension scores among children with hearing impairment, it is necessary to have a better understanding of their reading vocabulary. In this study, the authors investigated whether task and word type differentiate the reading vocabulary knowledge of children with and without severe hearing loss. Seventy-two children with hearing loss and 72 children with normal hearing performed a lexical and a use decision task. Both tasks contained the same 180 words divided over 7 clusters, each cluster containing words with a similar pattern of scores on 8 word properties (word class, frequency, morphological family size, length, age of acquisition, mode of acquisition, imageability, and familiarity). Whereas the children with normal hearing scored better on the 2 tasks than the children with hearing loss, the size of the difference varied depending on the type of task and word. Performance differences between the 2 groups increased as words and tasks became more complex. Despite delays, children with hearing loss showed a similar pattern of vocabulary acquisition as their peers with normal hearing. For the most precise assessment of reading vocabulary possible, a range of tasks and word types should be used.

Altered white matter integrity and development in children with autism: a combined voxel-based morphometry and diffusion imaging study.

PubMed

Mengotti, Paola; D'Agostini, Serena; Terlevic, Robert; De Colle, Cristina; Biasizzo, Elsa; Londero, Danielle; Ferro, Adele; Rambaldelli, Gianluca; Balestrieri, Matteo; Zanini, Sergio; Fabbro, Franco; Molteni, Massimo; Brambilla, Paolo

2011-02-01

A combined protocol of voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) was applied to investigate the neurodevelopment of gray and white matter in autism. Twenty children with autism (mean age= 7 ± 2.75 years old; age range: 4-14; 2 girls) and 22 matched normally developing children (mean age = 7.68 ± 2.03 years old; age range: 4-11; 2 girls) underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). VBM was employed by applying the Template-o-Matic toolbox (TOM), a new approach which constructs the age-matched customized template for tissue segmentation. Also, the apparent diffusion coefficients (ADC) of water molecules were obtained from the analysis of DWI. Regions of interests (ROIs), standardized at 5 pixels, were placed in cortical lobes and corpus callosum on the non-diffusion weighted echo-planar images (b = 0) and were then automatically transferred to the corresponding maps to obtain the ADC values. Compared to normal children, individuals with autism had significantly: (1) increased white matter volumes in the right inferior frontal gyrus, the right fusiform gyrus, the left precentral and supplementary motor area and the left hippocampus, (2) increased gray matter volumes in the inferior temporal gyri bilaterally, the right inferior parietal cortex, the right superior occipital lobe and the left superior parietal lobule, and (3) decreased gray matter volumes in the right inferior frontal gyrus and the left supplementary motor area. Abnormally increased ADC values in the bilateral frontal cortex and in the left side of the genu of the corpus callosum were also reported in autism. Finally, age correlated negatively with lobar and callosal ADC measurements in individuals with autism, but not in children with normal development. These findings suggest cerebral dysconnectivity in the early phases of autism coupled with an altered white matter maturation trajectory during childhood potentially taking place in the frontal and parietal lobes, which may represent a neurodevelopmental marker of the disorder, possibly accounting for the cognitive and social deficits. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Comprehension of handwriting development: Pen-grip kinetics in handwriting tasks and its relation to fine motor skills among school-age children.

PubMed

Lin, Yu-Chen; Chao, Yen-Li; Wu, Shyi-Kuen; Lin, Ho-Hsio; Hsu, Chieh-Hsiang; Hsu, Hsiao-Man; Kuo, Li-Chieh

2017-10-01

Numerous tools have been developed to evaluate handwriting performances by analysing written products. However, few studies have directly investigated kinetic performances of digits when holding a pen. This study thus attempts to investigate pen-grip kinetics during writing tasks of school-age children and explore the relationship between the kinetic factors and fine motor skills. This study recruited 181 children aged from 5 to 12 years old and investigated the effects of age on handwriting kinetics and the relationship between these and fine motor skills. The forces applied from the digits and pen-tip were measured during writing tasks via a force acquisition pen, and the children's fine motor performances were also evaluated. The results indicate that peak force and average force might not be direct indicators of handwriting performance for normally developing children at this age. Younger children showed larger force variation and lower adjustment frequency during writing, which might indicate they had poorer force control than the older children. Force control when handling a pen is significantly correlated with fine motor performance, especially in relation to the manual dexterity. A novel system is proposed for analysing school-age children's force control while handwriting. We observed the development of force control in relation to pen grip among the children with different ages in this study. The findings suggested that manipulation skill may be crucial when children are establishing their handwriting capabilities. © 2017 Occupational Therapy Australia.

