Syntactic Development in Adolescents with a History of Language Impairments: A Follow-Up Investigation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nippold, Marilyn A.; Mansfield, Tracy C.; Billow, Jesse L.; Tomblin, J. Bruce

2009-01-01

Purpose: Syntactic development in adolescents was examined using a spoken discourse task and standardized testing. The primary goal was to determine whether adolescents with a history of language impairments would differ from those with a history of typical language development (TLD). This is a companion study to one that examined these same…

Narrative Development in Adolescents and Young Adults with Fragile X Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keller-Bell, Yolanda D.; Abbeduto, Leonard D.

2007-01-01

The narratives of 18 adolescents and young adults with fragile X syndrome were compared to those of 23 adolescents with Down syndrome and 21 typically developing children matched for nonverbal MA. Narratives were elicited using a wordless picture book and analyzed for use of narrative evaluation, linguistic productivity, and complexity. Results…

Guidelines for Competence and Skills Development for Substance Abuse Prevention.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Silverman, Wade H.

Substance abuse among adolescents is modeled and reinforced by the peer culture. Experimentation with drugs seems to have become a typical part of normal adolescent development. The solution to adolescent substance abuse will only be arrived at through gathering facts and designing intervention programs based on those facts. Since the two most…

Do Adolescents with Specific Language Impairment Understand Driving Terminology?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pandolfe, Jessica M.; Wittke, Kacie; Spaulding, Tammie J.

2016-01-01

Purpose: This study examined if adolescents with specific language impairment (SLI) understand driving vocabulary as well as their typically developing (TD) peers. Method: A total of 16 adolescents with SLI and 16 TD comparison adolescents completed a receptive vocabulary task focused on driving terminology derived from statewide driver's manuals.…

Neurocognitive Functioning in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reinvall, Outi; Voutilainen, Arja; Kujala, Teija; Korkman, Marit

2013-01-01

There is a paucity of research studying comprehensive neurocognitive profiles of adolescents with higher functioning autism spectrum disorders (ASD). This study compared the neurocognitive profiles of higher functioning adolescents with ASD (n = 30, mean age 13.5) with that of typically developing adolescents (n = 30; mean age 13.7). Adolescents…

Assertiveness Among Young Rural Adolescents: Relationship to Alcohol Use

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldberg-Lillehoj, Catherine J.; Spoth, Richard; Trudeau, Linda

2005-01-01

There is evidence of higher prevalence rates for alcohol use among rural adolescents relative to urban adolescents. Strategies aimed at preventing adolescent alcohol use typically include the development of social skills to resist peer pressure; among the social skills frequently targeted is assertiveness. Self-report data were collected from a…

Disembedding performance in children and adolescents with Asperger syndrome or high-functioning autism.

PubMed

Kaland, Nils; Mortensen, Erik Lykke; Smith, Lars

2007-01-01

The aim of the present study was to assess the findings, reported in earlier studies, that individuals with autism spectrum disorders process visuo-spatial tasks faster than typically developing control persons. The participants in the present study were children and adolescents with Asperger syndrome (AS) or high-functioning autism (HFA) (N = 13), and a matched group of typically developing children and adolescents (N = 13). The results showed that the participants in the clinical group performed marginally less well than those in the control group on both the Block Design Test and the Embedded Figures Test, but the differences were not statistically significant. Thus, earlier findings suggesting that individuals with autism spectrum disorders solve non-social cognitive tasks faster than typically developing control persons were not replicated. The results are discussed with special reference to the hypothesis of weak central coherence.

Anatomical Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Typically Developing Children and Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Giedd, Jay N.; Lalonde, Francois M.; Celano, Mark J.; White, Samantha L.; Wallace, Gregory L.; Lee, Nancy R.; Lenroot, Rhoshel K.

2009-01-01

Methodological issues relevant to magnetic resonance imaging studies of brain anatomy are discussed along with the findings on the neuroanatomic changes during childhood and adolescence. The development of the brain is also discussed.

Comparison of Obesity, Physical Activity, and Sedentary Behaviors between Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Without

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCoy, Stephanie M.; Jakicic, John M.; Barone Gibbs, Bethany

2016-01-01

Body mass index classification, physical activity (PA), and sedentary behaviors were compared in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to typically developing adolescents. Participants included 42,747 adolescents (ASD, n = 915) from the 2011-2012 National Survey of Children's Health. After controlling for covariates, adolescents were…

Language Learning in Down Syndrome: The Speech and Language Profile Compared to Adolescents with Cognitive Impairment of Unknown Origin

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chapman, Robin S.

2006-01-01

Children and adolescents with Down syndrome show an emerging profile of speech and language characteristics that is typical of the syndrome (Chapman & Hesketh, 2000; Chapman, 2003; Abbeduto & Chapman, 2005) and different from typically developing children matched for nonverbal mental age, including expressive language deficits relative to…

Reward Processing And Risk For Depression Across Development

PubMed Central

Luking, Katherine R; Pagliaccio, David; Luby, Joan L; Barch, Deanna M

2016-01-01

Striatal response to reward has been of great interest in the typical development and psychopathology literatures. These parallel lines of inquiry demonstrate that while typically developing adolescents show robust striatal response to reward, adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD) or those at high-risk for MDD show blunted response to reward. Understanding how these findings intersect is critical for the development and application of early preventative interventions in at-risk children, ideally before the sharp increase in the rate of MDD onset that occurs in adolescence. Robust findings relating blunted striatal response to reward and MDD-risk are reviewed and situated within a normative developmental context. We highlight the need for future studies investigating longitudinal development, specificity to MDD, and roles of potential moderators and mediators. PMID:27131776

Exploring the Relationship between Measures of Self-Esteem and Psychological Adjustment among Adolescents with Asperger Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williamson, Sara; Craig, Jaime; Slinger, Richard

2008-01-01

This exploratory study examines the relationships between self-esteem and psychological adjustment among 19 adolescents with Asperger syndrome and 19 typically developing adolescents using a model developed by Harter. The groups were matched for age (mean 13 years), sex (M:F 16:3) and ethnicity (white British). Participants completed four…

Everyday Memory and Working Memory in Adolescents with Mild Intellectual Disability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van der Molen, M. J.; Van Luit, J. E. H.; Van der Molen, Maurits W.; Jongmans, Marian J.

2010-01-01

Everyday memory and its relationship to working memory was investigated in adolescents with mild intellectual disability and compared to typically developing adolescents of the same age (CA) and younger children matched on mental age (MA). Results showed a delay on almost all memory measures for the adolescents with mild intellectual disability…

Physical Activity Levels, Frequency, and Type among Adolescents with and without Autism Spectrum Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stanish, Heidi I.; Curtin, Carol; Must, Aviva; Phillips, Sarah; Maslin, Melissa; Bandini, Linda G.

2017-01-01

We compared time spent in moderate and vigorous physical activity (MVPA), type, and frequency of participation in physical activities between adolescents with ASD (n = 35) and typically developing (TD) adolescents (n = 60). Accelerometers measured MVPA and participants were interviewed about engagement in physical activities. Adolescents with ASD…

Relations between muscle endurance and subjectively reported fatigue, walking capacity, and participation in mildly affected adolescents with cerebral palsy.

PubMed

Eken, Maaike M; Houdijk, Han; Doorenbosch, Caroline A M; Kiezebrink, Francisca E M; van Bennekom, Coen A M; Harlaar, Jaap; Dallmeijer, Annet J

2016-08-01

To investigate the relation between muscle endurance and subjectively reported fatigue, walking capacity, and participation in mildly affected adolescents with cerebral palsy (CP) and peers with typical development. In this case-control study, knee extensor muscle endurance was estimated from individual load-endurance curves as the load corresponding to a 15-repetition maximum in 17 adolescents with spastic CP (six males, 11 females; age 12-19y) and 18 adolescents with typical development (eight males, 10 females; age 13-19y). Questionnaires were used to assess subjectively reported fatigue (Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory Multidimensional Fatigue Scale) and participation (Life-Habits questionnaire). Walking capacity was assessed using the 6-minute walk test. Relations were determined using multiple regression analyses. Muscle endurance related significantly to subjectively reported fatigue and walking capacity in adolescents with CP, while no relations were found for adolescents with typical development (subjectively reported fatigue: regression coefficient β [95% confidence intervals] for CP=23.72 [6.26 to 41.18], for controls=2.72 [-10.26 to 15.69]; walking capacity β for CP=125m [-87 to 337], for controls=2m [-86 to 89]). The 15-repetition maximum did not relate to participation in adolescents with CP. Subjectively reported fatigue and reduced walking capacity in adolescents with CP are partly caused by lower muscle endurance of knee extensors. Training of muscle endurance might contribute to reducing the experience of fatigue and improving walking capacity. Reduced muscle endurance seems to have no effect on participation. © 2016 Mac Keith Press.

Brief Report: Reduced Temporal-Central EEG Alpha Coherence During Joint Attention Perception in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

PubMed

Jaime, Mark; McMahon, Camilla M; Davidson, Bridget C; Newell, Lisa C; Mundy, Peter C; Henderson, Heather A

2016-04-01

Although prior studies have demonstrated reduced resting state EEG coherence in adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), no studies have explored the nature of EEG coherence during joint attention. We examined the EEG coherence of the joint attention network in adolescents with and without ASD during congruent and incongruent joint attention perception and an eyes-open resting condition. Across conditions, adolescents with ASD showed reduced right hemisphere temporal-central alpha coherence compared to typically developing adolescents. Greater right temporal-central alpha coherence during joint attention was positively associated with social cognitive performance in typical development but not in ASD. These results suggest that, in addition to a resting state, EEG coherence during joint attention perception is reduced in ASD.

Reduced Temporal-Central EEG Alpha Coherence during Joint Attention Perception in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder

PubMed Central

Jaime, Mark; McMahon, Camilla M.; Davidson, Bridget C.; Newell, Lisa C.; Mundy, Peter C.; Henderson, Heather A.

2016-01-01

Although prior studies have demonstrated reduced resting state EEG coherence in adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), no studies have explored the nature of EEG coherence during joint attention. We examined the EEG coherence of the joint attention network in adolescents with and without ASD during congruent and incongruent joint attention perception and an eyes-open resting condition. Across conditions, adolescents with ASD showed reduced right hemisphere temporal–central alpha coherence compared to typically developing adolescents. Greater right temporal–central alpha coherence during joint attention was positively associated with social cognitive performance in typical development but not in ASD. These results suggest that, in addition to a resting state, EEG coherence during joint attention perception is reduced in ASD. PMID:26659813

Human Behavior, Learning, and the Developing Brain: Typical Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coch, Donna, Ed.; Fischer, Kurt W., Ed.; Dawson, Geraldine, Ed.

2010-01-01

This volume brings together leading authorities from multiple disciplines to examine the relationship between brain development and behavior in typically developing children. Presented are innovative cross-sectional and longitudinal studies that shed light on brain-behavior connections in infancy and toddlerhood through adolescence. Chapters…

A reversed-typicality effect in pictures but not in written words in deaf and hard of hearing adolescents.

PubMed

Li, Degao; Gao, Kejuan; Wu, Xueyun; Xong, Ying; Chen, Xiaojun; He, Weiwei; Li, Ling; Huang, Jingjia

2015-01-01

Two experiments investigated Chinese deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) adolescents' recognition of category names in an innovative task of semantic categorization. In each trial, the category-name target appeared briefly at the screen center followed by two words or two pictures for two basic-level exemplars of high or middle typicality, which appeared briefly approximately where the target had appeared. Participants' reaction times when they were deciding whether the target referred to living or nonliving things consistently revealed the typicality effect for the word, but a reversed-typicality effect for picture-presented exemplars. It was found that in automatically processing a category name, DHH adolescents with natural sign language as their first language evidently activate two sets of exemplar representations: those for middle-typicality exemplars, which they develop in interactions with the physical world and in sign language uses; and those in written-language learning.

Inversion Effects in the Perception of the Moving Human Form: A Comparison of Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Typically Developing Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cleary, Laura; Looney, Kathy; Brady, Nuala; Fitzgerald, Michael

2014-01-01

The "body inversion effect" refers to superior recognition of upright than inverted images of the human body and indicates typical configural processing. Previous research by Reed et al. using static images of the human body shows that people with autism fail to demonstrate this effect. Using a novel task in which adults, adolescents…

Exploring the relationship between cortical GABA concentrations, auditory gamma-band responses and development in ASD: Evidence for an altered maturational trajectory in ASD.

PubMed

Port, Russell G; Gaetz, William; Bloy, Luke; Wang, Dah-Jyuu; Blaskey, Lisa; Kuschner, Emily S; Levy, Susan E; Brodkin, Edward S; Roberts, Timothy P L

2017-04-01

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is hypothesized to arise from imbalances between excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission (E/I imbalance). Studies have demonstrated E/I imbalance in individuals with ASD and also corresponding rodent models. One neural process thought to be reliant on E/I balance is gamma-band activity (Gamma), with support arising from observed correlations between motor, as well as visual, Gamma and underlying GABA concentrations in healthy adults. Additionally, decreased Gamma has been observed in ASD individuals and relevant animal models, though the direct relationship between Gamma and GABA concentrations in ASD remains unexplored. This study combined magnetoencephalography (MEG) and edited magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) in 27 typically developing individuals (TD) and 30 individuals with ASD. Auditory cortex localized phase-locked Gamma was compared to resting Superior Temporal Gyrus relative cortical GABA concentrations for both children/adolescents and adults. Children/adolescents with ASD exhibited significantly decreased GABA+/Creatine (Cr) levels, though typical Gamma. Additionally, these children/adolescents lacked the typical maturation of GABA+/Cr concentrations and gamma-band coherence. Furthermore, children/adolescents with ASD additionally failed to exhibit the typical GABA+/Cr to gamma-band coherence association. This altered coupling during childhood/adolescence may result in Gamma decreases observed in the adults with ASD. Therefore, individuals with ASD exhibit improper local neuronal circuitry maturation during a childhood/adolescence critical period, when GABA is involved in configuring of such circuit functioning. Provocatively a novel line of treatment is suggested (with a critical time window); by increasing neural GABA levels in children/adolescents with ASD, proper local circuitry maturation may be restored resulting in typical Gamma in adulthood. Autism Res 2017, 10: 593-607. © 2016 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Verbal Learning and Memory Functions in Adolescents with Reading Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oyler, James D.; Obrzut, John E.; Asbjornsen, Arve E.

2012-01-01

The authors of this current study compared the memory performance of adolescent students with specific reading disabilities (RD) with that of typical adolescent readers on a newly developed verbal learning test, the "Bergen-Tucson Verbal Learning Test" (BTVLT). This multiple trial test was designed to measure memory acquisition,…

The Essence of Montessori: Those Adolescent Years.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Loeffler, Margaret Howard

2003-01-01

Describes typical transitions during Montessori's third plane of development, focusing on how the educational environment can offer a curriculum consonant with development. Describes how contemporary Erdkinder models at middle and high school levels have incorporated work on the land and apprentice learning to meet adolescents' needs/interests.…

Comparing service use and costs among adolescents with autism spectrum disorders, special needs and typical development.

PubMed

Barrett, Barbara; Mosweu, Iris; Jones, Catherine Rg; Charman, Tony; Baird, Gillian; Simonoff, Emily; Pickles, Andrew; Happé, Francesca; Byford, Sarah

2015-07-01

Autism spectrum disorder is a complex condition that requires specialised care. Knowledge of the costs of autism spectrum disorder, especially in comparison with other conditions, may be useful to galvanise policymakers and leverage investment in education and intervention to mitigate aspects of autism spectrum disorder that negatively impact individuals with the disorder and their families. This article describes the services and associated costs for four groups of individuals: adolescents with autistic disorder, adolescents with other autism spectrum disorders, adolescents with other special educational needs and typically developing adolescents using data from a large, well-characterised cohort assessed as part of the UK Special Needs and Autism Project at the age of 12 years. Average total costs per participant over 6 months were highest in the autistic disorder group (£11,029), followed by the special educational needs group (£9268), the broader autism spectrum disorder group (£8968) and the typically developing group (£2954). Specialised day or residential schooling accounted for the vast majority of costs. In regression analysis, lower age and lower adaptive functioning were associated with higher costs in the groups with an autism spectrum disorder. Sex, ethnicity, number of International Classification of Diseases (10th revision) symptoms, autism spectrum disorder symptom scores and levels of mental health difficulties were not associated with cost. © The Author(s) 2014.

Gambling Related Cognitive Distortions in Adolescence: Relationships with Gambling Problems in Typically Developing and Special Needs Students.

PubMed

Taylor, Robyn N; Parker, James D A; Keefer, Kateryna V; Kloosterman, Patricia H; Summerfeldt, Laura J

2015-12-01

The present study examined the link between problematic gambling and gambling related cognitions (GRCs) in a large sample of adolescents with (N = 266) and without (N = 1,738) special education needs (SEN) between the ages of 14 and 18 years attending several high schools in eastern central Ontario. The adolescents with SENs were identified as having various learning disorders and/or internalizing and externalizing problems [e.g., attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)]. All adolescents completed a self-report questionnaire package that included the GRC Scale (GRCS; Raylu and Oei in Addiction 99:757-769, 2004), as well as measures of problem gambling, negative affect, and ADHD symptomatology. Results showed that adolescents with SEN hold more erroneous beliefs about gambling and had a higher risk of developing problematic patterns of gambling behaviour than their typically developing peers. Moreover, the GRCS subscales were found to be strong predictors of problem gambling among adolescents both with and without SEN, accounting for a substantial amount of the variance even when controlling for the effects of age, gender, ADHD, and negative affect. It is suggested that intervention and prevention programs aimed at adolescent gambling need to give particular attention to those with SEN.

Applying Neurodevelopmental Theory to School-Based Drug Misuse Prevention during Adolescence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Riggs, Nathaniel R.; Black, David S.; Ritt-Olson, Anamara

2014-01-01

Adolescence is characterized by incredible development in the prefrontal cortex of the brain, which is responsible for behavioral and emotional self-regulation, and higher order cognitive decision-making skills (that is, executive function). Typically late prefrontal cortical development and its integration with limbic areas of the brain…

Inhibition of misleading heuristics as a core mechanism for typical cognitive development: evidence from behavioural and brain-imaging studies.

PubMed

Borst, Grégoire; Aïte, Ania; Houdé, Olivier

2015-04-01

Cognitive development is generally conceived as incremental with knowledge of increasing complexity acquired throughout childhood and adolescence. However, several studies have now demonstrated not only that infants possess complex cognitive abilities but also that older children, adolescents, and adults tend to make systematic errors even in simple logical reasoning tasks. Therefore, one of the main issues for any theory of typical cognitive development is to provide an explanation of why at some age and in some contexts children, adolescents, and adults do not express a knowledge or cognitive principle that they already acquired when they were younger. In this review, we present convergent behavioural and neurocognitive evidence that cognitive development is more similar to a non-linear dynamic system than to a linear, stage-like system. In this theoretical framework, errors can emerge in problems similar to the ones infants or young children were succeeding when older children, adolescents, and adults rely on a misleading heuristic rather than on the correct logical algorithm to solve such problems. And the core mechanism for overcoming these errors is inhibitory control (i.e. the ability to inhibit the misleading heuristics). Therefore, typical cognitive development relies not only on the ability to acquire knowledge of incremental complexity but also to inhibit previously acquired knowledge. © 2015 The Authors. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology © 2015 Mac Keith Press.

Spoken Word Recognition in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Specific Language Impairment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Loucas, Tom; Riches, Nick; Baird, Gillian; Pickles, Andrew; Simonoff, Emily; Chandler, Susie; Charman, Tony

2013-01-01

Spoken word recognition, during gating, appears intact in specific language impairment (SLI). This study used gating to investigate the process in adolescents with autism spectrum disorders plus language impairment (ALI). Adolescents with ALI, SLI, and typical language development (TLD), matched on nonverbal IQ listened to gated words that varied…

Moral Reasoning and Empathy in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Implications for Moral Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Senland, Amie K.; Higgins-D'Alessandro, Ann

2013-01-01

A mixed methods approach was used to understand moral reasoning and empathy in 12- to 18-year-old adolescents with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (HF-ASD) compared to same age typically developing (TD) youth. Adolescents completed measures assessing empathy (perspective-taking, personal distress, and empathic concern), and moral…

Txt Lang: Texting, Textism Use and Literacy Abilities in Adolescents with and without Specific Language Impairment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Durkin, K.; Conti-Ramsden, G.; Walker, A. J.

2011-01-01

The present study examined text messaging in adolescence, in particular relationships among textism use, language and literacy skills. Forty-seven typically developing (TD) 17-year-olds and 47 adolescents of the same age with specific language impairment (SLI) participated. Participants completed standardised assessments of cognitive, language and…

Difficulties in Lexical Stress versus Difficulties in Segmental Phonology among Adolescents with Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anastasiou, Dimitris; Protopapas, Athanassios

2015-01-01

Dyslexic difficulties in lexical stress were compared to difficulties in segmental phonology. Twenty-nine adolescents with dyslexia and 29 typically developing adolescents, matched on age and nonverbal ability, were assessed on reading, spelling, phonological and stress awareness, rapid naming, and short-term memory. Group differences in stress…

Parental Management of Peers and Autonomic Nervous System Reactivity in Predicting Adolescent Peer Relationships

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tu, Kelly M.; Erath, Stephen A.; El-Sheikh, Mona

2017-01-01

The present study examined sympathetic and parasympathetic indices of autonomic nervous system reactivity as moderators of the prospective association between parental management of peers via directing of youths' friendships and peer adjustment in a sample of typically developing adolescents. Participants included 246 adolescents at Time 1 (T1)…

Characterizing Sleep in Adolescents and Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldman, S. E.; Alder, M. L.; Burgess, H. J.; Corbett, B. A.; Hundley, R.; Wofford, D.; Fawkes, D. B.; Wang, L.; Laudenslager, M. L.; Malow, B. A.

2017-01-01

We studied 28 adolescents/young adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and 13 age/sex matched individuals of typical development (TD). Structured sleep histories, validated questionnaires, actigraphy (4 weeks), and salivary cortisol and melatonin (4 days each) were collected. Compared to those with TD, adolescents/young adults with ASD had…

How Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Spontaneously Attend to Real-World Scenes: Use of a Change Blindness Paradigm

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hochhauser, Michal; Aran, Adi; Grynszpan, Ouriel

2018-01-01

Visual attention of adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) was assessed using a change blindness paradigm. Twenty-five adolescents with ASD aged 12-18 years and 25 matched typically developing (TD) adolescents viewed 36 pairs of digitized real-world images. Each pair of images was displayed in a "flicker paradigm" whereby a…

Brain Growth Rate Abnormalities Visualized in Adolescents with Autism

PubMed Central

Hua, Xue; Thompson, Paul M.; Leow, Alex D.; Madsen, Sarah K.; Caplan, Rochelle; Alger, Jeffry R.; O’Neill, Joseph; Joshi, Kishori; Smalley, Susan L.; Toga, Arthur W.; Levitt, Jennifer G.

2014-01-01

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a heterogeneous disorder of brain development with wide-ranging cognitive deficits. Typically diagnosed before age 3, ASD is behaviorally defined but patients are thought to have protracted alterations in brain maturation. With longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), we mapped an anomalous developmental trajectory of the brains of autistic compared to those of typically developing children and adolescents. Using tensor-based morphometry (TBM), we created 3D maps visualizing regional tissue growth rates based on longitudinal brain MRI scans of 13 autistic and 7 typically developing boys (mean age/inter-scan interval: autism 12.0 ± 2.3 years/2.9 ± 0.9 years; control 12.3 ± 2.4/2.8 ± 0.8). The typically developing boys demonstrated strong whole-brain white matter growth during this period, but the autistic boys showed abnormally slowed white matter development (p = 0.03, corrected), especially in the parietal (p = 0.008), temporal (p = 0.03) and occipital lobes (p =0.02). We also visualized abnormal overgrowth in autism in some gray matter structures, such as the putamen and anterior cingulate cortex. Our findings reveal aberrant growth rates in brain regions implicated in social impairment, communication deficits and repetitive behaviors in autism, suggesting that growth rate abnormalities persist into adolescence. TBM revealed persisting growth rate anomalies long after diagnosis, which has implications for evaluation of therapeutic effects. PMID:22021093

Brain growth rate abnormalities visualized in adolescents with autism.

PubMed

Hua, Xue; Thompson, Paul M; Leow, Alex D; Madsen, Sarah K; Caplan, Rochelle; Alger, Jeffry R; O'Neill, Joseph; Joshi, Kishori; Smalley, Susan L; Toga, Arthur W; Levitt, Jennifer G

2013-02-01

Autism spectrum disorder is a heterogeneous disorder of brain development with wide ranging cognitive deficits. Typically diagnosed before age 3, autism spectrum disorder is behaviorally defined but patients are thought to have protracted alterations in brain maturation. With longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), we mapped an anomalous developmental trajectory of the brains of autistic compared with those of typically developing children and adolescents. Using tensor-based morphometry, we created 3D maps visualizing regional tissue growth rates based on longitudinal brain MRI scans of 13 autistic and seven typically developing boys (mean age/interscan interval: autism 12.0 ± 2.3 years/2.9 ± 0.9 years; control 12.3 ± 2.4/2.8 ± 0.8). The typically developing boys demonstrated strong whole brain white matter growth during this period, but the autistic boys showed abnormally slowed white matter development (P = 0.03, corrected), especially in the parietal (P = 0.008), temporal (P = 0.03), and occipital lobes (P = 0.02). We also visualized abnormal overgrowth in autism in gray matter structures such as the putamen and anterior cingulate cortex. Our findings reveal aberrant growth rates in brain regions implicated in social impairment, communication deficits and repetitive behaviors in autism, suggesting that growth rate abnormalities persist into adolescence. Tensor-based morphometry revealed persisting growth rate anomalies long after diagnosis, which has implications for evaluation of therapeutic effects. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Age-Related Changes in Transient and Oscillatory Brain Responses to Auditory Stimulation during Early Adolescence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Poulsen, Catherine; Picton, Terence W.; Paus, Tomas

2009-01-01

Maturational changes in the capacity to process quickly the temporal envelope of sound have been linked to language abilities in typically developing individuals. As part of a longitudinal study of brain maturation and cognitive development during adolescence, we employed dense-array EEG and spatiotemporal source analysis to characterize…

Do active video games benefit the motor skill development of non-typically developing children and adolescents: A systematic review.

PubMed

Page, Zoey E; Barrington, Stephanie; Edwards, Jacqueline; Barnett, Lisa M

2017-12-01

The use of interactive video gaming, known as 'exergames' or 'active video games (AVG)' may provide an opportunity for motor skill development. Youth with non-typical patterns of development may have deficits in gross motor skill capacities and are therefore an intervention target. The aim was to determine the effectiveness of AVG use on motor skill development in non-typically developing children and adolescents. Review article. The PRISMA protocol was used to conduct a systematic review of EBSCOhost, Embase, Gale Cengage, Informit, Ovid, ProQuest, PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science databases. A total of 19 articles met inclusion criteria (non-typically developing participants such as those with a learning or developmental delay aged 3-18, use of an AVG console, assessed one or more gross motor skills). Studies were excluded if gross motor skill outcomes encompassed fine motor skills or reflected mobility related to daily living. Interventions included children and adolescents with eight different conditions. The Nintendo Wii was the most utilised gaming platform (14/19 studies). Studies examined a combination of skills, with most examining balance (15/19), five studies examining ball skills, and other gross motor skills such as coordination (3 studies), running (3 studies) and jumping (3 studies). There was strong evidence that AVG's improved balance. AVG's also appeared to benefit participants with Cerebral Palsy. AVG's could be a valuable tool to improve gross motor skills of non-typically developing children. There is scope for further exploration, particularly of ball, coordination and locomotor skills and varying platforms to draw more conclusive evaluations. Copyright © 2017 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Emotion Perception in Music in High-Functioning Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Quintin, Eve-Marie; Bhatara, Anjali; Poissant, Helene; Fombonne, Eric; Levitin, Daniel J.

2011-01-01

Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) succeed at a range of musical tasks. The ability to recognize musical emotion as belonging to one of four categories (happy, sad, scared or peaceful) was assessed in high-functioning adolescents with ASD (N = 26) and adolescents with typical development (TD, N = 26) with comparable performance IQ,…

Social Communication Impairments in Children and Adolescents with Asperger Syndrome: Slow Response Time and the Impact of Prompting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaland, Nils; Mortensen, Erik Lykke; Smith, Lars

2011-01-01

In the present study children and adolescents with Asperger syndrome (N=13) and a matched control group of typically developing children and adolescents were presented with 26 vignettes of daily life situations, including irony, metaphors, contrary emotions, jealousy, social blunders, and understanding intentions. The participants in the AS group…

Peers Influence Prosocial Behavior in Adolescent Males with Autism Spectrum Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Hoorn, Jorien; Van Dijk, Eric; Crone, Eveline A.; Stockmann, Lex; Rieffe, Carolien

2017-01-01

Peer influence has a profound impact on decision-making in typically developing adolescents. In this study, we examined to what extent adolescent males (age 11-17 years; N = 144) with and without autism (ASD) were influenced by peer feedback on prosocial behavior, and which factors were related to individual differences in peer feedback…

Cell Phone Use by Adolescents with Asperger Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Durkin, Kevin; Whitehouse, Andrew; Jaquet, Emma; Ziatas, Kathy; Walker, Allan J.

2010-01-01

While young people have generally been at the forefront of the adoption and use of new communications technologies, little is known of uses by exceptional youth. This study compares cell phone use by a group of adolescents with Asperger Syndrome (n = 35) with that by a group of adolescents with typical development (n = 35). People with Asperger…

Do Gaze Cues in Complex Scenes Capture and Direct the Attention of High Functioning Adolescents with ASD? Evidence from Eye-Tracking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Freeth, M.; Chapman, P.; Ropar, D.; Mitchell, P.

2010-01-01

Visual fixation patterns whilst viewing complex photographic scenes containing one person were studied in 24 high-functioning adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and 24 matched typically developing adolescents. Over two different scene presentation durations both groups spent a large, strikingly similar proportion of their viewing…

Adolescent Judgments and Reasoning about the Failure to Include Peers with Social Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bottema-Beutel, Kristen; Li, Zhushan

2015-01-01

Adolescents with autism spectrum disorder often do not have access to crucial peer social activities. This study examines how typically developing adolescents evaluate decisions not to include a peer based on disability status, and the justifications they apply to these decisions. A clinical interview methodology was used to elicit judgments and…

Development of Hot and Cool Executive Function during the Transition to Adolescence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prencipe, Angela; Kesek, Amanda; Cohen, Julia; Lamm, Connie; Lewis, Marc D.; Zelazo, Philip David

2011-01-01

This study examined the development of executive function (EF) in a typically developing sample from middle childhood to adolescence using a range of tasks varying in affective significance. A total of 102 participants between 8 and 15 years of age completed the Iowa Gambling Task, the Color Word Stroop, a Delay Discounting task, and a Digit Span…

Parental Retrospective Assessment of Development and Behavior in Asperger Syndrome during the First 2 Years of Life

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dewrang, Petra; Sandberg, Annika Dahlgren

2010-01-01

Development and behavior during the first 2 years of life was assessed retrospectively by the parents to 23 adolescents and young adults with Asperger syndrome and 13 typically developing adolescents and young adults. The groups were matched on chronological age and the participants were within the normal range of intelligence. The questionnaire,…

Development of Gender Typicality and Felt Pressure in European French and North African French Adolescents.

PubMed

Hoffman, Adam J; Dumas, Florence; Loose, Florence; Smeding, Annique; Kurtz-Costes, Beth; Régner, Isabelle

2017-11-14

Trajectories of gender identity were examined from Grade 6 (M age  = 11.9 years) to Grade 9 in European French (n = 570) and North African French (n = 534) adolescents, and gender and ethnic group differences were assessed in these trajectories. In Grade 6, boys of both ethnic groups reported higher levels of gender typicality and felt pressure for gender conformity than girls. European French girls and boys and North African French girls reported decreasing gender typicality from Grade 6 to Grade 9, whereas North African French boys did not change. Felt pressure decreased among girls, did not change in European French boys, and increased in North African French boys. Ethnic and gender differences in gender identity development are discussed. © 2017 The Authors. Child Development © 2017 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

Visual processing in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder: evidence from embedded figures and configural superiority tests.

PubMed

Dillen, Claudia; Steyaert, Jean; Op de Beeck, Hans P; Boets, Bart

2015-05-01

The embedded figures test has often been used to reveal weak central coherence in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Here, we administered a more standardized automated version of the embedded figures test in combination with the configural superiority task, to investigate the effect of contextual modulation on local feature detection in 23 adolescents with ASD and 26 matched typically developing controls. On both tasks both groups performed largely similarly in terms of accuracy and reaction time, and both displayed the contextual modulation effect. This indicates that individuals with ASD are equally sensitive compared to typically developing individuals to the contextual effects of the task and that there is no evidence for a local processing bias in adolescents with ASD.

Adolescent alcohol exposure and persistence of adolescent-typical phenotypes into adulthood: a mini-review

PubMed Central

Spear, Linda Patia; Swartzwelder, H. Scott

2014-01-01

Alcohol use is typically initiated during adolescence, which, along with young adulthood, is a vulnerable period for the onset of high-risk drinking and alcohol abuse. Given across-species commonalities in certain fundamental neurobehavioral characteristics of adolescence, studies in laboratory animals such as the rat have proved useful to assess persisting consequences of repeated alcohol exposure. Despite limited research to date, reports of long-lasting effects of adolescent ethanol exposure are emerging, along with certain common themes. One repeated finding is that adolescent exposure to ethanol sometimes results in the persistence of adolescent-typical phenotypes into adulthood. Instances of adolescent -like persistence have been seen in terms of baseline behavioral, cognitive, electrophysiological and neuroanatomical characteristics, along with the retention of adolescent-typical sensitivities to acute ethanol challenge. These effects are generally not observed after comparable ethanol exposure in adulthood. Persistence of adolescent-typical phenotypes is not always evident, and may be related to regionally-specific ethanol influences on the interplay between CNS excitation and inhibition critical for the timing of neuroplasticity. PMID:24813805

Friendship quality in adolescents with and without an intellectual disability.

PubMed

Tipton, Leigh A; Christensen, Lisa; Blacher, Jan

2013-11-01

High friendship quality is often defined by high levels of intimacy, companionship, closeness and low levels of conflict. Quality friendships develop over time and may be influenced by both behaviour problems and social skills. Participants were 103, 13-year-old adolescents with or without intellectual disabilities in the United States. Adolescents and their mothers participated in an open-ended interview of friendship quality and completed measures of social skills and behaviour problems. This study addressed differences in friendship quality between children with and without intellectual disabilities and explored early indicators of friendship development. Adolescents with intellectual disabilities (ID) had friendships characterized by significantly lower levels of warmth/closeness and positive reciprocity than their typically developing peers. Likewise, adolescents with ID spent less time with friends outside of school and were less likely to have a cohesive group of friends. Social skills and behaviour problems at age 9 predicted friendship quality at age 13 above and beyond disability status, with higher levels of social skills and lower levels of behaviour problems related to higher ratings on measures of friendship quality. It appears that adolescents with intellectual disabilities have friendships that are characterized by less warmth/closeness and less positive reciprocity than the friendships of their typically developing peers. This discrepancy appears to be impacted by early social skills and behaviour problems in addition to the presence of the intellectual disability. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Interactive Behaviors in Adolescent Conversation Dyads.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Turkstra, Lyn; Ciccia, Angela; Seaton, Christine

2003-01-01

This study collected normative behavioral data from extemporaneous 3-minute conversations of 50 typically developing adolescents. Analysis found the following high frequency behaviors: directing gaze at the partner, nodding and showing neutral and positive facial expressions, using back-channel responses, and giving contingent responses.…

Longitudinal Assessment of Left Ventricular Structure and Function in Adolescents with Developmental Coordination Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chirico, Daniele; O'Leary, Deborah; Cairney, John; Haluka, Karen; Coverdale, Nicole S.; Klentrou, Panagiota; Hay, John; Faught, Brent E.

2012-01-01

Children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) are more likely to develop cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors such as obesity and reduced cardio-respiratory fitness. It has also been shown that adolescents with probable DCD (p-DCD) have elevated cardiac output (CO) and stroke volume (SV) compared to typically developing (TD)…

Behavioral and Emotional Problems in High-Functioning Girls and Boys with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Parents' Reports and Adolescents' Self-Reports

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pisula, Ewa; Pudlo, Monika; Slowinska, Monika; Kawa, Rafal; Strzaska, Magdalena; Banasiak, Anna; Wolanczyk, Tomasz

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate sex differences in behavioral and emotional problems in high-functioning girls and boys with autism spectrum disorder. The results obtained by adolescents with autism spectrum disorder were compared with those of typically developing girls and boys. Correlations between parents' and adolescents' ratings…

Voluntary orienting among children and adolescents with Down syndrome and MA-matched typically developing children.

PubMed

Goldman, Karen J; Flanagan, Tara; Shulman, Cory; Enns, James T; Burack, Jacob A

2005-05-01

A forced-choice reaction-time (RT) task was used to examine voluntary visual orienting among children and adolescents with trisomy 21 Down syndrome and typically developing children matched at an MA of approximately 5.6 years, an age when the development of orienting abilities reaches optimal adult-like efficiency. Both groups displayed faster reaction times (RTs) when the target location was cued correctly than when cued incorrectly under both short and long SOA conditions, indicating intact orienting among children with Down syndrome. This finding is further evidence that the efficiency of many of the primary components of attention among persons with Down syndrome is consistent with their developmental level.

Circumscribed interests in adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A look beyond trains, planes, and clocks.

PubMed

Cho, Ivy Y K; Jelinkova, Kristina; Schuetze, Manuela; Vinette, Sarah A; Rahman, Sarah; McCrimmon, Adam; Dewey, Deborah; Bray, Signe

2017-01-01

Adolescence is a unique developmental period, characterized by physical and emotional growth and significant maturation of cognitive and social skills. For individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), it is also a vulnerable period as cognitive and social skills can deteriorate. Circumscribed interests (CIs), idiosyncratic areas of intense interest and focus, are a core symptom of ASD that may be associated with social development. Yet, relatively little is known about the expression of CIs in adolescents with ASD. Many studies investigating CIs have used images depicting items of special interest; however, it is not clear how images should be customized for adolescent studies. The goal of this study was to gain insight into the types of images that may be appropriate for studies of CIs in adolescents with ASD. To this end, we used a mixed methods design that included, 1) one-on-one interviews with 10 adolescents (4 with ASD and 6 TD), to identify categories of images that were High Autism Interest ('HAI') or High Typically Developing Interest ('HTD'), and 2) an online survey taken by fifty-three adolescents with ASD (42 male) and 135 typically developing (TD) adolescents (55 male) who rated how much they liked 105 'HAI' and 'HTD' images. Although we found a significant interaction between 'HAI' and 'HTD' categories and diagnosis, neither group significantly preferred one category over the other, and only one individual category ('Celebrities') showed a significant group effect, favored by TD adolescents. Males significantly preferred 'HAI' images relative to females, and TD adolescents significantly preferred images with social content relative to adolescents with ASD. Our findings suggest that studies investigating affective or neural responses to CI-related stimuli in adolescents should consider that stereotypical ASD interests (e.g. trains, gadgets) may not accurately represent individual adolescents with ASD, many of whom show interests that overlap with TD adolescents (e.g. video games).

Circumscribed interests in adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A look beyond trains, planes, and clocks

PubMed Central

Cho, Ivy Y. K.; Jelinkova, Kristina; Schuetze, Manuela; Vinette, Sarah A.; Rahman, Sarah; McCrimmon, Adam; Dewey, Deborah; Bray, Signe

2017-01-01

Adolescence is a unique developmental period, characterized by physical and emotional growth and significant maturation of cognitive and social skills. For individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), it is also a vulnerable period as cognitive and social skills can deteriorate. Circumscribed interests (CIs), idiosyncratic areas of intense interest and focus, are a core symptom of ASD that may be associated with social development. Yet, relatively little is known about the expression of CIs in adolescents with ASD. Many studies investigating CIs have used images depicting items of special interest; however, it is not clear how images should be customized for adolescent studies. The goal of this study was to gain insight into the types of images that may be appropriate for studies of CIs in adolescents with ASD. To this end, we used a mixed methods design that included, 1) one-on-one interviews with 10 adolescents (4 with ASD and 6 TD), to identify categories of images that were High Autism Interest (‘HAI’) or High Typically Developing Interest (‘HTD’), and 2) an online survey taken by fifty-three adolescents with ASD (42 male) and 135 typically developing (TD) adolescents (55 male) who rated how much they liked 105 ‘HAI’ and ‘HTD’ images. Although we found a significant interaction between ‘HAI’ and ‘HTD’ categories and diagnosis, neither group significantly preferred one category over the other, and only one individual category ('Celebrities') showed a significant group effect, favored by TD adolescents. Males significantly preferred ‘HAI’ images relative to females, and TD adolescents significantly preferred images with social content relative to adolescents with ASD. Our findings suggest that studies investigating affective or neural responses to CI-related stimuli in adolescents should consider that stereotypical ASD interests (e.g. trains, gadgets) may not accurately represent individual adolescents with ASD, many of whom show interests that overlap with TD adolescents (e.g. video games). PMID:29095880

Investigating Multitasking in High-Functioning Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders Using the Virtual Errands Task

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rajendran, Gnanathusharan; Law, Anna S.; Logie, Robert H.; van der Meulen, Marian; Fraser, Diane; Corley, Martin

2011-01-01

Using a modified version of the Virtual Errands Task (VET; McGeorge et al. in "Presence-Teleop Virtual Environ" 10(4):375-383, 2001), we investigated the executive ability of multitasking in 18 high-functioning adolescents with ASD and 18 typically developing adolescents. The VET requires multitasking (Law et al. in "Acta Psychol" 122(1):27-44,…

The Eye Gaze Direction of an Observed Person Can Bias Perception, Memory, and Attention in Adolescents with and without Autism Spectrum Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Freeth, M.; Ropar, D.; Chapman, P.; Mitchell, P.

2010-01-01

The reported experiments aimed to investigate whether a person and his or her gaze direction presented in the context of a naturalistic scene cause perception, memory, and attention to be biased in typically developing adolescents and high-functioning adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A novel computerized image manipulation program…

Examining social competence, self-perception, quality of life, and internalizing and externalizing symptoms in adolescent females with and without autism spectrum disorder: a quantitative design including between-groups and correlational analyses.

PubMed

Jamison, T Rene; Schuttler, Jessica Oeth

2015-01-01

Adolescent females with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are an understudied population, yet are also quite vulnerable, due to the increased complexities of social interaction and increased risk for internalizing symptoms in adolescence. Most research literature currently focuses on males with ASD, limiting our understanding of social experiences for females with ASD, and thus the potential to better inform supports and intervention to promote social-emotional functioning. This study examined similarities and differences in selected indicators of social-emotional health (social competence, self-perception, quality of life) and problematic behaviors such as externalizing and internalizing symptoms for adolescent females with and without ASD. This study employed a quantitative design utilizing correlational analysis as well as t test comparisons to examine selected indicators of social-emotional health and problematic symptoms using the Social Skills Improvement System (SSIS), Youth Quality of Life Instrument (YQOL), and the Self-Perceptions Profile for Adolescents (SPPA) for adolescent females with ASD in relation to their typically developing peers. Significant differences were found between females with and without ASD in terms of their self-ratings of social-emotional health and problematic behaviors. The no-ASD group rated themselves higher across all areas of social-emotional health. Findings also suggest strong relationships between these constructs, especially for females without ASD. Parent reports of autism symptoms and social-emotional health indicated that as symptoms of autism are more severe, so too was the impact on individuals' social competence. Adolescent females with ASD perceive themselves as having lower social competence, self-worth, and quality of life and higher levels of internalizing and externalizing symptoms as compared to their typically developing peers. Parent ratings indicate that higher levels of autism symptoms relate to lower levels of social competence. These findings lend support to the postulate that adolescent females with ASD are more vulnerable than their typically developing counterparts due to the compounded impact of ASD symptoms on social-emotional health and the higher risk for internalizing disorders for adolescent girls. Limitations and implications for further research and intervention are discussed.

Supporting the Spectrum Hypothesis: Self-Reported Temperament in Children and Adolescents with High Functioning Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burrows, Catherine A.; Usher, Lauren V.; Schwartz, Caley B.; Mundy, Peter C.; Henderson, Heather A.

2016-01-01

This study tested the "spectrum hypothesis," which posits that children and adolescents with high functioning autism (HFA) differ "quantitatively" but not "qualitatively" from typically developing peers on self-reported temperament. Temperament refers to early-appearing, relatively stable behavioral and emotional…

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Adolescent Body Dysmorphic Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greenberg, Jennifer L.; Markowitz, Sarah; Petronko, Michael R.; Taylor, Caitlin E.; Wilhelm, Sabine; Wilson, G. Terence

2010-01-01

The onset of appearance-related concerns associated with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) typically occurs in adolescence, and these concerns are often severe enough to interfere with normal development and psychosocial functioning. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an effective treatment for adults with BDD. However, no treatment studies…

Psychosexual Functioning of Cognitively-Able Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder Compared to Typically Developing Peers: The Development and Testing of the Teen Transition Inventory--A Self- and Parent Report Questionnaire on Psychosexual Functioning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dekker, Linda P.; van der Vegt, Esther J. M.; van der Ende, Jan; Tick, Nouchka; Louwerse, Anneke; Maras, Athanasios; Verhulst, Frank C.; Greaves-Lord, Kirstin

2017-01-01

To gain further insight into psychosexual functioning, including behaviors, intrapersonal and interpersonal aspects, in adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), comprehensive, multi-informant measures are needed. This study describes (1) the development of a new measure of psychosexual functioning in both parent- and self-reports (Teen…

Friendship and Internalizing Symptoms among Children and Adolescents with ASD

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mazurek, Micah O.; Kanne, Stephen M.

2010-01-01

Anxiety and depression are common among children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), highlighting a need to identify factors that protect against these symptoms. Among typically developing children, friendships are protective, and lead to better emotional outcomes. The current study examined a large, well-characterized sample of…

Social Cognition in Adolescent Girls with Fragile X Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Turkstra, Lyn S.; Abbeduto, Leonard; Meulenbroek, Peter

2014-01-01

This study aimed to characterize social cognition, executive functions (EFs), and everyday social functioning in adolescent girls with fragile X syndrome, and identify relationships among these variables. Participants were 20 girls with FXS and 20 age-matched typically developing peers. Results showed significant between-groups differences in…

Examining Metacognition in Hearing and Deaf/Hard of Hearing Students: A Comparative Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al-Hilawani, Yasser A.

2001-01-01

The metacognitive performance of 87 Arab typically developing adolescents and 20 Arab adolescents with deafness was examined. There was no significant difference between the students in metacognitive performance, nor were there gender-based differences among students with deafness. However, hearing female students scored significantly higher on…

The Typical Developmental Trajectory of Social and Executive Functions in Late Adolescence and Early Adulthood

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor, Sophie Jane; Barker, Lynne Ann; Heavey, Lisa; McHale, Sue

2013-01-01

Executive functions and social cognition develop through childhood into adolescence and early adulthood and are important for adaptive goal-oriented behavior (Apperly, Samson, & Humphreys, 2009; Blakemore & Choudhury, 2006). These functions are attributed to frontal networks known to undergo protracted maturation into early adulthood…

Spatial Contrast Sensitivity in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koh, Hwan Cui; Milne, Elizabeth; Dobkins, Karen

2010-01-01

Adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and typically developing (TD) controls underwent a rigorous psychophysical assessment that measured contrast sensitivity to seven spatial frequencies (0.5-20 cycles/degree). A contrast sensitivity function (CSF) was then fitted for each participant, from which four measures were obtained: visual…

Behavioral Genetic Analyses of Prosocial Behavior in Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gregory, Alice M.; Light-Hausermann, Jade H.; Rijsdijk, Fruhling; Eley, Thalia C.

2009-01-01

Prosocial behavior is an important aspect of normal social and psychological development. Adult and child twin studies typically estimate the heritability of prosocial behavior to be between 30 and 50%, although relatively little is known about genetic and environmental influences upon prosocial behavior in adolescence. We therefore examined…

Increased Sensory Processing Atypicalities in Parents of Multiplex ASD Families versus Typically Developing and Simplex ASD Families

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Donaldson, Chelsea K.; Stauder, Johannes E. A.; Donkers, Franc C. L.

2017-01-01

Recent studies have suggested that sensory processing atypicalities may share genetic influences with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). To further investigate this, the adolescent/adult sensory profile (AASP) questionnaire was distributed to 85 parents of typically developing children (P-TD), 121 parents from simplex ASD families (SPX), and 54…

Sexuality and Disability in Adolescents.

PubMed

Holland-Hall, Cynthia; Quint, Elisabeth H

2017-04-01

Healthy sexual development is important for adolescents with and without disabilities, yet the topic of sexuality is often ignored in the disabled population. Adolescents with mild or moderate degrees of disability have rates of sexual activity and reproductive health needs comparable to their typically developing peers. Their need for support, risk reduction, and education in sexual health may exceed that of their peers. The medical provider may support healthy sexual development through education, anticipatory guidance, menstrual and contraceptive management, and by expanding the notion of sexuality to include a broader conceptualization of sexual behavior and expression. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Conditional reasoning in autism: activation and integration of knowledge and belief.

PubMed

McKenzie, Rebecca; Evans, Jonathan St B T; Handley, Simon J

2010-03-01

Everyday conditional reasoning is typically influenced by prior knowledge and belief in the form of specific exceptions known as counterexamples. This study explored whether adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD; N = 26) were less influenced by background knowledge than typically developing adolescents (N = 38) when engaged in conditional reasoning. Participants were presented with pretested valid and invalid conditional inferences with varying available counterexamples. The group with ASD showed significantly less influence of prior knowledge on valid inferences (p = .01) and invalid inferences (p = .01) compared with the typical group. In a secondary probability judgment task, no significant group differences were found in probabilistic judgments of the believability of the premises. Further experiments found that results could not be explained by differences between the groups in the ability to generate counterexamples or any tendency among adolescents with ASD to exhibit a "yes" response pattern. It was concluded that adolescents with ASD tend not to spontaneously contextualize presented material when engaged in everyday reasoning. These findings are discussed with reference to weak central coherence theory and the conditional reasoning literature.

Enjoyment, Barriers, and Beliefs About Physical Activity in Adolescents With and Without Autism Spectrum Disorder.

PubMed

Stanish, Heidi; Curtin, Carol; Must, Aviva; Phillips, Sarah; Maslin, Melissa; Bandini, Linda

2015-10-01

The authors compared physical activity enjoyment, perceived barriers, beliefs, and self-efficacy between adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and typically developing (TD) adolescents. A questionnaire was verbally administered to 35 adolescents with ASD and 60 TD adolescents. Compared with TD adolescents, fewer adolescents with ASD enjoyed team sports (65% vs. 95%, p < .001) and physical education (84% vs. 98%, p = .02). A greater proportion of adolescents with ASD perceived that physical activities were too hard to learn (16% vs. 0%, p < .01), and fewer believed that physical activity was a way to make friends (68% vs. 97%, p < .001). Fewer adolescents with ASD preferred to do physical activity in their free time (25% vs. 58%, p < .01). Most adolescents with ASD felt that physical activity is fun (84%), but the proportion was lower than in TD adolescents (98%, p = .03). Some perceptions about physical activity were similar between the 2 groups, but differences identified may inform program development.

Prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Maïano, C; Hue, O; Morin, A J S; Moullec, G

2016-07-01

Although there have been numerous studies examining the prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities, they have not yet been integrated and synthesized through a systematic quantitative review process. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to determine: (i) the prevalence of overweight/obesity among children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities; (ii) the sources of heterogeneity in studies reporting the prevalence of overweight/obesity in this population; and (iii) the risk of overweight/obesity in this population compared with their typically developing peers. A systematic literature search was performed and 16 studies, published between 1985 and 2015, met the inclusion criteria. The resulting pooled prevalence estimates for overweight, overweight-obesity and obesity were respectively: (i) 15%, 30%, and 13%, in children; and (ii) 18%, 33%, and 15% in adolescents. Subgroup analyses showed significant variations in the pooled prevalence estimates as a function of geographical region, recruitment setting, additional diagnoses, and norms used to define overweight or obesity. The findings also showed adolescents with intellectual disabilities to be respectively 1.54 and 1.80 times more at risk of overweight-obesity and obesity than typically developing adolescents. Unfortunately, no such comparison is available for children. © 2016 World Obesity. © 2016 World Obesity.

Performance of Children and Adolescents with Asperger Syndrome or High-Functioning Autism on Advanced Theory of Mind Tasks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaland, Nils; Callesen, Kirsten; Moller-Nielsen, Annette; Mortensen, Erik Lykke; Smith, Lars

2008-01-01

Although a number of advanced theory of mind tasks have been developed, there is a dearth of information on whether performances on different tasks are associated. The present study examined the performance of 21 children and adolescents with diagnoses of Asperger syndrome (AS) and 20 typically developing controls on three advanced theory of mind…

Pupillary Response and Phenotype in ASD: Latency to Constriction Discriminates ASD from Typically Developing Adolescents.

PubMed

Lynch, Georgina T F; James, Stephen M; VanDam, Mark

2018-02-01

Brain imaging data describe differences in the ASD brain, including amygdala overgrowth, neural interconnectivity, and a three-phase model of neuroanatomical changes from early post-natal development through late adolescence. The pupil reflex test (PRT), a noninvasive measure of brain function, may help improve early diagnosis and elucidate underlying physiology in expression of ASD endophenotype. Commonly observed characteristics of ASD include normal visual acuity but difficulty with eye gaze and photosensitivity, suggesting deficient neuromodulation of cranial nerves. Aims of this study were to confirm sensitivity of the PRT for identifying adolescents with ASD, determine if a phenotype for a subtype of ASD marked by pupil response is present in adolescence, and determine whether differences could be observed on a neurologic exam testing cranial nerves II and III (CNII; CNIII). Using pupillometry, constriction latency was measured serving as a proxy for recording neuromodulation of cranial nerves underlying the pupillary reflex. The swinging flashlight method, used to perform the PRT for measuring constriction latency and return to baseline, discriminated ASD participants from typically developing adolescents on 72.2% of trials. Results further confirmed this measure's sensitivity within a subtype of ASD in later stages of development, serving as a correlate of neural activity within the locus-coeruleus norepinephrine (LC-NE) system. A brainstem model of atypical PRT in ASD is examined in relation to modulation of cranial nerves and atypical arousal levels subserving the atypical pupillary reflex. Autism Res 2018, 11: 364-375. © 2017 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Milder forms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can be difficult to diagnose based on behavioral testing alone. This study used eye-tracking equipment and a hand-held penlight to measure the pupil reflex in adolescents with "high functioning" ASD and in adolescents without ASD. The ASD group showed a delay in pupil response. This is the first eye-tracking study to conduct this test as typically performed by a clinical provider, demonstrating differences in older individuals with a subtype of ASD. © 2017 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Lexical spelling in children and adolescents with specific language impairment: variations with the writing situation.

PubMed

Broc, Lucie; Bernicot, Josie; Olive, Thierry; Favart, Monik; Reilly, Judy; Quémart, Pauline; Uzé, Joël

2013-10-01

The goal of this study was to compare the lexical spelling performance of children and adolescents with specific language impairment (SLI) in two contrasting writing situations: a dictation of isolated words (a classic evaluative situation) and a narrative of a personal event (a communicative situation). Twenty-four children with SLI and 48 typically developing children participated in the study, split into two age groups: 7-11 and 12-18 years of age. Although participants with SLI made more spelling errors per word than typically developing participants of the same chronological age, there was a smaller difference between the two groups in the narratives than in the dictations. Two of the findings are particularly noteworthy: (1) Between 12 and 18 years of age, in communicative narration, the number of spelling errors of the SLI group was not different from that of the typically developing group. (2) In communicative narration, the participants with SLI did not make specific spelling errors (phonologically unacceptable), contrary to what was shown in the dictation. From an educational perspective or that of a remediation program, it must be stressed that the communicative narration provides children-and especially adolescents-with SLI an opportunity to demonstrate their improved lexical spelling abilities. Furthermore, the results encourage long-term lexical spelling education, as adolescents with SLI continue to show improvement between 12 and 18 years of age. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Impact of Morphological Awareness on Word Reading and Dictation in Chinese Early Adolescent Readers With and Without Dyslexia.

PubMed

Kalindi, Sylvia Chanda; Chung, Kevin Kien Hoa

2018-01-01

This study investigated the role of morphological awareness in understanding Chinese word reading and dictation among Chinese-speaking adolescent readers in Hong Kong as well as the cognitive-linguistic profile of early adolescent readers with dyslexia. Fifty-four readers with dyslexia in Grades 5 and 6 were compared with 54 chronological age-matched (CA) typical readers on the following measures of cognitive-linguistic and literacy skills: morphological awareness, phonological awareness, visual-orthographic knowledge, rapid naming, vocabulary knowledge, verbal short-term memory (STM), Chinese word reading, and dictation (or spelling). The results indicated that early adolescent readers with dyslexia performed less well than the typical readers on all cognitive-linguistic and literacy measures except the phonological measures. Both groups' scores showed substantial correlations between morphological awareness and Chinese word reading and dictation. Visual-orthographic knowledge and rapid naming were also associated with dictation in early adolescent readers with and without dyslexia, respectively. Moderated multiple regression analyses further revealed that morphological awareness and rapid naming explained unique variance in word reading and dictation for the readers with dyslexia and typical readers separately after controlling readers' age and group effect. These results highlight the potential importance of morphological awareness and rapid naming in Chinese word reading and writing in Chinese early adolescents' literacy development and impairment.

Working memory network alterations in high-functioning adolescents with an autism spectrum disorder.

PubMed

Barendse, Evelien M; Schreuder, Lisanne J; Thoonen, Geert; Hendriks, Marc P H; Kessels, Roy P C; Backes, Walter H; Aldenkamp, Albert P; Jansen, Jacobus F A

2018-02-01

People with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) typically have deficits in the working memory (WM) system. WM is found to be an essential chain in successfully navigating in the social world. We hypothesize that brain networks for WM have an altered network integrity in ASD compared to controls. Thirteen adolescents (one female) with autistic disorder (n = 1), Asperger's disorder (n = 7), or pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (n = 5), and 13 typically developing healthy control adolescents (one female) participated in this study. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed using an n-back task and in resting state. The analysis of the behavioral data revealed deficits in WM performance in ASD, but only when tested to the limit. Adolescents with ASD showed lower binary global efficiency in the WM network than the healthy control group with n-back and resting-state data. This correlated with diagnostic scores for total problems, reciprocity, and language. Adolescents with higher-functioning autism have difficulty with the WM system, which is typically compensated. Functional MRI markers of brain network organization in ASD are related to characteristics of autism as represented in diagnostic scores. Therefore, functional MRI provides neuronal correlates for memory difficulties in adolescents with ASD. © 2017 The Authors. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology.

Can School Counselors Deliver Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment for Social Anxiety Effectively? A Randomized Controlled Trial

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Masia Warner, Carrie; Colognori, Daniela; Brice, Chad; Herzig, Kathleen; Mufson, Laura; Lynch, Chelsea; Reiss, Philip T.; Petkova, Eva; Fox, Jeremy; Moceri, Dominic C.; Ryan, Julie; Klein, Rachel G.

2016-01-01

Background: Social anxiety disorder (SAD) typically onsets in adolescence and is associated with multiple impairments. Despite promising clinical interventions, most socially anxious adolescents remain untreated. To address this clinical neglect, we developed a school-based, 12-week group intervention for youth with SAD, "Skills for Academic…

Repetitive Behaviour and Obsessive-Compulsive Features in Asperger Syndrome: Parental and Self-Reports

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dewrang, Petra; Sandberg, Annika Dahlgren

2011-01-01

Symptoms of repetitive, obsessive and compulsive behaviour were explored in a group of adolescents and young adults with Asperger syndrome and compared to a typically developing group. By means of self-evaluations and an interview regarding such symptoms with the adolescents and young adults and parental evaluations, the parents retrospectively…

What Growing Up Is All About: A Parent's Guide to Child and Adolescent Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vernon, Ann; Al-Mabuk, Radhi H.

Noting that parenting is a responsibility people enter into with varying degrees of competence and confidence, this book offers parents information on children's developmental stages so that they may effectively address typical problems of childhood and adolescence. Following a brief introduction, the first chapter of the book discusses general…

Perceptual Speech and Paralinguistic Skills of Adolescents with Williams Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hargrove, Patricia M.; Pittelko, Stephen; Fillingane, Evan; Rustman, Emily; Lund, Bonnie

2013-01-01

The purpose of this research was to compare selected speech and paralinguistic skills of speakers with Williams syndrome (WS) and typically developing peers and to demonstrate the feasibility of providing preexisting databases to students to facilitate graduate research. In a series of three studies, conversational samples of 12 adolescents with…

Cognitive Control and Attentional Selection in Adolescents with ADHD versus ADD

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carr, Laurie; Henderson, John; Nigg, Joel T.

2010-01-01

An important research question is whether Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is related to early- or late-stage attentional control mechanisms and whether this differentiates a nonhyperactive subtype (ADD). This question was addressed in a sample of 145 ADD/ADHD and typically developing comparison adolescents (aged 13-17). Attentional…

Exploration of Best Practices in Transition Planning for High School Students with Visual Impairments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Casian, Desiree Campbell

2017-01-01

For typically developing adolescents, Piaget (1932/1965), Kohlberg (1971), Vygotsky (1935/2011), and Erikson (1964) described key transitions as having happened naturally as the child aged. In adolescents with visual impairments, key transitions are often reached much later than are developmentally appropriate due to the lack of specific…

Preliminary evaluation of a commercially available videogame system as an adjunct therapeutic intervention for improving balance among children and adolescents with lower limb amputations.

PubMed

Andrysek, Jan; Klejman, Susan; Steinnagel, Bryan; Torres-Moreno, Ricardo; Zabjek, Karl F; Salbach, Nancy M; Moody, Kim

2012-02-01

To examine the safety, feasibility, and balance performance effects of a 4-week home-based balance therapy program using a commercially available videogame system. A pilot study involving a preintervention and postintervention design was conducted with measurements taken at baseline, immediately postintervention (week 5), and at follow-up (week 13) for retention. University hospital outpatient clinic and participants' places of residence. Children and adolescents with unilateral lower limb amputation (n=6; 3 transfemoral [TF] and 3 Van Ness) and age-matched, typically developing individuals (n=10) for baseline comparison. Two videogames involving weight shifting in standing were each played at home for 20 min/d, 4d/wk for a period of 4 weeks. A physical therapist provided initial instruction and monitoring. Postural control characteristics using center of pressure (COP) displacements during quiet standing; functional balance using the Community Balance and Mobility Scale (CB&M); and compliance, safety, and feasibility using custom questionnaires. Average playing times for the first 3 weeks ranged from 16.0 to 21.1 minutes for the 2 games. At baseline, the children and adolescents with TF amputation had substantially greater COP displacements than the Van Ness group and typically developing children and adolescents. Immediately postintervention, the COP displacements decreased in the TF amputees, resulting in values that were closer to those of the typically developing children. The average increase in CB&M score from baseline to follow-up was 6 points across participants. In-home, videogame-based balance training therapies can achieve excellent compliance in children and adolescents with lower limb amputation. With proper instructions and monitoring, the therapeutic intervention can be safely administered. Some improvements in postural control characteristics were seen in children and adolescents with balance deficits immediately postintervention, but long-term retention remains unclear. Copyright © 2012 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Minimizing Noise in Pediatric Task-Based functional MRI; Adolescents with Developmental Disabilities and Typical Development

PubMed Central

Fassbender, Catherine; Muhkerjee, Prerona; Schweitzer, Julie B.

2017-01-01

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) represents a powerful tool with which to examine brain functioning and development in typically developing pediatric groups as well as children and adolescents with clinical disorders. However, fMRI data can be highly susceptible to misinterpretation due to the effects of excessive levels of noise, often related to head motion. Imaging children, especially with developmental disorders, requires extra considerations related to hyperactivity, anxiety and the ability to perform and maintain attention to the fMRI paradigm. We discuss a number of methods that can be employed to minimize noise, in particular movement-related noise. To this end we focus on strategies prior to, during and following the data acquisition phase employed primarily within our own laboratory. We discuss the impact of factors such as experimental design, screening of potential participants and pre-scan training on head motion in our adolescents with developmental disorders and typical development. We make some suggestions that may minimize noise during data acquisition itself and finally we briefly discuss some current processing techniques that may help to identify and remove noise in the data. Many advances have been made in the field of pediatric imaging, particularly with regard to research involving children with developmental disorders. Mindfulness of issues such as those discussed here will ensure continued progress and greater consistency across studies. PMID:28130195

Behavioral and emotional responses to interpersonal stress: A comparison of adolescents engaged in non-suicidal self-injury to adolescent suicide attempters.

PubMed

Kim, Kerri L; Cushman, Grace K; Weissman, Alexandra B; Puzia, Megan E; Wegbreit, Ezra; Tone, Erin B; Spirito, Anthony; Dickstein, Daniel P

2015-08-30

Prominent theoretical models and existing data implicate interpersonal factors in the development and maintenance of suicidal behavior and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). However, no known study has yet used computerized behavioral tasks to objectively assess responses to interpersonal conflict/collaboration among teens engaged in NSSI or having made a suicide attempt. The current study, therefore, compared interpersonal functioning indexed by the Prisoner's Dilemma (PD) task among three mutually exclusive groups, adolescents (ages 13-17): engaged in NSSI only without history of a suicide attempt (n=26); who made a suicide attempt without history of NSSI (n=26); and typically developing controls (n=26). Participants also completed the Interpersonal Sensitivity Measure to assess their general sensitivity to/awareness of others' behaviors and feelings. No significant between-group differences were found in PD task performance; however, compared to typically developing control participants and those who had made a suicide attempt, the NSSI group reported significantly more stress during the task. Additionally, NSSI participants rated themselves as more interpersonally sensitive compared to both attempters and typically developing controls. Given the lack of knowledge about whether these groups either differentially activate the same circuitry during stressful interpersonal interactions or instead rely on alternative, compensatory circuits, future work using event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging is warranted. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Parent-child agreement on the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning (BRIEF) in a community sample of adolescents.

PubMed

Egan, Kaitlyn N; Cohen, L Adelyn; Limbers, Christine

2018-03-06

Despite its widespread use, a minimal amount is known regarding the agreement between parent and youth ratings of youth's executive functioning on the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning (BRIEF) in typically developing youth. The present study examined parent-child agreement on the BRIEF with a community sample of adolescents and their parents. Ninety-seven parent-child dyads (M age  = 13.91 years; SD = .52) completed the BRIEF self- and parent-report forms and a demographic questionnaire. Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICCs) and paired sample t-tests were used to evaluate agreement between self- and parent-reports on the BRIEF. Total sample ICCs indicated moderate to good parent-child agreement (0.46-0.68). Parents from the total sample reported significantly higher mean T-scores for their adolescents on Inhibit, Working Memory, Planning/Organization, Behavioral Regulation Index (BRI), Metacognition Index, and Global Executive Composite. Differences were found in regard to gender and race/ethnicity: ICCs were higher between parent-girl dyads on the scales that comprise the BRI than between parent-boy dyads. Parent-adolescent ICCs were also higher for adolescents who self-identified as White in comparison to those who identified as Non-White/Mixed Race on Emotional Control. These findings suggest gender and racial/ethnic differences should be considered when examining parent-child agreement on the BRIEF in typically developing adolescents.

Lower Extremity Muscle Activity during Cycling in Adolescents with and without Cerebral Palsy

PubMed Central

Lauer, Richard T.; Johnston, Therese E.; Smith, Brian T.; Lee, Samuel C.K.

2008-01-01

Background In individuals with cerebral palsy (CP), adaptation and plasticity in the neuromuscular system can lead to detrimental changes affecting gait. Cycling may be an effective method to improve mobility. The biomechanics of cycling in adolescents with CP have been studied, but further analysis of the frequency and amplitude characteristics of the electromyographic (EMG) signals can assist with interpretation of the cycling kinematics. Methods Data were analyzed from ten adolescents with typical development (TD) (mean = 14.9 SD = 1.4 years) and ten adolescents with CP (mean = 15.6 SD = 1.8 years) as they cycled at two different cadences. Analyses of the lower extremity EMG signals involved frequency and amplitude analysis across the cycling revolution. Findings Examination of cycling cadence revealed that adolescents with CP had altered EMG characteristics in comparison to adolescents with typical development across the entire crank revolution for all muscles. Analyses of individual muscles indicated both inappropriate muscle activation and weakness. Interpretation A more comprehensive analysis of EMG activity has the potential to provide insight into how a task is accomplished. In this study, the control of the several muscles, especially the rectus femoris, was significantly different in adolescents with cerebral palsy. This, combined with muscle weakness, may have contributed to the observed deviations in joint kinematics. Interventions that increase muscle strength with feedback to the nervous system about appropriate activation timing may be beneficial to allow individuals with CP to cycle more efficiently. PMID:18082920

Quality Matters! Differences between Expressive and Receptive Non-Verbal Communication Skills in Adolescents with ASD

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grossman, Ruth B.; Tager-Flusberg, Helen

2012-01-01

We analyzed several studies of non-verbal communication (prosody and facial expressions) completed in our lab and conducted a secondary analysis to compare performance on receptive vs. expressive tasks by adolescents with ASD and their typically developing peers. Results show a significant between-group difference for the aggregate score of…

Fragile Spectral and Temporal Auditory Processing in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Early Language Delay

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boets, Bart; Verhoeven, Judith; Wouters, Jan; Steyaert, Jean

2015-01-01

We investigated low-level auditory spectral and temporal processing in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and early language delay compared to matched typically developing controls. Auditory measures were designed to target right versus left auditory cortex processing (i.e. frequency discrimination and slow amplitude modulation (AM)…

By the Book: An Analysis of Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Condition Co-Constructing Fictional Narratives with Peers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bottema-Beutel, Kristen; White, Rachael

2016-01-01

In this discourse analytic study, we examine interactions between adolescents with autism spectrum condition (ASC) and their typically developing (TD) peers during the construction of fictional narratives within a group intervention context. We found participants with ASC contributed fewer narrative-related turns at talk than TD participants. The…

Older Children and Adolescents with High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders Can Comprehend Verbal Irony in Computer-Mediated Communication

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glenwright, Melanie; Agbayewa, Abiola S.

2012-01-01

We compared the comprehension of verbal irony presented in computer-mediated conversations for older children and adolescents with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders (HFASD) and typically developing (TD) controls. We also determined whether participants' interpretations of irony were affected by the relationship between characters in the…

Physiological Response to Social Evaluative Threat in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edmiston, E. Kale; Jones, Robin M.; Corbett, Blythe A.

2016-01-01

The Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) was employed to study response to social evaluative threat in male adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD, n = 21) and typical development (n = 13). Participants wore a mobile electrocardiogram to collect heart rate data. There were significant group effects on respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), a…

Social Phobia and Subtypes in the National Comorbidity Survey-Adolescent Supplement: Prevalence, Correlates, and Comorbidity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burstein, Marcy; He, Jian-Ping; Kattan, Gabriela; Albano, Anne Marie; Avenevoli, Shelli; Merikangas, Kathleen R.

2011-01-01

Objective: Social phobia typically develops during the adolescent years, yet no nationally representative studies in the United States have examined the rates and features of this condition among youth in this age range. The objectives of this investigation were to: (1) present the lifetime prevalence, sociodemographic and clinical correlates, and…

Eye-Tracking, Autonomic, and Electrophysiological Correlates of Emotional Face Processing in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wagner, Jennifer B.; Hirsch, Suzanna B.; Vogel-Farley, Vanessa K.; Redcay, Elizabeth; Nelson, Charles A.

2013-01-01

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often have difficulty with social-emotional cues. This study examined the neural, behavioral, and autonomic correlates of emotional face processing in adolescents with ASD and typical development (TD) using eye-tracking and event-related potentials (ERPs) across two different paradigms. Scanning of…

The Art of Common Ground: Emergence of a Complex Pragmatic Language Skill in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Marchena, Ashley; Eigsti, Inge-Marie

2016-01-01

Deficits in pragmatic language are central to autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Here we investigate common ground, a pragmatic language skill in which speakers adjust the contents of their speech based on their interlocutor's perceived knowledge, in adolescents with ASD and typical development (TD), using an experimental narrative paradigm.…

Fine Motor Control Is Related to Cognitive Control in Adolescents with Down Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Chih-Chia; Ringenbach, Shannon D. R.; Albert, Andrew; Semken, Keith

2014-01-01

The connection between human cognitive development and motor functioning has been systematically examined in many typical and atypical populations; however, only a few studies focus on people with Down syndrome (DS). Twelve adolescents with DS participated and their cognitive control, measured by the Corsi-Block tapping test (e.g., visual working…

Effect of Memory Support and Elicited Production on Fast Mapping of New Words by Adolescents with Down Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chapman, Robin S.; Sindberg, Heidi; Bridge, Cynthia; Gigstead, Katherine; Hesketh, Linda

2006-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine whether memory support and elicited production differentially benefited fast mapping of new vocabulary (comprehension, production accuracy, and speed) in adolescents with Down syndrome (DS) compared with typically developing (TD) children matched for syntax comprehension. The study also examined…

Pubertal Development Moderates the Importance of Environmental Influences on Depressive Symptoms in Adolescent Girls and Boys

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edwards, Alexis C.; Rose, Richard J.; Kaprio, Jaakko; Dick, Danielle M.

2011-01-01

Prevalence differences in depressive symptoms between the sexes typically emerge in adolescence, with symptoms more prevalent among girls. Some evidence suggests that variation in onset and progression of puberty might contribute to these differences. This study used a genetically informative, longitudinal (assessed at ages 12, 14, and 17) sample…

Narrative Writing in Children and Adolescents: Examining the Literate Lexicon

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sun, Lei; Nippold, Marilyn A.

2012-01-01

Purpose: This study was designed primarily to examine the use of abstract nouns and metacognitive verbs in the narrative writing of school-age children and adolescents. Method: Three groups of typically developing students ages 11, 14, and 17 years (n = 40 per group) were asked to write a story about something funny, sad, or scary that had…

Friendship characteristics and activity patterns of adolescents with an autism spectrum disorder.

PubMed

Kuo, Melissa H; Orsmond, Gael I; Cohn, Ellen S; Coster, Wendy J

2013-07-01

This study compared perceptions of adolescents' friendships between adolescents with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their parents, examined factors associated with friendship qualities, and investigated the adolescents' reports on the activities they did with friends and how activity patterns differed by gender. Ninety-one adolescents with an ASD and their parents completed mail-based surveys during the summer months. Adolescents with an ASD identified more friends than did their parents, but they agreed on the friends' characteristics. About half of the adolescents spent an average of 4 hours per day with friends during the summer months. Male adolescents with an ASD most frequently played video games with friends, whereas females most frequently had conversations with friends. The findings suggest that adolescents with an ASD and their parents identify different peers as the adolescent's friends. The findings also reveal similarities and differences in friendships between adolescents with an ASD and typically developing adolescents.

Adaptive behaviour in children and adolescents with foetal alcohol spectrum disorders: a comparison with specific learning disability and typical development

PubMed Central

Autti-Rämö, Ilona; Kalland, Mirjam; Santtila, Pekka; Hoyme, H. Eugene; Mattson, Sarah N.; Korkman, Marit

2013-01-01

Foetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) is a leading cause of intellectual disability in the western world. Children and adolescents with FASD are often exposed to a double burden in life, as their neurological sequelae are accompanied by adverse living surroundings exposing them to further environmental risk. In the present study, the adaptive abilities of a group of children and adolescents with FASD were examined using the Vineland Adaptive Behaviour Scales (VABS) and compared to those of a group of IQ-matched children with specific learning disorder (SLD) as well as with typically developing controls (CON). The results showed significantly different adaptive abilities among the groups: Children with FASD performed worse than IQ-matched children with SLD, who in turn performed worse than typically developing children on all domains (communication, daily living skills and socialization) on the VABS. Compared to the other groups, social skills declined with age in the FASD group. These results support previous studies of adaptive behaviour deficits in children with FASD and provide further evidence of the specificity of these deficits. On a societal level, more efforts and resources should be focused on recognizing and diagnosing FASD and supporting communication skills, daily living skills and most of all social skills across diagnostic groups within FASD. Without adequate intervention, adolescents and young adults with FASD run a great risk of marginalization and social maladjustment, costly not only to society but also to the lives of the many young people with FASD. PMID:22358422

Cross-cultural validation of the Children's Assessment of Participation and Enjoyment (CAPE) in Spain.

PubMed

Longo, E; Badia, M; Orgaz, B; Verdugo, M A

2014-03-01

Despite growing interest in the topic of participation, the construct has not yet been assessed in children and adolescents with and without cerebral palsy (CP) in Spain. As there are no available instruments to measure participation in leisure activities which have been adapted in this country, the goal of this study was to validate a Spanish version of the Children's Assessment of Participation and Enjoyment (CAPE). The sample comprised 199 children and adolescents with CP and 199 without CP, between 8 and 18 years of age, from seven regions in Spain. The adaptation of the original version of CAPE was carried out through translation and backward translation, and the validity of the instrument was analysed. Construct validity was assessed through the correlation of the diverse CAPE domains and the quality of life domains (KIDSCREEN questionnaire). Discriminant validity was established by comparing children and adolescents with CP and typically developing children and adolescents. For test-retest reliability, the children and adolescents with and without CP completed the CAPE questionnaire twice within 4 weeks. The correlations found between the CAPE domains and the quality of life domains show that the CAPE presents construct validity. The CAPE discriminated children and adolescents with CP from those without any disability in the results of participation. According to most CAPE domains, typically developing children and adolescents engage in a greater number of activities than children and adolescents with CP. Test-retest reliability for the Spanish version of CAPE was adequate. The study provides a valid instrument to assess the participation of children and adolescents with and without CP who live in Spain. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Meta-analysis of quality of life in children and adolescents with ADHD: By both parent proxy-report and child self-report using PedsQL™.

PubMed

Lee, Yi-chen; Yang, Hao-Jan; Chen, Vincent Chin-Hung; Lee, Wan-Ting; Teng, Ming-Jen; Lin, Chung-Hui; Gossop, Michael

2016-01-01

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a prevalent developmental disorder that seriously and negatively impacts a child's health-related quality of life (HRQOL). However, no meta-analysis has been conducted to examine the magnitude of impact, domains affected and factors moderating the impact. This review included nine studies that compared HRQOL of children or adolescents with ADHD with those with typical development using both child self-reports and parent proxy-reports. Seven among nine studies were meta-analytically synthesized to examine the degree of impact of ADHD on children and adolescents, parent-child discrepancy, and the moderators. The results indicate that ADHD impact a child's or adolescent's HRQOL negatively with a moderate effect in physical and a severe effect in psychosocial (i.e., emotional, social, and school) domains. Parental ratings of overall HRQOL in children or adolescents with ADHD were not significantly different from child's ratings when compared with typically developing children and adolescents. Age was negatively associated with all domains of HRQOL in children and adolescents with ADHD both by parent- and child-ratings, and the strongest effect was found in parental ratings of child's emotional HRQOL, with a moderate correlation. This meta-analysis suggests that HRQOL may be assessed in children and adolescents with ADHD both by parent proxy- and child self-reports, and that interventions may be planned accordingly. Future meta-analysis may explore how measures of HRQOL and other factors including child, parental, familiar and school characteristics influence the impact of ADHD and the parent-child agreement in children and adolescents. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Current Perspectives on Physical Activity and Exercise Recommendations for Children and Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorders

PubMed Central

Srinivasan, Sudha M.; Pescatello, Linda S.

2014-01-01

Recent evidence suggests that childhood obesity is increasing in children who are developing typically as well as in children with developmental disabilities such as autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Impairments specific to autism as well as general environmental factors could lead to an imbalance between the intake and expenditure of energy, leading to obesity. In this article, we describe the mechanisms by which autism-specific impairments contribute to obesity. The evidence on exercise interventions to improve physical fitness, address obesity, and reduce autism-specific impairments in children and adolescents with ASDs is discussed. Limited evidence is currently available for exercise interventions in individuals with ASDs. Therefore, literature on other pediatric developmental disabilities and children who are developing typically was reviewed to provide recommendations for clinicians to assess physical activity levels, to promote physical fitness, and to reduce obesity in children and adolescents with ASDs. There is a clear need for further systematic research to develop sensitive assessment tools and holistic multisystem and multifactorial obesity interventions that accommodate the social communication, motor, and behavioral impairments of individuals with ASDs. PMID:24525861

Early childhood traumatic development and its impact on gender identity.

PubMed

Cohen, Y

2001-03-01

The author clarifies issues of gender identity typical to contemporary Western societies. Nowadays, we tend to emphasize self-autonomy as the main target of the individual's development. In adolescence this may cause many questions as to the adolescent's conception of his or her gender and sexual identity. These questions are the outcome of early development, and thus early traumas may impact the entire gender development. In this context, trauma includes not only major violations such as sexual abuse, terror attacks, and so forth, but also comprises events heretofore considered minor.