Nutritional status of Khasi schoolgirls in Meghalaya.

PubMed

Agrahar-Murugkar, Dipika

2005-04-01

The nutritional status of 222 Khasi girls within age groups 4 to 6 y, 7 to 9 y, and 10 to 12 y was studied. Personal interviews using questionnaires and 24-h dietary recall were used. Weights and heights were recorded, body mass index was calculated, and children were classified as normal or malnourished using Z scores and growth charts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Based on weights and heights, children were classified as normal or undernourished according to classifications by Gomez, Waterlow, and the National Center for Health Statistics. Heights of girls ages 7 to 9 y and 10 to 12 y and weights of all girls were significantly (P < 0.05) lower than the reference values for height (126.4 and 142.7 m) and weight (19, 26.9, and 31.5 kg), respectively. The lowest Z scores (-1.5 to -1.0) and percentiles (10th) for body mass index were seen in 12-y-old girls. Most girls ages 7 to 9 y had grade I malnutrition. Girls ages 10 to 12 y had the highest incidence of moderate malnutrition. Severe stunting was observed in all groups. Average energy consumption was significantly (P < 0.05) lower than the recommended dietary allowance in all the age groups. Consumption of protein by children ages 7 to 9 y and 10 to 12 y was also significantly lower than the recommended dietary allowance. Consumption of calcium, iron, and carotene in children 10 to 12 y old was significantly (P < 0.05) lower than the recommended dietary allowance. Sociologic community factors are required to facilitate implementation of a nutritional package and availability of key nutrients to ensure growth in children.

Comparison of Psychomotor Development Screening Test and Clinical Assessment of Psychomotor Development

PubMed

Radmilović, Goranka; Matijević, Valentina; Zavoreo, Iris

2016-12-01

Numerous adverse factors are acting in the prenatal, perinatal and postnatal period of life and may be the cause of later mild or severe deviations from normal psychomotor development. Therefore, it is crucial to identify infants with neurological risk factors and infants that already have a delay from orderly development, in order to immediately initiate the rehabilitation process. The aim of this study was to determine whether there is difference in the assessment of psychomotor development in neurological risk children based on the psychomotor development test (Croatian, Razvoj psihomotorike, RPM test) and clinical evaluation of neuromotor development. RPM test is designed for rough estimate of psychomotor development in children in the first two years of life. The study included 15 full term children (8 male and 7 female) with clinical diagnosis of mild paraparesis and mild deviation from normal psychological and social development, and 15 full term children (8 male and 7 female) without neurological risk factors and deviations from normal psychomotor development, all at the age of 12-24 months. Of the 15 children diagnosed with mild paraparesis, none had delayed psychomotor development, 6.7% had suspect development and 93.3% had normal development on RPM test. All children in the control group had normal development on RPM test. According to the results, the RPM test is not sensitive enough to detect mild neurodevelopmental disorders.

The development of intonation in young children with cochlear implants: A preliminary study of the influence of age at implantation and length of implant experience

PubMed Central

Snow, David; Ertmer, David

2010-01-01

This study describes the development of emerging intonation in six children who had received a cochlear implant (CI) before the age of three years. At the time their implant was activated, the children ranged in age from 11 to 37 months. Spontaneous longitudinal speech samples were recorded from 30-minute sessions in which the child interacted with his or her mother. Data were collected 2 months before activation of each child's CI and at monthly intervals after activation for 6 months. The findings were compared to the typical pattern of early intonation development in children with normal hearing (NH). The results suggested that young CI recipients progress through stages similar to those observed in children with NH. However, the intonation development of children with a CI reflects a marked interaction between chronological age at implantation and amount of CI experience. That is, after 2 months of CI-assisted hearing experience, the older children demonstrated a later stage of intonation development than younger children. These preliminary results support the idea that children acquire some foundations or prerequisites of intonation production through maturation, as measured by chronological age, even without robust auditory experience. PMID:20882119

Utility of complete trauma series radiographs in alert pediatric patients presenting to Emergency Department of a Tertiary Care Hospital.