Educational and interpersonal uses of home computers by adolescents with and without specific language impairment.

PubMed

Durkin, Kevin; Conti-Ramsden, Gina; Walker, Allan; Simkin, Zoë

2009-03-01

Many uses of new media entail processing language content, yet little is known about the relationship between language ability and media use in young people. This study compares educational versus interpersonal uses of home computers in adolescents with and without a history of specific language impairment (SLI). Participants were 55 17-year-olds with SLI and 72 typically developing peers. Measures of frequency and ease of computer use were obtained as well as assessments of participants' psycholinguistic skills. Results showed a strong preference for interpersonal computer use in both groups. Virtually all participants engaged with interpersonal new media, finding them relatively easy to use. In contrast, one third of adolescents with SLI did not use educational applications during a typical week. Regression analyses revealed that lower frequency of educational use was associated with poorer language and literacy skills. However, in adolescents with SLI, this association was mediated by perceived ease of use. The findings show that language ability contributes to new media use and that adolescents with SLI are at a greater risk of low levels of engagement with educational technology.

The messages they send: e-mail use by adolescents with and without a history of specific language impairment (SLI).

PubMed

Conti-Ramsden, Gina; Durkin, Kevin; Walker, Allan J

2012-01-01

Contemporary adolescents use e-mail for a variety of purposes, including peer communication and education. Research into these uses has focused on typically developing individuals; much less is known about the use of e-mail by exceptional youth. The present study examined the structure and form of e-mail messages sent by adolescents with and without a history of specific language impairment (SLI). Thirty-eight adolescents with a history of SLI and 56 typically developing (TD) peers were assessed on measures of nonverbal abilities, core language skills and literacy skills (reading and spelling). The participants were asked to compose an e-mail reply to a standard e-mail sent by an experimenter. These reply e-mails were coded for linguistic structure, readability and spelling errors. Two adult raters, blind to the participants' language ability, judged how understandable the e-mails were, how grammatically correct the e-mails were, and also the sender's command of the English language. Adolescents with a history of SLI produced e-mails that were similar to those sent by their TD peers in terms of structure and readability. However, they made significantly more spelling errors. Furthermore, the adult raters considered the messages from participants with a history of SLI to be of poorer standard than those sent by their TD peers. The findings suggest that the e-mail messages of adolescents with a history of SLI provide indicators of the sender's language and literacy skills. Implications for intervention and technology development are discussed. © 2011 Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.

[Systemic approach in therapy and counselling with adolescents].

PubMed

Eggemann-Dann, Hans-Werner; Fryszer, Andreas

2010-01-01

To work with adolescents and their contexts usually means to face certain problems: Parents or teacher want the adolescent to do a counselling or a therapy, the adolescent is not motivated or does not have much of an idea what this means. The problem often causes conflicts between the adolescent and the persons of his context. Typical conflict communication develops that blocks good solution-finding and constructive developments and usually is re-enacted in the therapeutic or counselling session. The systemic methods presented are useful to block dysfunctional conflict communications. In a conflict-ridden situation, the members of the family usually try to form coalitions with the professional or at least try to find out witch party the counsellor might join. To avoid traps like these and enhance productive change there are a number of very useful methods developed or adapted by the authors. The use of these special methods in the communication with the adolescent or the adolescent and his system is discussed in the article. The Authors also describe which attitudes are useful in the role of a counsellor or a therapist.

Comparing the neural bases of self-referential processing in typically developing and 22q11.2 adolescents.

PubMed

Schneider, Maude; Debbané, Martin; Lagioia, Annalaura; Salomon, Roy; d'Argembeau, Arnaud; Eliez, Stephan

2012-04-01

The investigation of self-reflective processing during adolescence is relevant, as this period is characterized by deep reorganization of the self-concept. It may be the case that an atypical development of brain regions underlying self-reflective processing increases the risk for psychological disorders and impaired social functioning. In this study, we investigated the neural bases of self- and other-related processing in typically developing adolescents and youths with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS), a rare neurogenetic condition associated with difficulties in social interactions and increased risk for schizophrenia. The fMRI paradigm consisted in judging if a series of adjectives applied to the participant himself/herself (self), to his/her best friend or to a fictional character (Harry Potter). In control adolescents, we observed that self- and other-related processing elicited strong activation in cortical midline structures (CMS) when contrasted with a semantic baseline condition. 22q11DS exhibited hypoactivation in the CMS and the striatum during the processing of self-related information when compared to the control group. Finally, the hypoactivation in the anterior cingulate cortex was associated with the severity of prodromal positive symptoms of schizophrenia. The findings are discussed in a developmental framework and in light of their implication for the development of schizophrenia in this at-risk population. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Features of sexual development of adolescent boys in cities of Caspian region of the Republic of Kazakhstan].

PubMed

Kurmangaliev, O M; Gumarova, Zh Zh; Zasorin, B V

2014-01-01

The complex estimation of parameters of the sexual development of adolescent boys aged 14-16 years had been done in cities of Aktay and Atyrau, in Caspian region of Western Kazakhstan. Adolescent boys in cities of Caspian region of the Republic of Kazakhstan were found to have tendency to the delayed puberty according to Tanner score. Retarded sexual development is manifested by the some retardation in growth of genitals and escutcheon, in comparison with their peers from control group. The absence of differences in general physical development, as evidenced by anthropometry data, does not exclude the specific (elective) character of the impact of urbanogenic factors on growing male body, which is typical impact of hard metals salts.

Non-Word Repetition in Adolescents with Specific Language Impairment and Autism Plus Language Impairments: A Qualitative Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Riches, N. G.; Loucas, T.; Baird, G.; Charman, T.; Simonoff, E.

2011-01-01

Non-word repetition (NWR) was investigated in adolescents with typical development, Specific Language Impairment (SLI) and Autism Plus language Impairment (ALI) (n = 17, 13, 16, and mean age 14;4, 15;4, 14;8 respectively). The study evaluated the hypothesis that poor NWR performance in both groups indicates an overlapping language phenotype…

Association between Anger Rumination and Autism Symptom Severity, Depression Symptoms, Aggression, and General Dysregulation in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Patel, Shivani; Day, Taylor N.; Jones, Neil; Mazefsky, Carla A.

2017-01-01

Rumination has a large direct effect on psychopathology but has received relatively little attention in autism spectrum disorder despite the propensity to perseverate in this population. This study provided initial evidence that adolescents with autism spectrum disorder self-report more anger-focused rumination than typically developing controls,…

Brief Report: A Pilot Summer Robotics Camp to Reduce Social Anxiety and Improve Social/Vocational Skills in Adolescents with ASD

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaboski, Juhi R.; Diehl, Joshua John; Beriont, Jane; Crowell, Charles R.; Villano, Michael; Wier, Kristin; Tang, Karen

2015-01-01

This pilot study evaluated a novel intervention designed to reduce social anxiety and improve social/vocational skills for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The intervention utilized a shared interest in robotics among participants to facilitate natural social interaction between individuals with ASD and typically developing (TD)…

Use of Speaker Intent and Grammatical Cues in Fast-Mapping by Adolescents with Down Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McDuffie, Andrea S.; Sindberg, Heidi A.; Hesketh, Linda J.; Chapman, Robin S.

2007-01-01

Purpose: The authors asked whether adolescents with Down syndrome (DS) could fast-map novel nouns and verbs when word learning depended on using the speaker's pragmatic or syntactic cues. Compared with typically developing (TD) comparison children, the authors predicted that syntactic cues would prove harder for the group with DS to use and that…

"Who Said That?" Matching of Low- and High-Intensity Emotional Prosody to Facial Expressions by Adolescents with ASD

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grossman, Ruth B.; Tager-Flusberg, Helen

2012-01-01

Data on emotion processing by individuals with ASD suggest both intact abilities and significant deficits. Signal intensity may be a contributing factor to this discrepancy. We presented low- and high-intensity emotional stimuli in a face-voice matching task to 22 adolescents with ASD and 22 typically developing (TD) peers. Participants heard…

Developmental delays in phonological recoding among children and adolescents with Down syndrome and Williams syndrome.

PubMed

Danielsson, Henrik; Henry, Lucy; Messer, David; Carney, Daniel P J; Rönnberg, Jerker

2016-08-01

This study examined the development of phonological recoding in short-term memory (STM) span tasks among two clinical groups with contrasting STM and language profiles: those with Down syndrome (DS) and Williams syndrome (WS). Phonological recoding was assessed by comparing: (1) performance on phonologically similar and dissimilar items (phonological similarity effects, PSE); and (2) items with short and long names (word length effects, WLE). Participant groups included children and adolescents with DS (n=29), WS (n=25) and typical development (n=51), all with average mental ages around 6 years. The group with WS, contrary to predictions based on their relatively strong verbal STM and language abilities, showed no evidence for phonological recoding. Those in the group with DS, with weaker verbal STM and language abilities, showed positive evidence for phonological recoding (PSE), but to a lesser degree than the typical group (who showed PSE and WLE). These findings provide new information about the memory systems of these groups of children and adolescents, and suggest that STM processes involving phonological recoding do not fit with the usual expectations of the abilities of children and adolescents with WS and DS. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hypothalamic Response to the Chemo-Signal Androstadienone in Gender Dysphoric Children and Adolescents

PubMed Central

Burke, Sarah M.; Cohen-Kettenis, Peggy T.; Veltman, Dick J.; Klink, Daniel T.; Bakker, Julie

2014-01-01

The odorous steroid androstadienone, a putative male chemo-signal, was previously reported to evoke sex differences in hypothalamic activation in adult heterosexual men and women. In order to investigate whether puberty modulated this sex difference in response to androstadienone, we measured the hypothalamic responsiveness to this chemo-signal in 39 pre-pubertal and 41 adolescent boys and girls by means of functional magnetic resonance imaging. We then investigated whether 36 pre-pubertal children and 38 adolescents diagnosed with gender dysphoria (GD; DSM-5) exhibited sex-atypical (in accordance with their experienced gender), rather than sex-typical (in accordance with their natal sex) hypothalamic activations during olfactory stimulation with androstadienone. We found that the sex difference in responsiveness to androstadienone was already present in pre-pubertal control children and thus likely developed during early perinatal development instead of during sexual maturation. Adolescent girls and boys with GD both responded remarkably like their experienced gender, thus sex-atypical. In contrast, pre-pubertal girls with GD showed neither a typically male nor female hypothalamic activation pattern and pre-pubertal boys with GD had hypothalamic activations in response to androstadienone that were similar to control boys, thus sex-typical. We present here a unique data set of boys and girls diagnosed with GD at two different developmental stages, showing that these children possess certain sex-atypical functional brain characteristics and may have undergone atypical sexual differentiation of the brain. PMID:24904525

Longitudinal Heschl's gyrus growth during childhood and adolescence in typical development and autism.

PubMed

Prigge, Molly D; Bigler, Erin D; Fletcher, P Thomas; Zielinski, Brandon A; Ravichandran, Caitlin; Anderson, Jeffrey; Froehlich, Alyson; Abildskov, Tracy; Papadopolous, Evangelia; Maasberg, Kathryn; Nielsen, Jared A; Alexander, Andrew L; Lange, Nicholas; Lainhart, Janet

2013-04-01

Heightened auditory sensitivity and atypical auditory processing are common in autism. Functional studies suggest abnormal neural response and hemispheric activation to auditory stimuli, yet the neurodevelopment underlying atypical auditory function in autism is unknown. In this study, we model longitudinal volumetric growth of Heschl's gyrus gray matter and white matter during childhood and adolescence in 40 individuals with autism and 17 typically developing participants. Up to three time points of magnetic resonance imaging data, collected on average every 2.5 years, were examined from individuals 3-12 years of age at the time of their first scan. Consistent with previous cross-sectional studies, no group differences were found in Heschl's gyrus gray matter volume or asymmetry. However, reduced longitudinal gray matter volumetric growth was found in the right Heschl's gyrus in autism. Reduced longitudinal white matter growth in the left hemisphere was found in the right-handed autism participants. Atypical Heschl's gyrus white matter volumetric growth was found bilaterally in the autism individuals with a history of delayed onset of spoken language. Heightened auditory sensitivity, obtained from the Sensory Profile, was associated with reduced volumetric gray matter growth in the right hemisphere. Our longitudinal analyses revealed dynamic gray and white matter changes in Heschl's gyrus throughout childhood and adolescence in both typical development and autism. © 2013 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Association between Blood Omega-3 Index and Cognition in Typically Developing Dutch Adolescents

PubMed Central

van der Wurff, Inge S. M.; von Schacky, Clemens; Berge, Kjetil; Zeegers, Maurice P.; Kirschner, Paul A.; de Groot, Renate H. M.

2016-01-01

The impact of omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs) on cognition is heavily debated. In the current study, the possible association between omega-3 LCPUFAs in blood and cognitive performance of 266 typically developing adolescents aged 13–15 years is investigated. Baseline data from Food2Learn, a double-blind and randomized placebo controlled krill oil supplementation trial in typically developing adolescents, were used for the current study. The Omega-3 Index was determined with blood from a finger prick. At baseline, participants finished a neuropsychological test battery consisting of the Letter Digit Substitution Test (LDST), D2 test of attention, Digit Span Forward and Backward, Concept Shifting Test and Stroop test. Data were analyzed with multiple regression analyses with correction for covariates. The average Omega-3 Index was 3.83% (SD 0.60). Regression analyses between the Omega-3 Index and the outcome parameters revealed significant associations with scores on two of the nine parameters. The association between the Omega-3 Index and both scores on the LDST (β = 0.136 and p = 0.039), and the number of errors of omission on the D2 (β = −0.053 and p = 0.007). This is a possible indication for a higher information processing speed and less impulsivity in those with a higher Omega-3 Index. PMID:26729157

Adolescent development and risk of injury: Using developmental science to improve interventions

PubMed Central

Johnson, Sara B.; Jones, Vanya C.

2015-01-01

In adolescence, there is a complex interaction among physical, cognitive, and psychosocial developmental processes, culminating in greater risk-taking and novelty-seeking. Concurrently, adolescents face an increasingly demanding environment, which results in heightened vulnerability to injury. In this paper, we provide an overview of developmental considerations for adolescent injury interventions based on developmental science including findings from behavioral neuroscience and psychology. We examine the role that typical developmental processes play in the way adolescents perceive and respond to risk and how this integrated body of developmental research adds to our understanding of how to do injury prevention with adolescents. We then highlight strategies to improve the translation of developmental research into adolescent injury prevention practice, calling on examples of existing interventions including graduated driver licensing. PMID:20876765

Everyday memory and working memory in adolescents with mild intellectual disability.

PubMed

Van der Molen, M J; Van Luit, J E H; Van der Molen, Maurits W; Jongmans, Marian J

2010-05-01

Everyday memory and its relationship to working memory was investigated in adolescents with mild intellectual disability and compared to typically developing adolescents of the same age (CA) and younger children matched on mental age (MA). Results showed a delay on almost all memory measures for the adolescents with mild intellectual disability compared to the CA control adolescents. Compared to the MA control children, the adolescents with mild intellectual disability performed less well on a general everyday memory index. Only some significant associations were found between everyday memory and working memory for the mild intellectual disability group. These findings were interpreted to suggest that adolescents with mild intellectual disability have difficulty in making optimal use of their working memory when new or complex situations tax their abilities.

Predictors of sense of coherence in typically developing adolescent siblings of individuals with autism spectrum disorder.

PubMed

Smith, L O; Elder, J H; Storch, E A; Rowe, M A

2015-01-01

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may be a stressor for family members yet there is little published research on the impact of having a child with ASD on their typically developing (TD) adolescent siblings. According to Antonovsky's salutogenic model, a strong sense of coherence leads to the view that the stressor is a manageable challenge rather than a burden and promotes healthier adaptation. This study examines the relationship between stress, TD sibling resources and the sense of coherence in TD siblings. This quantitative mail-based study uses a survey methodology, analysing the responses of TD adolescent siblings (n = 96) of individuals with autism, Asperger's syndrome, or pervasive developmental disorder - not otherwise specified to several rating scales. Adolescent siblings, ages 11 to 18 years, completed the Adolescent Coping Orientation for Problem Experience (ACOPE), Network of Relationship Inventory - Social Provision Version (NRI-SPV), Youth Self Report (YSR), and Sense of Coherence (SOC) instruments; parents completed the Child Autism Rating Scale - 2nd Edition (CARS-2). The salutogenesis model was used to guide and inform this research. Findings suggested the following: (a) the stress of ASD severity and resource of adjustment are related in TD adolescent siblings; (b) TD sibling adjustment has a strong relationship with sense of coherence levels; and (c) a greater number of positive coping strategies buffer TD sibling coherence levels when ASD severity scores are high. ASD severity and TD adolescent sibling resources influence sense of coherence in adolescent TD siblings of individuals with ASD. © 2014 MENCAP and International Association of the Scientific Study of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Overlap of autistic and schizotypal traits in adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

PubMed

Barneveld, Petra S; Pieterse, Jolijn; de Sonneville, Leo; van Rijn, Sophie; Lahuis, Bertine; van Engeland, Herman; Swaab, Hanna

2011-03-01

This study addresses the unraveling of the relationship between autism spectrum and schizophrenia spectrum traits in a population of adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Recent studies comparing isolated symptoms of both spectrum disorders as well as diagnostic criteria for each (DSM-IV-TR) suggest resemblances in the clinical phenotype. A group of 27 adolescents with ASD (11 to 18 years) and 30 typically developing adolescents, matched for age and gender, participated in this study. Within the ASD group 11 adolescents satisfied DSM-IV-TR criteria for schizotypal personality disorders. Autistic and schizotypal traits were identified by means of well validated questionnaires (Autism Questionnaire, AQ and Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire-Revised, SPQ). Significantly more schizotypal traits in adolescents with ASD were found than in typically developing controls. Besides high levels of negative symptoms, adolescents with ASD also displayed high levels of positive and disorganized symptoms. There appeared to be a relationship between the mean level of autistic symptoms and schizotypal traits, as well as specific associations between autistic symptoms and negative, disorganized and positive schizotypal symptoms within individuals. Schizotypal symptomatology in all sub dimensions that are reflected by the SPQ scores, was most prominently associated with attention switching problems of the autism symptoms from the AQ. These findings indicate that patients diagnosed with an ASD show schizophrenia spectrum traits in adolescence. Although other studies have provided empirical support for this overlap in diagnostic criteria between both spectrum disorders, the present findings add to the literature that behavioral overlap is not limited to negative schizotypal symptoms, but extends to disorganized and positive symptoms as well. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Annual Research Review: The neurobehavioral development of multiple memory systems: implications for childhood and adolescent psychiatric disorders

PubMed Central

Goodman, Jarid; Marsh, Rachel; Peterson, Bradley S.; Packard, Mark G.

2014-01-01

Extensive evidence indicates that mammalian memory is organized into multiple brains systems, including a “cognitive” memory system that depends upon the hippocampus and a stimulus-response “habit” memory system that depends upon the dorsolateral striatum. Dorsal striatal-dependent habit memory may in part influence the development and expression of some human psychopathologies, particularly those characterized by strong habit-like behavioral features. The present review considers this hypothesis as it pertains to psychopathologies that typically emerge during childhood and adolescence. These disorders include Tourette syndrome, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, eating disorders, and autism spectrum disorders. Human and nonhuman animal research shows that the typical development of memory systems comprises the early maturation of striatal-dependent habit memory and the relatively late maturation of hippocampal-dependent cognitive memory. We speculate that the differing rates of development of these memory systems may in part contribute to the early emergence of habit-like symptoms in childhood and adolescence. In addition, abnormalities in hippocampal and striatal brain regions have been observed consistently in youth with these disorders, suggesting that the aberrant development of memory systems may also contribute to the emergence of habit-like symptoms as core pathological features of these illnesses. Considering these disorders within the context of multiple memory systems may help elucidate the pathogenesis of habit-like symptoms in childhood and adolescence, and lead to novel treatments that lessen the habit-like behavioral features of these disorders. PMID:24286520

Local brain connectivity across development in autism spectrum disorder: A cross-sectional investigation

PubMed Central

Dajani, Dina R.; Uddin, Lucina Q.

2015-01-01

Lay Abstract There is a general consensus that autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is accompanied by alterations in brain connectivity. Much of the neuroimaging work has focused on assessing long-range connectivity disruptions in ASD. However, evidence from both animal models and postmortem examination of the human brain suggests that local connections may also be disrupted in individuals with ASD. Here we investigated the development of local connectivity across three age cohorts of individuals with ASD and typically developing (TD) individuals. We find that in typical development, children exhibit high levels of local connectivity across the brain, while adolescents exhibit lower levels of local connectivity, similar to adult levels. On the other hand, children with ASD exhibit marginally lower local connectivity than TD children, and adolescents and adults with ASD exhibit levels of local connectivity comparable to that observed in neurotypical individuals. During all developmental stages -- childhood, adolescence, and adulthood -- individuals with ASD exhibited lower local connectivity in brain regions involved in sensory processing and higher local connectivity in brain regions involved in complex information processing. Further, higher local connectivity in ASD corresponded to more severe ASD symptomatology. Thus we demonstrate that local connectivity is disrupted in autism across development, with the most pronounced differences occurring in childhood. Scientific Abstract There is a general consensus that autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is accompanied by alterations in brain connectivity. Much of the neuroimaging work has focused on assessing long-range connectivity disruptions in ASD. However, evidence from both animal models and postmortem examination of the human brain suggests that local connections may also be disrupted in individuals with the disorder. Here we investigated how regional homogeneity (ReHo), a measure of similarity of a voxel’s timeseries to its nearest neighbors, varies across age in individuals with ASD and typically developing (TD) individuals using a cross-sectional design. Resting-state fMRI data obtained from a publicly available database were analyzed to determine group differences in ReHo between three age cohorts: children, adolescents, and adults. In typical development, ReHo across the entire brain was higher in children than in adolescents and adults. In contrast, children with ASD exhibited marginally lower ReHo than TD children, while adolescents and adults with ASD exhibited similar levels of local connectivity as age-matched neurotypical individuals. During all developmental stages, individuals with ASD exhibited lower local connectivity in sensory processing brain regions and higher local connectivity in complex information processing regions. Further, higher local connectivity in ASD corresponded to more severe ASD symptomatology. These results demonstrate that local connectivity is disrupted in ASD across development, with the most pronounced differences occurring in childhood. Developmental changes in ReHo do not mirror findings from fMRI studies of long-range connectivity in ASD, pointing to a need for more nuanced accounts of brain connectivity alterations in the disorder. PMID:26058882

Differential effects of anxiety and depressive symptoms on working memory components in children and adolescents with ADHD combined type and ADHD inattentive type.

PubMed

Ferrin, Maite; Vance, Alasdair

2014-12-01

Working memory (WM) deficits have been shown to be associated with core ADHD symptoms, worse academic achievement and peer-relationship problems. Internalizing symptoms, such as anxiety and depression, have also been associated with impaired WM performance. However, the association of anxiety and depression and WM performance remains unclear for children and adolescents with ADHD. Further, it is unknown how these comorbid conditions might affect WM performance in the two main ADHD subtypes. The association of anxiety and depression and the specific components of spatial (SWM) and verbal working memory (VWM) were examined in 303 children and adolescents with ADHD, combined type (ADHD-CT) and 77 ADHD, inattentive type (ADHD-IA) compared to 128 age- and gender-matched typically developing participants. The relationship between anxiety and depression and WM was assessed using multiple linear regression analyses and separate simple regression analyses. Higher levels of anxiety/depression were associated with (1) increased between-search errors in the typically developing participants alone, (2) a better strategy performance in the ADHD-CT group, and (3) a better spatial span performance in the ADHD-IA group. VWM was equally impaired in the ADHD-CT and ADHD-IA groups, independent of the levels of anxiety and depression. The results suggest that the effects of internalizing symptoms on WM differ in typically developing children and adolescents compared to those with ADHD. Further, high levels of anxiety and depression modified WM performance differently according to the specific ADHD subtypes. This might help explain contradictory findings observed in previous studies of mixed samples of participants with ADHD-CT and ADHD-IA.

Emotion dysregulation and dyadic conflict in depressed and typical adolescents: Evaluating concordance across psychophysiological and observational measures

PubMed Central

Crowell, Sheila E.; Baucom, Brian R.; Yaptangco, Mona; Bride, Daniel; Hsiao, Ray; McCauley, Elizabeth; Beauchaine, Theodore P.

2014-01-01

Many depressed adolescents experience difficulty regulating their emotions. These emotion regulation difficulties appear to emerge in part from socialization processes within families and then generalize to other contexts. However, emotion dysregulation is typically assessed within the individual, rather than in the social relationships that shape and maintain dysregulation. In this study, we evaluated concordance of physiological and observational measures of emotion dysregulation during interpersonal conflict, using a multilevel actor-partner interdependence model (APIM). Participants were 75 mother-daughter dyads, including 50 depressed adolescents with or without a history of self-injury, and 25 typically developing controls. Behavior dysregulation was operationalized as observed aversiveness during a conflict discussion, and physiological dysregulation was indexed by respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA). Results revealed different patterns of concordance for control versus depressed participants. Controls evidenced a concordant partner (between-person) effect, and showed increased physiological regulation during minutes when their partner was more aversive. In contrast, clinical dyad members displayed a concordant actor (within-person) effect, becoming simultaneously physiologically and behaviorally dysregulated. Results inform current understanding of emotion dysregulation across multiple levels of analysis. PMID:24607894

The Well-Being of Mothers of Adolescents with Developmental Disabilities in Relation to Medical Care Utilization and Satisfaction with Health Care

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mitchell, Darcy B.; Hauser-Cram, Penny

2008-01-01

Parents of children with disabilities have been found to be more likely to experience stress and depressive symptoms than parents of typically developing children as a result of the increased challenges inherent in their parenting role. This study investigated the utilization of and satisfaction with adolescent health care services reported by…

The Messages They Send: E-Mail Use by Adolescents with and without a History of Specific Language Impairment (SLI)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Conti-Ramsden, Gina; Durkin, Kevin; Walker, Allan J.

2012-01-01

Background: Contemporary adolescents use e-mail for a variety of purposes, including peer communication and education. Research into these uses has focused on typically developing individuals; much less is known about the use of e-mail by exceptional youth. Aims: The present study examined the structure and form of e-mail messages sent by…

Mismatch Negativity and P3a in Adolescents and Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Behavioral Correlates and Clinical Implications

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chien, Yi-Ling; Hsieh, Ming Hsien; Gau, Susan Shur-Fen

2018-01-01

In a sample of 37 adolescents and young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and 35 typically-developing controls (TDC), we investigated sensory symptoms by clinical measures, and Mismatch Negativity and P3a component at Fz with the frequency and duration oddball paradigms of event-related potentials. Results showed that compared to TDC, ASD…

Conducting a Needs Assessment in Parents of Typical Adolescents, Ages 11-13 Years Old

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Belvin, Dayna

2011-01-01

Parents of typical adolescents often find themselves feeling unprepared to face the challenges of child rearing. Though parent education programs are readily available for parents of young children, parents of adolescents, ages 11-13, have difficulty finding relevant, age-appropriate curriculum. The literature indicates that parent education…

Comprehension of idioms in adolescents with language-based learning disabilities compared to their typically developing peers.

PubMed

Qualls, Constance Dean; Lantz, Jennifer M; Pietrzyk, Rose M; Blood, Gordon W; Hammer, Carol Scheffner

2004-01-01

Adolescents with language-based learning disabilities (LBLD) often interpret idioms literally. When idioms are provided in an enriched context, comprehension is compromised further because of the LBLD student's inability to assign multiple meanings to words, assemble and integrate information, and go beyond a local referent to derive a global, coherent meaning. This study tested the effects of context and familiarity on comprehension of 24 idioms in 22 adolescents with LBLD. The students completed the Idiom Comprehension Test (ICT) [Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools 30 (1999) 141; LSHSS 34 (2003) 69] in one of two conditions: in a story or during a verification task. Within each condition were three familiarity levels: high, moderate, and low. The LBLD adolescents' data were then compared to previously collected data from 21 age-, gender-, and reading ability-matched typically developing (TD) peers. The relations between reading and language literacy and idiom comprehension were also examined in the LBLD adolescents. Results showed that: (a) the LBLD adolescents generally performed poorly relative to their TD counterparts; however, the groups performed comparably on the high and moderate familiarity idioms in the verification condition; (b) the LBLD adolescents performed significantly better in the verification condition than in the story condition; and (c) reading ability was associated with comprehension of the low familiarity idioms in the story condition only. Findings are discussed relative to implications for speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and educators working with adolescents with LBLD. As a result of this activity, the participant will be able to (1) describe the importance of metalinguistic maturity for comprehension of idioms and other figures of speech; (2) understand the roles of context and familiarity when assessing idiom comprehension in adolescents with LBLD; and (3) critically evaluate assessments of idiom comprehension and determine their appropriateness for use with adolescents with LBLD.

Specific language impairment and school outcomes. II: Educational context, student satisfaction, and post-compulsory progress.

PubMed

Durkin, Kevin; Simkin, Zoë; Knox, Emma; Conti-Ramsden, Gina

2009-01-01

This investigation is the second paper of a companion set reporting the outcomes of secondary schooling for young people who have been participating in the Manchester Language Study. To examine the school context of educational results at 16 years of age and to provide information on the adolescents' post-16 activities. A total of 120 adolescents with a history of specific language impairment (SLI) and 121 adolescents with typical development (TD) in their final year of compulsory secondary schooling (mean age = 17;4 years) participated in the study. Data on educational placement, special education support and provision of statement of special educational needs (SEN) were collected, along with the provision of access arrangements during examinations. Adolescents were interviewed about their levels of expectation and satisfaction with their examination results and their subsequent post-16 activities. Only a small proportion of adolescents attended special units/schools throughout their secondary schooling; a larger proportion consistently attended mainstream schools. Those in receipt of a statement of SEN performed more poorly in their examinations than those without a statement. Around 60% of the adolescents with SLI were provided with some type of access arrangements during their core examinations. The majority (88%) of adolescents with SLI reported that they were satisfied with their educational outcomes. Most adolescents with SLI (91%), regardless of school placement at 16 years, remained in education post-16, with the majority in college settings. Adolescents with a history of SLI have continued difficulties throughout secondary schooling, with three-quarters of the sample receiving some form of special education in a variety of settings. Educational attainment varied across different groups of adolescents but was consistently poorer than the attainment of typically developing peers. Young people with SLI in the 2000s appear to have more opportunities to remain in education post-16 than they did in the 1990s.

Tracking development from early speech-language acquisition to reading skills at age 13.

PubMed

Bartl-Pokorny, Katrin D; Marschik, Peter B; Sachse, Steffi; Green, Vanessa A; Zhang, Dajie; Van Der Meer, Larah; Wolin, Thomas; Einspieler, Christa

2013-06-01

Previous studies have indicated a link between speech-language and literacy development. To add to this body of knowledge, we investigated whether lexical and grammatical skills from toddler to early school age are related to reading competence in adolescence. Twenty-three typically developing children were followed from age 1;6 to 13;6 (years;months). Parental checklists and standardized tests were used to assess the development of mental lexicon, grammatical and reading capacities of the children. Direct assessment of early speech-language functions positively correlated with later reading competence, whereas lexical skills reported by parents were not associated with this capacity. At (pre-) school age, larger vocabulary and better grammatical abilities predicted advanced reading abilities in adolescence. Our study contributes to the understanding of typical speech-language development and its relation to later reading outcome, extending the body of knowledge on these developmental domains for future early identification of children at risk for reading difficulties.

Boundaries & adolescents in residental teatment settings: what clinicians need to know.

PubMed

Bunner, Karen; Yonge, Olive

2006-09-01

Working with adolescents in psychiatric treatment settings poses unique challenges related to boundaries. Staff are typically from a range of disciplines, and some are from nonregulated professions. Three potential boundary-crossing areas are touching, gift giving, and self-disclosure. To enhance quality of care, staff needs an orientation aimed at boundary education, including the concepts of transference and countertransference; an atmosphere of safety to discuss their observations of themselves and others; to be willing to provide feedback; and a sound knowledge base of adolescent growth and development.

Physical Activity Levels, Frequency, and Type among Adolescents with and without Autism Spectrum Disorder

PubMed Central

Stanish, Heidi I.; Curtin, Carol; Must, Aviva; Phillips, Sarah; Maslin, Melissa; Bandini, Linda G.

2017-01-01

We compared time spent in moderate and vigorous physical activity (MVPA), type, and frequency of participation in physical activities between adolescents with ASD (n=35) and typically developing (TD) adolescents (n=60). Accelerometers measured MVPA and participants were interviewed about engagement in physical activities. Adolescents with ASD spent less time in MVPA compared to TD adolescents (29 min/day vs. 50 min/day, p<.001) and fewer met the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans (14% vs. 29%, p>.05). Among adolescents <16 years old, those with ASD participated in fewer activities than TD adolescents (5.3 vs. 7.1 activities, p<.03). Walking/hiking and active video gaming were among the top activities for both groups. Findings support the need for interventions that meet the needs of youth with ASD. PMID:28066867

Understanding How Adolescents with Autism Respond to Facial Expressions in Virtual Reality Environments

PubMed Central

Bekele, Esubalew; Zheng, Zhi; Swanson, Amy; Crittendon, Julie; Warren, Zachary; Sarkar, Nilanjan

2013-01-01

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are characterized by atypical patterns of behaviors and impairments in social communication. Among the fundamental social impairments in the ASD population are challenges in appropriately recognizing and responding to facial expressions. Traditional intervention approaches often require intensive support and well-trained therapists to address core deficits, with many with ASD having tremendous difficulty accessing such care due to lack of available trained therapists as well as intervention costs. As a result, emerging technology such as virtual reality (VR) has the potential to offer useful technology-enabled intervention systems. In this paper, an innovative VR-based facial emotional expression presentation system was developed that allows monitoring of eye gaze and physiological signals related to emotion identification to explore new efficient therapeutic paradigms. A usability study of this new system involving ten adolescents with ASD and ten typically developing adolescents as a control group was performed. The eye tracking and physiological data were analyzed to determine intragroup and intergroup variations of gaze and physiological patterns. Performance data, eye tracking indices and physiological features indicated that there were differences in the way adolescents with ASD process and recognize emotional faces compared to their typically developing peers. These results will be used in the future for an online adaptive VR-based multimodal social interaction system to improve emotion recognition abilities of individuals with ASD. PMID:23428456

Understanding how adolescents with autism respond to facial expressions in virtual reality environments.

PubMed

Bekele, Esubalew; Zheng, Zhi; Swanson, Amy; Crittendon, Julie; Warren, Zachary; Sarkar, Nilanjan

2013-04-01

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are characterized by atypical patterns of behaviors and impairments in social communication. Among the fundamental social impairments in the ASD population are challenges in appropriately recognizing and responding to facial expressions. Traditional intervention approaches often require intensive support and well-trained therapists to address core deficits, with many with ASD having tremendous difficulty accessing such care due to lack of available trained therapists as well as intervention costs. As a result, emerging technology such as virtual reality (VR) has the potential to offer useful technology-enabled intervention systems. In this paper, an innovative VR-based facial emotional expression presentation system was developed that allows monitoring of eye gaze and physiological signals related to emotion identification to explore new efficient therapeutic paradigms. A usability study of this new system involving ten adolescents with ASD and ten typically developing adolescents as a control group was performed. The eye tracking and physiological data were analyzed to determine intragroup and intergroup variations of gaze and physiological patterns. Performance data, eye tracking indices and physiological features indicated that there were differences in the way adolescents with ASD process and recognize emotional faces compared to their typically developing peers. These results will be used in the future for an online adaptive VR-based multimodal social interaction system to improve emotion recognition abilities of individuals with ASD.

Multi-informant reports of psychiatric symptoms among high-functioning adolescents with Asperger syndrome or autism.

PubMed

Hurtig, Tuula; Kuusikko, Sanna; Mattila, Marja-Leena; Haapsamo, Helena; Ebeling, Hanna; Jussila, Katja; Joskitt, Leena; Pauls, David; Moilanen, Irma

2009-11-01

The aim of the study was to examine psychiatric symptoms in high-functioning adolescents with autism spectrum disorders reported by multiple informants. Forty-three 11- to 17-year-old adolescents with Asperger syndrome (AS) or high-functioning autism (HFA) and 217 typically developed adolescents completed the Youth Self-Report (YSR), while their parents completed the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Teachers of adolescents with AS/HFA completed the Teacher Report Form (TRF). The informants reported significantly more psychiatric symptoms, especially withdrawn, anxious/depressed, social and attention problems, in adolescents with AS/HFA than in controls. In contrast to findings in the general population, the psychiatric problems of adolescents with AS/HFA are well acknowledged by multiple informants, including self-reports. However, anxiety and depressive symptoms were more commonly reported by adolescents with AS/HFA and their teachers than their parents, indicating that some emotional distress may be hidden from their parents.

Adolescent Siblings of Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities with and without Comorbid Mental Health Problems: A Preliminary Comparison of Sibling Perceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shivers, Carolyn M.; Kozimor, Laura Michelle

2017-01-01

Introduction: The presence of comorbid mental illness in individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) has been shown to have additional negative impact on parents and caregivers. However, the impact of such dual diagnoses on typically developing siblings has yet to be examined. Methods: Parents and typically developing…

Adolescent judgments and reasoning about the failure to include peers with social disabilities.

PubMed

Bottema-Beutel, Kristen; Li, Zhushan

2015-06-01

Adolescents with autism spectrum disorder often do not have access to crucial peer social activities. This study examines how typically developing adolescents evaluate decisions not to include a peer based on disability status, and the justifications they apply to these decisions. A clinical interview methodology was used to elicit judgments and justifications across four contexts. We found adolescents are more likely to judge the failure to include as acceptable in personal as compared to public contexts. Using logistic regression, we found that adolescents are more likely to provide moral justifications as to why failure to include is acceptable in a classroom as compared to home, lab group, and soccer practice contexts. Implications for intervention are also discussed.

Genetics Home Reference: Woodhouse-Sakati syndrome

MedlinePlus

... low amounts of hormones that direct sexual development (hypogonadism), which typically becomes apparent during adolescence. Without hormone ... Resources Genetic Testing (1 link) Genetic Testing Registry: Hypogonadism, diabetes mellitus, alopecia, mental retardation and electrocardiographic abnormalities ...

Reduced Default Mode Connectivity in Adolescents With Conduct Disorder.

PubMed

Broulidakis, M John; Fairchild, Graeme; Sully, Kate; Blumensath, Thomas; Darekar, Angela; Sonuga-Barke, Edmund J S

2016-09-01

Conduct disorder (CD) is characterized by impulsive, aggressive, and antisocial behaviors that might be related to deficits in empathy and moral reasoning. The brain's default mode network (DMN) has been implicated in self-referential cognitive processes of this kind. This study examined connectivity between key nodes of the DMN in 29 adolescent boys with CD and 29 age- and sex-matched typically developing adolescent boys. The authors ensured that group differences in DMN connectivity were not explained by comorbidity with other disorders by systematically controlling for the effects of substance use disorders (SUDs), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms, psychopathic traits, and other common mental health problems. Only after adjusting for co-occurring ADHD symptoms, the group with CD showed hypoconnectivity between core DMN regions compared with typically developing controls. ADHD symptoms were associated with DMN hyperconnectivity. There was no effect of psychopathic traits on DMN connectivity in the group with CD, and the key results were unchanged when controlling for SUDs and other common mental health problems. Future research should directly investigate the possibility that the aberrant DMN connectivity observed in the present study contributes to CD-related deficits in empathy and moral reasoning and examine self-referential cognitive processes in CD more generally. Copyright © 2016 American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. All rights reserved.

But is helping you worth the risk? Defining Prosocial Risk Taking in adolescence

PubMed Central

Do, Kathy T.; Guassi Moreira, João F.; Telzer, Eva H.

2017-01-01

Recent work has shown that the same neural circuitry that typically underlies risky behaviors also contributes to prosocial behaviors. Despite the striking overlap between two seemingly distinct behavioral patterns, little is known about how risk taking and prosociality interact and inform adolescent decision making. We review literature on adolescent brain development as it pertains to risk taking and prosociality and propose a new area of study, Prosocial Risk Taking, which suggests that adolescents can make risky decisions with the intention of helping other individuals. Given key socialization processes and ongoing neurodevelopmental changes during this time, adolescence may represent a sensitive period for the emergence of Prosocial Risk Taking, especially within a wide variety of social contexts when youth’s increased sensitivity to social evaluation and belonging impacts their behaviors. Prosocial Risk Taking in adolescence is an area of study that has been overlooked in the literature, but could help explain how ontogenetic changes in the adolescent brain may create not only vulnerabilities, but also opportunities for healthy prosocial development. PMID:28063823

Developmental improvements in dynamic control of fingertip forces last throughout childhood and into adolescence

PubMed Central

Dayanidhi, Sudarshan; Hedberg, Åsa; Forssberg, Hans

2013-01-01

While it is clear that the development of dexterous manipulation in children exhibits dramatic improvements over an extended period, it is difficult to separate musculoskeletal from neural contributors to these important functional gains. This is in part due to the inability of current methods to disambiguate improvements in hand strength from gains in finger dexterity (i.e., the dynamic control of fingertip force vectors at low magnitudes). We adapted our novel instrumentation to evaluate finger dexterity in 130 typically developing children between the ages of 4 and 16 yr. We find that finger dexterity continues to develop well into late adolescence and musculoskeletal growth and strength are poorly correlated with the improvements in dexterity. Importantly, because these behavioral results seem to mirror the known timelines of neuroanatomical development up to adolescence, we speculate that they reflect the functional benefits of such continual neural maturation. This novel perspective now enables the systematic study of the functional roles of specific neuroanatomical structures and their connectivity, maturity, and plasticity. Moreover, the temporal dynamics of the fingertip force vectors shows improvements in stability that provide a novel way to look at the maturation of finger control. From a clinical perspective, our results provide a practical means to chart functional development of dexterous manipulation in typically developing children and could be adapted for clinical use and for use in children with developmental disorders. PMID:23864371

Development of an online database of typical food portion sizes in Irish population groups.

PubMed

Lyons, Jacqueline; Walton, Janette; Flynn, Albert

2013-01-01

The Irish Food Portion Sizes Database (available at www.iuna.net) describes typical portion weights for an extensive range of foods and beverages for Irish children, adolescents and adults. The present paper describes the methodologies used to develop the database and some key characteristics of the portion weight data contained therein. The data are derived from three large, cross-sectional food consumption surveys carried out in Ireland over the last decade: the National Children's Food Survey (2003-2004), National Teens' Food Survey (2005-2006) and National Adult Nutrition Survey (2008-2010). Median, 25th and 75th percentile portion weights are described for a total of 545 items across the three survey groups, split by age group or sex as appropriate. The typical (median) portion weights reported for adolescents and adults are similar for many foods, while those reported for children are notably smaller. Adolescent and adult males generally consume larger portions than their female counterparts, though similar portion weights may be consumed where foods are packaged in unit amounts (for example, pots of yoghurt). The inclusion of energy under-reporters makes little difference to the estimation of typical portion weights in adults. The data have wide-ranging applications in dietary assessment and food labelling, and will serve as a useful reference against which to compare future portion size data from the Irish population. The present paper provides a useful context for researchers and others wishing to use the Irish Food Portion Sizes Database, and may guide researchers in other countries in establishing similar databases of their own.

The Romantic Relationships of Adolescents With ADHD.

PubMed

Rokeach, Alan; Wiener, Judith

2018-01-01

This study compared the romantic relationships of adolescents with and without ADHD with regard to romantic involvement, relationship content, and relationship quality. A community sample of 58 participants (30 ADHD, 28 Comparison), ages 13 to 18, completed questionnaires assessing various features of romantic relationships. Adolescents with ADHD reported having more romantic partners than their typically developing (TD) peers. Females with ADHD were found to have shorter romantic relationships than TD adolescents while males with ADHD reported their age of first intercourse to be nearly 2 years sooner than TD peers. Irrespective of gender, adolescents with ADHD had nearly double the number of lifetime sexual partners. However, the romantic relationships of adolescents with and without ADHD did not differ on levels of aggression or relationship quality. Given the outcomes associated with poor-quality romantic relationships, comprehensive assessments of adolescents with ADHD should include queries into their romantic relationships.

Adversity and Resilience: A Synthesis of International Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Noltemeyer, Amity L.; Bush, Kevin R.

2013-01-01

Children and adolescents worldwide experience a variety of adversities that have the potential to disrupt typical development. However, some of these individuals exhibit resilience, evidencing normal development in the face of adversity. Here we review research on these constructs of risk, adversity, and resilience; synthesize international…

Four Supportive Pillars in Career Exploration and Development for Adolescents with LD and EBD

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trainor, Audrey A.; Smith, Shane Anthony; Kim, Sunyoung

2012-01-01

In addition to typical career development and vocational programs in general education, providing school-based programs that are directly linked to employment and career development for youth with learning and emotional and behavioral disabilities is a legally mandated service in special education. Several broad research-based strategies are…

Mapping Gray Matter Development: Implications for Typical Development and Vulnerability to Psychopathology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gogtay, Nitin; Thompson, Paul M.

2010-01-01

Recent studies with brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have scanned large numbers of children and adolescents repeatedly over time, as their brains develop, tracking volumetric changes in gray and white matter in remarkable detail. Focusing on gray matter changes specifically, here we explain how earlier studies using lobar volumes of specific…

Reliability and Validity of the Interactive Drawing Test: A Measure of Reciprocity for Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Backer van Ommeren, Tineke; Koot, Hans M.; Scheeren, Anke M.; Begeer, Sander

2015-01-01

Poor reciprocity is a defining feature of an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In the current study, we examined the reliability and validity of the Interactive Drawing Test (IDT), a new instrument to assess reciprocal behavior. The IDT was administered to children and adolescents with ASD (n = 131) and to a typically developing group (n = 62). The…

Emotion dysregulation and dyadic conflict in depressed and typical adolescents: evaluating concordance across psychophysiological and observational measures.

PubMed

Crowell, Sheila E; Baucom, Brian R; Yaptangco, Mona; Bride, Daniel; Hsiao, Ray; McCauley, Elizabeth; Beauchaine, Theodore P

2014-04-01

Many depressed adolescents experience difficulty in regulating their emotions. These emotion regulation difficulties appear to emerge in part from socialization processes within families and then generalize to other contexts. However, emotion dysregulation is typically assessed within the individual, rather than in the social relationships that shape and maintain dysregulation. In this study, we evaluated concordance of physiological and observational measures of emotion dysregulation during interpersonal conflict, using a multilevel actor-partner interdependence model (APIM). Participants were 75 mother-daughter dyads, including 50 depressed adolescents with or without a history of self-injury, and 25 typically developing controls. Behavior dysregulation was operationalized as observed aversiveness during a conflict discussion, and physiological dysregulation was indexed by respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA). Results revealed different patterns of concordance for control versus depressed participants. Controls evidenced a concordant partner (between-person) effect, and showed increased physiological regulation during minutes when their partner was more aversive. In contrast, clinical dyad members displayed a concordant actor (within-person) effect, becoming simultaneously physiologically and behaviorally dysregulated. Results inform current understanding of emotion dysregulation across multiple levels of analysis. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Brief Report: Investigating Relations Between Self-Concept and Performance in Reading and Math for School-Aged Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

PubMed

McCauley, James B; Zajic, Matthew C; Oswald, Tasha M; Swain-Lerro, Lindsey E; McIntyre, Nancy C; Harris, Michelle A; Trzesniewski, Kali; Mundy, Peter C; Solomon, Marjorie

2018-05-01

A typically developing student's perceptions of his or her own capabilities (academic self-concept), is predictive of later academic achievement. However, little is known about academic self-concept in youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). To understand whether students math self-concept and reading self-concept predicted their performance, 44 school-aged children and adolescents with ASD and 36 age-matched individuals with typical development (TYP) rated their perceived math and reading abilities and were administered standardized achievement measures. Results showed self-concept was predictive of performance in math and reading in the TYP group. For youth with ASD, there was agreement between self-concept and performance only in math. These findings suggest that educators should be cautious when interpreting the self-assessments of reading ability in students with ASD.

Discrepancies in military middle-school adolescents' and parents' perceptions of family functioning, social support, anger frequency, and concerns.

PubMed

Crow, Janet R; Seybold, Amanda K

2013-02-01

Previous literature suggests that adolescents' and parents' perceptions of family functioning are typically quite disparate and that perceptual discrepancies increase when a family is under stress. During the years of deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan adolescents in military families have faced uniquely stressful circumstances which may exacerbate difficulties commonly experienced during adolescence. For this study 91 middle-school adolescent-parent dyads from U.S. Army families were surveyed about their perceptions of family functioning, social support, the adolescent's frequency of anger, and the adolescent's concerns. Findings indicated significant differences in parents' and adolescents' matched ratings for all variables except adolescent concerns. Adolescent-parent perceptual discrepancies were greatest for families who had never experienced deployment and during or following the first deployment. The results of this study may be useful to those supporting military families as they develop strategies to help family members understand the others' perceptions and learn to communicate and solve problems despite the differences. Copyright © 2012 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Adolescence and Reward: Making Sense of Neural and Behavioral Changes Amid the Chaos

PubMed Central

Walker, Deena M.; Willing, Jari

2017-01-01

Adolescence is a time of significant neural and behavioral change with remarkable development in social, emotional, and cognitive skills. It is also a time of increased exploration and risk-taking (e.g., drug use). Many of these changes are thought to be the result of increased reward-value coupled with an underdeveloped inhibitory control, and thus a hypersensitivity to reward. Perturbations during adolescence can alter the developmental trajectory of the brain, resulting in long-term alterations in reward-associated behaviors. This review highlights recent developments in our understanding of how neural circuits, pubertal hormones, and environmental factors contribute to adolescent-typical reward-associated behaviors with a particular focus on sex differences, the medial prefrontal cortex, social reward, social isolation, and drug use. We then introduce a new approach that makes use of natural adaptations of seasonally breeding species to investigate the role of pubertal hormones in adolescent development. This research has only begun to parse out contributions of the many neural, endocrine, and environmental changes to the heightened reward sensitivity and increased vulnerability to mental health disorders that characterize this life stage. PMID:29118215

The effect of school meals with fatty fish on adolescents' self-reported symptoms for mental health: FINS-TEENS - a randomized controlled intervention trial.

PubMed

Skotheim, Siv; Handeland, Katina; Kjellevold, Marian; Øyen, Jannike; Frøyland, Livar; Lie, Øyvind; Eide Graff, Ingvild; Baste, Valborg; Stormark, Kjell Morten; Dahl, Lisbeth

2017-01-01

There is a growing body of evidence linking fish consumption and n-3 LCPUFAs to mental health. Still, the results from randomized trials with n-3 LCPUFAs show conflicting results, and it is possible that the combined effect of several nutrients in fish may explain the observed associations. To aim of the present study was to investigate if school meals with fatty fish three times per week for 12 weeks could alter mental health in a sample of typically developing adolescents. In the Fish Intervention Studies-TEENS (FINS-TEENS), adolescents from eight secondary schools (n=425) in Norway, were randomized to receive school meals with fatty fish, meat or n-3 LCPUFA supplements. Mental health was assessed with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and the differences between the groups were assessed with linear mixed effect models, unadjusted and adjusted for baseline and dietary compliance. The results showed no effects of school meals with fatty fish compared to similar meals with meat or n-3 LCPUFAs on the adolescents' self-reported symptom scores for mental health. Among adolescents scoring above the SDQ cut-offs (high-scorers), the fish- improved less than the meat group in the self-reported symptom scores for total difficulties- and emotional problems. However, the findings should be regarded as preliminary, as the analyses for the high-scorer group were underpowered. In conclusion, serving school meals with fatty fish did not alter mental health in a typically developing sample of adolescents. It is possible that serving healthy school meals with meat is more beneficial than similar meals with fatty fish in adolescents scoring high on mental health problems. However, the results should be seen as preliminary, as the dietary compliance in the fish group was low and the analyses in the high score group underpowered. Thus, further studies should investigate the associations between fish consumption and adolescents' mental health.

Charting the life course: age differences and validity of beliefs about lifespan development.

PubMed

Riediger, Michaela; Voelkle, Manuel C; Schaefer, Sabine; Lindenberger, Ulman

2014-09-01

This study examined how children (9 years), adolescents (13 to 15 years), younger adults (21 to 26 years), and older adults (70 to 76 years) chart age gradients of cognitive and social functioning from childhood to old age. Participants (N = 156) rated typical performance levels in different life phases for 10 aspects of cognitive and social functioning. Compared with older participants, children expected lower performance levels and higher temporal stability, particularly during adulthood and into old age, and showed lower interindividual consensus in their ratings. Individuals in all 4 age groups recognized that fluid cognitive abilities reach their developmental peak earlier in life and decline more steeply thereafter than crystallized cognitive abilities. Older adults and, to a lesser extent, children evaluated their own current functioning as being better than that of their typical age peers. Furthermore, older adults charted typical cognitive development in middle and earlier late adulthood more positively than the participants in the other 3 age groups, which possibly reflects a partial externalization of their own positive self-views and a self-enhancing bias. Comparisons with life span gradients of cognitive performance (McArdle, Ferrer-Caja, Hamagami, & Woodcock, 2002) suggest that the ratings of adolescents and younger adults were in better agreement with empirically observed average performance trajectories than the ratings of children and older adults. We conclude that beliefs about normative cognitive and social aspects of life span development emerge in late middle childhood, solidify into culturally shared scripts by mid-adolescence, and remain subject to further change into old age. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

Adolescents' and parents' experiences of managing the psychosocial impact of appearance change during cancer treatment.

PubMed

Williamson, Heidi; Harcourt, Diana; Halliwell, Emma; Frith, Hannah; Wallace, Melissa

2010-01-01

Using combined qualitative data from multiple case study interviews and an online survey, this study explored the impact of appearance change on 22 adolescents receiving cancer treatment aged 13 to 18 years and six of their parents. Data were analyzed using template analysis. Appearance changes were a major concern. Adolescents typically struggled to adapt to new experiences and concerns related to this highly sensitive issue. Many felt anxious and self-conscious and were reluctant to reveal appearance changes in public. These feelings were compounded by the negative reactions of others (e.g., staring, teasing, and inappropriate questioning), which sometimes lead to avoidance of social activity and threats of noncompliance. Parents of these children felt ill-prepared to manage appearance-related anxieties. Adolescents wanted support to develop the practical and social skills necessary to maintain a "normal" appearance and manage the negative responses of others. However, some adolescents showed resilience and, with support from friends and family, developed strategies to manage their altered appearance and its social consequences. These strategies are explored, which can inform interventions to support adolescents and parents.

Peer influence on gender identity development in adolescence.

PubMed

Kornienko, Olga; Santos, Carlos E; Martin, Carol Lynn; Granger, Kristen L

2016-10-01

During adolescence, gender identity (GI) develops through a dialectic process of personal reflection and with input from the social environment. Peers play an important role in the socialization of gendered behavior, but no studies to-date have assessed peer influences on GI. Thus, the goal of the present study was to examine peer influences on four aspects of adolescents' GI in racially and ethnically diverse 7th- and 8th-grade students (N = 670; 49.5% boys, M age = 12.64) using a longitudinal social network modeling approach. We hypothesized stronger peer influence effects on between-gender dimensions of GI (intergroup bias and felt pressure for gender conformity) than on within-gender dimensions of GI (typicality and contentedness). Consistent with expectations, we found significant peer influence on between-gender components of GI-intergroup bias among 7th and 8th graders as well as felt pressure for gender conformity among 8th graders. In contrast, within-gender components of GI showed no evidence of peer influence. Importantly, these peer socialization effects were evident even when controlling for tendencies to select friends who were similar on gender, gender typicality, and contentedness (8th graders only). Employing longitudinal social network analyses provides insights into and clarity about the roles of peers in gender development. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Developmental trajectories during adolescence in males and females: a cross-species understanding of underlying brain changes

PubMed Central

Brenhouse, Heather C.; Andersen, Susan L.

2011-01-01

Adolescence is a transitional period between childhood and adulthood that encompasses vast changes within brain systems that parallel some, but not all, behavioral changes. Elevations in emotional reactivity and reward processing follow an inverted U shape in terms of onset and remission, with the peak occurring during adolescence. However, cognitive processing follows a more linear course of development. This review will focus on changes within key structures and will highlight the relationships between brain changes and behavior, with evidence spanning from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in humans to molecular studies of receptor and signaling factors in animals. Adolescent changes in neuronal substrates will be used to understand how typical and atypical behaviors arise during adolescence. We draw upon clinical and preclinical studies to provide a neural framework for defining adolescence and its role in the transition to adulthood. PMID:21600919

[The importance of drawing in adolescence].

PubMed

Titia Rizzi, Alice

Teenagers like to draw. A drawing is a fundamental object of creativity in the process of re-construction and change typical of this period. However, theoretical approaches often consider that the evolution of the stages of drawing come to an end in adolescence. It is important to consider the practical and clinical benefit of drawing and to develop expression-based activities which can be carried out with this population. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Observing Interactions between Children and Adolescents and their Parents: The Effects of Anxiety Disorder and Age.

PubMed

Waite, Polly; Creswell, Cathy

2015-08-01

Parental behaviors, most notably overcontrol, lack of warmth and expressed anxiety, have been implicated in models of the development and maintenance of anxiety disorders in children and young people. Theories of normative development have proposed that different parental responses are required to support emotional development in childhood and adolescence, yet age has not typically been taken into account in studies of parenting and anxiety disorders. In order to identify whether associations between anxiety disorder status and parenting differ in children and adolescents, we compared observed behaviors of parents of children (7-10 years) and adolescents (13-16 years) with and without anxiety disorders (n = 120), while they undertook a series of mildly anxiety-provoking tasks. Parents of adolescents showed significantly lower levels of expressed anxiety, intrusiveness and warm engagement than parents of children. Furthermore, offspring age moderated the association between anxiety disorder status and parenting behaviors. Specifically, parents of adolescents with anxiety disorders showed higher intrusiveness and lower warm engagement than parents of non-anxious adolescents. A similar relationship between these parenting behaviors and anxiety disorder status was not observed among parents of children. The findings suggest that theoretical accounts of the role of parental behaviors in anxiety disorders in children and adolescents should distinguish between these different developmental periods. Further experimental research to establish causality, however, would be required before committing additional resources to targeting parenting factors within treatment.

Atypical cross talk between mentalizing and mirror neuron networks in autism spectrum disorder.

PubMed

Fishman, Inna; Keown, Christopher L; Lincoln, Alan J; Pineda, Jaime A; Müller, Ralph-Axel

2014-07-01

Converging evidence indicates that brain abnormalities in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) involve atypical network connectivity, but it is unclear whether altered connectivity is especially prominent in brain networks that participate in social cognition. To investigate whether adolescents with ASD show altered functional connectivity in 2 brain networks putatively impaired in ASD and involved in social processing, theory of mind (ToM) and mirror neuron system (MNS). Cross-sectional study using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging involving 25 adolescents with ASD between the ages of 11 and 18 years and 25 typically developing adolescents matched for age, handedness, and nonverbal IQ. Statistical parametric maps testing the degree of whole-brain functional connectivity and social functioning measures. Relative to typically developing controls, participants with ASD showed a mixed pattern of both over- and underconnectivity in the ToM network, which was associated with greater social impairment. Increased connectivity in the ASD group was detected primarily between the regions of the MNS and ToM, and was correlated with sociocommunicative measures, suggesting that excessive ToM-MNS cross talk might be associated with social impairment. In a secondary analysis comparing a subset of the 15 participants with ASD with the most severe symptomology and a tightly matched subset of 15 typically developing controls, participants with ASD showed exclusive overconnectivity effects in both ToM and MNS networks, which were also associated with greater social dysfunction. Adolescents with ASD showed atypically increased functional connectivity involving the mentalizing and mirror neuron systems, largely reflecting greater cross talk between the 2. This finding is consistent with emerging evidence of reduced network segregation in ASD and challenges the prevailing theory of general long-distance underconnectivity in ASD. This excess ToM-MNS connectivity may reflect immature or aberrant developmental processes in 2 brain networks involved in understanding of others, a domain of impairment in ASD. Further, robust links with sociocommunicative symptoms of ASD implicate atypically increased ToM-MNS connectivity in social deficits observed in ASD.

Mild Dermatoglyphic Deviations in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Average Intellectual Abilities as Compared to Typically Developing Boys

PubMed Central

de Bruin, Esther I.; Graham, John H.; Huizink, Anja C.

2014-01-01

Dermatoglyphics, ridge constellations on the hands and feet, are permanently formed by the second trimester of pregnancy. Consequently, they are considered “fossilized” evidence of a specific prenatal period. A high frequency of dermatoglyphic anomalies, or a high rate of dermatoglyphic asymmetry (discordance), is an indication of developmental instability (prenatal disturbances) prior to 24-week gestation. Most dermatoglyphic studies in psychiatry focus on adult schizophrenia. Studies on dermatoglyphic deviances and autism are sparse, include severely disturbed and intellectually retarded patients with autism, and are carried out mainly in non-Western European populations. In this study, finger print patterns, atd-angles, and palmar flexion crease patterns (PFCs) are compared between Western European adolescent teenage males, of average intellect, with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD; n = 46) and typically developing adolescent teenage males (TD; n = 49). Boys with ASD had a higher rate of discordance in their finger print patterns than TD boys. Thus, the hypothesized prenatal disturbances that play a role in the etiology of schizophrenia and severe autism might not be specific to these severe psychiatric disorders but might also be involved in the etiology of varying degrees of ASD. PMID:25478224

Development of the Assisting Hand Assessment for adolescents (Ad-AHA) and validation of the AHA from 18 months to 18 years.

PubMed

Louwers, Annoek; Beelen, Anita; Holmefur, Marie; Krumlinde-Sundholm, Lena

2016-12-01

To develop and evaluate a test activity from which bimanual performance in adolescents with unilateral cerebral palsy (CP) can be observed and scored with the Assisting Hand Assessment (AHA), and to evaluate the construct validity of the AHA test items for the extended age range 18 months to 18 years. A new test activity was developed and evaluated for its ability to elicit bimanual actions in adolescents with (n=20) and without (n=10) unilateral CP. The AHA scores of 126 adolescents (mean age 14y 3mo, SD 2y 6mo; 71 males, 55 females) and 157 children with unilateral CP (mean age 6y 1mo, SD 2y 10mo; 102 males, 55 females) were analysed using the Rasch measurement model. The test activity elicited bimanual actions in 100% of typically developing adolescents and in 96.8% and 57.9% of adolescents with unilateral CP (moderately and severely limited hand function respectively). The scale demonstrated good construct validity; thus the same scoring criteria can be used for the age range studied. The new Assisting Hand Assessment for adolescents (Ad-AHA) activity is valid for use with 13- to 18-year-olds to elicit bimanual performance in adolescents with unilateral CP. The same AHA scoring criteria can be used both for children and for adolescents within the age range 18 months to 18 years. © 2016 The Authors. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Mac Keith Press.

Differentiating Adolescent Self-Injury from Adolescent Depression: Possible Implications for Borderline Personality Development

PubMed Central

Crowell, Sheila E.; Beauchaine, Theodore P.; Hsiao, Ray C.; Vasilev, Christina A.; Yaptangco, Mona; Linehan, Marsha M.; McCauley, Elizabeth

2011-01-01

Self-inflicted injury (SII) in adolescence marks heightened risk for suicide attempts, completed suicide, and adult psychopathology. Although several studies have revealed elevated rates of depression among adolescents who self injure, no one has compared adolescent self injury with adolescent depression on biological, self-, and informant-report markers of vulnerability and risk. Such a comparison may have important implications for treatment, prevention, and developmental models of self injury and borderline personality disorder. We used a multi-method, multi-informant approach to examine how adolescent SII differs from adolescent depression. Self-injuring, depressed, and typical adolescent females (n = 25 per group) and their mothers completed measures of psychopathology and emotion regulation, among others. In addition, we assessed electrodermal responding (EDR), a peripheral biomarker of trait impulsivity. Participants in the SII group (a) scored higher than depressed adolescents on measures of both externalizing psychopathology and emotion dysregulation, and (b) exhibited attenuated EDR, similar to patterns observed among impulsive, externalizing males. Self-injuring adolescents also scored higher on measures of borderline pathology. These findings reveal a coherent pattern of differences between self-injuring and depressed adolescent girls, consistent with theories that SII differs from depression in etiology and developmental course. PMID:22016199

Theory of Mind "Emotion", Developmental Characteristics and Social Understanding in Children and Adolescents with Intellectual Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thirion-Marissiaux, Anne-Francoise; Nader-Grosbois, Nathalie

2008-01-01

Patterns of development of ToM-emotion abilities in intellectually disabled (ID) children and typically developing (TD) children matched on their developmental age were investigated. The links between cognition, language, social understanding and ToM-emotion abilities were examined. EDEI-R (Perron-Borelli, M. (1996). "Echelles Differentielles…

Theory of Mind "Beliefs", Developmental Characteristics and Social Understanding in Children and Adolescents with Intellectual Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thirion-Marissiaux, Anne-Francoise; Nader-Grosbois, Nathalie

2008-01-01

Patterns of development of ToM belief abilities in intellectually disabled (ID) children and typically developing (TD) children matched on their developmental age were investigated. The links between cognition, language, social understanding and ToM belief abilities were examined. EDEI-R [Perron-Borelli M. (1996). "Echelles Differentielles…

Physiological Response to Social Evaluative Threat in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder

PubMed Central

Edmiston, E. Kale; Jones, Robin M.

2016-01-01

The Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) was employed to study response to social evaluative threat in male adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD, n = 21) and typical development (n = 13). Participants wore a mobile electrocardiogram to collect heart rate data. There were significant group effects on respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), a measure of parasympathetic nervous system function, with lower values in ASD (F = 4.97). Bivariate correlations also showed a significant relationship between parent reports of social problems and RSA response to the TSST (r = −0.586). These findings suggest that autonomic dysregulation may contribute to social deficits in adolescents with ASD. PMID:27318810

Neural response to prosocial scenes relates to subsequent giving behavior in adolescents: A pilot study.

PubMed

Tashjian, Sarah M; Weissman, David G; Guyer, Amanda E; Galván, Adriana

2018-04-01

Adolescence is characterized by extensive neural development and sensitivity to social context, both of which contribute to engaging in prosocial behaviors. Although it is established that prosocial behaviors are linked to positive outcomes in adulthood, little is known about the neural correlates of adolescents' prosociality. Identifying whether the brain is differentially responsive to varying types of social input may be important for fostering prosocial behavior. We report pilot results using new stimuli and an ecologically valid donation paradigm indicating (1) brain regions typically recruited during socioemotional processing evinced differential activation when adolescents evaluated prosocial compared with social or noninteractive scenes (N = 20, ages 13-17 years, M Age = 15.30 years), and (2) individual differences in temporoparietal junction recruitment when viewing others' prosocial behaviors were related to adolescents' own charitable giving. These novel findings have significant implications for understanding how the adolescent brain processes prosocial acts and for informing ways to support adolescents to engage in prosocial behaviors in their daily lives.

Pharmacological treatment of anxiety disorders in children and adolescents: a review for practitioners

PubMed Central

Feucht, Cynthia; Brown, Kelly; Ramsay, Jessica

2018-01-01

Anxiety disorders are common in children and adolescents with reported prevalence rates between 10% and 30%. A combined approach to treatment has been found to be the most effective for optimal outcomes and is typically comprised of psychotherapy (especially exposure-based cognitive behavior therapy), family and patient education, and use of medication if indicated. In children and adolescents who might benefit from use of medications, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the drugs of choice. The safety and efficacy of medications other than SSRIs in the treatment of children and adolescents with anxiety disorders are not fully established. Most children and adolescents respond well to treatment with long lasting resolution of symptoms, although, recurrence of the same, or development of a different type of anxiety disorder, is not uncommon. In most children and adolescents, anxiety disorders tend to persist into adulthood requiring long-term treatment planning. This paper reviews the pharmacological agents used in the treatment of anxiety disorders in children and adolescents. PMID:29441280

Set Shifting Among Adolescents with Anorexia Nervosa

PubMed Central

Fitzpatrick, Kathleen Kara; Darcy, Alison; Colborn, Danielle; Gudorf, Caroline; Lock, James

2012-01-01

Objective Set shifting difficulties are documented for adults with anorexia nervosa (AN). However, AN typically onsets in adolescents and it is unclear if set-shifting difficulties are a result of chronic AN or present earlier in its course. This study examined whether adolescents with short duration AN demonstrated set shifting difficulties compared to healthy controls (HC). Method Data on set shifting collected from the Delis-Kaplan Executive Functioning System (DKEFS) and Wisconsin Card Sort Task (WCST) as well as eating psychopathology were collected from 32 adolescent inpatients with AN and compared to those from 22 HCs. Results There were no differences in set-shifting in adolescents with AN compared to HCs on most measures. Conclusion The findings suggest that set-shifting difficulties in AN may be a consequence of AN. Future studies should explore set-shifting difficulties in a larger sample of adolescents with the AN to determine if there is sub-set of adolescents with these difficulties and determine any relationship of set-shifting to the development of a chronic from of AN. PMID:22692985

Differential effects of social isolation in adolescent and adult mice on behavior and cortical gene expression.

PubMed

Lander, Sharon S; Linder-Shacham, Donna; Gaisler-Salomon, Inna

2017-01-01

Intact function of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) function relies on proper development of excitatory and inhibitory neuronal populations and on integral myelination processes. Social isolation (SI) affects behavior and brain circuitry in adulthood, but previous rodent studies typically induced prolonged (post-weaning) exposure and failed to directly compare between the effects of SI in adolescent and adulthood. Here, we assessed the impact of a 3-week SI period, starting in mid-adolescence (around the onset of puberty) or adulthood, on a wide range of behaviors in adult male mice. Additionally, we asked whether adolescent SI would differentially affect the expression of excitatory and inhibitory neuronal markers and myelin-related genes in mPFC. Our findings indicate that mid-adolescent or adult SI increase anxiogenic behavior and locomotor activity. However, SI in adolescence uniquely affects the response to the psychotomimetic drug amphetamine, social and novelty exploration and performance in reversal and attentional set shifting tasks. Furthermore, adolescent but not adult SI increased the expression of glutamate markers in the adult mPFC. Our results imply that adolescent social deprivation is detrimental for normal development and may be particularly relevant to the investigation of developmental psychopathology. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Control networks in paediatric Tourette syndrome show immature and anomalous patterns of functional connectivity

PubMed Central

Fair, Damien A.; Dosenbach, Nico U. F.; Cohen, Alexander L.; Miezin, Francis M.; Petersen, Steven E.; Schlaggar, Bradley L.

2009-01-01

Tourette syndrome (TS) is a developmental disorder characterized by unwanted, repetitive behaviours that manifest as stereotyped movements and vocalizations called ‘tics’. Operating under the hypothesis that the brain's control systems may be impaired in TS, we measured resting-state functional connectivity MRI (rs-fcMRI) between 39 previously defined putative control regions in 33 adolescents with TS. We were particularly interested in the effect of TS on two of the brain's task control networks—a fronto-parietal network likely involved in more rapid, adaptive online control, and a cingulo-opercular network apparently important for set-maintenance. To examine the relative maturity of connections in the Tourette subjects, functional connections that changed significantly over typical development were examined. Age curves were created for each functional connection charting correlation coefficients over age for 210 healthy people aged 7–31 years, and the TS group correlation coefficients were compared to these curves. Many of these connections were significantly less ‘mature’ than expected in the TS group. This immaturity was true not only for functional connections that grow stronger with age, but also for those that diminish in strength with age. To explore other differences between Tourette and typically developing subjects further, we performed a second analysis in which the TS group was directly compared to an age-matched, movement-matched group of typically developing, unaffected adolescents. A number of functional connections were found to differ between the two groups. For these identified connections, a large number of connectional differences were found where the TS group value was out of range compared to typical developmental age curves. These anomalous connections were primarily found in the fronto-parietal network, thought to be important for online adaptive control. These results suggest that in adolescents with TS, immature functional connectivity is widespread, with additional, more profound deviation of connectivity in regions related to adaptive online control. PMID:18952678

Using pedometers for measuring and increasing physical activity in children and adolescents: The next step

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The science and practice of step counting in children (typically aged 6-11 years) and adolescents (typically aged 12-19 years) has evolved rapidly over a relatively brief period with the commercial availability of research-grade pedometers and accelerometers. Recent reviews have summarized considera...

Adolescents with a history of specific language impairment (SLI): strengths and difficulties in social, emotional and behavioral functioning.

PubMed

Conti-Ramsden, Gina; Mok, Pearl L H; Pickles, Andrew; Durkin, Kevin

2013-11-01

Adolescents with specific language impairment (SLI) are at a greater risk of emotional and behavioral problems compared to their typically developing (TD) peers, but little is known about their self-perceived strengths and difficulties. In this study, the self-reported social, emotional and behavioral functioning of 139 adolescents with a history of SLI and 124 TD individuals at age 16 was examined. The self-report version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) was used to assess their prosocial behavior and levels of peer, emotional and behavioral difficulties. Associations of these areas of functioning with gender, verbal and non-verbal skills were also investigated. Adolescents with a history of SLI were more likely than their TD peers to report higher levels of peer problems, emotional symptoms, hyperactivity and conduct problems. The majority of adolescents in both groups (87% SLI and 96% TD), however, reported prosocial behavior within the typical range. Difficulty with peer relations was the strongest differentiator between the groups, with the odds of reporting borderline or abnormally high levels of peer problems being 12 times higher for individuals with a history of SLI. Adolescents with poorer receptive language skills were also more likely to report higher levels of emotional and behavioral difficulties. The findings of this study identify likely traits that may lead to referral to services. Copyright © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Sex differences in adolescent white matter architecture.

PubMed

Bava, Sunita; Boucquey, Veronique; Goldenberg, Diane; Thayer, Rachel E; Ward, Megan; Jacobus, Joanna; Tapert, Susan F

2011-02-23

Sex-specific trajectories in white matter development during adolescence may help explain cognitive and behavioral divergences between males and females. Knowledge of sex differences in typically developing adolescents can provide a basis for interpreting sexual dimorphisms in abilities and actions. We examined 58 healthy adolescents (12-14years of age) with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Diffusion parameters fractional anisotropy (FA), and mean (MD), radial (RD), and axial diffusivities (AD) were subjected to whole-brain voxel-wise group comparisons using tract-based spatial statistics. Sex differences in white matter microstructure were examined in relation to pubertal development. Early adolescent females (n=29) evidenced higher FA in the right superior corona radiata, higher FA and AD in bilateral corticospinal tracts (≥164μl, p<.01), and lower MD in the right inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF) and left forceps major (≥164μl, p<.01) than age-matched males (n=29). Males did not show any areas of higher FA or lower MD than females, but had higher AD in the right superior longitudinal fasciculus, ILF, and forceps minor (≥ 164μl, p<.01). Pubertal stage did not account for sex disparities. In early adolescence, females' motor tracts may reflect widespread changes, while males may undergo relatively more microstructural change in projection and association fibers. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Adolescence and Reward: Making Sense of Neural and Behavioral Changes Amid the Chaos.

PubMed

Walker, Deena M; Bell, Margaret R; Flores, Cecilia; Gulley, Joshua M; Willing, Jari; Paul, Matthew J

2017-11-08

Adolescence is a time of significant neural and behavioral change with remarkable development in social, emotional, and cognitive skills. It is also a time of increased exploration and risk-taking (e.g., drug use). Many of these changes are thought to be the result of increased reward-value coupled with an underdeveloped inhibitory control, and thus a hypersensitivity to reward. Perturbations during adolescence can alter the developmental trajectory of the brain, resulting in long-term alterations in reward-associated behaviors. This review highlights recent developments in our understanding of how neural circuits, pubertal hormones, and environmental factors contribute to adolescent-typical reward-associated behaviors with a particular focus on sex differences, the medial prefrontal cortex, social reward, social isolation, and drug use. We then introduce a new approach that makes use of natural adaptations of seasonally breeding species to investigate the role of pubertal hormones in adolescent development. This research has only begun to parse out contributions of the many neural, endocrine, and environmental changes to the heightened reward sensitivity and increased vulnerability to mental health disorders that characterize this life stage. Copyright © 2017 the authors 0270-6474/17/3710855-12$15.00/0.

The Mirror Illusion Increases Motor Cortex Excitability in Children With and Without Hemiparesis.

PubMed

Grunt, Sebastian; Newman, Christopher J; Saxer, Stefanie; Steinlin, Maja; Weisstanner, Christian; Kaelin-Lang, Alain

2017-03-01

Mirror therapy provides a visual illusion of a normal moving limb by using the mirror reflection of the unaffected arm instead of viewing the paretic limb and is used in rehabilitation to improve hand function. Little is known about the mechanism underlying its effect in children with hemiparesis. To investigate the effect of the mirror illusion (MI) on the excitability of the primary motor cortex (M1) in children and adolescents. Twelve patients with hemiparesis (10-20 years) and 8 typically developing subjects (8-17 years) participated. Corticospinal reorganization was classified as contralateral (projection from contralateral hemisphere to affected hand) or ipsilateral (projection from ipsilateral hemisphere to affected hand). M1 excitability of the hemisphere projecting to the affected (nondominant in typically developing subjects) hand was obtained during 2 different conditions using single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Each condition (without/with mirror) consisted of a unimanual and a bimanual task. Motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) were recorded from the abductor pollicis brevis and flexor digitorum superficialis muscles. MEP amplitudes were significantly increased during the mirror condition ( P = .005) in typically developing subjects and in patients with contralateral reorganization. No significant effect of MI was found in subjects with ipsilateral reorganization. MI increased M1 excitability during active movements only. This increase was not correlated to hand function. MI increases the excitability of M1 in hemiparetic patients with contralateral corticospinal organization and in typically developing subjects. This finding provides neurophysiological evidence supporting the application of mirror therapy in selected children and adolescents with hemiparesis.

Priming Facial Gender and Emotional Valence: The Influence of Spatial Frequency on Face Perception in ASD.

PubMed

Vanmarcke, Steven; Wagemans, Johan

2017-04-01

Adolescents with and without autism spectrum disorder (ASD) performed two priming experiments in which they implicitly processed a prime stimulus, containing high and/or low spatial frequency information, and then explicitly categorized a target face either as male/female (gender task) or as positive/negative (Valence task). Adolescents with ASD made more categorization errors than typically developing adolescents. They also showed an age-dependent improvement in categorization speed and had more difficulties with categorizing facial expressions than gender. However, in neither of the categorization tasks, we found group differences in the processing of coarse versus fine prime information. This contradicted our expectations, and indicated that the perceptual differences between adolescents with and without ASD critically depended on the processing time available for the primes.

The role of intergenerational similarity and parenting in adolescent self-criticism: An actor-partner interdependence model.

PubMed

Bleys, Dries; Soenens, Bart; Boone, Liesbet; Claes, Stephan; Vliegen, Nicole; Luyten, Patrick

2016-06-01

Research investigating the development of adolescent self-criticism has typically focused on the role of either parental self-criticism or parenting. This study used an actor-partner interdependence model to examine an integrated theoretical model in which achievement-oriented psychological control has an intervening role in the relation between parental and adolescent self-criticism. Additionally, the relative contribution of both parents and the moderating role of adolescent gender were examined. Participants were 284 adolescents (M = 14 years, range = 12-16 years) and their parents (M = 46 years, range = 32-63 years). Results showed that only maternal self-criticism was directly related to adolescent self-criticism. However, both parents' achievement-oriented psychological control had an intervening role in the relation between parent and adolescent self-criticism in both boys and girls. Moreover, one parent's achievement-oriented psychological control was not predicted by the self-criticism of the other parent. Copyright © 2016 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Parental Child-Rearing Conflicts Through Adolescence: Trajectories and Associations With Child Characteristics and Externalizing Patterns.

PubMed

Helland, Maren S; Kjeldsen, Anne; von Soest, Tilmann; Røysamb, Espen; Gustavson, Kristin; Nilsen, Wendy

2017-06-01

Research on longitudinal interparental conflict patterns and offspring development is scarce. The population-based TOPP study (N = 459) was used to investigate (1) child-rearing conflict trajectories through four time points during childhood and adolescence (ages 8-16), and (2) associations between conflict trajectories and child characteristics (i.e., birth order, gender, externalizing patterns from early childhood). Latent profile analysis identified six distinct trajectories. Conflict levels decreased for most respondents over the adolescent offspring period, but offspring's birth order and externalizing problems were related to less typical trajectories and higher levels of conflict. Onset of externalizing problems was of additional importance for the course of parental child-rearing conflicts. The results highlight the perception of the whole family as an interwoven system. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Research on Adolescence © 2017 Society for Research on Adolescence.

The Effects of School-Based Discrimination on Adolescents of Color Sexual Health Outcomes: A Social Determinants Approach.