PubMed

Alam Khan, T; Jamil Khattak, Y; Awais, M; Alam Khan, A; Husen, Y; Nadeem, N; Rehman, A

2015-06-01

To assess the utility of trauma series radiographs in the management of alert pediatric patients with traumatic injury and to ascertain whether it is necessary to acquire the entire trauma series in these children. A total of 176 consecutive children below the age of 15 years and having Glasgow Coma Scale score greater than 12, who presented to the emergency department of a tertiary care hospital with a history of recent trauma, were retrospectively reviewed. All the children had undergone a thorough clinical examination followed by complete trauma series radiographs, according to the American College of Surgery guidelines. A total of 558 radiographs were reviewed by a consultant pediatric radiologist including 528 trauma series radiographs and 30 additional radiographs. Among the trauma series radiographs, 35 (6.63 %) had evidence of injury; 24 (4.54 %) and 11 (2.08 %) involving the chest and pelvic regions, respectively. All children with normal physical examination had normal cervical spine and chest radiographs. Among the 11 positive pelvic X-rays, only two had radiological signs of injury in the absence of localizing physical signs, and all these children were less than 3 years of age. In all the remaining cases, children had localizing signs on physical examination. Out of the 30 additional X-rays, 27 (90 %) had radiological evidence of injury. The routine use of entire radiological trauma series in alert pediatric patients with a normal physical examination has a very low yield. In these children, the localizing signs and symptoms can help us in determining the specific radiological examination to be utilized.

Serum biotin in Japanese children: Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay measurement.

PubMed

Wakabayashi, Kenji; Kodama, Hiroko; Ogawa, Eishin; Sato, Yasuhiro; Motoyama, Kahoko; Suzuki, Mitsuyoshi

2016-09-01

Biotin deficiency has been reported in Japanese infants fed special formulas for medical reasons, including those with milk allergy and congenital metabolic diseases, because these formulas contain little biotin. Serum biotin measurement is useful for diagnosing biotin deficiency. We applied a simple and rapid method to analyze serum biotin, and established normal ranges for children and adults. Serum biotin in 188 healthy Japanese children aged 0-4 years and in 25 healthy adults was analyzed using a Biotin ELISA Kit (immundiagnostik). The effects of various conditions on the measurement of serum biotin were also examined. Median biotin in children aged 0-4 years was 10.4 ng/dL (IQR, 7.9-13.4 ng/dL), and that in adults was 12.9 ng/dL (IQR, 10.8-15.8 ng/dL). Normal range was 4.7-22.0 ng/dL in children and 8.4-20.5 ng/dL in adults (calculated using two-sided 95%CI). Measurements obtained with this method were not affected by frozen storage, freeze-thaw, or hemolysis, indicating that serum biotin can be analyzed accurately under these conditions, with a possible application to plasma samples. Serum biotin was significantly lower in children than in adults, with the normal range being 4.7-22.0 ng/dL in children and 8.4-20.5 ng/dL in adults. This simple and accurate enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method is useful for diagnosing biotin deficiency. © 2016 The Authors. Pediatrics International published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Japan Pediatric Society.

Obstructive sleep apnea and endothelial function in school-aged nonobese children: effect of adenotonsillectomy.

PubMed

Gozal, David; Kheirandish-Gozal, Leila; Serpero, Laura D; Sans Capdevila, Oscar; Dayyat, Ehab