PubMed

Respress, Brandon N; Amutah-Onukagha, Ndidiamaka N; Opara, Ijeoma

2018-01-01

Social inequalities are at the heart of disparities in sexual health outcomes among African American and Latino/a adolescents living in the United States. Schools are typically the largest and primary context in youth development. School characteristics such as peer and teacher discrimination and school performance were examined to determine whether such characteristics predict sexual behavior in adolescents of color. This study utilized a representative sample of high school age students to assess sexual risk behavior. Findings indicate that there was a clear disparity in sexually transmitted infection diagnoses. School characteristics such as teacher discrimination and Grade Point Average were significant predictors to sexual risky behaviors among adolescents of color. The study adds to the literature in examining contextual factors that are associated with adolescent sexual risk behavior, and findings provide implications for future prevention work.

Relational and systems methodologies for analysing parent-child relationships: an exploration of conflict, support and independence in adolescence and post-adolescence.

PubMed

Honess, T M; Lintern, F

1990-12-01

Research procedures which constitute a significant reorientation towards relational rather than individually focused methods are critically reviewed. A novel 'paired interview' strategy, consistent with this relational paradigm, is employed in two research studies. The first study involves the analysis of 18 mother-adolescent son/daughter relationships at the time when the young people had just left school at the age of 16. A relationship typology was developed for these 18 pairs and it is demonstrated that the themes of conflict, independence and interdependence can be operationalized using this procedure. The second study involves the analysis of 25 mother and post-adolescent daughter relationships to test the proposition that such relationships are inherently conflicted. Taken together, the two studies demonstrate that mothers and daughters are not chronically conflicted in their relationships. Nevertheless, the potential for conflict may be a significant element in accounting for girls' adolescent development. However, on entering early adulthood, the young women typically reach a state of 'interdependence' with their mothers.

Psychological problems, self-esteem and body dissatisfaction in a sample of adolescents with brain lesions: A comparison with a control group.

PubMed

Pastore, Valentina; Colombo, Katia; Maestroni, Deborah; Galbiati, Susanna; Villa, Federica; Recla, Monica; Locatelli, Federica; Strazzer, Sandra

2015-01-01

This study aims to describe psychological problems, self-esteem difficulties and body dissatisfaction in a sample of adolescents with acquired brain lesions and to compare them with an age- and gender-matched control group. In an experimental design, the psychological profile of 26 adolescents with brain lesions of traumatic or vascular aetiology, aged 12-18 years, was compared with that of 18 typically-developing subjects. Moreover, within the clinical group, patients with TBI were compared with patients with vascular lesions. The psychological and adaptive profile of the adolescents was assessed by a specific protocol, including CBCL, VABS, RSES, EDI-2 and BES. Adolescents with brain lesions showed more marked psychological problems than their healthy peers; they also presented with a greater impairment of adaptive skills and a lower self-esteem. No significant differences were found between patients with traumatic lesions and patients with vascular lesions. Adolescents with acquired brain lesions were at higher risk to develop psychological and behavioural difficulties. Furthermore, in the clinical sample, some variables such as the long hospitalization and isolation from family and peers were associated to a greater psychological burden than the aetiology of the brain damage.

Using Social Media to Engage Youth: Education, Social Justice, & Humanitarianism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liang, Belle; Commins, Meghan; Duffy, Nicole

2010-01-01

While youth typically turn to social media for gossip, photo sharing, and friendship building, can it also be used to inspire them toward greater goals? The creators of GenerationPulse.com explore how two theories salient to adolescent social development (positive youth development and relational health) were used to shape a social media website…

Mother-Child Attachment and Preschool Behavior Problems in Children with Developmental Delay

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

LaMont, Mary

2011-01-01

Secure mother-child attachment has been found to be an important factor in the healthy emotional development of children and has been shown to have effects on child, adolescent, and adult behavior. Previous research has primarily focused on attachment in children who are typically developing. However, little research has been conducted in…

[Speech fluency developmental profile in Brazilian Portuguese speakers].

PubMed

Martins, Vanessa de Oliveira; Andrade, Claudia Regina Furquim de

2008-01-01

speech fluency varies from one individual to the next, fluent or stutterer, depending on several factors. Studies that investigate the influence of age on fluency patterns have been identified; however these differences were investigated in isolated age groups. Studies about life span fluency variations were not found. to verify the speech fluency developmental profile. speech samples of 594 fluent participants of both genders, with ages between 2:0 and 99:11 years, speakers of the Brazilian Portuguese language, were analyzed. Participants were grouped as follows: pre-scholars, scholars, early adolescence, late adolescence, adults and elderlies. Speech samples were analyzed according to the Speech Fluency Profile variables and were compared regarding: typology of speech disruptions (typical and less typical), speech rate (words and syllables per minute) and frequency of speech disruptions (percentage of speech discontinuity). although isolated variations were identified, overall there was no significant difference between the age groups for the speech disruption indexes (typical and less typical speech disruptions and percentage of speech discontinuity). Significant differences were observed between the groups when considering speech rate. the development of the neurolinguistic system for speech fluency, in terms of speech disruptions, seems to stabilize itself during the first years of life, presenting no alterations during the life span. Indexes of speech rate present variations in the age groups, indicating patterns of acquisition, development, stabilization and degeneration.

Post-ictal psychosis in adolescent Niemann-Pick disease type C.

PubMed

Walterfang, Mark; Kornberg, Andrew; Adams, Sophia; Fietz, Michael; Velakoulis, Dennis

2010-12-01

We describe the presentation of an adolescent with juvenile-onset Niemann-Pick disease type C (NPC) who presented with post-ictal psychosis in the context of a developing seizure disorder. After demonstrating mild gait disturbance beginning at the age of 4 years, he was diagnosed with NPC at age 12 on the basis of 95% of cultured fibroblasts staining positive for filipin and a reduced fibroblast cholesterol esterification rate. He then developed a seizure disorder at age 15, where clusters of seizures produced typical psychotic symptoms, including hallucinations and delusions. His seizure disorder responded to valproate, which resulted in a settling of his psychotic symptoms. Whilst post-ictal psychosis is rarely reported prior to the age of 16, NPC in adolescents and adults is particularly psychotogenic and may increase the risk for post-ictal psychosis in the pediatric population.

The nonlinear dynamics of family problem solving in adolescence: the predictive validity of a peaceful resolution attractor.

PubMed

Dishion, Thomas J; Forgatch, Marion; Van Ryzin, Mark; Winter, Charlotte

2012-07-01

In this study we examined the videotaped family interactions of a community sample of adolescents and their parents. Youths were assessed in early to late adolescence on their levels of antisocial behavior. At age 16-17, youths and their parents were videotaped interacting while completing a variety of tasks, including family problem solving. The interactions were coded and compared for three developmental patterns of antisocial behavior: early onset, persistent; adolescence onset; and typically developing. The mean duration of conflict bouts was the only interaction pattern that discriminated the 3 groups. In the prediction of future antisocial behavior, parent and youth reports of transition entropy and conflict resolution interacted to account for antisocial behavior at age 18-19. Families with low entropy and peaceful resolutions predicted low levels of youth antisocial behavior at age 18-19. These findings suggest the need to study both attractors and repellers to understand family dynamics associated with health and social and emotional development.

The Nonlinear Dynamics of Family Problem Solving in Adolescence: The Predictive Validity of a Peaceful Resolution Attractor

PubMed Central

Dishion, Thomas J.; Forgatch, Marion; Van Ryzin, Mark; Winter, Charlotte

2012-01-01

In this study we examined the videotaped family interactions of a community sample of adolescents and their parents. Youths were assessed in early to late adolescence on their levels of antisocial behavior. At age 16–17, youths and their parents were videotaped interacting while completing a variety of tasks, including family problem solving. The interactions were coded and compared for 3 developmental patterns of antisocial behavior: early onset, persistent; adolescence onset; and typically developing. The mean duration of conflict bouts was the only interaction pattern that discriminated the 3 groups. In the prediction of future antisocial behavior, parent and youth reports of transition entropy and conflict resolution interacted to account for antisocial behavior at age 18–19. Families with low entropy and peaceful resolutions predicted low levels of youth antisocial behavior at age 18–19. These findings suggest the need to study both attractors and repellers to understand family dynamics associated with health and social and emotional development. PMID:22695152

Anterior Cortical Development During Adolescence in Bipolar Disorder

PubMed Central

Najt, Pablo; Wang, Fei; Spencer, Linda; Johnston, Jennifer A.Y.; Cox Lippard, Elizabeth T.; Pittman, Brian P.; Lacadie, Cheryl; Staib, Lawrence H.; Papademetris, Xenophon; Blumberg, Hilary P.

2015-01-01

Background Increasing evidence supports a neurodevelopmental model for bipolar disorder (BD), with adolescence as a critical period in its development. Developmental abnormalities of anterior paralimbic and heteromodal frontal cortices, key structures in emotional regulation processes and central in BD, are implicated. However, few longitudinal studies have been conducted, limiting understanding of trajectory alterations in BD. In this study, we performed longitudinal neuroimaging of adolescents with and without BD and assessed volume changes over time, including changes in tissue overall and within gray and white matter. Larger decreases over time in anterior cortical volumes in the adolescents with BD were hypothesized. Gray matter decreases and white matter increases are typically observed during adolescence in anterior cortices. It was hypothesized that volume decreases over time in BD would reflect alterations in those processes, showing larger gray matter contraction and decreased white matter expansion. Methods Two high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging scans were obtained approximately two-years apart for 35 adolescents with BDI and 37 healthy adolescents. Differences over time between groups were investigated for volume overall and specifically for gray and white matter. Results Relative to healthy adolescents, adolescents with BDI showed greater volume contraction over time in a region including insula, and orbitofrontal, rostral and dorsolateral prefrontal cortices (P<.05, corrected), including greater gray matter contraction and decreased white matter expansion over time, in the BD compared to the healthy group. Conclusions: The findings support neurodevelopmental abnormalities during adolescence in BDI in anterior cortices, include altered developmental trajectories of anterior gray and white matter. PMID:26033826

Critical thinking about fables: examining language production and comprehension in adolescents.

PubMed

Nippold, Marilyn A; Frantz-Kaspar, Megan W; Cramond, Paige M; Kirk, Cecilia; Hayward-Mayhew, Christine; MacKinnon, Melanie

2015-04-01

This study was designed primarily to determine if a critical-thinking task involving fables would elicit greater syntactic complexity than a conversational task in adolescents. Another purpose was to determine how well adolescents understand critical-thinking questions about fables. Forty adolescents (N=20 boys and 20 girls; mean age=14 years) with typical language development answered critical-thinking questions about the deeper meanings of fables. They also participated in a standard conversational task. The syntactic complexity of their responses during the speaking tasks was analyzed for mean length of communication unit (MLCU) and clausal density (CD). Both measures of syntactic complexity, MLCU and CD, were substantially greater during the critical-thinking task compared with the conversational task. It was also found that the adolescents understood the questions quite well, earning a mean accuracy score of 80%. The critical-thinking task has potential for use as a new type of language-sampling tool to examine language production and comprehension in adolescents.

Adolescent Transitions in Reflexive and Non-Reflexive Behavior: Review of Fear Conditioning and Impulse Control in Rodent Models

PubMed Central

Hunt, Pamela S.; Burk, Joshua A.; Barnet, Robert C.

2016-01-01

Adolescence is a time of critical brain changes that pave the way for adult learning processes. However, the extent to which learning in adolescence is best characterized as a transitional linear progression from childhood to adulthood, or represents a period that differs from earlier and later developmental stages, remains unclear. Here we examine behavioral literature on associative fear conditioning and complex choice behavior with rodent models. Many aspects of fear conditioning are intact by adolescence and do not differ from adult patterns. Sufficient evidence, however, suggests that adolescent learning cannot be characterized simply as an immature precursor to adulthood. Across different paradigms assessing choice behavior, literature suggests that adolescent animals typically display more impulsive patterns of responding compared to adults. The extent to which the development of basic conditioning processes serves as a scaffold for later adult decision making is an additional research area that is important for theory, but also has widespread applications for numerous psychological conditions. PMID:27339692

Irritability and Parenting Styles in Adolescents With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Controlled Study.

PubMed

Uçar, Halit Necmi; Vural, Ayşe Pınar

2018-04-17

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects functioning of the family, decreasing interactions and loyalty and increasing conflict between adolescents with ADHD and their families. Irritable mood and difficulties with emotional dysregulation are common in children with ADHD. The objective of the current study was to assess levels of irritability in adolescents with ADHD using self- and parent-report scales, and investigate the relationship between irritability levels and parental attitudes. A total of 47 adolescents with ADHD and 39 adolescents with typical development participated in the current study. Findings demonstrated that higher levels of parent-reported irritability were associated with decreased egalitarian attitudes in the ADHD group. Although other parental attitudes were not associated with self- and parent-reported irritability, evaluation of the relationship between parental attitudes and irritability in adolescents with ADHD, which can guide diagnosis and treatment of ADHD, is of critical importance. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, xx(x), xx-xx.]. Copyright 2018, SLACK Incorporated.

Physiological Response to Social Evaluative Threat in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

PubMed

Edmiston, E Kale; Jones, Robin M; Corbett, Blythe A

2016-09-01

The Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) was employed to study response to social evaluative threat in male adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD, n = 21) and typical development (n = 13). Participants wore a mobile electrocardiogram to collect heart rate data. There were significant group effects on respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), a measure of parasympathetic nervous system function, with lower values in ASD (F = 4.97). Bivariate correlations also showed a significant relationship between parent reports of social problems and RSA response to the TSST (r = -0.586). These findings suggest that autonomic dysregulation may contribute to social deficits in adolescents with ASD.

Clinical considerations in the management of inflammatory periodontal diseases in children and adolescents.

PubMed

Cabanilla, Leyvee; Molinari, Gail

2009-01-01

Periodontal diseases and conditions, as defined by The 1999 International Workshop for Classification of Periodontal Diseases and Conditions presented some significant paradigm shifts based on evidence that the transition from plaque-associated reversible gingival diseases to periodontitis can occur in children and adolescents with characteristics which were previously thought to be typical of adult periodontitis. The purposes of this paper are to present the periodontal diseases and conditions described in the 1999 workshop sponsored by the American Academy of Periodontology, review the risk factors for the development of periodontal diseases in the pediatric and adolescent populations, and present appropriate clinical periodontal assessment and management for these age groups.

The typical developmental trajectory of social and executive functions in late adolescence and early adulthood.

PubMed

Taylor, Sophie Jane; Barker, Lynne Ann; Heavey, Lisa; McHale, Sue

2013-07-01

Executive functions and social cognition develop through childhood into adolescence and early adulthood and are important for adaptive goal-oriented behavior (Apperly, Samson, & Humphreys, 2009; Blakemore & Choudhury, 2006). These functions are attributed to frontal networks known to undergo protracted maturation into early adulthood (Barker, Andrade, Morton, Romanowski, & Bowles, 2010; Lebel, Walker, Leemans, Phillips, & Beaulieu, 2008), although social cognition functions are also associated with widely distributed networks. Previously, nonlinear development has been reported around puberty on an emotion match-to-sample task (McGivern, Andersen, Byrd, Mutter, & Reilly, 2002) and for IQ in midadolescence (Ramsden et al., 2011). However, there are currently little data on the typical development of social and executive functions in late adolescence and early adulthood. In a cross-sectional design, 98 participants completed tests of social cognition and executive function, Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (Wechsler, 1999), Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (Watson, Clark, & Tellegen, 1988), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (Zigmond & Snaith, 1983), and measures of pubertal development and demographics at ages 17, 18, and 19. Nonlinear age differences for letter fluency and concept formation executive functions were found, with a trough in functional ability in 18-year-olds compared with other groups. There were no age group differences on social cognition measures. Gender accounted for differences on 1 scale of concept formation, 1 dynamic social interaction scale, and 2 empathy scales. The clinical, developmental, and educational implications of these findings are discussed.

Physical Activity Enjoyment, Perceived Barriers, and Beliefs Among Adolescents With and Without Intellectual Disabilities.

PubMed

Stanish, Heidi I; Curtin, Carol; Must, Aviva; Phillips, Sarah; Maslin, Melissa; Bandini, Linda G

2016-01-01

Youths with intellectual disabilities (ID) exhibit low levels of physical activity, but the underlying contributors to behavior are unclear. We compared physical activity enjoyment, perceived barriers, beliefs, and self-efficacy among adolescents with ID and typically developing (TD) adolescents. A questionnaire was administered to 38 adolescents with ID (mean age, 16.8 years) and 60 TD adolescents (mean age, 15.3 years). Of the original 33 questionnaire items, 23 met the test-retest reliability criteria and were included in the group comparisons. Fewer adolescents with ID reported that they have someone with whom to do physical activity (64% vs 93%: P < .001), and a greater percentage of adolescents with ID perceived that physical activities were too hard to learn (41% vs 0%; P < .001). Fewer adolescents with ID believed that physical activity would be good for their health (92% vs 100%; P = .05). More adolescents with ID reported a dislike of individual physical activities (P = .02). A large percentage of adolescents with ID (84%) responded that they were good at doing physical activities, but the difference between groups was only of borderline significance (95% of TD adolescents, P = .06). Adolescents shared many of the same perceptions about physical activity, but some important differences between groups were identified.

Filling in the Gaps: A Theoretical Grounding for an Education Programme for Adolescent Socioemotional and Vocational Development in Ireland

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clerkin, Aidan

2018-01-01

Since the 1970s, schools in Ireland have offered an optional programme known as 'Transition Year' midway through secondary education, when students are typically 15 years old. It lasts one academic year and aims to promote maturity, social development and vocational exploration, and to give students a chance to develop personal and intellectual…

Fitkids Treadmill Test: Age- and Sex-Related Normative Values in Dutch Children and Adolescents.

PubMed

Kotte, Elles M W; de Groot, Janke F; Bongers, Bart C; Winkler, Alexander M F; Takken, Tim

2016-11-01

Recent research has shown that the Fitkids Treadmill Test (FTT) is a valid and reproducible exercise test for the assessment of aerobic exercise capacity in children and adolescents who are healthy. The study objective was to provide sex- and age-related normative values for FTT performance in children and adolescents who were healthy, developing typically, and 6 to 18 years of age. This was a cross-sectional, observational study. Three hundred fifty-six children and adolescents who were healthy (174 boys and 182 girls; mean age=12.9 years, SD=3.7) performed the FTT to their maximal effort to assess time to exhaustion (TTE). The least-mean-square method was used to generate sex- and age-related centile charts (P3, P10, P25, P50, P75, P90, and P97) for TTE on the FTT. In boys, the reference curve (P50) showed an almost linear increase in TTE with age, from 8.8 minutes at 6 years of age to 16.1 minutes at 18 years of age. In girls, the P50 values for TTE increased from 8.8 minutes at 6 years of age to 12.5 minutes at 18 years of age, with a plateau in TTE starting at approximately 10 years of age. Youth who were not white were underrepresented in this study. This study describes sex- and age-related normative values for FTT performance in children and adolescents who were healthy, developing typically, and 6 to 18 years of age. These age- and sex-related normative values will increase the usefulness of the FTT in clinical practice. © 2016 American Physical Therapy Association.

Reliability and validity of advanced theory-of-mind measures in middle childhood and adolescence.

PubMed

Hayward, Elizabeth O; Homer, Bruce D

2017-09-01

Although theory-of-mind (ToM) development is well documented for early childhood, there is increasing research investigating changes in ToM reasoning in middle childhood and adolescence. However, the psychometric properties of most advanced ToM measures for use with older children and adolescents have not been firmly established. We report on the reliability and validity of widely used, conventional measures of advanced ToM with this age group. Notable issues with both reliability and validity of several of the measures were evident in the findings. With regard to construct validity, results do not reveal a clear empirical commonality between tasks, and, after accounting for comprehension, developmental trends were evident in only one of the tasks investigated. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? Second-order false belief tasks have acceptable internal consistency. The Eyes Test has poor internal consistency. Validity of advanced theory-of-mind tasks is often based on the ability to distinguish clinical from typical groups. What does this study add? This study examines internal consistency across six widely used advanced theory-of-mind tasks. It investigates validity of tasks based on comprehension of items by typically developing individuals. It further assesses construct validity, or commonality between tasks. © 2017 The British Psychological Society.

Hot and Cool Executive Functions in Adolescence: Development and Contributions to Important Developmental Outcomes.

PubMed

Poon, Kean

2017-01-01

Despite significant theoretical advancement in the area of child neuropsychology, limited attention has been paid to the developmental features of adolescence. The present study intends to address this issue in relation to executive function (EF). EF refers to the psychological processes that underlie goal-directed behavior; recent studies separate cool EF (psychological process involves pure logic and critical analysis) and hot EF (psychological process driven by emotion). Although neurological findings suggest that adolescence is a sensitive period for EF development, data on comparing the developmental progression in hot or cool EFs is highly missing. Moreover, while evidence has confirmed the relationships between EF and day-to-day functioning, whether and how hot and cool EFs contribute to core developmental outcomes in adolescence is still remained unknown. The current study aims to enhance our understanding of the development and impacts of hot and cool EFs in adolescence. A total of 136 typically developing adolescents from age 12 to 17 completed four cool EF tasks including Backward digit span, Contingency naming test, Stockings of Cambridge, and Stroop Color and Word test, and one hot task on Cambridge gambling task. Data on academic performance and psychological adjustment was also collected. Results showed that cool and hot EF exhibited different patterns of age-related growth in adolescence. Specifically, cool EF ascended with age while hot EF showed a bell-shaped development. Moreover, there were correlations among cool EF measures but no association between cool and hot EFs. Further, cool EF was a better predictor of academic performance, while hot EF uniquely related to emotional problems. The results provide evidence for the association among cool EF tests and the differentiation of hot and cool EFs. The bell-shaped development of hot EF might suggest a period of heightened risk-taking propensity in middle adolescence. Given the plastic nature of EF, especially over adolescence, the current findings may have practical implications for future EF identification and training.

Hot and Cool Executive Functions in Adolescence: Development and Contributions to Important Developmental Outcomes

PubMed Central

Poon, Kean

2018-01-01

Despite significant theoretical advancement in the area of child neuropsychology, limited attention has been paid to the developmental features of adolescence. The present study intends to address this issue in relation to executive function (EF). EF refers to the psychological processes that underlie goal-directed behavior; recent studies separate cool EF (psychological process involves pure logic and critical analysis) and hot EF (psychological process driven by emotion). Although neurological findings suggest that adolescence is a sensitive period for EF development, data on comparing the developmental progression in hot or cool EFs is highly missing. Moreover, while evidence has confirmed the relationships between EF and day-to-day functioning, whether and how hot and cool EFs contribute to core developmental outcomes in adolescence is still remained unknown. The current study aims to enhance our understanding of the development and impacts of hot and cool EFs in adolescence. A total of 136 typically developing adolescents from age 12 to 17 completed four cool EF tasks including Backward digit span, Contingency naming test, Stockings of Cambridge, and Stroop Color and Word test, and one hot task on Cambridge gambling task. Data on academic performance and psychological adjustment was also collected. Results showed that cool and hot EF exhibited different patterns of age-related growth in adolescence. Specifically, cool EF ascended with age while hot EF showed a bell-shaped development. Moreover, there were correlations among cool EF measures but no association between cool and hot EFs. Further, cool EF was a better predictor of academic performance, while hot EF uniquely related to emotional problems. The results provide evidence for the association among cool EF tests and the differentiation of hot and cool EFs. The bell-shaped development of hot EF might suggest a period of heightened risk-taking propensity in middle adolescence. Given the plastic nature of EF, especially over adolescence, the current findings may have practical implications for future EF identification and training. PMID:29367850

A protocol for a randomised controlled trial investigating the effect of increasing Omega-3 index with krill oil supplementation on learning, cognition, behaviour and visual processing in typically developing adolescents.

PubMed

van der Wurff, I S M; von Schacky, C; Berge, K; Kirschner, P A; de Groot, R H M

2016-07-08

The influence of n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) supplementation on brain functioning is debated. Some studies have found positive effects on cognition in children with learning difficulties, elderly people with cognitive impairment and depression scores in depressed individuals. Other studies have found null or negative effects. Observational studies in adolescents have found positive associations between fish consumption (containing n-3 LCPUFAs) and academic achievement. However, intervention studies in typically developing adolescents are missing. The goal of this study is to determine the influence of increasing Omega-3 Index on cognitive functioning, academic achievement and mental well-being of typically developing adolescents. Double-blind, randomised, placebo controlled intervention; 264 adolescents (age 13-15 years) attending lower general secondary education started daily supplementation of 400 mg eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid (EPA+DHA) in cohort I (n=130) and 800 mg EPA+DHA in cohort II (n=134) or a placebo for 52 weeks. Recruitment took place according to a low Omega-3 Index (<5%). The Omega-3 Index was monitored via a finger prick at baseline and after 3, 6 and 12 months. The supplement dose was adjusted after 3 months (placebo analogously) to reach an Omega-3 Index of 8-11%. At baseline, 6 and 12 months, a neuropsychological test battery, a number of questionnaires and a standardised math test (baseline and 12 months) were administered. School grades were collected. In a subsample, sleep quality and quantity data (n=64) and/or eye-tracking data (n=33) were collected. Food2Learn is performed according to Good Clinical Practice. All data collected are linked to participant number only. The results will be disseminated on group level to participants and schools. The results will be presented at conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals. The study is approved by the Medical Ethical Committee of Atrium-Orbis-Zuyd Hospital and is registered at the Netherlands Trial Register (NTR4082). NTR4082 and NCT02240264; Pre-results. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Relational-Cultural Theory for Middle School Counselors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tucker, Catherine; Smith-Adcock, Sondra; Trepal, Heather C.

2011-01-01

Young adolescents (ages 11-14), typically in the middle school grades, face life tasks involving connections and belonging with their peer group along with the development of their individual identity (Henderson & Thompson, 2010). Learning to negotiate through these developmental tasks, they face myriad relational challenges. This article explores…

Gender differences in online and offline self-disclosure in pre-adolescence and adolescence.

PubMed

Valkenburg, Patti M; Sumter, Sindy R; Peter, Jochen

2011-06-01

Although there is developmental research on the prevalence of offline self-disclosure in pre-adolescence and adolescence, it is still unknown (a) how boys' and girls'online self-disclosure develops in this period and (b) how online and offline self-disclosure interact with each other. We formulated three hypotheses to explain the possible interaction between online and offline self-disclosure: the displacement, the rich-get-richer, and the rehearsal hypothesis. We surveyed 690 pre-adolescents and adolescents (10-17 years) at three time points with half-year intervals in between. We found significant gender differences in the developmental trajectories of self-disclosure. For girls, both online and offline self-disclosure increased sharply during pre- (10-11 years) and early adolescence (12-13 years), and then stabilized in middle and late adolescence. For boys, the same trajectory was found although the increase in self-disclosure started 2 years later. We found most support for the rehearsal hypothesis: Both boys and girls seemed to use online self-disclosure to rehearse offline self-disclosure skills. This particularly held for boys in early adolescence who typically have difficulty disclosing themselves offline.

Positive Illusions? The Accuracy of Academic Self-Appraisals in Adolescents With ADHD.

PubMed

Chan, Todd; Martinussen, Rhonda

2016-08-01

Children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) overestimate their academic competencies (AC) relative to performance and informant indicators (i.e., positive illusory bias; PIB). Do adolescents with ADHD exhibit this PIB and does it render self-views inaccurate? We examined the magnitude of the AC-PIB in adolescents with and without ADHD, the predictive accuracy of parent and adolescent AC ratings, and whether executive functions (EF) predict the AC-PIB. Adolescents (49 ADHD; 47 typically developing) completed math and EF tests, and self-rated their AC. Parents rated their adolescents' AC and EF. Adolescents with ADHD performed more poorly on the math task (vs. comparison group) but had a larger AC-PIB relative to parents' ratings. EFs predicted the PIB within the full sample. Adolescents' AC ratings, regardless of ADHD status, were more predictive of math performance than their parents' AC ratings. Adolescents with ADHD appear self-aware in their AC despite a modest PIB; nuanced self-appraisals may depend on EFs. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Pediatric Psychology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Improving Socialization for High School Students with ASD by Using their Preferred Interests

PubMed Central

Koegel, Robert; Kim, Sunny; Koegel, Lynn; Schwartzman, Ben

2013-01-01

There has been a paucity of research on effective social interventions for adolescents with ASD in inclusive high school settings. The literature, however, suggests that incorporating the student with ASD’s special interests into activities may help improve their socialization with typical peers. Within the context of a multiple baseline across participants design, we implemented lunchtime activities incorporating the adolescent with ASD’s preferred interests that were similar to ongoing activities already available at the schools. Results showed this increased both level of engagement and their rate of initiations made to typical peers. Social validation measures suggest that both adolescents with ASD and typical peers enjoyed participating in these activities and that the results generalized to other similar activities. PMID:23361918

Social Stress in Young People with Specific Language Impairment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wadman, Ruth; Durkin, Kevin; Conti-Ramsden, Gina

2011-01-01

Social interactions can be a source of social stress for adolescents. Little is known about how adolescents with developmental difficulties, such as specific language impairment (SLI), feel when interacting socially. Participants included 28 adolescents with SLI and 28 adolescents with typical language abilities (TL). Self-report measures of…

From the laboratory to the hospital, adults to adolescents, and disorders to personality: the case of psychological reactance.

PubMed

Frank, S J; Jackson-Walker, S; Marks, M; Van Egeren, L A; Loop, K; Olson, K

1998-04-01

Study 1 assessed whether trait reactance in disturbed adolescents (ages 12 to 17) is part of the same constellation of personality variables associated with reactance in adults, and Study 2 examined whether reactance predicts inpatient treatment duration and outcomes. Correlations between reactance and MMPI-A variables among 76 inpatients (41 girls) showed that reactance is associated with oppositional, nonaffiliative, and narcissistic traits in disturbed adolescents as well as adults. Reactance predicted longer hospital stays among 176 adolescents (90 girls), and also changes in aggression, mood problems, and substance abuse among those in middle (n=89) but not early (n=87) adolescence. Additional analyses identified "typically male" and "typically female" patterns of reactance-change relationships. The clinical significance and utility of these findings are discussed.

The Development of Facial Gender Categorization in Individuals with and without Autism: The Impact of Typicality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Strauss, Mark S.; Newell, Lisa C.; Best, Catherine A.; Hannigen, Sarah F.; Gastgeb, Holly Zajac; Giovannelli, Joyce L.

2012-01-01

While much research has examined the development of facial recognition abilities, less is known about the ability of individuals with and without autism to categorize facial gender. The current study tested gender categorization abilities in high-functioning children (5-7 and 8-12 years), adolescents (13-17 years), and adults (18-53 years) with…

Development and Initial Validation of the Student Rating of Environmental Stressors Scale: Stressors Faced by Students in Accelerated High School Curricula

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Suldo, Shannon M.; Dedrick, Robert F.; Shaunessy-Dedrick, Elizabeth; Roth, Rachel A.; Ferron, John

2015-01-01

High school students in accelerated curricula face stressors beyond typical adolescent developmental challenges. The Student Rating of Environmental Stressors Scale (StRESS) is a self-report measure of environmental stressors appropriate for students in Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) courses. We developed the StRESS…

The Neural Substrates of Cognitive Control Deficits in Autism Spectrum Disorders

PubMed Central

Solomon, Marjorie; Ozonoff, Sally; Ursu, Stefan; Ravizza, Susan; Cummings, Neil; Ly, Stanford; Carter, Cameron

2009-01-01

Executive functions deficits are among the most frequently reported symptoms of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), however, there have been few functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies that investigate the neural substrates of executive functions deficits in ASDs, and only one in adolescents. The current study examined cognitive control –the ability to maintain task context online to support adaptive functioning in the face of response competition—in 22 adolescents aged 12–18 with autism spectrum disorders and 23 age, gender, and IQ matched typically developing subjects. During the cue phase of the task, where subjects must maintain information online to overcome a prepotent response tendency, typically developing subjects recruited significantly more anterior frontal (BA 10), parietal (BA 7, 40), and occipital regions (BA 18) for high control trials (25% of trials) versus low control trials (75% of trials). Both groups showed similar activation for low control cues, however the ASD group exhibited significantly less activation for high control cues. Functional connectivity analysis using time series correlation, factor analysis, and beta series correlation methods provided convergent evidence that the ASD group exhibited lower levels of functional connectivity and less network integration between frontal, parietal, and occipital regions. In the typically developing group, fronto-parietal connectivity was related to lower error rates on high control trials. In the autism group, reduced fronto-parietal connectivity was related to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms. PMID:19410583

The role of executive functions in social impairment in Autism Spectrum Disorder.

PubMed

Leung, Rachel C; Vogan, Vanessa M; Powell, Tamara L; Anagnostou, Evdokia; Taylor, Margot J

2016-01-01

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by socio-communicative impairments. Executive dysfunction may explain some key characteristics of ASD, both social and nonsocial hallmarks. Limited research exists exploring the relations between executive function and social impairment in ASD and few studies have used a comparison control group. Thus, the objective of the present study was to investigate the relations between executive functioning using the Behavioral Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning (BRIEF), social impairment as measured by the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS), and overall autistic symptomology as measured by the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) in children and adolescents with and without ASD. Seventy children and adolescents diagnosed with ASD and 71 typically developing controls were included in this study. Findings showed that behavioral regulation executive processes (i.e., inhibition, shifting, and emotional control) predicted social function in all children. However, metacognitive executive processes (i.e., initiation, working memory, planning, organization, and monitoring) predicted social function only in children with ASD and not in typically developing children. Our findings suggest a distinct metacognitive executive function-social symptom link in ASD that is not present in the typical population. Understanding components of executive functioning that contribute to the autistic symptomology, particularly in the socio-communicative domain, is crucial for developing effective interventions that target key executive processes as well as underlying behavioral symptoms.

Developmental Trajectories of Borderline Personality Disorder Symptoms and Psychosocial Functioning in Adolescence.

PubMed

Wright, Aidan G C; Zalewski, Maureen; Hallquist, Michael N; Hipwell, Alison E; Stepp, Stephanie D

2016-06-01

In recent years, major gains toward understanding the emergence of borderline personality disorder (BPD) pathology, which is typically first noted during adolescence, have been made. Simultaneously, a profound shift has occurred in the adult personality pathology literature, in which empirical evidence rebuts the idea that personality disorders (PDs) are intractable disorders that do not develop or otherwise change over time, and therefore cannot be treated. The present study addresses a gap in our understanding of within-person change in BPD symptoms across adolescence and contributes to the limited literature on outcomes associated with adolescent BPD. Using an at-risk community sample of girls (N = 2,450), the authors used bivariate latent growth curve models to analyze the codevelopment of BPD symptoms with eight domains of psychosocial functioning (e.g., academic achievement, social skills, sexual behavior) across ages 14-17. Findings revealed moderate to strong effect sizes for the associations between BPD symptoms and every domain of psychosocial functioning, suggesting that the development of BPD was coupled with poorer outcomes across development. Controlling for depression and conduct disorder features revealed unique associations between BPD and self-perception, social skills, and sexual behavior. These results highlight the increased need for extending advancements in the adult PD literature to research on PDs in adolescence, and for greater recognition of adolescent BPD in clinical settings.

Stress and suicidal ideation among adolescents having academic difficulty.

PubMed

Arun, Priti; Garg, Rohit; Chavan, Bir Singh

2017-01-01

Academically typically achieving adolescents were compared with students having academic difficulty on stress and suicidal ideas. In a cross-sectional study, 75 academically typically achieving adolescents were compared with 105 students with academic difficulty and 52 students with specific learning disability (SLD). Academic functioning was assessed using teacher's screening instrument, intelligence quotient, and National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences index for SLD. Stress and suicidal ideas were assessed using general health questionnaire, suicide risk-11, and Mooney Problem Checklist (MPC). Appropriate statistical methods were applied. Three groups were comparable on age, gender, mother's working status, being only child, nuclear family, self-reported academic decline, and type of school. About half of adolescents reported psychological problems on General Health Questionnaire (mean score >3 in all the groups). Academically typically achieving adolescents showed higher stressors in peer relationships, planning for future and suicidal ideation compared to adolescents with academic difficulty. Adolescents face stress regarding worry about examinations, family not understanding what child has to do in school, unfair tests, too much work in some subjects, afraid of failure in school work, not spending enough time in studies, parental expectations, wanting to be more popular, worried about a family member, planning for the future, and fear of the future. Significant positive correlation was seen between General Health Questionnaire scores and all four subscales of MPC. Suicidal ideas showed a negative correlation with MPC. Adolescents experience considerable stress in multiple areas irrespective of their academic ability and performance. Hence, assessment and management of stress among adolescents must extend beyond academic difficulties.

Stress and suicidal ideation among adolescents having academic difficulty

PubMed Central

Arun, Priti; Garg, Rohit; Chavan, Bir Singh

2017-01-01

Background and Objectives: Academically typically achieving adolescents were compared with students having academic difficulty on stress and suicidal ideas. Materials and Methods: In a cross-sectional study, 75 academically typically achieving adolescents were compared with 105 students with academic difficulty and 52 students with specific learning disability (SLD). Academic functioning was assessed using teacher's screening instrument, intelligence quotient, and National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences index for SLD. Stress and suicidal ideas were assessed using general health questionnaire, suicide risk-11, and Mooney Problem Checklist (MPC). Appropriate statistical methods were applied. Results: Three groups were comparable on age, gender, mother's working status, being only child, nuclear family, self-reported academic decline, and type of school. About half of adolescents reported psychological problems on General Health Questionnaire (mean score >3 in all the groups). Academically typically achieving adolescents showed higher stressors in peer relationships, planning for future and suicidal ideation compared to adolescents with academic difficulty. Adolescents face stress regarding worry about examinations, family not understanding what child has to do in school, unfair tests, too much work in some subjects, afraid of failure in school work, not spending enough time in studies, parental expectations, wanting to be more popular, worried about a family member, planning for the future, and fear of the future. Significant positive correlation was seen between General Health Questionnaire scores and all four subscales of MPC. Suicidal ideas showed a negative correlation with MPC. Interpretations and Conclusions: Adolescents experience considerable stress in multiple areas irrespective of their academic ability and performance. Hence, assessment and management of stress among adolescents must extend beyond academic difficulties. PMID:29456324

"My Mom Makes Me So Angry!" Adolescent Perceptions of Mother-Child Interactions as Correlates of Adolescent Emotions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Padilla-Walker, Laura M.

2008-01-01

The purpose of the current study was to examine adolescents' perceptions of mother-child interactions as correlates of adolescents' positive, negative, and guilt emotions. Two hundred thirty-four adolescents (M age = 16.39, SD = 1.17) completed measures assessing parenting practices in response to typical mother-child interactions in both positive…

Aggression in low functioning children and adolescents with autistic disorder.

PubMed

Bronsard, Guillaume; Botbol, Michel; Tordjman, Sylvie

2010-12-21

Parents, caregivers and mental health professionals have often reported violence and aggression in children or adolescents with autistic disorder. However, most of these observations derived from anecdotal reports, and studies on frequency and characterization of aggression in autism remain limited. Our objective was to better characterize and understand the different types of aggressive behaviors displayed by a large group of individuals with autism in different observational situations. The study was conducted on 74 children and adolescents with autism and 115 typically developing control individuals matched for sex, age and pubertal stage. Other-Injurious Behaviors (OIB) were assessed in three observational situations (parents at home, two caregivers at day-care, a nurse and a child psychiatrist during blood drawing) using validated scales. The frequency of OIB was significantly higher in individuals with autism compared to typically developing control individuals during the blood drawing (23% vs. 0%, P<0 .01). The parents observed significantly less OIB in their children than caregivers (34% vs. 58%, P<0.05). In addition, the most frequent concurrent behaviors occurring just before the appearance of OIB in individuals with autism were anxiety-related behaviors and excitation according to the parental as well as the caregiver observation. The results suggest that in a stressful situation, such as the blood drawing, individuals with autism release their stress through behaviors such as OIB, whereas typically developing individuals regulate and express their stress through cognitive skills such as mental coping strategies, symbolization skills with representation and anticipation of the stressful situation, social interaction and verbal or non-verbal communication. The findings underline also the key role of the environment in assessing OIB and developing therapeutic perspectives, with an individual who modulates his/her behavior according to the environment, and an environment that perceives this behavior and reacts to it with different tolerance thresholds according to the observers.

The relation between face-emotion recognition and social function in adolescents with autism spectrum disorders: A case control study.