2007-11-13

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in children is associated with cardiovascular morbidity such as systemic and pulmonary hypertension. However, it remains unclear whether endothelial dysfunction occurs in pediatric OSA and whether it is reversible on effective treatment of OSA. Consecutive nonobese children (aged 6 to 11 years) who were diagnosed with OSA after overnight polysomnography and control children matched on the basis of age, gender, ethnicity, and body mass index underwent blood draw the next morning for soluble CD40 ligand, asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), and nitrotyrosine levels, as well as 2 iterations of 60-second cuff-occlusion tests for assessment of endothelial function. These tests were repeated 4 to 6 months after adenotonsillectomy. OSA children showed blunted reperfusion kinetics after release of occlusion, which completely normalized in 20 of 26 patients after adenotonsillectomy. All 6 children in whom no improvements occurred had a strong family history of cardiovascular disease (versus 2 of the remaining 20 patients; P<0.04). Plasma nitrotyrosine and ADMA levels were similar in OSA and control children; however, soluble CD40 ligand levels were higher in OSA children and were reduced after treatment, particularly in those with normalized hyperemic responses. Postocclusive hyperemia is consistently blunted in children with OSA, and such altered endothelial function is reversible 4 to 6 months after treatment, particularly if a family history of cardiovascular disease is not present. Although no evidence for either nitric oxide-dependent oxidative/nitrosative stress or for the increased presence of the circulating nitric oxide synthase inhibitor ADMA was found in children with OSA, soluble CD40 ligand levels were increased in OSA and reflected the changes in endothelial function after treatment.

[Population-based study of child developmental screening in Mexican PROSPERA beneficiaries younger than 5 years old].

PubMed

Rizzoli-Córdoba, Antonio; Martell-Valdez, Liliana; Delgado-Ginebra, Ismael; Villasís-Keever, Miguel Ángel; Reyes-Morales, Hortensia; O'Shea-Cuevas, Gabriel; Aceves-Villagrán, Daniel; Carrasco-Mendoza, Joaquín; Villagrán-Muñoz, Víctor Manuel; Halley-Castillo, Elizabeth; Vargas-López, Guillermo; Muñoz-Hernández, Onofre

Evaluación del Desarrollo Infantil or Child Development Evaluation (CDE) test, a screening tool designed and validated in Mexico, classifies child development as normal (green) or abnormal (developmental lag or yellow and risk of delay or red). Population-based results of child development level with this tool are not known. The objective of this work was to evaluate the developmental level of children aged 1-59 months living in poverty (PROSPERA program beneficiaries) through application of the CDE test. CDE tests were applied by specifically trained and standardized personnel to children <5 years old who attended primary care facilities for a scheduled appointment for nutrition, growth and development evaluation from November 2013 to May 2014. There were 5,527 children aged 1-59 months who were evaluated; 83.8% (n=4,632) were classified with normal development (green) and 16.2% (n=895) as abnormal: 11.9% (n=655) as yellow and 4.3% (n=240) as red. The proportion of abnormal results was 9.9% in children <1 year of age compared with 20.8% at 4 years old. The most affected areas according to age were language at 2 years (9.35%) and knowledge at 4 years old (11.1%). Gross motor and social areas were more affected in children from rural areas; fine motor skills, language and knowledge were more affected in males. The proportion of children with abnormal results is similar to other population-based studies. The highest rate in older children reinforces the need for an early-based intervention. The different pattern of areas affected between urban and rural areas suggests the need for a differentiated intervention. Copyright © 2015 Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez. Publicado por Masson Doyma México S.A. All rights reserved.

Body weight has no impact on self-esteem of minority children living in inner city, low-income neighborhoods: a cross-sectional study

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background The relationship between body weight and self-esteem among underserved minority children is not well documented. Methods We measured the self-esteem profile using the Self-Perception Profile for Children among 910 minority children at 17 Houston community centers. Results Weight status had no effect on any of the self-esteem scores among the minority children (P ≥ 0.21). Black children had higher scholastic competence than Hispanic children (P = 0.05). Social acceptance was not affected by age, gender, and race/ethnicity (P ≥ 0.13). Significant age x gender (P = 0.006) and race x gender (P = 0.005) interactions were detected on athletic competence. The younger boys had higher athletic competence than the younger and older girls (P ≤ 0.01). The older boys had higher athletic competence than the older girls (P = 0.008) but their scores were not different from those of the younger girls (P = 0.07). Within each race/ethnicity group, boys had higher athletic competence than girls (P ≤ 0.03). Black boys had higher athletic competence than Hispanic girls (P = 0.007) but their scores were not different from those of the Hispanic boys (P = 0.08). Age and gender had no effect on physical appearance but black children had higher scores than Hispanic children (P = 0.05). Behavioral conduct was not affected by age, gender, or race/ethnicity (P ≥ 0.11). There was an age x gender interaction on global self-worth (P = 0.02) with boys having similar scores regardless of ages (P = 0.40) or ethnicity (P = 0.98). However, boys from both age groups had higher global self-worth than the older girls (P ≤ 0.04) but their scores were not different from those of the younger girls (P ≥ 0.07). Conclusions For the first time, we documented that being normal weight did not necessarily guarantee positive self-esteem among minority children. Their self-esteem scores were similar to those found among children who were diagnosed with obesity and obesity-related co-morbidities and lower than those reported among normal-weight white children. Therefore, activities to promote self-esteem are important when working with underserved minority children in order to promote a healthy lifestyle. PMID:24456638