PubMed

Høyland, Anne Lise; Nærland, Terje; Engstrøm, Morten; Lydersen, Stian; Andreassen, Ole Andreas

2017-01-01

An altered processing of emotions may contribute to a reduced ability for social interaction and communication in autism spectrum disorder, ASD. We investigated how face-emotion recognition in ASD is different from typically developing across adolescent age groups. Fifty adolescents diagnosed with ASD and 49 typically developing (age 12-21 years) were included. The ASD diagnosis was underpinned by parent-rated Social Communication Questionnaire. We used a cued GO/ NOGO task with pictures of facial expressions and recorded reaction time, intra-individual variability of reaction time and omissions/commissions. The Social Responsiveness Scale was used as a measure of social function. Analyses were conducted for the whole group and for young (< 16 years) and old (≥ 16 years) age groups. We found no significant differences in any task measures between the whole group of typically developing and ASD and no significant correlations with the Social Responsiveness Scale. However, there was a non-significant tendency for longer reaction time in the young group with ASD (p = 0.099). The Social Responsiveness Scale correlated positively with reaction time (r = 0.30, p = 0.032) and intra-individual variability in reaction time (r = 0.29, p = 0.037) in the young group and in contrast, negatively in the old group (r = -0.23, p = 0.13; r = -0.38, p = 0.011, respectively) giving significant age group interactions for both reaction time (p = 0.008) and intra-individual variability in reaction time (p = 0.001). Our findings suggest an age-dependent association between emotion recognition and severity of social problems indicating a delayed development of emotional understanding in ASD. It also points towards alterations in top-down attention control in the ASD group. This suggests novel disease-related features that should be investigated in more details in experimental settings.

Aggression in Low Functioning Children and Adolescents with Autistic Disorder

PubMed Central

Bronsard, Guillaume; Botbol, Michel; Tordjman, Sylvie

2010-01-01

Background Parents, caregivers and mental health professionals have often reported violence and aggression in children or adolescents with autistic disorder. However, most of these observations derived from anecdotal reports, and studies on frequency and characterization of aggression in autism remain limited. Our objective was to better characterize and understand the different types of aggressive behaviors displayed by a large group of individuals with autism in different observational situations. Methodology/Findings The study was conducted on 74 children and adolescents with autism and 115 typically developing control individuals matched for sex, age and pubertal stage. Other-Injurious Behaviors (OIB) were assessed in three observational situations (parents at home, two caregivers at day-care, a nurse and a child psychiatrist during blood drawing) using validated scales. The frequency of OIB was significantly higher in individuals with autism compared to typically developing control individuals during the blood drawing (23% vs. 0%, P<0 .01). The parents observed significantly less OIB in their children than caregivers (34% vs. 58%, P<0.05). In addition, the most frequent concurrent behaviors occurring just before the appearance of OIB in individuals with autism were anxiety-related behaviors and excitation according to the parental as well as the caregiver observation. Conclusions/Significance The results suggest that in a stressful situation, such as the blood drawing, individuals with autism release their stress through behaviors such as OIB, whereas typically developing individuals regulate and express their stress through cognitive skills such as mental coping strategies, symbolization skills with representation and anticipation of the stressful situation, social interaction and verbal or non-verbal communication. The findings underline also the key role of the environment in assessing OIB and developing therapeutic perspectives, with an individual who modulates his/her behavior according to the environment, and an environment that perceives this behavior and reacts to it with different tolerance thresholds according to the observers. PMID:21200441

Lexical and Affective Prosody in Children with High-Functioning Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grossman, Ruth B.; Bemis, Rhyannon H.; Skwerer, Daniela Plesa; Tager-Flusberg, Helen

2010-01-01

Purpose: To investigate the perception and production of lexical stress and processing of affective prosody in adolescents with high-functioning autism (HFA). We hypothesized preserved processing of lexical and affective prosody but atypical lexical prosody production. Method: Sixteen children with HFA and 15 typically developing (TD) peers…

Emotional Face Identification in Youths with Primary Bipolar Disorder or Primary Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seymour, Karen E.; Pescosolido, Matthew F.; Reidy, Brooke L.; Galvan, Thania; Kim, Kerri L.; Young, Matthew; Dickstein, Daniel P.

2013-01-01

Objective: Bipolar disorder (BD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are often comorbid or confounded; therefore, we evaluated emotional face identification to better understand brain/behavior interactions in children and adolescents with either primary BD, primary ADHD, or typically developing controls (TDC). Method: Participants…

Widespread Cortical Thinning Is a Robust Anatomical Marker for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Narr, Katherine L.; Woods, Roger P.; Lin, James; Kim, John; Phillips, Owen R.; Del'Homme, Melissa; Caplan, Rochelle; Toga, Arthur W.; McCracken, James T.; Levitt, Jennifer G.

2009-01-01

Objective: This cross-sectional study sought to confirm the presence and regional profile of previously reported changes in laminar cortical thickness in children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) compared with typically developing control subjects. Method: High-resolution magnetic resonance images were obtained…

Seeing Themselves through Borrowed Eyes: Asian Americans in Ethnic Ambivalence/Evasion.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tse, Lucy

1998-01-01

Focuses on the second stage of ethnic identity development, Ethnic Ambivalence/Evasion, experienced by Asian Americans through 39 personal narratives. Ethnic Ambivalence/Evasion, one of four identified stages that culminate with ethnic identity incorporation, typically occurs during the years of childhood and adolescence, and so is a stage…

Atypical Sleep Architecture and Altered EEG Spectra in Williams Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gombos, F.; Bodizs, R.; Kovacs, I.

2011-01-01

Background: Williams syndrome (WS) is a neurodevelopmental genetic disorder characterised by physical abnormalities and a distinctive cognitive profile with intellectual disabilities (IDs) and learning difficulties. Methods: In our study, nine adolescents and young adults with WS and 9 age- and sex-matched typically developing (TD) participants…

Longitudinal development of thalamic and internal capsule microstructure in autism spectrum disorder.

PubMed

McLaughlin, Kristine; Travers, Brittany G; Dadalko, Olga I; Dean, Douglas C; Tromp, Do; Adluru, Nagesh; Destiche, Daniel; Freeman, Abigail; Prigge, Molly D; Froehlich, Alyson; Duffield, Tyler C; Zielinski, Brandon A; Bigler, Erin D; Lange, Nicholas; Anderson, Jeff S; Alexander, Andrew L; Lainhart, Janet E

2018-03-01

The thalamus is a key sensorimotor relay area that is implicated in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, it is unknown how the thalamus and white-matter structures that contain thalamo-cortical fiber connections (e.g., the internal capsule) develop from childhood into adulthood and whether this microstructure relates to basic motor challenges in ASD. We used diffusion weighted imaging in a cohort-sequential design to assess longitudinal development of the thalamus, and posterior- and anterior-limbs of the internal capsule (PLIC and ALIC, respectively) in 89 males with ASD and 56 males with typical development (3-41 years; all verbal). Our results showed that the group with ASD exhibited different developmental trajectories of microstructure in all regions, demonstrating childhood group differences that appeared to approach and, in some cases, surpass the typically developing group in adolescence and adulthood. The PLIC (but not ALIC nor thalamus) mediated the relation between age and finger-tapping speed in both groups. Yet, the gap in finger-tapping speed appeared to widen at the same time that the between-group gap in the PLIC appeared to narrow. Overall, these results suggest that childhood group differences in microstructure of the thalamus and PLIC become less robust in adolescence and adulthood. Further, finger-tapping speed appears to be mediated by the PLIC in both groups, but group differences in motor speed that widen during adolescence and adulthood suggest that factors beyond the microstructure of the thalamus and internal capsule may contribute to atypical motor profiles in ASD. Autism Res 2018, 11: 450-462. © 2017 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microstructure of the thalamus, a key sensory and motor brain area, appears to develop differently in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Microstructure is important because it informs us of the density and organization of different brain tissues. During childhood, thalamic microstructure was distinct in the ASD group compared to the typically developing group. However, these group differences appeared to narrow with age, suggesting that the thalamus continues to dynamically change in ASD into adulthood. © 2017 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The development of individuation in autism

PubMed Central

O'Hearn, Kirsten; Franconeri, Steven; Wright, Catherine; Minshew, Nancy; Luna, Beatriz

2012-01-01

Evidence suggests that people with autism use holistic information differently than typical adults. The current studies examine this possibility by investigating how core visual processes that contribute to holistic processing – individuation and element grouping – develop in participants with autism and typically developing (TD) participants matched for age, IQ and gender. Individuation refers to the ability to `see' up to 4 elements simultaneously; grouping these elements can change the number of elements that are rapidly apprehended. We examined these core processes using two well-established paradigms, rapid enumeration and multiple object tracking (MOT). In both tasks, a performance limit of about 4 elements in adulthood is thought to reflect individuation capacity. Participants with autism has a smaller individuation capacity than TD controls, regardless of whether they were enumerating static elements or tracking moving ones. To manipulate holistic information and individuation performance, we grouped the elements into a design or had elements move together. Participants with autism were affected to a similar degree as TD participants by the holistic information, whether the manipulation helped or hurt performance, consistent with evidence that some types of gestalt/grouping information are processed typically in autism. There was substantial development in autism from childhood to adolescence, but not from adolescence to adulthood, a pattern distinct from TD participants. These results provide important information about core visual processes in autism, as well as insight into the architecture of vision (e.g., individuation appears distinct from visual strengths in autism, such as visual search, despite similarities). PMID:22963232

The effect of sleep restriction on neurobehavioural functioning in normally developing children and adolescents: insights from the Attention, Behaviour and Sleep Laboratory.

PubMed

Cassoff, J; Bhatti, J A; Gruber, R

2014-10-01

In the current paper, we first introduce the research themes of the attention, behaviour and sleep (ABS) laboratory, namely, sleep and ADHD, sleep and obesity, and sleep and academic performance. We then focus in on the topic to be reviewed in the current paper - the association between sleep restriction and neurobehavioral functioning (NBF) in typically developing children. We review the research thus far conducted by the ABS lab specific to this topic and posit the unique methodological contributions of the ABS lab (e.g. home-based assessment of sleep architecture and patterns, extensive phenotyping, etc.) in terms of advancing this research area. In the second section of the paper, we review 13 studies investigating the causal association between experimental sleep restriction and NBF in normally developing pediatric populations. Eight of the 13 studies found that sleep restriction causes impairments in neurobehavioural functioning. However, given the inconsistency in outcome measures, experimental protocols and statistical power, the studies reviewed herein are difficult to interpret. Strategies used by the ABS including implementing home assessments of sleep, restricting sleep relative to the participants' typical sleep schedules, blinding raters who assess NBF, and using valid and reliable NBF assessments are an attempt to address the gaps in this research area and clarify the causal relationship between sleep restriction and NBF in typically developing children and adolescents. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier SAS.

A Reversed-Typicality Effect in Pictures but Not in Written Words in Deaf and Hard of Hearing Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Degao; Gao, Kejuan; Wu, Xueyun; Xong, Ying; Chen, Xiaojun; He, Weiwei; Li, Ling; Huang, Jingjia

2015-01-01

Two experiments investigated Chinese deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) adolescents' recognition of category names in an innovative task of semantic categorization. In each trial, the category-name target appeared briefly at the screen center followed by two words or two pictures for two basic-level exemplars of high or middle typicality, which…

Adolescent Risk Behaviors: Studying Typical and Atypical Individuals via Multidimensional Scaling Profile Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dong, Yang; Ding, Cody

2012-01-01

Within the framework of problem behavior theory, the purpose of this study was to examine risk behavior profiles of typical and atypical adolescents and the differential outcomes of well-beings for these individuals in the United States. Based on the data from the survey of Health Behavior of School-Aged Children by World Health Organization,…

The CogBIAS longitudinal study protocol: cognitive and genetic factors influencing psychological functioning in adolescence.

PubMed

Booth, Charlotte; Songco, Annabel; Parsons, Sam; Heathcote, Lauren; Vincent, John; Keers, Robert; Fox, Elaine

2017-12-29

Optimal psychological development is dependent upon a complex interplay between individual and situational factors. Investigating the development of these factors in adolescence will help to improve understanding of emotional vulnerability and resilience. The CogBIAS longitudinal study (CogBIAS-L-S) aims to combine cognitive and genetic approaches to investigate risk and protective factors associated with the development of mood and impulsivity-related outcomes in an adolescent sample. CogBIAS-L-S is a three-wave longitudinal study of typically developing adolescents conducted over 4 years, with data collection at age 12, 14 and 16. At each wave participants will undergo multiple assessments including a range of selective cognitive processing tasks (e.g. attention bias, interpretation bias, memory bias) and psychological self-report measures (e.g. anxiety, depression, resilience). Saliva samples will also be collected at the baseline assessment for genetic analyses. Multilevel statistical analyses will be performed to investigate the developmental trajectory of cognitive biases on psychological functioning, as well as the influence of genetic moderation on these relationships. CogBIAS-L-S represents the first longitudinal study to assess multiple cognitive biases across adolescent development and the largest study of its kind to collect genetic data. It therefore provides a unique opportunity to understand how genes and the environment influence the development and maintenance of cognitive biases and provide insight into risk and protective factors that may be key targets for intervention.

Neighbourhood and Community Experience, and the Quality of Life of Rural Adolescents with and without an Intellectual Disability.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pretty, Grace; Rapley, Mark; Bramston, Paul

2002-01-01

A comparison of 14 Australian adolescents with mild intellectual disabilities and 13 typical adolescents found no significant differences between the groups on community usage and lifestyle patterns. The discussion promotes the inclusion of community factors when investigating community integration of adolescents with a disability. (Contains…

Distinct age-related differences in temporal discounting and risk taking in adolescents and young adults.

PubMed

de Water, Erik; Cillessen, Antonius H N; Scheres, Anouk

2014-01-01

Age-related differences in temporal discounting (TD) and risk taking, and their association, were examined in adolescents and young adults (n = 337) aged 12-27 years. Since monetary rewards are typically used in TD and risk-taking tasks, the association between monetary reward valuation and age and decision making in these tasks was explored as well. TD declined linearly with age, with a particularly sharp decline from 15 to 16 years. In contrast, risk taking was not correlated with age and TD. Reward valuation was not associated with TD and risk taking, and age-related differences in TD remained significant after controlling for reward valuation. Together, these findings suggest that risk taking and TD are two separate constructs with distinct age-related differences in adolescence and young adulthood. © 2014 The Authors. Child Development © 2014 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

The TRacking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS): design, current status, and selected findings.

PubMed

Ormel, Johan; Oldehinkel, Albertine J; Sijtsema, Jelle; van Oort, Floor; Raven, Dennis; Veenstra, Rene; Vollebergh, Wilma A M; Verhulst, Frank C

2012-10-01

The objectives of this study were as follows: to present a concise overview of the sample, outcomes, determinants, non-response and attrition of the ongoing TRacking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS), which started in 2001; to summarize a selection of recent findings on continuity, discontinuity, risk, and protective factors of mental health problems; and to document the development of psychopathology during adolescence, focusing on whether the increase of problem behavior often seen in adolescence is a general phenomenon or more prevalent in vulnerable teens, thereby giving rise to diverging developmental pathways. The first and second objectives were achieved using descriptive statistics and selective review of previous TRAILS publications; and the third objective by analyzing longitudinal data on internalizing and externalizing problems using Linear Mixed Models (LMM). The LMM analyses supported the notion of diverging pathways for rule-breaking behaviors but not for anxiety, depression, or aggression. Overall, rule-breaking (in both genders) and withdrawn/depressed behavior (in girls) increased, whereas aggression and anxious/depressed behavior decreased during adolescence. TRAILS has produced a wealth of data and has contributed substantially to our understanding of mental health problems and social development during adolescence. Future waves will expand this database into adulthood. The typical development of problem behaviors in adolescence differs considerably across both problem dimensions and gender. Developmental pathways during adolescence suggest accumulation of risk (i.e., diverging pathways) for rule-breaking behavior. However, those of anxiety, depression and aggression slightly converge, suggesting the influence of counter-forces and changes in risk unrelated to initial problem levels and underlying vulnerability. Copyright © 2012 American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Decision making processes based on social conventional rules in early adolescents with and without autism spectrum disorders

PubMed Central

Komeda, Hidetsugu; Osanai, Hidekazu; Yanaoka, Kaichi; Okamoto, Yuko; Fujioka, Toru; Arai, Sumiyoshi; Inohara, Keisuke; Koyasu, Masuo; Kusumi, Takashi; Takiguchi, Shinichiro; Kawatani, Masao; Kumazaki, Hirokazu; Hiratani, Michio; Tomoda, Akemi; Kosaka, Hirotaka

2016-01-01

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by problems with reciprocal social interaction, repetitive behaviours/narrow interests, and impairments in the social cognition and emotional processing necessary for intention-based moral judgements. The aim of this study was to examine the information used by early adolescents with and without ASD when they judge story protagonists as good or bad. We predicted that adolescents with ASD would use protagonists’ behaviour, while typically developing (TD) adolescents would use protagonists’ characteristics when making the judgements. In Experiment 1, we measured sentence by sentence reading times and percentages for good or bad judgements. In Experiment 2, two story protagonists were presented and the participants determined which protagonist was better or worse. Experiment 1 results showed that the adolescents with ASD used protagonist behaviours and outcomes, whereas the TD adolescents used protagonist characteristics, behaviours, and outcomes. In Experiment 2, TD adolescents used characteristics information when making “bad” judgements. Taken together, in situations in which participants cannot go back and assess (Experiment 1), and in comparable situations in which all information is available (Experiment 2), adolescents with ASD do not rely on information about individual characteristics when making moral judgements. PMID:27897213

Anterior Cortical Development During Adolescence in Bipolar Disorder.

PubMed

Najt, Pablo; Wang, Fei; Spencer, Linda; Johnston, Jennifer A Y; Cox Lippard, Elizabeth T; Pittman, Brian P; Lacadie, Cheryl; Staib, Lawrence H; Papademetris, Xenophon; Blumberg, Hilary P

2016-02-15

Increasing evidence supports a neurodevelopmental model for bipolar disorder (BD), with adolescence as a critical period in its development. Developmental abnormalities of anterior paralimbic and heteromodal frontal cortices, key structures in emotional regulation processes and central in BD, are implicated. However, few longitudinal studies have been conducted, limiting understanding of trajectory alterations in BD. In this study, we performed longitudinal neuroimaging of adolescents with and without BD and assessed volume changes over time, including changes in tissue overall and within gray and white matter. Larger decreases over time in anterior cortical volumes in the adolescents with BD were hypothesized. Gray matter decreases and white matter increases are typically observed during adolescence in anterior cortices. It was hypothesized that volume decreases over time in BD would reflect alterations in those processes, showing larger gray matter contraction and decreased white matter expansion. Two high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging scans were obtained approximately 2 years apart for 35 adolescents with bipolar I disorder (BDI) and 37 healthy adolescents. Differences over time between groups were investigated for volume overall and specifically for gray and white matter. Relative to healthy adolescents, adolescents with BDI showed greater volume contraction over time in a region including insula and orbitofrontal, rostral, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortices (p < .05, corrected), including greater gray matter contraction and decreased white matter expansion over time, in the BD compared with the healthy group. The findings support neurodevelopmental abnormalities during adolescence in BDI in anterior cortices, including altered developmental trajectories of anterior gray and white matter. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Striatum on the anxiety map: Small detours into adolescence

PubMed Central

Lago, Tiffany; Davis, Andrew; Grillon, Christian; Ernst, Monique

2016-01-01

Adolescence is the most sensitive period for the development of pathological anxiety. Moreover, specific neural changes associated with the striatum might be related to adolescent vulnerability to anxiety. Up to now, the study of anxiety has primarily focused on the amygdala, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), hippocampus and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), while the striatum has typically not been considered as part of the anxiety system. This review proposes the addition of the striatum, a complex, multi-component structure, to the anxiety network by underscoring two lines of research. First, the co-occurrence of the adolescent striatal development with the peak vulnerability of adolescents to anxiety disorders might potentially reflect a causal relationship. Second, the recognition of the role of the striatum in fundamental behavioral processes that do affect anxiety supports the putative importance of the striatum in anxiety. These behavioral processes include (1) attention, (2) conditioning/prediction error, and (3) motivation. This review proposes a simplistic schematic representation of the anxiety circuitry that includes the striatum, and aims to promote further work in this direction, as the role of the striatum in shaping an anxiety phenotype during adolescence could have critical implications for understanding and preventing the peak onset of anxiety disorders during this period. PMID:27276526

Heightened Activity in Social Reward Networks is Associated with Adolescents’ Risky Sexual Behaviors

PubMed Central

Eckstrand, Kristen L.; Choukas-Bradley, Sophia; Mohanty, Arpita; Cross, Marissa; Allen, Nicholas B.; Silk, Jennifer S.; Jones, Neil P.; Forbes, Erika E.

2018-01-01

Adolescent sexual risk behavior can lead to serious health consequences, yet few investigations have addressed its neurodevelopmental mechanisms. Social neurocircuitry is postulated to underlie the development of risky sexual behavior, and response to social reward may be especially relevant. Typically developing adolescents (N=47; 18M, 29F; 16.3±1.4 years; 42.5% sexual intercourse experience) completed a social reward fMRI task and reported their sexual risk behaviors (e.g., lifetime sexual partners) on the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). Neural response and functional connectivity to social reward were compared for adolescents with higher- and lower-risk sexual behavior. Adolescents with higher-risk sexual behaviors demonstrated increased activation in the right precuneus and the right temporoparietal junction during receipt of social reward. Adolescents with higher-risk sexual behaviors also demonstrated greater functional connectivity between the precuneus and the temporoparietal junction bilaterally, dorsal medial prefrontal cortex, and left anterior insula/ventrolateral prefrontal cortex. The greater activation and functional connectivity in self-referential, social reward, and affective processing regions among higher sexual risk adolescents underscores the importance of social influence underlying sexual risk behaviors. Furthermore, results suggest an orientation towards and sensitivity to social rewards among youth engaging in higher-risk sexual behavior, perhaps as a consequence of or vulnerability to such behavior. PMID:28755632

Influences of credibility of testimony and strength of statistical evidence on children's and adolescents' reasoning.

PubMed

Kail, Robert V

2013-11-01

According to dual-process models that include analytic and heuristic modes of processing, analytic processing is often expected to become more common with development. Consistent with this view, on reasoning problems, adolescents are more likely than children to select alternatives that are backed by statistical evidence. It is shown here that this pattern depends on the quality of the statistical evidence and the quality of the testimonial that is the typical alternative to statistical evidence. In Experiment 1, 9- and 13-year-olds (N=64) were presented with scenarios in which solid statistical evidence was contrasted with casual or expert testimonial evidence. When testimony was casual, children relied on it but adolescents did not; when testimony was expert, both children and adolescents relied on it. In Experiment 2, 9- and 13-year-olds (N=83) were presented with scenarios in which casual testimonial evidence was contrasted with weak or strong statistical evidence. When statistical evidence was weak, children and adolescents relied on both testimonial and statistical evidence; when statistical evidence was strong, most children and adolescents relied on it. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for dual-process accounts of cognitive development. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Neuroimaging of the Dopamine/Reward System in Adolescent Drug Use

PubMed Central

Ernst, Monique; Luciana, Monica

2015-01-01

Adolescence is characterized by heightened risk-taking, including substance misuse. These behavioral patterns are influenced by ontogenic changes in neurotransmitter systems, particularly the dopamine system, which is fundamentally involved in the neural coding of reward and motivated approach behavior. During adolescence, this system evidences a peak in activity. At the same time, the dopamine system is neuroplastically altered by substance abuse, impacting subsequent function. Here, we describe properties of the dopamine system that change with typical adolescent development and that are altered with substance abuse. Much of this work has been gleaned from animal models due to limitations in measuring dopamine in pediatric samples. Structural and functional neuroimaging techniques have been used to examine structures that are heavily DA-innervated; they measure morphological and functional changes with age and with drug exposure. Presenting marijuana abuse as an exemplar, we consider recent findings that support an adolescent peak in DA-driven reward-seeking behavior and related deviations in motivational systems that are associated with marijuana abuse/dependence. Clinicians are advised that (1) chronic adolescent marijuana use may lead to deficiencies in incentive motivation, (2) that this state is due to marijuana’s interactions with the developing DA system, and (3) that treatment strategies should be directed to remediating resultant deficiencies in goal-directed activity. PMID:26095977

Performance of children and adolescents with Asperger syndrome or high-functioning autism on advanced theory of mind tasks.

PubMed

Kaland, Nils; Callesen, Kirsten; Møller-Nielsen, Annette; Mortensen, Erik Lykke; Smith, Lars

2008-07-01

Although a number of advanced theory of mind tasks have been developed, there is a dearth of information on whether performances on different tasks are associated. The present study examined the performance of 21 children and adolescents with diagnoses of Asperger syndrome (AS) and 20 typically developing controls on three advanced theory of mind tasks: The Eyes Task, the Strange Stories, and the Stories from Everyday Life. The participants in the clinical group demonstrated lower performance than the controls on all the three tasks. The pattern of findings, however, indicates that these tasks may share different information-processing requirements in addition to tapping different mentalizing abilities.

Bulimia nervosa in adolescents: prevalence and treatment challenges

PubMed Central

Hail, Lisa; Le Grange, Daniel

2018-01-01

Bulimia nervosa (BN) is a serious psychiatric illness that typically develops during adolescence or young adulthood, rendering adolescents a target for early intervention. Despite the increasing research devoted to the treatment of youth with anorexia nervosa (AN) and adults with BN, there remains a dearth of evidence for treating younger individuals with BN. To date, there have been four published randomized controlled trials comparing psychosocial treatments, leaving significant room to improve treatment outcomes. Family-based treatment is the leading treatment for youth with AN, while cognitive-behavioral therapy is the leading intervention for adults with BN. Involving caregivers in treatment shows promising results, however, additional research is needed to investigate ways in which this treatment can be adapted further to achieve higher rates of recovery. PMID:29379324

Functional but Inefficient Kinesthetic Motor Imagery in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

PubMed

Chen, Ya-Ting; Tsou, Kuo-Su; Chen, Hao-Ling; Wong, Ching-Ching; Fan, Yang-Teng; Wu, Chien-Te

2018-03-01

Whether action representation in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is deficient remains controversial, as previous studies of action observation or imitation report conflicting results. Here we investigated the characteristics of action representation in adolescents with ASD through motor imagery (MI) using a hand rotation and an object rotation task. Comparable with the typically-developing group, the individuals with ASD were able to spontaneously use kinesthetic MI to perform the hand rotation task, as manifested by the significant biomechanical effects. However, the ASD group performed significantly slower only in the hand rotation task, but not in the object rotation task. The findings suggest that the adolescents with ASD showed inefficient but functional kinesthetic MI, implicating that their action representation might be preserved.

Characterizing Sleep in Adolescents and Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

PubMed

Goldman, S E; Alder, M L; Burgess, H J; Corbett, B A; Hundley, R; Wofford, D; Fawkes, D B; Wang, L; Laudenslager, M L; Malow, B A

2017-06-01

We studied 28 adolescents/young adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and 13 age/sex matched individuals of typical development (TD). Structured sleep histories, validated questionnaires, actigraphy (4 weeks), and salivary cortisol and melatonin (4 days each) were collected. Compared to those with TD, adolescents/young adults with ASD had longer sleep latencies and more difficulty going to bed and falling asleep. Morning cortisol, evening cortisol, and the morning-evening difference in cortisol did not differ by diagnosis (ASD vs. TD). Dim light melatonin onsets (DLMOs) averaged across participants were not different for the ASD and TD participants. Average participant scores indicated aspects of poor sleep hygiene in both groups. Insomnia in ASD is multifactorial and not solely related to physiological factors.

Characterizing Sleep in Adolescents and Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders

PubMed Central

Goldman, SE; Alder, ML; Burgess, HJ; Corbett, BA; Hundley, R; Wofford, D; Fawkes, DB; Wang, L; Laudenslager, ML; Malow, BA

2017-01-01

We studied 28 adolescents/young adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and 13 age/sex matched individuals of typical development (TD). Structured sleep histories, validated questionnaires, actigraphy (four weeks), and salivary cortisol and melatonin (four days each) were collected. Compared to those with TD, adolescents/young adults with ASD had longer sleep latencies and more difficulty going to bed and falling asleep. Morning cortisol, evening cortisol, and the morning-evening difference in cortisol did not differ by diagnosis (ASD vs. TD). Dim light melatonin onsets (DLMOs) averaged across participants were not different for the ASD and TD participants. Average participant scores indicated aspects of poor sleep hygiene in both groups. Insomnia in ASD is multifactorial and not solely related to physiological factors. PMID:28286917

[Perinatal clomiphene citrate treatment changes sexual orientations of male mice].

PubMed

He, Feng-Qin; Zhang, Heng-Rui

2013-10-01

Perinatal period and adolescence are critical for brain development, which is the biological basis of an individual's sexual orientation and sexual behavior. In this study, animals were divided into two groups and their sexual orientations were observed: one group experienced drug treatments during the perinatal period, and the other group was castrated at puberty. The results showed that estradiol treatment had no effect on mature male offspring's sexual orientations, but 9 days and 14 days of clomiphene citrate treatment significantly increased the chance of homosexuality and effeminized behavior. In addition, the sexual orientation of mature normal male offspring, which were castrated when they were 21 days old,was not significant different from the control animals. These findings suggest that the inhibition of perinatal estrogen activities could suppress individual male-typical responses, enhance female-typical responses and induce homosexual orientations. Moreover, the masculinizing effects of estrogen were more obvious during perinatal period than adolescence.

Influences of credibility of testimony and strength of statistical evidence on children’s and adolescents’ reasoning

PubMed Central

Kail, Robert V.

2013-01-01

According to dual-process models that include analytic and heuristic modes of processing, analytic processing is often expected to become more common with development. Consistent with this view, on reasoning problems, adolescents are more likely than children to select alternatives that are backed by statistical evidence. It is shown here that this pattern depends on the quality of the statistical evidence and the quality of the testimonial that is the typical alternative to statistical evidence. In Experiment 1, 9- and 13-year-olds (N = 64) were presented with scenarios in which solid statistical evidence was contrasted with casual or expert testimonial evidence. When testimony was casual, children relied on it but adolescents did not; when testimony was expert, both children and adolescents relied on it. In Experiment 2, 9- and 13-year-olds (N = 83) were presented with scenarios in which casual testimonial evidence was contrasted with weak or strong statistical evidence. When statistical evidence was weak, children and adolescents relied on both testimonial and statistical evidence; when statistical evidence was strong, most children and adolescents relied on it. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for dual-process accounts of cognitive development. PMID:23735681

Assessing Empathy across Childhood and Adolescence: Validation of the Empathy Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents (EmQue-CA)

PubMed Central

Overgaauw, Sandy; Rieffe, Carolien; Broekhof, Evelien; Crone, Eveline A.; Güroğlu, Berna

2017-01-01

Empathy plays a crucial role in healthy social functioning and in maintaining positive social relationships. In this study, 1250 children and adolescents (10–15 year olds) completed the newly developed Empathy Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents (EmQue-CA) that was tested on reliability, construct validity, convergent validity, and concurrent validity. The EmQue-CA aims to assess empathy using the following scales: affective empathy, cognitive empathy, and intention to comfort. A Principal Components Analysis, which was directly tested with a Confirmatory Factor Analysis, confirmed the proposed three-factor model resulting in 14 final items. Reliability analyses demonstrated high internal consistency of the scales. Furthermore, the scales showed high convergent validity, as they were positively correlated with related scales of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (Davis, 1983). With regard to concurrent validity, higher empathy was related to more attention to others’ emotions, higher friendship quality, less focus on own affective state, and lower levels of bullying behavior. Taken together, we show that the EmQue-CA is a reliable and valid instrument to measure empathy in typically developing children and adolescents aged 10 and older. PMID:28611713

Assessing social cognition: age-related changes in moral reasoning in childhood and adolescence.

PubMed

Chiasson, V; Vera-Estay, E; Lalonde, G; Dooley, J J; Beauchamp, M H

2017-04-01

There is increasing recognition that socio-cognitive skills, such as moral reasoning (MR), are affected in a wide range of developmental and neuropsychological conditions. However, the lack of appropriate measures available to neuropsychologists poses a challenge for the direct assessment of these skills. This study sought to explore age-related changes in MR using an innovative visual tool and examine the developmental sensitivity of the task. To address some of the methodological limitations of traditional measures of MR, a novel, visual task, the Socio-Moral Reasoning Aptitude Level (So-Moral), was used to evaluate MR in 216 healthy participants aged 6-20 years. The findings show a linear increase in MR from childhood to late adolescence with significant group differences between childhood (6-8 years) and preadolescence (9-11 years), and between early adolescence (12-14 years) and middle adolescence (15-17 years). Interpreted in light of current brain development research, the results highlight age-related changes in MR that offer insight into typical MR development and opportunities for comparisons with clinical populations. The findings also provide evidence of the potential of the So-Moral as a developmentally appropriate measure of MR throughout childhood and adolescence.

Heightened activity in social reward networks is associated with adolescents' risky sexual behaviors.

PubMed

Eckstrand, Kristen L; Choukas-Bradley, Sophia; Mohanty, Arpita; Cross, Marissa; Allen, Nicholas B; Silk, Jennifer S; Jones, Neil P; Forbes, Erika E

2017-10-01

Adolescent sexual risk behavior can lead to serious health consequences, yet few investigations have addressed its neurodevelopmental mechanisms. Social neurocircuitry is postulated to underlie the development of risky sexual behavior, and response to social reward may be especially relevant. Typically developing adolescents (N=47; 18M, 29F; 16.3±1.4years; 42.5% sexual intercourse experience) completed a social reward fMRI task and reported their sexual risk behaviors (e.g., lifetime sexual partners) on the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). Neural response and functional connectivity to social reward were compared for adolescents with higher- and lower-risk sexual behavior. Adolescents with higher-risk sexual behaviors demonstrated increased activation in the right precuneus and the right temporoparietal junction during receipt of social reward. Adolescents with higher-risk sexual behaviors also demonstrated greater functional connectivity between the precuneus and the temporoparietal junction bilaterally, dorsal medial prefrontal cortex, and left anterior insula/ventrolateral prefrontal cortex. The greater activation and functional connectivity in self-referential, social reward, and affective processing regions among higher sexual risk adolescents underscores the importance of social influence underlying sexual risk behaviors. Furthermore, results suggest an orientation towards and sensitivity to social rewards among youth engaging in higher-risk sexual behavior, perhaps as a consequence of or vulnerability to such behavior. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Striatum on the anxiety map: Small detours into adolescence.

PubMed

Lago, Tiffany; Davis, Andrew; Grillon, Christian; Ernst, Monique

2017-01-01

Adolescence is the most sensitive period for the development of pathological anxiety. Moreover, specific neural changes associated with the striatum might be related to adolescent vulnerability to anxiety. Up to now, the study of anxiety has primarily focused on the amygdala, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), hippocampus and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), while the striatum has typically not been considered as part of the anxiety system. This review proposes the addition of the striatum, a complex, multi-component structure, to the anxiety network by underscoring two lines of research. First, the co-occurrence of the adolescent striatal development with the peak vulnerability of adolescents to anxiety disorders might potentially reflect a causal relationship. Second, the recognition of the role of the striatum in fundamental behavioral processes that do affect anxiety supports the putative importance of the striatum in anxiety. These behavioral processes include (1) attention, (2) conditioning/prediction error, and (3) motivation. This review proposes a simplistic schematic representation of the anxiety circuitry that includes the striatum, and aims to promote further work in this direction, as the role of the striatum in shaping an anxiety phenotype during adolescence could have critical implications for understanding and preventing the peak onset of anxiety disorders during this period. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled SI: Adolescent plasticity. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Narcolepsy: Autoimmunity, Effector T Cell Activation Due to Infection, or T Cell Independent, Major Histocompatibility Complex Class II Induced Neuronal Loss?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fontana, Adriano; Gast, Heidemarie; Reith, Walter; Recher, Mike; Birchler, Thomas; Bassetti, Claudio L.

2010-01-01

Human narcolepsy with cataplexy is a neurological disorder, which develops due to a deficiency in hypocretin producing neurons in the hypothalamus. There is a strong association with human leucocyte antigens HLA-DR2 and HLA-DQB1*0602. The disease typically starts in adolescence. Recent developments in narcolepsy research support the hypothesis of…

Parent–Child Interactions, Peripheral Serotonin, and Self-Inflicted Injury in Adolescents

PubMed Central

Crowell, Sheila E.; Beauchaine, Theodore P.; McCauley, Elizabeth; Smith, Cindy J.; Vasilev, Christina A.; Stevens, Adrianne L.

2009-01-01

Self-inflicted injury in adolescence indicates significant emotional and psychological suffering. Although data on the etiology of self-injury are limited, current theories suggest that the emotional lability observed among self-injuring adolescents results from complex interactions between individual biological vulnerabilities and environmental risk. For example, deficiencies in serotonergic functioning, in conjunction with certain family interaction patterns, may contribute to the development of emotional lability and risk for self-injury. The authors explored the relation between peripheral serotonin levels and mother–child interaction patterns among typical (n = 21) and self-injuring (n = 20) adolescents. Findings revealed higher levels of negative affect and lower levels of both positive affect and cohesiveness among families of self-injuring participants. Peripheral serotonin was also correlated with the expression of positive affect within dyads. Furthermore, adolescents’ serotonin levels interacted with negativity and conflict within dyads to explain 64% of the variance in self-injury. These findings underscore the importance of considering both biological and environmental risk factors in understanding and treating self-injuring adolescents. PMID:18229978

Reliability and Validity of the Dyadic Observed Communication Scale (DOCS).

PubMed

Hadley, Wendy; Stewart, Angela; Hunter, Heather L; Affleck, Katelyn; Donenberg, Geri; Diclemente, Ralph; Brown, Larry K

2013-02-01

We evaluated the reliability and validity of the Dyadic Observed Communication Scale (DOCS) coding scheme, which was developed to capture a range of communication components between parents and adolescents. Adolescents and their caregivers were recruited from mental health facilities for participation in a large, multi-site family-based HIV prevention intervention study. Seventy-one dyads were randomly selected from the larger study sample and coded using the DOCS at baseline. Preliminary validity and reliability of the DOCS was examined using various methods, such as comparing results to self-report measures and examining interrater reliability. Results suggest that the DOCS is a reliable and valid measure of observed communication among parent-adolescent dyads that captures both verbal and nonverbal communication behaviors that are typical intervention targets. The DOCS is a viable coding scheme for use by researchers and clinicians examining parent-adolescent communication. Coders can be trained to reliably capture individual and dyadic components of communication for parents and adolescents and this complex information can be obtained relatively quickly.

Parent-child discrepancies in the assessment of children's and adolescents' happiness.

PubMed

López-Pérez, Belén; Wilson, Ellie L

2015-11-01

In this study, we assessed parent-child agreement in the perception of children's general happiness or well-being in typically developing children (10- and 11-year-olds, n = 172) and adolescents (15- and 16-year-olds, n = 185). Despite parent and child reporters providing internally consistent responses in the General Happiness single-item scale and the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire-Short Form, their perceptions about children's and adolescents' general happiness did not correlate. Parents of 10- and 11-year-olds significantly overestimated children's happiness, supporting previous literature on the parents' positivity bias effect. However, parents of 15- and 16-year-olds showed the reverse pattern by underestimating adolescents' happiness. Furthermore, parents' self-reported happiness or well-being (reported 6 months later) significantly correlated with their estimations of children's and adolescents' happiness. Therefore, these results suggest a potential parents' "egocentric bias" when estimating their children's happiness. These findings are discussed in terms of their theoretical and applied implications for research into child-parent relationships. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Violence prevention in childhood and adolescence--a brief overview].

PubMed

Pawils, Silke; Metzner, Franka

2016-01-01

Aggressive and violent behaviour in children and adolescents can be associated with physical and psychological health effects continuing into adulthood. Early programs for violence prevention in childhood and adolescence are intended to prevent or reduce aggressive behaviour in order to decrease the risk for short- and long-term developmental impairments. In a literature review, research findings on prevalence, typical courses of development, and predictors of violent behavior in childhood are first summarized and compared with findings on the frequency, developmental course, and consequences of youth violence. International and German programs for violence prevention in children and adolescents are presented in the context of various settings (family, school, community), target groups (primary vs. secondary prevention) as well as target variables (universal vs. specific). Empirical findings on efficacy testing of violence prevention programs are described and discussed. The presented findings stress the relevance and potential of services for violence prevention for children and adolescents, but also demonstrate the challenges and gaps.

Chronic intermittent ethanol exposure during adolescence: effects on social behavior and ethanol sensitivity in adulthood.

PubMed

Varlinskaya, Elena I; Truxell, Eric; Spear, Linda P

2014-08-01

This study assessed long-lasting consequences of repeated ethanol exposure during two different periods of adolescence on 1) baseline levels of social investigation, play fighting, and social preference and 2) sensitivity to the social consequences of acute ethanol challenge. Adult male and female Sprague-Dawley rats were tested 25 days after repeated exposure to ethanol (3.5 g/kg intragastrically [i.g.], every other day for a total of 11 exposures) in a modified social interaction test. Early-mid adolescent intermittent exposure (e-AIE) occurred between postnatal days (P) 25 and 45, whereas late adolescent intermittent exposure (l-AIE) was conducted between P45 and P65. Significant decreases in social investigation and social preference were evident in adult male rats, but not their female counterparts following e-AIE, whereas neither males nor females demonstrated these alterations following l-AIE. In contrast, both e-AIE and l-AIE produced alterations in sensitivity to acute ethanol challenge in males tested 25 days after adolescent exposure. Ethanol-induced facilitation of social investigation and play fighting, reminiscent of that normally seen during adolescence, was evident in adult males after e-AIE, whereas control males showed an age-typical inhibition of social behavior. Males after l-AIE were found to be insensitive to the socially suppressing effects of acute ethanol challenge, suggesting the development of chronic tolerance in these animals. In contrast, females showed little evidence for alterations in sensitivity to acute ethanol challenge following either early or late AIE. The results of the present study demonstrate a particular vulnerability of young adolescent males to long-lasting detrimental effects of repeated ethanol. Retention of adolescent-typical sensitivity to the socially facilitating effects of ethanol could potentially make ethanol especially appealing to these males, therefore promoting relatively high levels of ethanol intake later in life. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Conversational fluency and executive function in adolescents with conduct disorder

PubMed Central

Turkstra, Lyn S.; Fuller, Tracy; Youngstrom, Eric; Green, Kristen; Kuegeler, Elizabeth

2017-01-01

SUMMARY Background EF impairments are known to occur among adolescents with conduct disorder (CD) but their influence on communication ability is not well-understood. The purpose of this study was to relate scores on a clinical EF questionnaire to performance on a communication task. Extemporaneous conversation was chosen as the target task, because it places a high demand on EFs and it is a critical medium for adolescent social development. Material and Methods The participants were 18 incarcerated adolescents with conduct disorder (I-CD), 12 incarcerated adolescents without CD (I-NCD), and 26 typically developing (TD) non-incarcerated adolescents. Participants completed the Self-Report form of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) and extemporaneous conversations. Results The I-CD and I-NCD groups produced four times more dysfluencies in conversation than the TD group. There was also a significant group effect on BRIEF subscores for executive memory (TD vs. I-CD), but not for planning and organization. Fluency data correlated significantly with BRIEF scores for executive memory, and the combination of fluency and BRIEF data accounted for 65% of the variance in group membership between TD adolescents and their incarcerated peers, regardless of CD diagnosis. Conclusions BRIEF scores seem to be related to performance on communication tasks relevant for adolescents in daily living. Our results also revealed very high dysfluency rates among incarcerated juveniles. The EF and conversation measures differentiated incarcerated vs. non-incarcerated juveniles, but were less sensitive to CD. PMID:29213294

Whole-brain functional hypoconnectivity as an endophenotype of autism in adolescents

PubMed Central

Moseley, R.L.; Ypma, R.J.F.; Holt, R.J.; Floris, D.; Chura, L.R.; Spencer, M.D.; Baron-Cohen, S.; Suckling, J.; Bullmore, E.; Rubinov, M.

2015-01-01

Endophenotypes are heritable and quantifiable markers that may assist in the identification of the complex genetic underpinnings of psychiatric conditions. Here we examined global hypoconnectivity as an endophenotype of autism spectrum conditions (ASCs). We studied well-matched groups of adolescent males with autism, genetically-related siblings of individuals with autism, and typically-developing control participants. We parcellated the brain into 258 regions and used complex-network analysis to detect a robust hypoconnectivity endophenotype in our participant group. We observed that whole-brain functional connectivity was highest in controls, intermediate in siblings, and lowest in ASC, in task and rest conditions. We identified additional, local endophenotype effects in specific networks including the visual processing and default mode networks. Our analyses are the first to show that whole-brain functional hypoconnectivity is an endophenotype of autism in adolescence, and may thus underlie the heritable similarities seen in adolescents with ASC and their relatives. PMID:26413477

Routines of families with adolescents with autistic disorders: a comparison study.

PubMed

Bagatell, Nancy J; Cram, Megan; Alvarez, Christian G; Loehle, Laura

2014-02-01

Research has consistently shown that families with children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have difficulty engaging in family routines, yet little is known about families with adolescents with ASD. The purpose of this study is to compare the routines of families with adolescents with ASD (FASD) and families with typically developing adolescents. Twenty families in each group were compared using the Family Routines Inventory and supplemental questions. Data were analyzed using a Mann-Whitney U and content analysis. No significant difference between groups was found; however, there was a trending toward significance in the subscale of mealtime routines in both endorsement and adherence. Analysis of open-ended questions revealed differences in how routines were carried out. Occupational therapists should consider assessing and addressing routines of importance to FASD to increase family health and well-being. Further research is needed to better understand the routines of FASD.

Working memory and proverb comprehension in adolescents with traumatic brain injury: a preliminary investigation.

PubMed

Moran, Catherine A; Nippold, Marilyn A; Gillon, Gail T

2006-04-01

This study investigated the relationship between working memory and comprehension of low-familiarity proverbs in adolescents with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Ten adolescents, aged 12-21 years who had suffered a TBI prior to the age of 10 years and 10 individually age-matched peers with typical development participated in the study. The participants listened to short paragraphs containing a proverb and interpreted the meaning of the proverb using a forced-choice task. In addition, participants engaged in a task that evaluated working memory ability. Analysis revealed that individuals with TBI differed from their non-injured peers in their understanding of proverbs. In addition, working memory capacity influenced performance for all participants. The importance of considering working memory when evaluating figurative language comprehension in adolescents with TBI is highlighted. Implications for future research, particularly with regard to varying working memory and task demands, are considered.

Similarities amid the difference: caregiving burden and adaptation outcomes in dyads of parents and their children with and without cerebral palsy.

PubMed

Carona, C; Crespo, C; Canavarro, M C

2013-03-01

This study had two main objectives: first, to examine the direct and indirect effects, via social support, of caregiving burden on the adaptation outcomes of children/adolescents with cerebral palsy and their parents; and second, to assess the invariance of such models in clinical vs. healthy subsamples. Participants were 210 dyads of children/adolescents and one of their parents (total N=420), divided in 93 dyads of children/adolescents with cerebral palsy and 117 dyads of children/adolescents with no medical diagnosis. Data on caregiving burden, social support and adaptation outcomes were obtained through self-report questionnaires. Caregiving burden was linked to parents and their children's psychological maladjustment and quality of life both directly (except for children's quality of life) and indirectly through social support. Findings were invariant across clinical and healthy subsamples. Caregiving burden may influence adaptation outcomes of children/adolescents with CP and their parents both directly and via their social support perceptions. These patterns are similar to those observed in typically developing children/adolescents. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Brain Activation while Thinking about the Self from Another Person’s Perspective after Traumatic Brain Injury in Adolescents

PubMed Central

Newsome, Mary R.; Scheibel, Randall S.; Hanten, Gerri; Chu, Z.; Steinberg, Joel L.; Hunter, Jill V.; Lu, Hanzhang; Vasquez, Ana C.; Li, Xiaoqi; Lin, Xiaodi; Cook, Lori; Levin, Harvey S.

2011-01-01

Deficits in self awareness and taking the perspective of others are often observed following traumatic brain injury (TBI). Nine adolescents (ages 12–19 years) who had sustained moderate to severe TBI after an average interval of 2.6 years and nine typically developing (TD) adolescents underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while performing a perspective taking task (D’Argembeau et al., 2007). Participants made trait attributions either from their own perspective or from that of the significant other. The groups did not differ in reaction time or on a consistency criterion. When thinking of the self from a third-person perspective, adolescents with TBI demonstrated greater activation in posterior brain regions implicated in social cognition, the left lingual gyrus (BA 18) and posterior cingulate (BA 31), extending into neighboring regions not generally associated with social cognition, i.e., cuneus (BA 31) and parahippocampal gyrus, relative to TD adolescents. We postulate that adolescents with moderate to severe TBI recruited alternative neural pathways during perspective-taking because traumatic axonal injury disrupted their fronto-parietal networks mediating social cognition. PMID:20230107

Adolescent transitions in reflexive and non-reflexive behavior: Review of fear conditioning and impulse control in rodent models.

PubMed

Hunt, Pamela S; Burk, Joshua A; Barnet, Robert C

2016-11-01

Adolescence is a time of critical brain changes that pave the way for adult learning processes. However, the extent to which learning in adolescence is best characterized as a transitional linear progression from childhood to adulthood, or represents a period that differs from earlier and later developmental stages, remains unclear. Here we examine behavioral literature on associative fear conditioning and complex choice behavior with rodent models. Many aspects of fear conditioning are intact by adolescence and do not differ from adult patterns. Sufficient evidence, however, suggests that adolescent learning cannot be characterized simply as an immature precursor to adulthood. Across different paradigms assessing choice behavior, literature suggests that adolescent animals typically display more impulsive patterns of responding compared to adults. The extent to which the development of basic conditioning processes serves as a scaffold for later adult decision making is an additional research area that is important for theory, but also has widespread applications for numerous psychological conditions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

New perspectives on adolescent motivated behavior: attention and conditioning

PubMed Central

Ernst, Monique; Daniele, Teresa; Frantz, Kyle

2011-01-01

Adolescence is a critical transition period, during which fundamental changes prepare the adolescent for becoming an adult. Heuristic models of the neurobiology of adolescent behavior have emerged, promoting the central role of reward and motivation, coupled with cognitive immaturities. Here, we bring focus to two basic sets of processes, attention and conditioning, which are essential for adaptive behavior. Using the dual-attention model developed by Corbetta and Shulman (2002), which identifies a stimulus-driven and a goal-driven attention network, we propose a balance that favors stimulus-driven attention over goal-driven attention in youth. Regarding conditioning, we hypothesize that stronger associations tend to be made between environmental cues and appetitive stimuli, and weaker associations with aversive stimuli, in youth relative to adults. An attention system geared to prioritize stimulus-driven attention, together with more powerful associative learning with appetitive incentives, contribute to shape patterns of adolescent motivated behavior. This proposed bias in attention and conditioning function could facilitate the impulsive, novelty-seeking and risk-taking behavior that is typical of many adolescents. PMID:21977221

Exploring the longitudinal association between interventions to support the transition to secondary school and child anxiety.

PubMed

Neal, S; Rice, F; Ng-Knight, T; Riglin, L; Frederickson, N

2016-07-01

School transition at around 11-years of age can be anxiety-provoking for children, particularly those with special educational needs (SEN). The present study adopted a longitudinal design to consider how existing transition strategies, categorized into cognitive, behavioral or systemic approaches, were associated with post-transition anxiety amongst 532 typically developing children and 89 children with SEN. Multiple regression analysis indicated that amongst typically developing pupils, systemic interventions were associated with lower school anxiety but not generalized anxiety, when controlling for prior anxiety. Results for children with SEN differed significantly, as illustrated by a Group × Intervention type interaction. Specifically, systemic strategies were associated with lower school anxiety amongst typically developing children and higher school anxiety amongst children with SEN. These findings highlight strategies that schools may find useful in supporting typically developing children over the transition period, whilst suggesting that children with SEN might need a more personalized approach. Copyright © 2016 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Spatial Frequency Priming of Scene Perception in Adolescents with and without ASD

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vanmarcke, Steven; Noens, Ilse; Steyaert, Jean; Wagemans, Johan

2017-01-01

While most typically developing (TD) participants have a coarse-to-fine processing style, people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) seem to be less globally and more locally biased when processing visual information. The stimulus-specific spatial frequency content might be directly relevant to determine this temporal hierarchy of visual…

International Friendships for Students with Special Needs: Harnessing Technology to Bridge an Ocean

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Rourke, Susan L.; Martin, Marie; Brown, Lisa; Bauer, William; Dobbins, Michael; Schaeffer, Alice; Cartin, Donna; Pollard, Carol; Byrne, Daniel

2011-01-01

Adolescents with multiple or severe disabilities often lack access to opportunities available to their typically developing peers, whose in-school friendships are often reinforced through other out-of-school, and sometimes interschool, activities. Limitations to these opportunities can be a result of attending a separate school designed to provide…

Neural Correlates of Explicit versus Implicit Facial Emotion Processing in ASD

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Luckhardt, Christina; Kröger, Anne; Cholemkery, Hannah; Bender, Stephan; Freitag, Christine M.

2017-01-01

The underlying neural mechanisms of implicit and explicit facial emotion recognition (FER) were studied in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) compared to matched typically developing controls (TDC). EEG was obtained from N = 21 ASD and N = 16 TDC. Task performance, visual (P100, N170) and cognitive (late positive…

Movie for the Assessment of Social Cognition (MASC): Spanish Validation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lahera, G.; Boada, L.; Pousa, E.; Mirapeix, I.; Morón-Nozaleda, G.; Marinas, L.; Gisbert, L.; Pamiàs, M.; Parellada, M.

2014-01-01

We present the Spanish validation of the "Movie for the Assessment of Social Cognition" instrument (MASC-SP). We recruited 22 adolescents and young adults with Asperger syndrome and 26 participants with typical development. The MASC-SP and three other social cognition instruments (Ekman Pictures of Facial Affect test, Reading the Mind in…

Early Numerical Competencies in 4- and 5-Year-Old Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Titeca, Daisy; Roeyers, Herbert; Desoete, Annemie

2017-01-01

Studies comparing mathematical abilities of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and typically developing children are hitherto scarce, inconclusive, and mainly focusing on elementary school children or adolescents. The present study wants to gain insight into the foundation of mathematics by looking at preschool performances. Five early…

Bibliotherapy for Gay and Lesbian Youth: Overcoming the Structure of Silence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vare, Jonatha W.; Norton, Terry L.

2004-01-01

Gay and lesbian youth encounter most of the typical biological and cognitive changes of adolescence. However, cultural circumstances create differences in the social and emotional development of many gay and lesbian teens. In the United States, these teens often live within social environments characterized by a hostile fear and an active…

Learning of Idiomatic Language Expressions in a Group Intervention for Children with Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whyte, Elisabeth M.; Nelson, Keith E.; Khan, Kiren S.

2013-01-01

In typical development, children learn an extensive range of idioms and other figurative (non-literal) language expressions during childhood and adolescence. However, many children with autism fall far behind in their idiom comprehension and production and never fully reach adult levels. The current study measured the effectiveness of a group…

Baroreflex Sensitivity Is Reduced in Adolescents with Probable Developmental Coordination Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coverdale, Nicole S.; O'Leary, Deborah D.; Faught, Brent E.; Chirico, Daniele; Hay, John; Cairney, John

2012-01-01

Developmental coordination disorder (DCD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by poor motor skills leading to a significant impairment in activities of daily living. Compared to typically developing children, those with DCD are less fit and physically active, and have increased body fat. This is an important consequence as both…

Psycho-Social Characteristics of Children and Adolescents with Siblings on the Autistic Spectrum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stampoltzis, Aglaia; Defingou, Georgia; Antonopoulou, Katerina; Kouvava, Sofia; Polychronopoulou, Stavroula

2014-01-01

This study investigates the psycho-social characteristics of typically developing children who have siblings with autism and their sibling relationship. Children's adjustment at school, their self-esteem and social relations, as well as their friends' attitudes towards their autistic siblings were examined. Participants were 22 siblings of…

Brief Report: Circumscribed Attention in Young Children with Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sasson, Noah J.; Elison, Jed T.; Turner-Brown, Lauren M.; Dichter, Gabriel S.; Bodfish, James W.

2011-01-01

School-aged children and adolescents with autism demonstrate circumscribed attentional patterns to nonsocial aspects of complex visual arrays (Sasson et al. "2008"). The current study downward extended these findings to a sample of 2-5 year-olds with autism and 2-5 year-old typically developing children. Eye-tracking was used to quantify discrete…

Perception and Lateralization of Spoken Emotion by Youths with High-Functioning Forms of Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baker, Kimberly F.; Montgomery, Allen A.; Abramson, Ruth

2010-01-01

The perception and the cerebral lateralization of spoken emotions were investigated in children and adolescents with high-functioning forms of autism (HFFA), and age-matched typically developing controls (TDC). A dichotic listening task using nonsense passages was used to investigate the recognition of four emotions: happiness, sadness, anger, and…

The Ability to Tap to a Beat Relates to Cognitive, Linguistic, and Perceptual Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tierney, Adam T.; Kraus, Nina

2013-01-01

Reading-impaired children have difficulty tapping to a beat. Here we tested whether this relationship between reading ability and synchronized tapping holds in typically-developing adolescents. We also hypothesized that tapping relates to two other abilities. First, since auditory-motor synchronization requires monitoring of the relationship…

Brain Mechanisms for Processing Direct and Averted Gaze in Individuals with Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pitskel, Naomi B.; Bolling, Danielle Z.; Hudac, Caitlin M.; Lantz, Stephen D.; Minshew, Nancy J.; Vander Wyk, Brent C.; Pelphrey, Kevin A.

2011-01-01

Prior studies have indicated brain abnormalities underlying social processing in autism, but no fMRI study has specifically addressed the differential processing of direct and averted gaze, a critical social cue. Fifteen adolescents and adults with autism and 14 typically developing comparison participants viewed dynamic virtual-reality videos…

Ego-resiliency development from late adolescence to emerging adulthood: A ten-year longitudinal study.

PubMed

Alessandri, Guido; Eisenberg, Nancy; Vecchione, Michele; Caprara, Gian Vittorio; Milioni, Michela

2016-07-01

This study examined the development of ego-resiliency from late adolescence to emerging adulthood, using a 10-year cohort-sequential design. Participants were 335 Italian adolescents (173 females and 162 males), living, at the time of the study, in Genzano, a small city near to Rome. Latent growth curve analyses indicated that the developmental trajectory of ego-resiliency from 15 to 25 years is adequately described by a piecewise model that included separate growth profiles corresponding to different developmental stages. Essentially, ego-resiliency remained remarkably stable until the end of high school, and then encountered a phase of relative increase. Moreover, the trajectory of ego-resiliency from ages 15 to 19 was predicted by self-efficacy beliefs in managing negative emotions, and the trajectory from age 19 to 25 was predicted by experienced familial support and self-efficacy beliefs in expressing positive emotions at age 15. Experienced stressful life events also accounted for individuals' deviation from the typical ego-resiliency trajectory. Copyright © 2016 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Living with difference: Exploring the social self of adolescents with chronic pain

PubMed Central

Forgeron, Paula A; Evans, Joan; McGrath, Patrick J; Stevens, Bonnie; Finley, G Allen

2013-01-01

BACKGROUND: Chronic pain negatively affects an adolescent’s life; however, little is known about the social impact of chronic pain for adolescents. More is known about the general peer relationships of adolescents with chronic pain than their close friendships. Close friendships begin to take on more importance during adolescence as these relationships facilitate the development of an adolescent’s sense of personal identity and increasing independence from family influences. Thus, chronic pain may create friendship challenges for adolescents beyond those typically experienced during this developmental trajectory, which may negatively impact their abilities to secure social support. OBJECTIVES: To better understand the challenges adolescents with chronic pain face with regard to their friendships. METHODS: An interpretative phenomenological study using individual interviews was conducted. RESULTS: Two themes emerged. ‘Rethinking the self with pain’ describes the intrusive nature of chronic pain, challenging the participants to rethink the way they view themselves and their place within their social network. ‘Rethinking friendships’ describes the interpretation of their friends’ reactions to their chronic pain condition, which led to these adolescents spending more time by themselves, and feeling misunderstood and unsupported. CONCLUSIONS: The impact of chronic pain on the adolescent as an individual as well as the responses of close friends and others within their social network resulted in the development of new friendship needs. However, the adolescents were not always able to secure these new friendship needs. Their experiences suggest factors within friendships that may be ameliorated by interventions, thus maintaining and strengthening their close friendships. PMID:24308027

Acute systemic histoplasmosis associated with chorioretinitis in an immunocompetent adolescent

PubMed Central

Fowler, Brian; Shen, Christopher; Mastellone, Joseph; Chaum, Edward

2011-01-01

Summary Histoplasmosis is an endemic, systemic mycosis caused by the dimorphic fungus Histoplasma capsulatum. A minority of patients develop asymptomatic chorioretinitis known as presumed ocular histoplasmosis syndrome (POHS), which is typically associated with chorioretinal scarring and peripapillary atrophy and occasionally with choroidal neovascularization secondary to maculopathy. We report a case of acute severe bilateral chorioretinitis associated with disseminated H. capsulatum in an immunocompetent adolescent boy living in an endemic area. The chorioretinitis did not respond to systemic antifungal therapy, but both his systemic illness and ocular lesions resolved with the addition of systemic steroids. PMID:23362391

Sex differences in white matter development during adolescence: a DTI study.

PubMed

Wang, Yingying; Adamson, Chris; Yuan, Weihong; Altaye, Mekibib; Rajagopal, Akila; Byars, Anna W; Holland, Scott K

2012-10-10

Adolescence is a complex transitional period in human development, composing physical maturation, cognitive and social behavioral changes. The objective of this study is to investigate sex differences in white matter development and the associations between intelligence and white matter microstructure in the adolescent brain using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS). In a cohort of 16 typically-developing adolescents aged 13 to 17 years, longitudinal DTI data were recorded from each subject at two time points that were one year apart. We used TBSS to analyze the diffusion indices including fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AD), and radial diffusivity (RD). Our results suggest that boys (13-18 years) continued to demonstrate white matter maturation, whereas girls appeared to reach mature levels earlier. In addition, we identified significant positive correlations between FA and full-scale intelligence quotient (IQ) in the right inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus when both sexes were looked at together. Only girls showed significant positive correlations between FA and verbal IQ in the left cortico-spinal tract and superior longitudinal fasciculus. The preliminary evidence presented in this study supports that boys and girls have different developmental trajectories in white matter microstructure. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Psychopathology of adolescents with an intellectual disability who present to general hospital services.

PubMed

Theodoratos, Oreste; McPherson, Lyn; Franklin, Catherine; Tonge, Bruce; Einfeld, Stewart; Lennox, Nicholas; Ware, Robert S

2017-10-01

Adolescents with intellectual disability have increased rates of psychopathology compared with their typically developing peers and present to hospital more frequently for ambulant conditions. The aim of this study is to describe the psychopathology and related characteristics of a sample of adolescents with intellectual disability who presented to general hospital services. We investigated a cohort of adolescents with intellectual disability in South East Queensland, Australia between January 2006 and June 2010. Demographic and clinical data were obtained via mailed questionnaires and from general practice notes. Psychopathology was measured with the Short Form of the Developmental Behaviour Checklist. Of 98 individuals presenting to hospital, 71 (72.5%) had significant levels of psychopathology. Unknown aetiology for the intellectual disability was associated with presence of problem behaviours. Adolescents with more severe intellectual disability were more likely to have major problem behaviours. Co-morbid physical health issues were not associated with psychopathology. Only 12 (12.1%) adolescents had undergone specialized mental health intervention. The general hospital environment may offer opportunities for liaison psychiatry services to screen and provide management expertise for adolescent individuals with intellectual disability presenting for physical health issues.

Treatment of adolescent tobacco smokers: issues and opportunities for exposure reduction approaches.

PubMed

Moolchan, Eric T; Aung, A Thiri; Henningfield, Jack E

2003-06-05

The cycle of tobacco dependence typically begins with the initiation of tobacco use during adolescence. Many teenagers try to quit smoking, fail and subsequently desire treatment for their tobacco dependence. Adolescents do not currently benefit from the same level of societal support for quit attempts as adults, and they may be less motivated for total cessation despite the short and long-term health consequences of smoking. Overall, the combination of low participation, high attrition and low complete cessation rates for adolescent smokers in treatment prompts the consideration of alternative treatment endpoints. It is likely that interactions among the processes of child and adolescent development, smoke exposure and trajectory influence patterns of tobacco use and treatment for tobacco dependence in adolescents. A rational framework is needed to integrate the study of these dynamic interactions to address tobacco dependence among youth from an exposure reduction, in addition to a cessation, perspective. This paper considers the issues and potential implications of tobacco exposure reduction therapy as an intermediate treatment goal for adolescent smokers who are dependent or dependence-prone, but for whom initial treatment interventions do not yield complete tobacco cessation.

Dysregulation of the cortisol diurnal rhythm following prenatal alcohol exposure and early life adversity.

PubMed

McLachlan, Kaitlyn; Rasmussen, Carmen; Oberlander, Tim F; Loock, Christine; Pei, Jacqueline; Andrew, Gail; Reynolds, James; Weinberg, Joanne

2016-06-01

The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is impacted by a multitude of pre- and postnatal factors. Developmental programming of HPA axis function by prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) has been demonstrated in animal models and in human infants, but remains understudied in older children and adolescents. Moreover, early life adversity (ELA), which occurs at higher rates in children with PAE than in non-exposed children, may also play a role in programming the stress response system. In a cohort of children and adolescents with PAE and ELA (PAE + ELA), we evaluated HPA function through assessment of diurnal cortisol activity compared to that in typically developing controls, as well as the associations among specific ELAs, adverse outcomes, protective factors, and diurnal cortisol. Morning and evening saliva samples were taken under basal conditions from 42 children and adolescents (5-18 years) with PAE + ELA and 43 typically developing controls. High rates of ELA were shown among children with PAE, and significantly higher evening cortisol levels and a flatter diurnal slope were observed in children with PAE + ELA, compared to controls. Medication use in the PAE + ELA group was associated with lower morning cortisol levels, which were comparable to controls. Complex associations were found among diurnal cortisol patterns in the PAE + ELA group and a number of ELAs and later adverse outcomes, whereas protective factors were associated with more typical diurnal rhythms. These results complement findings from research on human infants and animal models showing dysregulated HPA function following PAE, lending weight to the suggestion that PAE and ELA may interact to sensitize the developing HPA axis. The presence of protective factors may buffer altered cortisol regulation, underscoring the importance of early assessment and interventions for children with FASD, and in particular, for the many children with FASD who also have ELA. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Dysregulation of the cortisol diurnal rhythm following prenatal alcohol exposure and early life adversity

PubMed Central

McLachlan, Kaitlyn; Rasmussen, Carmen; Oberlander, Tim F.; Loock, Christine; Pei, Jacqueline; Andrew, Gail; Reynolds, James; Weinberg, Joanne

2016-01-01

The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is impacted by a multitude of pre- and postnatal factors. Developmental programming of HPA axis function by prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) has been demonstrated in animal models and in human infants, but remains understudied in older children and adolescents. Moreover, early life adversity (ELA), which occurs at higher rates in children with PAE than in non-exposed children, may also play a role in programming the HPA or stress response system. In a cohort of children and adolescents with PAE and ELA (PAE + ELA), we evaluated HPA function through assessment of diurnal cortisol activity compared to that in typically developing controls, as well as the associations among specific ELAs, adverse outcomes, protective factors, and diurnal cortisol. Morning and evening saliva samples were taken under basal conditions from 42 children and adolescents (5–18 years) with PAE + ELA and 43 typically developing controls. High rates of ELA were shown among children with PAE, and significantly higher evening cortisol levels and a flatter diurnal slope were observed in children with PAE + ELA, compared to controls. Medication use in the PAE + ELA group was associated with lower morning cortisol levels, which were comparable to controls. Complex associations were found among diurnal cortisol patterns in the PAE + ELA group and a number of ELAs and later adverse outcomes, whereas protective factors were associated with more typical diurnal rhythms. These results complement findings from research on human infants and animal models showing dysregulated HPA function following PAE, lending weight to the suggestion that PAE and ELA may interact to sensitize the developing HPA axis. The presence of protective factors may buffer altered cortisol regulation, underscoring the importance of early assessment and interventions for children with FASD, and in particular, for the many children with FASD who also have ELA. PMID:27286932

Children and adolescents referred for treatment of anxiety disorders: differences in clinical characteristics.

PubMed

Waite, Polly; Creswell, Cathy

2014-01-01

Reports of the clinical characteristics of children and adolescents with anxiety disorders are typically based on community populations or from clinical samples with exclusion criterion applied. Little is known about the clinical characteristics of children and adolescents routinely referred for treatment for anxiety disorders. Furthermore, children and adolescents are typically treated as one homogeneous group although they may differ in ways that are clinically meaningful. A consecutive series of children (n=100, aged 6-12 years) and adolescents (n=100, aged 13-18 years), referred to a routine clinical service, were assessed for anxiety and comorbid disorders, school refusal and parental symptoms of psychopathology. Children with a primary anxiety disorder were significantly more likely to be diagnosed with separation anxiety disorder than adolescents. Adolescents with a primary anxiety disorder had significantly higher self and clinician rated anxiety symptoms and had more frequent primary diagnoses of social anxiety disorder, diagnoses and symptoms of mood disorders, and irregular school attendance. Childhood and adolescence were considered categorically as distinct, developmental periods; in reality changes would be unlikely to occur in such a discrete manner. The finding that children and adolescents with anxiety disorders have distinct clinical characteristics has clear implications for treatment. Simply adapting treatments designed for children to make the materials more 'adolescent-friendly' is unlikely to sufficiently meet the needs of adolescents. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Self-Presentation and the Role of Perspective Taking and Social Motivation in Autism Spectrum Disorder.

PubMed

Scheeren, Anke M; Banerjee, Robin; Koot, Hans M; Begeer, Sander

2016-02-01

We compared self-presentation abilities of 132 children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) to those of 41 typically developing (TD) peers, and examined the potential link with their social motivation and perspective taking. Participants introduced themselves to an interviewer in a baseline condition (without incentive) and a self-promotion condition (with incentive). Children with ASD (6-12 years) were just as likely as or even more likely than TD children to highlight personal characteristics that would increase their chances of obtaining the incentive. Thus, they were strategic in their self-presentation. However, adolescents with ASD (12-19 years) were less strategic than TD adolescents as well as children with ASD. We discuss the role of social motivation and perspective taking in children's self-presentation.

School-Based Groups for Children and Adolescents of Divorce.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robson, Bonnie E.

1986-01-01

Presents typical reactions of adolescents to parental divorce. School based groups for adolescents of divorce can ameliorate the stress and act as a container for reactive impulsive behavior. Educators with a family studies/home economics background are ideally suited to lead such school-based groups. Techniques for establishing and developing…

San Diego Suicide Study: The Adolescents.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rich, Charles L.; And Others

1990-01-01

Detailed data on the 14 adolescent cases from San Diego Suicide Study are presented and comparisons made to other studies. Data are presented that suggest that vast majority of adolescents who commit suicide have had relatively long histories of disturbed behavior and psychiatric symptoms (most typically depression and/or substance abuse).…

School Reintegration for Children and Adolescents with Cancer: The Role of School Psychologists

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harris, Mekel S.

2009-01-01

As a result of advancements in medical expertise and technology, children and adolescents diagnosed with cancer now have opportunities to participate in many typical activities, including school. To some extent, school reintegration reflects positive adjustment to their illness. Nevertheless, children and adolescents with cancer may experience…

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Adolescent Body Dysmorphic Disorder: A Pilot Study.

PubMed

Greenberg, Jennifer L; Mothi, Suraj Sarvode; Wilhelm, Sabine

2016-03-01

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a relatively common and severe disorder that typically onsets in adolescence, but often goes unrecognized. Despite BDD's severity and early onset, treatment outcome research on adolescent BDD is scarce. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is the gold-standard psychosocial treatment for BDD in adults and has shown promise in adolescents. The current study examined the development and testing of a new CBT for adolescents with BDD. We tested feasibility, acceptability, and treatment outcome in a sample of 13 adolescents (mean age 15.23years, range: 13-17) with primary BDD. Treatment was delivered in 12-22 weekly individual sessions. Standardized clinician ratings and self-report measures were used to assess BDD and related symptoms pre- and posttreatment and at 3- and 6-months follow-up. At posttreatment, BDD and related symptoms (e.g., insight, mood) were significantly improved. Scores on the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale for BDD indicated a 50% (intent-to-treat) and 68% (completer) improvement in BDD symptoms. Seventy-five percent of adolescents who started treatment and 100% of completers were considered treatment responders. Treatment gains were maintained at follow-up. High patient satisfaction ratings and patient feedback indicated that treatment was acceptable. This represents the largest study of a psychosocial treatment for adolescent BDD. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Speech perception and phonological short-term memory capacity in language impairment: preliminary evidence from adolescents with specific language impairment (SLI) and autism spectrum disorders (ASD).

PubMed

Loucas, Tom; Riches, Nick Greatorex; Charman, Tony; Pickles, Andrew; Simonoff, Emily; Chandler, Susie; Baird, Gillian

2010-01-01

The cognitive bases of language impairment in specific language impairment (SLI) and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) were investigated in a novel non-word comparison task which manipulated phonological short-term memory (PSTM) and speech perception, both implicated in poor non-word repetition. This study aimed to investigate the contributions of PSTM and speech perception in non-word processing and whether individuals with SLI and ASD plus language impairment (ALI) show similar or different patterns of deficit in these cognitive processes. Three groups of adolescents (aged 14-17 years), 14 with SLI, 16 with ALI, and 17 age and non-verbal IQ matched typically developing (TD) controls, made speeded discriminations between non-word pairs. Stimuli varied in PSTM load (two- or four-syllables) and speech perception load (mismatches on a word-initial or word-medial segment). Reaction times showed effects of both non-word length and mismatch position and these factors interacted: four-syllable and word-initial mismatch stimuli resulted in the slowest decisions. Individuals with language impairment showed the same pattern of performance as those with typical development in the reaction time data. A marginal interaction between group and item length was driven by the SLI and ALI groups being less accurate with long items than short ones, a difference not found in the TD group. Non-word discrimination suggests that there are similarities and differences between adolescents with SLI and ALI and their TD peers. Reaction times appear to be affected by increasing PSTM and speech perception loads in a similar way. However, there was some, albeit weaker, evidence that adolescents with SLI and ALI are less accurate than TD individuals, with both showing an effect of PSTM load. This may indicate, at some level, the processing substrate supporting both PSTM and speech perception is intact in adolescents with SLI and ALI, but also in both there may be impaired access to PSTM resources.

Empathic Accuracy in Male Adolescents with Conduct Disorder and Higher versus Lower Levels of Callous-Unemotional Traits.

PubMed

Martin-Key, N; Brown, T; Fairchild, G

2017-10-01

Adolescents with disruptive behavior disorders are reported to show deficits in empathy and emotion recognition. However, prior studies have mainly used questionnaires to measure empathy or experimental paradigms that are lacking in ecological validity. We used an empathic accuracy (EA) task to study EA, emotion recognition, and affective empathy in 77 male adolescents aged 13-18 years: 37 with Conduct Disorder (CD) and 40 typically-developing controls. The CD sample was divided into higher callous-emotional traits (CD/CU+) and lower callous-unemotional traits (CD/CU-) subgroups using a median split. Participants watched films of actors recalling happy, sad, surprised, angry, disgusted or fearful autobiographical experiences and provided continuous ratings of emotional intensity (assessing EA), as well as naming the emotion (recognition) and reporting the emotion they experienced themselves (affective empathy). The CD and typically-developing groups did not significantly differ in EA and there were also no differences between the CD/CU+ and CD/CU- subgroups. Participants with CD were significantly less accurate than controls in recognizing sadness, fear, and disgust, all ps < 0.050, rs ≥ 0.30, whilst the CD/CU- and CD/CU+ subgroups did not differ in emotion recognition. Participants with CD also showed affective empathy deficits for sadness, fear, and disgust relative to controls, all ps < 0.010, rs ≥ 0.33, whereas the CD/CU+ and CD/CU- subgroups did not differ in affective empathy. These results extend prior research by demonstrating affective empathy and emotion recognition deficits in adolescents with CD using a more ecologically-valid task, and challenge the view that affective empathy deficits are specific to CD/CU+.

Differential oscillatory electroencephalogram between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder subtypes and typically developing adolescents.

PubMed

Mazaheri, Ali; Fassbender, Catherine; Coffey-Corina, Sharon; Hartanto, Tadeus A; Schweitzer, Julie B; Mangun, George R

2014-09-01

A neurobiological-based classification of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) subtypes has thus far remained elusive. The aim of this study was to use oscillatory changes in the electroencephalogram (EEG) related to informative cue processing, motor preparation, and top-down control to investigate neurophysiological differences between typically developing (TD) adolescents, and those diagnosed with predominantly inattentive (IA) or combined (CB) (associated with symptoms of inattention as well as impulsivity/hyperactivity) subtypes of ADHD. The EEG was recorded from 57 rigorously screened adolescents (12 to 17 years of age; 23 TD, 17 IA, and 17 CB), while they performed a cued flanker task. We examined the oscillatory changes in theta (3-5 Hz), alpha (8-12 Hz), and beta (22-25 Hz) EEG bands after cues that informed participants with which hand they would subsequently be required to respond. Relative to TD adolescents, the IA group showed significantly less postcue alpha suppression, suggesting diminished processing of the cue in the visual cortex, whereas the CB group showed significantly less beta suppression at the electrode contralateral to the cued response hand, suggesting poor motor planning. Finally, both ADHD subtypes showed weak functional connectivity between frontal theta and posterior alpha, suggesting common top-down control impairment. We found both distinct and common task-related neurophysiological impairments in ADHD subtypes. Our results suggest that task-induced changes in EEG oscillations provide an objective measure, which in conjunction with other sources of information might help distinguish between ADHD subtypes and therefore aid in diagnoses and evaluation of treatment. Copyright © 2014 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Early neural activation during facial affect processing in adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

PubMed

Leung, Rachel C; Pang, Elizabeth W; Cassel, Daniel; Brian, Jessica A; Smith, Mary Lou; Taylor, Margot J

2015-01-01

Impaired social interaction is one of the hallmarks of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Emotional faces are arguably the most critical visual social stimuli and the ability to perceive, recognize, and interpret emotions is central to social interaction and communication, and subsequently healthy social development. However, our understanding of the neural and cognitive mechanisms underlying emotional face processing in adolescents with ASD is limited. We recruited 48 adolescents, 24 with high functioning ASD and 24 typically developing controls. Participants completed an implicit emotional face processing task in the MEG. We examined spatiotemporal differences in neural activation between the groups during implicit angry and happy face processing. While there were no differences in response latencies between groups across emotions, adolescents with ASD had lower accuracy on the implicit emotional face processing task when the trials included angry faces. MEG data showed atypical neural activity in adolescents with ASD during angry and happy face processing, which included atypical activity in the insula, anterior and posterior cingulate and temporal and orbitofrontal regions. Our findings demonstrate differences in neural activity during happy and angry face processing between adolescents with and without ASD. These differences in activation in social cognitive regions may index the difficulties in face processing and in comprehension of social reward and punishment in the ASD group. Thus, our results suggest that atypical neural activation contributes to impaired affect processing, and thus social cognition, in adolescents with ASD.

Stalking, and Social and Romantic Functioning among Adolescents and Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stokes, Mark; Newton, Naomi; Kaur, Archana

2007-01-01

We examine the nature and predictors of social and romantic functioning in adolescents and adults with ASD. Parental reports were obtained for 25 ASD adolescents and adults (13-36 years), and 38 typical adolescents and adults (13-30 years). The ASD group relied less upon peers and friends for social (OR = 52.16, p less than 0.01) and romantic…

Learning English during the Summer: A Comparison of Two Domestic Programs for Pre-Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tragant, Elsa; Serrano, Raquel; Llanes, Àngels

2017-01-01

Contexts that promote intensive second language (L2) experiences (typically, stay abroad, immersion, etc.) are reported to facilitate language development; yet, little is known about such programs when they are addressed to school-age learners in their home country. The present study examines the experiences of learners aged 11-13 years who…

Taking Evidence-Based Practices to School: Using Expert Opinion to Develop a Brief, Evidence-Informed School-Based Mental Health Intervention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lyon, Aaron R.; Bruns, Eric J.; Weathers, Ericka S.; Canavas, Nick; Ludwig, Kristy; Vander Stoep, Ann; Cheney, Douglas; McCauley, Elizabeth

2014-01-01

School-based mental health services offer unparalleled opportunities for providing accessible care to children and adolescents. Research indicates that services available in schools are rarely based on evidence of effectiveness and are typically disconnected from the larger school context. To address these issues, the current paper presents…

"Headache Tools to Stay in School": Assessment, Development, and Implementation of an Educational Guide for School Nurses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lazdowsky, Lori; Rabner, Jonathan; Caruso, Alessandra; Kaczynski, Karen; Gottlieb, Sarah; Mahoney, Elyse; LeBel, Alyssa

2016-01-01

Background: Headache is the most common type of pain reported in the pediatric population, and chronic headache is an increasingly prevalent and debilitating pain condition in children and adolescents. With large numbers of students experiencing acute headaches and more students with chronic headache reentering typical school settings, greater…

The Use of Cohesive Markers in Narratives by Children with Williams Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Nancy Elizabeth

2013-01-01

This study examined how children and adolescents with Williams syndrome (WS; ages 8 years, 0 months [8;0]-14;5) used referential devices (determiners and pronouns), tense, and connectives to create cohesion in oral narratives based on a storybook compared to typically developing mentally and chronologically age-matched children. WS children used…

Speech and Prosody Characteristics of Adolescents and Adults with High-Functioning Autism and Asperger Syndrome.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shriberg, Lawrence D.; Paul, Rhea; McSweeny, Jane L.; Klin, Ami; Cohen, Donald J.; Volkmar, Fred R.