Lower urinary tract dysfunction in children after intravesical ureteric reimplantation surgery under one year of age.

PubMed

Ooi, S M; Kane, N; Khosa, J; Barker, A; Samnakay, N

2014-12-01

To report the results of a study conducted on voiding function in children who have undergone intravesical trans-trigonal Cohen ureteric reimplantation surgery before the age of one year. Twenty-eight children (18 males, 10 females) had surgery at a mean age of 4.9 months (range 8-352 days). Bladder function was assessed at a mean age of 7.3 years using questionnaires, the dysfunctional voiding scoring system, PinQ quality of life tool, uroflowmetry and post-void residuals. Of the total children, 72% had normal lower urinary tract (LUT) function. Eight children (28%) had evidence of LUT dysfunction, two had urge incontinence, two had giggle incontinence, two had voiding postponement, one had dysfunctional elimination syndrome and one had evidence of dysfunctional voiding. Five of the eight children were managed with continence physiotherapy (urotherapy) and one required ongoing anticholinergic therapy. When compared to the published rates of LUT dysfunction in the general paediatric community, no evidence was found to suggest an increased incidence of bladder dysfunction in children undergoing intravesical Cohen ureteric reimplantation surgery under one year of age. Crown Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evidence-based guidelines for recommending cochlear implantation for young children: Audiological criteria and optimizing age at implantation.

PubMed

Leigh, Jaime R; Dettman, Shani J; Dowell, Richard C

2016-01-01

Establish up-to-date evidence-based guidelines for recommending cochlear implantation for young children. Speech perception results for early-implanted children were compared to children using traditional amplification. Equivalent pure-tone average (PTA) hearing loss for cochlear implant (CI) users was established. Language of early-implanted children was assessed over six years and compared to hearing peers. Seventy-eight children using CIs and 62 children using traditional amplification with hearing losses ranging 25-120 dB HL PTA (speech perception study). Thirty-two children who received a CI before 2.5 years of age (language study). Speech perception outcomes suggested that children with a PTA greater than 60 dB HL have a 75% chance of benefit over traditional amplification. More conservative criteria applied to the data suggested that children with PTA greater than 82 dB HL have a 95% chance of benefit. Children implanted under 2.5 years with no significant cognitive deficits made normal language progress but retained a delay approximately equal to their age at implantation. Hearing-impaired children under three years of age may benefit from cochlear implantation if their PTA exceeds 60 dB HL bilaterally. Implantation as young as possible should minimize any language delay resulting from an initial period of auditory deprivation.

Speech timing and working memory in profoundly deaf children after cochlear implantation

PubMed Central

Burkholder, Rose A.; Pisoni, David B.

2012-01-01

Thirty-seven profoundly deaf children between 8- and 9-years-old with cochlear implants and a comparison group of normal-hearing children were studied to measure speaking rates, digit spans, and speech timing during digit span recall. The deaf children displayed longer sentence durations and pauses during recall and shorter digit spans compared to the normal-hearing children. Articulation rates, measured from sentence durations, were strongly correlated with immediate memory span in both normal-hearing and deaf children, indicating that both slower subvocal rehearsal and scanning processes may be factors that contribute to the deaf children’s shorter digit spans. These findings demonstrate that subvocal verbal rehearsal speed and memory scanning processes are not only dependent on chronological age as suggested in earlier research by Cowan and colleagues (1998). Instead, in this clinical population the absence of early auditory experience and phonological processing activities before implantation appears to produce measurable effects on the working memory processes that rely on verbal rehearsal and serial scanning of phonological information in short-term memory. PMID:12742763

"Skinny is prettier and normal: I want to be normal"-Perceived body image of non-Western ethnic minority children in the Netherlands.

PubMed

Veldhuis, Jolanda; Te Poel, Fam; Pepping, Rian; Konijn, Elly A; Spekman, Marloes L C

2017-03-01

While the prevalence of overweight and obesity is higher among children of some non-Western ethnic minorities than among their Caucasian counterparts, their body image is understudied. The current study examined the body image of Dutch children of non-Western ethnic minorities (i.e., Surinamese, Antillean, Moroccan, and Turkish). Sociocultural influences from school, media and home environments and their perceptions of overweight prevention programs were taken into account. Fifty-two non-Western ethnic minority children (aged 8-12 years) participated in semi-structured interviews and focus groups. Results showed that the children generally underestimated their current body size, which was often overweight, and preferred thin and 'normal' body sizes. Results further revealed important insights into culturally determined themes, relating to perceived preferences in media, peers, parents, and teachers, nutritional habits, and children's beliefs about school-based health interventions. We conclude that targeting culturally sensitive awareness about actual body size and healthy body images seems paramount in future interventions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Family-Environmental Factors Associated with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Chinese Children: A Case-Control Study

PubMed Central

du Prel Carroll, Xianming; Yi, Honggang; Liang, Yuezhu; Pang, Ke; Leeper-Woodford, Sandra; Riccardi, Patrizia; Liang, Xianhong

2012-01-01

Background Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common psychiatric disorders, affecting an estimated 5 to 12% of school-aged children worldwide. From 15 to 19 million Chinese children suffer from ADHD. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between family-environmental factors and ADHD in a sample of Chinese children. Methods A pair-matched, case-control study was conducted with 161 ADHD children and 161 non-ADHD children of matching age and sex, all from 5–18 years of age. The ADHD subjects and the normal controls were all evaluated via structured diagnostic interviews. We examined the association between family-environmental factors and ADHD using the conditional multiple logistic regression with backward stepwise selection to predict the associated factors of ADHD. Results Having experienced emotional abuse and being a single child were both significant factors associated with children diagnosed with ADHD. ADHD subjects were more likely to have suffered from emotional abuse (OR = 11.09, 95% CI = 2.15–57.29, P = 0.004) and have been a single child in the family (OR = 6.32, 95% CI = 2.09–19.14, P = 0.001) when compared to normal controls. The results were not modified by other confounding factors. Conclusion Our findings provide evidence that family-environmental factors are associated with ADHD among children in China. These findings, if confirmed by future research, may help to decrease ADHD by increasing the awareness of the effects of childhood emotional abuse. PMID:23209774

Pathways to Mathematics: Longitudinal Predictors of Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

LeFevre, Jo-Anne; Fast, Lisa; Skwarchuk, Sheri-Lynn; Smith-Chant, Brenda L.; Bisanz, Jeffrey; Kamawar, Deepthi; Penner-Wilger, Marcie

2010-01-01

A model of the relations among cognitive precursors, early numeracy skill, and mathematical outcomes was tested for 182 children from 4.5 to 7.5 years of age. The model integrates research from neuroimaging, clinical populations, and normal development in children and adults. It includes 3 precursor pathways: quantitative, linguistic, and spatial…

Corpus Callosum Morphology in Children Who Stutter

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Choo, Ai Leen; Chang, Soo-Eun; Zengin-Bolatkale, Hatun; Ambrose, Nicoline G.; Loucks, Torrey M.

2012-01-01

Multiple studies have reported both functional and neuroanatomical differences between adults who stutter and their normally fluent peers. However, the reasons for these differences remain unclear although some developmental data suggest that structural brain differences may be present in school-age children who stutter. In the present study, the…

Different Underlying Neurocognitive Deficits in Developmental Dyslexia: A Comparative Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Menghini, D.; Finzi, A.; Benassi, M.; Bolzani, R.; Facoetti, A.; Giovagnoli, S.; Ruffino, M.; Vicari, S.

2010-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of several specific neurocognitive functions in developmental dyslexia (DD). The performances of 60 dyslexic children and 65 age-matched normally reading children were compared on tests of phonological abilities, visual processing, selective and sustained attention, implicit learning, and executive…

Parent Mediation Empowers Sibling Conflict Resolution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ross, Hildy S.; Lazinski, Marysia J.

2014-01-01

Research Findings: For the current study, formal mediation procedures were adapted for families and parents were trained and asked to mediate their children's disputes; control group parents intervened as they normally would. Conflict negotiations with parents and their children (ages 3½-11 years) occurring 3 and 7 weeks following training, and…

Phonological Development of Monolingual Haitian Creole-Speaking Preschool Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Archer, Justine; Champion, Tempii; Tyrone, Martha E.; Walters, Sylvia

2018-01-01

This study provides preliminary data on the phonological development of Haitian Creole-Speaking children. The purpose of this study is to determine phonological acquisition in the speech of normally developing monolingual Haitian Creole-Speaking preschoolers, ages 2 to 4. Speech samples were collected cross-sectionally from 12 Haitian children…

Speech-evoked auditory brainstem responses in children with hearing loss.

PubMed

Koravand, Amineh; Al Osman, Rida; Rivest, Véronique; Poulin, Catherine

2017-08-01

The main objective of the present study was to investigate subcortical auditory processing in children with sensorineural hearing loss. Auditory Brainstem Responses (ABRs) were recorded using click and speech/da/stimuli. Twenty-five children, aged 6-14 years old, participated in the study: 13 with normal hearing acuity and 12 with sensorineural hearing loss. No significant differences were observed for the click-evoked ABRs between normal hearing and hearing-impaired groups. For the speech-evoked ABRs, no significant differences were found for the latencies of the following responses between the two groups: onset (V and A), transition (C), one of the steady-state wave (F), and offset (O). However, the latency of the steady-state waves (D and E) was significantly longer for the hearing-impaired compared to the normal hearing group. Furthermore, the amplitude of the offset wave O and of the envelope frequency response (EFR) of the speech-evoked ABRs was significantly larger for the hearing-impaired compared to the normal hearing group. Results obtained from the speech-evoked ABRs suggest that children with a mild to moderately-severe sensorineural hearing loss have a specific pattern of subcortical auditory processing. Our results show differences for the speech-evoked ABRs in normal hearing children compared to hearing-impaired children. These results add to the body of the literature on how children with hearing loss process speech at the brainstem level. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Idiom Comprehension Deficits in High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder Using a Korean Autism Social Language Task.

PubMed

Lee, Seul Bee; Song, Seung Ha; Ham, Ju Hyun; Song, Dong Ho; Cheon, Keun-Ah

2015-11-01

High-functioning autism spectrum disorder (ASD) involves pragmatic impairment of language skills. Among numerous tasks for assessing pragmatic linguistic skills, idioms are important to evaluating high-functioning ASD. Nevertheless, no assessment tool has been developed with specific consideration of Korean culture. Therefore, we designed the Korean Autism Social Language Task (KASLAT) to test idiom comprehension in ASD. The aim of the current study was to introduce this novel psychological tool and evaluate idiom comprehension deficits in high-functioning ASD. The participants included 42 children, ages 6-11 years, who visited our child psychiatric clinic between April 2014 and May 2015. The ASD group comprised 16 children; the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) group consisted of 16 children. An additional 10 normal control children who had not been diagnosed with either disorder participated in this study. Idiom comprehension ability was assessed in these three groups using the KASLAT. Both ASD and ADHD groups had significantly lower scores on the matched and mismatched tasks, compared to the normal control children (matched tasks mean score: ASD 11.56, ADHD 11.56, normal control 14.30; mismatched tasks mean score: ASD 6.50, ADHD 4.31, normal control 11.30). However, no significant differences were found in scores of KASLAT between the ADHD and ASD groups. These findings suggest that children with ASD exhibit greater impairment in idiom comprehension, compared to normal control children. The KASLAT may be useful in evaluating idiom comprehension ability.