2001-01-01

This study compared the speech and prosody-voice profiles for 30 male speakers with either high-functioning autism (HFA) or Asperger syndrome (AS), and 53 typically developing male speakers. Both HFA and AS groups had more residual articulation distortion errors and utterances coded as inappropriate for phrasing, stress, and resonance. AS speakers…

Production of Syllable Stress in Speakers with Autism Spectrum Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paul, Rhea; Bianchi, Nancy; Augustyn, Amy; Klin, Ami; Volkmar, Fred R.

2008-01-01

This paper reports a study of the ability to reproduce stress in a nonsense syllable imitation task by adolescent speakers with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), as compared to typically developing (TD) age-mates. Results are reported for both raters' judgments of the subjects' stress production, as well as acoustic measures of pitch range and…

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Story Listening in Adolescents and Young Adults with Down Syndrome: Evidence for Atypical Neurodevelopment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jacola, L. M.; Byars, A. W.; Hickey, F.; Vannest, J.; Holland, S. K.; Schapiro, M. B.

2014-01-01

Background: Previous studies have documented differences in neural activation during language processing in individuals with Down syndrome (DS) in comparison with typically developing individuals matched for chronological age. This study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to compare activation during language processing in young…

Self-Presentation and the Role of Perspective Taking and Social Motivation in Autism Spectrum Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scheeren, Anke M.; Banerjee, Robin; Koot, Hans M.; Begeer, Sander

2016-01-01

We compared self-presentation abilities of 132 children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) to those of 41 typically developing (TD) peers, and examined the potential link with their social motivation and perspective taking. Participants introduced themselves to an interviewer in a baseline condition (without incentive) and a…

Emotion Recognition in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kuusikko, Sanna; Haapsamo, Helena; Jansson-Verkasalo, Eira; Hurtig, Tuula; Mattila, Marja-Leena; Ebeling, Hanna; Jussila, Katja; Bolte, Sven; Moilanen, Irma

2009-01-01

We examined upper facial basic emotion recognition in 57 subjects with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) (M = 13.5 years) and 33 typically developing controls (M = 14.3 years) by using a standardized computer-aided measure (The Frankfurt Test and Training of Facial Affect Recognition, FEFA). The ASD group scored lower than controls on the total…

The Impact of Social Support from Teachers on the Psychosocial Functioning of Homeless Youth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Loomis, Natalie

2017-01-01

There has been extensive research on the negative outcomes experienced by homeless youth and the protective role social support plays in typical adolescent development. However, current gaps in the literature are found in regard to potential protective factors for homeless youth, showing a need for further research to examine such possible…

Local and Global Visual Processing in Autism Spectrum Disorders: Influence of Task and Sample Characteristics and Relation to Symptom Severity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Eylen, Lien; Boets, Bart; Steyaert, Jean; Wagemans, Johan; Noens, Ilse

2018-01-01

Local and global visual processing abilities and processing style were investigated in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) versus typically developing individuals, children versus adolescents and boys versus girls. Individuals with ASD displayed more attention to detail in daily life, while laboratory tasks showed slightly reduced…

Comparing Service Use and Costs among Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders, Special Needs and Typical Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barrett, Barbara; Mosweu, Iris; Jones, Catherine R. G.; Charman, Tony; Baird, Gillian; Simonoff, Emily; Pickles, Andrew; Happé, Francesca; Byford, Sarah

2015-01-01

Autism spectrum disorder is a complex condition that requires specialised care. Knowledge of the costs of autism spectrum disorder, especially in comparison with other conditions, may be useful to galvanise policymakers and leverage investment in education and intervention to mitigate aspects of autism spectrum disorder that negatively impact…

Theory of Mind and Executive Control Deficits in Typically Developing Adults and Adolescents with High Levels of Autism Traits

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gökçen, Elif; Frederickson, Norah; Petrides, K. V.

2016-01-01

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterised by profound difficulties in empathic processing and executive control. Whilst the links between these processes have been frequently investigated in populations with autism, few studies have examined them at the subclinical level. In addition, the contribution of alexithymia, a trait characterised by…

Evaluating Physical Activity Using Accelerometry in Children at Risk of Developmental Coordination Disorder in the Presence of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baerg, Sally; Cairney, John; Hay, John; Rempel, Lynn; Mahlberg, Nadilein; Faught, Brent E.

2011-01-01

Physical activity (PA) is compromised in children and adolescents with developmental coordination disorder (DCD). Approximately half of all children with DCD suffer from attention-deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD); a cohort often considered more physically active than typically developing youth. Accelerometry is an effective method of assessing…

Commentary on the special issue on the adolescent brain: Adolescence, trajectories, and the importance of prevention.

PubMed

Andersen, Susan L

2016-11-01

Adolescence as highlighted in this special issue is a period of tremendous growth, synaptic exuberance, and plasticity, but also a period for the emergence of mental illness and addiction. This commentary aims to stimulate research on prevention science to reduce the impact of early life events that often manifest during adolescence. By promoting a better understanding of what creates a normal and abnormal trajectory, the reviews by van Duijvenvoorde et al., Kilford et al., Lichenstein et al., and Tottenham and Galvan in this special issue comprehensively describe how the adolescent brain develops under typical conditions and how this process can go awry in humans. Preclinical reviews also within this issue describe how adolescents have prolonged extinction periods to maximize learning about their environment (Baker et al.), whereas Schulz and Sisk focus on the importance of puberty and how it interacts with stress (Romeo). Caballero and Tseng then set the stage of describing the neural circuitry that is often central to these changes and psychopathology. Factors that affect the mis-wiring of the brain for illness, including prenatal exposure to anti-mitotic agents (Gomes et al.) and early life stress and inflammation (Schwarz and Brenhouse), are included as examples of how exposure to early adversity manifests. These reviews are synthesized and show how information from the maturational stages that precede or occur during adolescence is likely to hold the key towards optimizing development to produce an adolescent and adult that is resilient and well adapted to their environment. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Unlike adults, children and adolescents show predominantly increased neural activation to social exclusion by members of the opposite gender

PubMed Central

Bolling, Danielle Z.; Pelphrey, Kevin A.; Vander Wyk, Brent C.

2016-01-01

The effects of group membership on brain responses to social exclusion have been investigated in adults, revealing greater anterior cingulate responses to exclusion by members of one’s in-group (e.g. same-gender). However, social exclusion is a critical aspect of peer relations in youth and reaches heightened salience during adolescence, a time when social anxiety disorders are also emergent. While the behavioral and neural correlates of social exclusion in adolescence have been extensively explored, the effects of group membership on peer rejection are less clear. The current study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate the differential neural correlates of being excluded by peers of one’s same-versus opposite-gender during an online ball-toss game. Participants were a group of typically developing children and adolescents (7–17 years). As predicted, anterior cingulate cortex showed a main effect of social exclusion versus fair play. However, unlike a previous adult study, this region did not show increased activation to same-gender exclusion. Instead, several regions differentiating same-versus opposite-gender exclusion were exclusively more sensitive to exclusion by one’s opposite gender. These results are discussed in the context of adolescent socioemotional development. PMID:26592311

Local brain connectivity across development in autism spectrum disorder: A cross-sectional investigation.

PubMed

Dajani, Dina R; Uddin, Lucina Q

2016-01-01

There is a general consensus that autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is accompanied by alterations in brain connectivity. Much of the neuroimaging work has focused on assessing long-range connectivity disruptions in ASD. However, evidence from both animal models and postmortem examination of the human brain suggests that local connections may also be disrupted in individuals with the disorder. Here, we investigated how regional homogeneity (ReHo), a measure of similarity of a voxel's timeseries to its nearest neighbors, varies across age in individuals with ASD and typically developing (TD) individuals using a cross-sectional design. Resting-state fMRI data obtained from a publicly available database were analyzed to determine group differences in ReHo between three age cohorts: children, adolescents, and adults. In typical development, ReHo across the entire brain was higher in children than in adolescents and adults. In contrast, children with ASD exhibited marginally lower ReHo than TD children, while adolescents and adults with ASD exhibited similar levels of local connectivity as age-matched neurotypical individuals. During all developmental stages, individuals with ASD exhibited lower local connectivity in sensory processing brain regions and higher local connectivity in complex information processing regions. Further, higher local connectivity in ASD corresponded to more severe ASD symptomatology. These results demonstrate that local connectivity is disrupted in ASD across development, with the most pronounced differences occurring in childhood. Developmental changes in ReHo do not mirror findings from fMRI studies of long-range connectivity in ASD, pointing to a need for more nuanced accounts of brain connectivity alterations in the disorder. © 2015 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Challenges of assessment and treatment of ultra high risk for psychosis in an adolescent.

PubMed

Boričević Maršanić, Vlatka; Jukić, Josipa; Flander, Mia

2018-06-01

The onset of psychosis is typically preceded by a prodromal phase that is characterised by the emergence of "attenuated" psychotic symptoms. This phase is described as ultra-high risk (UHR) or at-risk mental state (ARMS) of psychosis. Criteria have been established for identifying these young people who are at clinical high risk. People at ultra-high risk (UHR) of psychosis have about 30% chance of developing the illness within two years. This category was introduced with the goal of developing treatments for prevention of psychotic disorders. Recent research suggests that early interventions appear to be effective in delaying and even preventing the onset of psychosis. These treatments include antipsychotic medication, nutritional supplements such as omega-3 fatty acids and psychological treatment. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has been tested as a potentially effective intervention in this group. Here we describe a case of a male adolescent with UHR psychotic symptoms with focus on challenges of assessing the UHR in adolescents and issues of providing effective age appropriate interventions.

"Two for flinching": children's and adolescents' narrative accounts of harming their friends and siblings.

PubMed

Recchia, Holly; Wainryb, Cecilia; Pasupathi, Monisha

2013-01-01

This study investigated differences in children's and adolescents' experiences of harming their siblings and friends. Participants (N = 101; 7-, 11-, and 16-year-olds) provided accounts of events when they hurt a younger sibling and a friend. Harm against friends was described as unusual, unforeseeable, and circumstantial. By contrast, harm against siblings was described as typical, ruthless, angry, and provoked, but also elicited more negative moral judgments and more feelings of remorse and regret. Whereas younger children were more self-oriented with siblings and other-oriented with friends, accounts of harm across relationships became somewhat more similar with age. Results provide insight into how these two relationships serve as distinct contexts for sociomoral development. © 2013 The Authors. Child Development © 2013 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

Later Education Start Times in Adolescence: Time for Change

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kelley, Paul; Lee, Clark

2015-01-01

School start times for adolescents in the United States are typically too early to be healthy for this age group. There is significant evidence from the research literature that early starts have serious negative impacts on students. In particular, early education start times in adolescence cause chronic sleep deprivation, which damages both…

Examining the Link between Stress Events and Prosocial Behavior in Adolescents: More Ordinary Magic?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Larson, Andrea; Moses, Tally

2017-01-01

Scholarship regarding adolescent resilience has typically defined resilience as the absence of negative outcomes rather than the existence of positive outcomes. This study drew on the challenge model of resilience, which anticipates a curvilinear relationship between stress exposure and adaptive functioning, to test whether adolescents reporting…

Parents, Friends, and Romantic Partners: Enmeshment in Deviant Networks and Adolescent Delinquency Involvement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lonardo, Robert A.; Giordano, Peggy C.; Longmore, Monica A.; Manning, Wendy D.

2009-01-01

Adolescent networks include parents, friends, and romantic partners, but research on the social learning mechanisms related to delinquency has not typically examined the characteristics of all three domains simultaneously. Analyses draw on data from the Toledo Adolescent Relationships Study (n = 957), and our analytic sample contains 51% male and…

Maternal Identity of Hearing Mothers of Deaf Adolescents. Empirical Studies: An Interpersonal Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kobosko, Joanna; Zalewska, Marina

2011-01-01

The maternal identity of mothers of adolescents who are deaf has certain specific features compared with mothers of adolescents who have typical hearing. That is, maternal identity differs with respect to distinctiveness, self-representation, and representation of mother-child relationships. A study using a comparative paradigm was conducted. The…

The Effects of a Summary Writing Strategy on the Literacy Skills of Adolescents with Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Asaro-Saddler, Kristie; Muir-Knox, Haley; Meredith, Holly

2018-01-01

Many adolescents, particularly adolescents with disabilities, have difficulty with literacy tasks such as reading and writing. Yet research has found that when students with disabilities receive appropriate instruction, they typically are able to improve their overall writing outcomes. This study explored the effectiveness of a summary writing…

Aerobic Capacity in Children and Adolescents with Cerebral Palsy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Verschuren, Olaf; Takken, Tim

2010-01-01

This study described the aerobic capacity [VO[subscript 2peak] (ml/kg/min)] in contemporary children and adolescents with cerebral palsy (CP) using a maximal exercise test protocol. Twenty-four children and adolescents with CP classified at Gross Motor Functional Classification Scale (GMFCS) level I or level II and 336 typically developing…

Self-esteem, shyness, and sociability in adolescents with specific language impairment (SLI).

PubMed

Wadman, Ruth; Durkin, Kevin; Conti-Ramsden, Gina

2008-08-01

To determine if lower global self-esteem, shyness, and low sociability are outcomes associated with SLI in adolescence. Possible concurrent predictive relationships and gender differences were also examined. Fifty-four adolescents with SLI, aged between 16 and 17 years, were compared with a group of 54 adolescents with typical language abilities on the Rosenberg Self-Esteem scale (Rosenberg, 1965) and the Cheek and Buss Shyness and Sociability scales (Cheek & Buss, 1981). The SLI group had significantly lower global self-esteem scores than the group with typical language abilities. The adolescents with SLI were more shy than their peers, but the groups did not differ in their sociability ratings. Regression analysis found that language ability was not concurrently predictive of self-esteem but shyness was. Mediation analysis suggested that shyness could be a partial but significant mediator in the relationship between language ability and global self-esteem. Older adolescents with SLI are at risk of lower global self-esteem and experience shyness, although they want to interact socially. The relationship between language ability and self-esteem at this point in adolescence is complex, with shyness potentially playing an important mediating role.

Changing epistemologies under conditions of social change in two Arab communities in Israel.

PubMed

Weinstock, Michael

2015-02-01

The study of epistemic thinking focuses on how people understand and coordinate objective and subjective aspects of knowing and make sense of multiple and discrepant knowledge claims. Typically described in terms of normative development, cross-cultural studies show differences in epistemic development and characteristics of epistemic thinking. This study focuses on within-culture variations of epistemic thinking, with the assumption that social change will produce changes in development. Arab society in Israel has undergone notable change over the last half century. In this cross-sectional research design, cross-generational comparison and rural-urban comparison were used as proxies for longitudinal social change. Three generations of Muslim Arab women in a village in Israel (20 adolescents, 20 mothers and 20 grandmothers) and 20 Muslim Arab adolescents from a large, mixed city in the same region responded to six dilemmas invoking epistemic thinking. Village adolescents were more subjectivist than their mothers and grandmothers. Sociodemographic characteristics representing greater exposure to diverse people and ideas accounted for generational differences. Both urban and rural adolescents tended towards subjectivist perspectives, and they did not differ. Parents' education levels emerged as the sociodemographic variables most consistently related to epistemic thinking. Epistemic thinking mediated the relationship between generation and gender role/cross-sex relation values. © 2014 International Union of Psychological Science.

Increased sign-tracking behavior in adolescent rats.

PubMed

DeAngeli, Nicole E; Miller, Sarah B; Meyer, Heidi C; Bucci, David J

2017-11-01

An autoshaping procedure was used to test the notion that conditioned stimuli (CSs) gain greater incentive salience during adolescence than young adulthood under conditions of social isolation rearing and food restriction. Rats were single-housed and placed on food restriction during 10 daily training sessions in which a lever (CS + ) was presented then followed immediately by a food unconditioned stimulus (US). A second lever (CS - ) was presented on intermixed trials and was not reinforced. Despite the fact that food delivery was not contingent on the rats' behavior, all rats exhibited behaviors directed towards the lever (i.e., sign-tracking). In the adolescent group, the rate of lever pressing and the percentage of trials with a lever press were higher than in young adults. Initially, group differences were observed when rats were retrained when the adolescents had reached young adulthood. These findings support the hypothesis that cues that come to predict reward become imbued with excessive motivational value in adolescents, perhaps contributing to the hyper-responsiveness to reward-related stimuli typically observed during this period of development. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Development of the Cerebral Cortex across Adolescence: A Multisample Study of Inter-Related Longitudinal Changes in Cortical Volume, Surface Area, and Thickness.

PubMed

Tamnes, Christian K; Herting, Megan M; Goddings, Anne-Lise; Meuwese, Rosa; Blakemore, Sarah-Jayne; Dahl, Ronald E; Güroğlu, Berna; Raznahan, Armin; Sowell, Elizabeth R; Crone, Eveline A; Mills, Kathryn L

2017-03-22

Before we can assess and interpret how developmental changes in human brain structure relate to cognition, affect, and motivation, and how these processes are perturbed in clinical or at-risk populations, we must first precisely understand typical brain development and how changes in different structural components relate to each other. We conducted a multisample magnetic resonance imaging study to investigate the development of cortical volume, surface area, and thickness, as well as their inter-relationships, from late childhood to early adulthood (7-29 years) using four separate longitudinal samples including 388 participants and 854 total scans. These independent datasets were processed and quality-controlled using the same methods, but analyzed separately to study the replicability of the results across sample and image-acquisition characteristics. The results consistently showed widespread and regionally variable nonlinear decreases in cortical volume and thickness and comparably smaller steady decreases in surface area. Further, the dominant contributor to cortical volume reductions during adolescence was thinning. Finally, complex regional and topological patterns of associations between changes in surface area and thickness were observed. Positive relationships were seen in sulcal regions in prefrontal and temporal cortices, while negative relationships were seen mainly in gyral regions in more posterior cortices. Collectively, these results help resolve previous inconsistencies regarding the structural development of the cerebral cortex from childhood to adulthood, and provide novel insight into how changes in the different dimensions of the cortex in this period of life are inter-related. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Different measures of brain anatomy develop differently across adolescence. Their precise trajectories and how they relate to each other throughout development are important to know if we are to fully understand both typical development and disorders involving aberrant brain development. However, our understanding of such trajectories and relationships is still incomplete. To provide accurate characterizations of how different measures of cortical structure develop, we performed an MRI investigation across four independent datasets. The most profound anatomical change in the cortex during adolescence was thinning, with the largest decreases observed in the parietal lobe. There were complex regional patterns of associations between changes in surface area and thickness, with positive relationships seen in sulcal regions in prefrontal and temporal cortices, and negative relationships seen mainly in gyral regions in more posterior cortices. Copyright © 2017 Tamnes et al.

Cognitive Therapy for Social Anxiety Disorder in Adolescents: A Development Case Series.

PubMed

Leigh, Eleanor; Clark, David M

2016-01-01

Social anxiety disorder is common and typically starts in childhood or adolescence. Cognitive Therapy for Social Anxiety Disorder (CT-SAD) in adults is a well-established treatment that shows strong evidence of differential effectiveness when compared to other active treatments. In contrast, CBT approaches to social anxiety in young people have yet to demonstrate differential effectiveness and there is some evidence that young people with social anxiety disorder respond less well than those with other anxiety disorders. To adapt CT-SAD for use with adolescents and conduct a pilot case series. Five adolescents, aged 11-17 years, with a primary DSM-5 diagnosis of social anxiety disorder received a course of CT-SAD adapted for adolescents. Standardized clinical interview and questionnaire assessments were conducted at pre and posttreatment, and 2 to 3-month follow-up. All five participants reported severe social anxiety at baseline and achieved remission by the end of treatment. Significant improvements were also observed in general anxiety, depression, concentration in the classroom, and putative process measures (social anxiety related thoughts, beliefs and safety behaviours). An adapted form of CT-SAD shows promise as a treatment for adolescents.

Charting the expansion of strategic exploratory behavior during adolescence.

PubMed

Somerville, Leah H; Sasse, Stephanie F; Garrad, Megan C; Drysdale, Andrew T; Abi Akar, Nadine; Insel, Catherine; Wilson, Robert C

2017-02-01

Although models of exploratory decision making implicate a suite of strategies that guide the pursuit of information, the developmental emergence of these strategies remains poorly understood. This study takes an interdisciplinary perspective, merging computational decision making and developmental approaches to characterize age-related shifts in exploratory strategy from adolescence to young adulthood. Participants were 149 12-28-year-olds who completed a computational explore-exploit paradigm that manipulated reward value, information value, and decision horizon (i.e., the utility that information holds for future choices). Strategic directed exploration, defined as information seeking selective for long time horizons, emerged during adolescence and maintained its level through early adulthood. This age difference was partially driven by adolescents valuing immediate reward over new information. Strategic random exploration, defined as stochastic choice behavior selective for long time horizons, was invoked at comparable levels over the age range, and predicted individual differences in attitudes toward risk taking in daily life within the adolescent portion of the sample. Collectively, these findings reveal an expansion of the diversity of strategic exploration over development, implicate distinct mechanisms for directed and random exploratory strategies, and suggest novel mechanisms for adolescent-typical shifts in decision making. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Longitudinal Associations from Neurobehavioral Disinhibition to Adolescent Risky Sexual Behavior in Boys: Direct and Mediated Effects through Moderate Alcohol Consumption

PubMed Central

Riggs, Nathaniel R.; Tate, Eleanor B.; Ridenour, Ty A.; Reynolds, Maureen D.; Zhai, Zu W.; Vanyukov, Michael M.; Tarter, Ralph E.

2013-01-01

Purpose This longitudinal study tested the hypothesis that neurobehavioral disinhibition (ND) in childhood, mediated by alcohol use, portends risky sexual behavior (number of sexual partners) in mid-adolescence. Methods Participants were 410 adolescent boys. Neurobehavioral disinhibition was assessed at 11.3 years of age. Frequency and quantity of alcohol use on a typical drinking occasion were assessed at 13.4 years of age at first follow-up and sexual behavior at 16.0 years at second follow-up. Results Quantity of alcohol consumed on a typical drinking occasion, but not frequency of alcohol use, mediated the relation between ND and number of sexual partners. Conclusions These findings indicate that number of sexual partners in mid-adolescence is predicted by individual differences in boys’ psychological self-regulation during childhood and moderate alcohol consumption in early adolescence, and that ND may be a potential target for multi-outcome public health interventions. PMID:23876782

Psychosexual development in adolescents and adults with disorders of sex development--results from the German Clinical Evaluation Study.

PubMed

Jürgensen, Martina; Kleinemeier, Eva; Lux, Anke; Steensma, Thomas D; Cohen-Kettenis, Peggy T; Hiort, Olaf; Thyen, Ute; Köhler, Birgit

2013-11-01

Both biological and psychosocial factors influence psychosexual development. High levels of pre- and postnatal androgens lead to more male-typical behavior. So far, the influence of androgens on gender identity and sexual orientation is unclear. Disorders of sex development (DSDs) are heterogeneous genetic conditions with different levels of prenatal androgens resulting in variations of genital development. Through DSD, the role of the different factors, especially androgen exposure, on psychosexual development can be evaluated. The purpose of the study was to assess psychosexual development in adolescents and adults with different forms of DSD. For the examination of psychosexual development of 66 adolescents and 110 adults with DSD, the authors used the Utrecht Gender Dysphoria Scale for adolescents, the Questionnaire of Gender Identity for adults, and a condition-specific DSD study questionnaire. Individuals were analyzed in four subgroups reflecting the karyotype, absence/presence of androgen effects, and gender of rearing. Main outcome measures used were gender identity, friendships, love and sexual relationships, and sexual orientation in adolescents and adults with DSD. Individuals with DSD did not show increased gender dysphoria. However, partnership and sexuality were identified to be difficult areas of life. Both adolescents and adults with DSD reported fewer experiences regarding love or sexual relationships compared with unaffected individuals. Especially men with DSD and undervirilization and women with DSD and androgen effects less often had a love relationship. Adult women with DSD and androgen effects more frequently engaged in love and sexual relationships with individuals of the same gender compared with women without DSD. Individuals with DSD experience atypical hormonal influences (higher levels of androgens in girls/women and lower levels in androgens in boys/men); however, they did not show increased gender dysphoria in this study. However, partnership and sexual relationships are difficult areas of life for adolescents and adults with DSD. We recommend that individuals with DSD should get support from a multiprofessional team with competency in assessing and counseling issues regarding relationships and sexuality. Contact to other individuals with DSD can be helpful for nonprofessional support and exchange of experiences. © 2012 International Society for Sexual Medicine.

Supporting the Spectrum Hypothesis: Self-Reported Temperament in Children and Adolescents with High Functioning Autism.

PubMed

Burrows, Catherine A; Usher, Lauren V; Schwartz, Caley B; Mundy, Peter C; Henderson, Heather A

2016-04-01

This study tested the spectrum hypothesis, which posits that children and adolescents with high functioning autism (HFA) differ quantitatively but not qualitatively from typically developing peers on self-reported temperament. Temperament refers to early-appearing, relatively stable behavioral and emotional tendencies, which relate to maladaptive behaviors across clinical populations. Quantitatively, participants with HFA (N = 104, aged 10-16) self-reported less surgency and more negative affect but did not differ from comparison participants (N = 94, aged 10-16) on effortful control or affiliation. Qualitatively, groups demonstrated comparable reliability of self-reported temperament and associations between temperament and parent-reported behavior problems. These findings support the spectrum hypothesis, highlighting the utility of self-report temperament measures for understanding individual differences in comorbid behavior problems among children and adolescents with HFA.

Supporting the Spectrum Hypothesis: Self-Reported Temperament in Children and Adolescents with High Functioning Autism

PubMed Central

Burrows, Catherine A.; Usher, Lauren V.; Schwartz, Caley B.; Mundy, Peter C.; Henderson, Heather A.

2015-01-01

This study tested the spectrum hypothesis, which posits that children and adolescents with high functioning autism (HFA) differ quantitatively but not qualitatively from typically developing peers on self-reported temperament. Temperament refers to early-appearing, relatively stable behavioral and emotional tendencies, which relate to maladaptive behaviors across clinical populations. Quantitatively, participants with HFA (N=104, aged 10–16) self-reported less Surgency and more Negative Affect but did not differ from comparison participants (N=94, aged 10–16) on Effortful Control or Affiliation. Qualitatively, groups demonstrated comparable reliability of self-reported temperament and associations between temperament and parent-reported behavior problems. These findings support the spectrum hypothesis, highlighting the utility of self-report temperament measures for understanding individual differences in comorbid behavior problems among children and adolescents with HFA. PMID:26589536

Deficit in implicit motor sequence learning among children and adolescents with spastic cerebral palsy.

PubMed

Gofer-Levi, Moran; Silberg, Tamar; Brezner, Amichai; Vakil, Eli

2013-11-01

Skill learning (SL) is learning as a result of repeated exposure and practice, which encompasses independent explicit (response to instructions) and implicit (response to hidden regularities) processes. Little is known about the effects of developmental disorders, such as Cerebral Palsy (CP), on the ability to acquire new skills. We compared performance of CP and typically developing (TD) children and adolescents in completing the serial reaction time (SRT) task, which is a motor sequence learning task, and examined the impact of various factors on this performance as indicative of the ability to acquire motor skills. While both groups improved in performance, participants with CP were significantly slower than TD controls and did not learn the implicit sequence. Our results indicate that SL in children and adolescents with CP is qualitatively and quantitatively different than that of their peers. Understanding the unique aspects of SL in children and adolescents with CP might help plan appropriate and efficient interventions. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Self-perception, self-regulation and metacognition in adolescents with intellectual disability.

PubMed

Nader-Grosbois, Nathalie

2014-06-01

This study compares self-perception of competences in 28 typically developing children (TD) aged 7-9 years and 32 adolescents with intellectual disability (ID) aged 11-16 years in special school, matched for mental age (MA). The links between self-perception, self-regulation in problem-solving and metacognition are investigated. Overall self-perception and self-perception of competences by domain do not differ significantly between the two groups. Self-perception of competences in specific domains, self-regulation and metacognition vary depending on MA and verbal comprehension in the two groups. ID adolescents attribute more importance to social acceptance than TD children. In both groups, positive links are identified between self-perception and importance attributed to domains. Performance, self-regulation and metacognition are lower in ID adolescents than in TD children. Positive links are obtained between self-perception of competences in specific domains and certain self-regulatory and metacognitive strategies, although these links differ in the two groups. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Teaching social perception skills to adolescents with autism and intellectual disabilities using video-based group instruction.

PubMed

Stauch, Tiffany A; Plavnick, Joshua B; Sankar, Sudha; Gallagher, Annie C

2018-05-17

Few interventions focus on teaching social skills to adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disabilities (ID) that are consistently used during interactions with peers ( Carter et al., 2014). The present study evaluated the effects of video-based group instruction (VGI) on the acquisition of social perception skills of five adolescents with ASD or ID in a public school setting. Social perception involves observing affective behaviors of others, discriminating relevant environmental stimuli, and differentially reinforcing the affective behavior of another person. Typically developing peers supported VGI implementation as social partners for participants. A multiple probe design across behaviors demonstrated the effectiveness of VGI for teaching social perception skills. Four of five participants acquired and maintained the targeted social perception skills, and we observed some transfer to a nontreatment setting. Results of this study suggest VGI may support the acquisition of social perception among adolescents with ASD or ID. © 2018 Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

Visual-spatial cognition in children using aided communication.

PubMed

Stadskleiv, Kristine; Batorowicz, Beata; Massaro, Munique; van Balkom, Hans; von Tetzchner, Stephen

2018-03-01

Children with severe motor impairments are restricted in their manipulation and exploration of objects, but little is known about how such limitations influence cognitive development. This study investigated visual-constructional abilities in 75 children and adolescents, aged 5;0-15;11 (years;months), with severe speech impairments and no intellectual disabilities (aided group) and in 56 children and adolescents with typical development (reference group). Verbal comprehension, non-verbal reasoning, and visual-spatial perception were assessed with standardized tests. The task of the participants was to verbally instruct communication partners to make physical constructions identical to models that the partner could not see. In the aided group, 55.7% of the constructions were identical to the models participants described, compared to 91.3% in the reference group. In the aided group, test results explained 51.4% of the variance in construction errors. The results indicate that the participants' language skills were decisive for construction success. Visual-perceptual challenges were common among the aided communicators, and their instructions included little information about size and spatial relations. This may reflect less experience with object manipulation and construction than children with typical development, and using aided communication to instruct others to make three-dimensional constructions. The results imply a need for interventions that compensate for the lack of relevant experience.

Working Memory Structure in 10- and 15-Year Old Children with Mild to Borderline Intellectual, Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van der Molen, Mariet J.

2010-01-01

The validity of Baddeley's working memory model within the typically developing population, was tested. However, it is not clear if this model also holds in children and adolescents with mild to, borderline intellectual disabilities (ID; IQ score 55-85). The main purpose of this study was therefore, to explore the model's validity in this…

Computer-Based and Paper-Based Reading Comprehension in Adolescents with Typical Language Development and Language-Learning Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Srivastava, Pradyumn; Gray, Shelley

2012-01-01

Purpose: With the global expansion of technology, our reading platform has shifted from traditional text to hypertext, yet little consideration has been given to how this shift might help or hinder students' reading comprehension. The purpose of this study was to compare reading comprehension of computer-based and paper-based texts in adolescents…

Randomized Controlled Double-Blind Trial of Optimal Dose Methylphenidate in Children and Adolescents with Severe Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Intellectual Disability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simonoff, Emily; Taylor, Eric; Baird, Gillian; Bernard, Sarah; Chadwick, Oliver; Liang, Holan; Whitwell, Susannah; Riemer, Kirsten; Sharma, Kishan; Sharma, Santvana Pandey; Wood, Nicky; Kelly, Joanna; Golaszewski, Ania; Kennedy, Juliet; Rodney, Lydia; West, Nicole; Walwyn, Rebecca; Jichi, Fatima

2013-01-01

Background: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is increased in children with intellectual disability. Previous research has suggested stimulants are less effective than in typically developing children but no studies have titrated medication for individual optimal dosing or tested the effects for longer than 4 weeks. Method: One hundred and…

Social Function and Communication in Optimal Outcome Children and Adolescents with an Autism History on Structured Test Measures

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Orinstein, Alyssa J.; Suh, Joyce; Porter, Kaitlyn; De Yoe, Kaitlin A.; Tyson, Katherine E.; Troyb, Eva; Barton, Marianne L.; Eigsti, Inge-Marie; Stevens, Michael C.; Fein, Deborah A.

2015-01-01

Youth who lose their ASD diagnosis may have subtle social and communication difficulties. We examined social and communication functioning in 44 high-functioning autism (HFA), 34 optimal outcome (OO) and 34 typically developing (TD) youth. Results indicated that OO participants had no autism communication symptoms, no pragmatic language deficits,…

Feasibility of Using Actigraphy and Motivational-Based Interviewing to Improve Sleep among School-Age Children and Their Parents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Willgerodt, Mayumi A.; Kieckhefer, Gail M.; Ward, Teresa M.; Lentz, Martha J.

2014-01-01

Inadequate sleep occurs in 25% of our nation's children; poor sleep is associated with physical, cognitive, and social consequences. Developing good sleep hygiene in middle childhood is important, because habits typically extend to adolescence and adulthood; yet, there has been little research on sleep interventions for school-age children. The…

Decoding of Emotion through Facial Expression, Prosody and Verbal Content in Children and Adolescents with Asperger's Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lindner, Jennifer L.; Rosen, Lee A.

2006-01-01

This study examined differences in the ability to decode emotion through facial expression, prosody, and verbal content between 14 children with Asperger's Syndrome (AS) and 16 typically developing peers. The ability to decode emotion was measured by the Perception of Emotion Test (POET), which portrayed the emotions of happy, angry, sad, and…

Brief Report: Bullying and Anxiety in High-Functioning Adolescents with ASD

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van Schalkwyk, Gerrit; Smith, Isaac C.; Silverman, Wendy K.; Volkmar, Fred R.

2018-01-01

Youth with ASD are more likely to experience bullying than their typically developing peers. This risk has not been studied in youth with ASD transitioning to college. We examined the occurrence of bullying in 35 high functioning youth with ASD who were preparing to attend college. We also examined youth anxiety and ASD symptoms. Fifty-one percent…

Divergent Patterns of Social Cognition Performance in Autism and 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome (22q11DS)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCabe, Kathryn L.; Melville, Jessica L.; Rich, Dominique; Strutt, Paul A.; Cooper, Gavin; Loughland, Carmel M.; Schall, Ulrich; Campbell, Linda E.

2013-01-01

Individuals with developmental disorders frequently report a range of social cognition deficits including difficulties identifying facial displays of emotion. This study examined the specificity of face emotion processing deficits in adolescents with either autism or 22q11DS compared to typically developing (TD) controls. Two tasks (face emotion…

How Anxious Do You Think I Am? Relationship between State and Trait Anxiety in Children with and without ASD during Social Tasks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mertens, J.; Zane, E. R.; Neumeyer, K.; Grossman, R. B.

2017-01-01

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often exhibit increased anxiety, even in non-stressful situations. We investigate general anxiousness (anxiety trait) and responses to stressful situations (anxiety state) in 22 adolescents with ASD and 32 typically developing controls. We measured trait anxiety with standardized self- and…

Adolescent Brain Development and Underage Drinking in the United States: Identifying Risks of Alcohol Use in College Populations

PubMed Central

Silveri, Marisa M.

2015-01-01

Alcohol use typically is initiated during adolescence, an age period that overlaps with critical structural and functional maturation of the brain. Brain maturation and associated improvements in decision-making continue into the second decade of life, reaching plateaus within the period referred to as “emerging adulthood” (18–24 years). Emerging adulthood is the typical age span of the traditionally aged college student, which includes the age (21 years) when alcohol consumption becomes legal in the United States. This review highlights neurobiological evidence indicating the vulnerabilities of the emerging adult brain to alcohol effects. This review also identifies that reduced sensitivity to alcohol sedation and increased sensitivity to alcohol-related disruptions in memory, positive family history of alcoholism effects on brain structure and function, and emerging co-morbid psychiatric conditions serve as unique vulnerabilities that increase the risks associated with underage alcohol use. These vulnerabilities likely contribute to excessive and unsupervised drinking in college students. Discouraging alcohol consumption until neurobiological adulthood is reached is important for minimizing alcohol-related disruptions in brain development and decision-making capacity, and reducing the negative behavioral consequences associated with underage alcohol use. PMID:22894728

Pediatric obesity: Parallels with addiction and treatment recommendations

PubMed Central

Acosta, Michelle C.; Manubay, Jeanne; Levin, Frances R.

2012-01-01

Rates of pediatric obesity have increased dramatically over the past decade. This trend is particularly alarming as obesity is associated with significant medical and psychosocial consequences. Obesity may contribute to cardiovascular, metabolic, and hepatic complications, as well as psychiatric difficulties. The development of obesity appears to be influenced by a complex array of genetic, metabolic, and neural frameworks, as well as behavior, eating habits, and physical activity. Numerous parallels exist between obesity and addictive behaviors, including genetic predisposition, personality, environmental risk factors, and common neurobiological pathways in the brain. Typical treatments for pediatric obesity include behavioral interventions targeting diet and/or exercise. Treatments focusing on diet and exercise have yielded mixed results, and typically have been examined in specialty clinic populations, limiting their generalizability. There are limited medication options for overweight children and adolescents, and no approved medical intervention in children younger than 16. Bariatric surgery may be an option for some adolescents, but due to the risks of surgery it is often seen as a last resort. The parallels between addiction and obesity aid in the development of novel interventions for pediatric obesity. Motivational enhancement and cognitive-behavioral strategies used in addiction treatment may serve to be beneficial. PMID:18415881

Girls Discuss Choice of an All-Girl Middle School: Narrative Analysis of an Early Adolescent Identity Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baron, Emilia; Bell, Nancy J.; Corson, Kimberly; Kostina-Ritchey, Erin; Frederick, Helyne

2012-01-01

The narrative creation of identity by young adolescents has so far been addressed mainly from an identity-in-interaction perspective, focusing attention on the multiplicity and variability of identity negotiation as adolescents interact with others, typically with peers. In contrast, a sociocultural/dialogical perspective draws attention to the…

Iraqi Adolescents: Self-Regard, Self-Derogation, and Perceived Threat in War

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carlton-Ford, Steve; Ender, Morten G.; Tabatabai, Ahoo

2008-01-01

A year into the 2003 US-Iraq war, how were adolescents in Baghdad faring? Conflict-related events typically lower psychological well-being; in contrast, investment in and protection of threatened identities should lead to self-esteem striving and, presumably, better well-being. How threatened do Iraqi adolescents feel? Is their self-esteem related…

How Adolescents Comprehend Unfamiliar Proverbs: The Role of Top-Down and Bottom-Up Processes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nippold, Marilyn A.; Allen, Melissa M.; Kirsch, Dixon I.

2000-01-01

Relationships between word knowledge and proverb comprehension was examined in 150 typically achieving adolescents (ages 12, 15, and 18). Word knowledge was associated with proverb comprehension in all groups, particularly in the case of abstract proverbs. Results support a model of proverb comprehension in adolescents that includes bottom-up in…

Discrepancies in Military Middle-School Adolescents' and Parents' Perceptions of Family Functioning, Social Support, Anger Frequency, and Concerns

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crow, Janet R.; Seybold, Amanda K.

2013-01-01

Previous literature suggests that adolescents' and parents' perceptions of family functioning are typically quite disparate and that perceptual discrepancies increase when a family is under stress. During the years of deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan adolescents in military families have faced uniquely stressful circumstances which may…

Differences in pedal forces during recumbent cycling in adolescents with and without cerebral palsy

PubMed Central

Johnston, Therese E.; Prosser, Laura A.; Lee, Samuel C.K.

2011-01-01

Background We showed that subjects with cerebral palsy had greater transverse and frontal plane hip and knee motion, increased duration of muscle activity, increased cocontraction, and decreased efficiency during recumbent cycling than subjects with typical development. However, it is also important to understand the forces exerted on the pedals. The purpose of this report was to compare pedal forces during cycling between adolescents with and without cerebral palsy. Methods Ten subjects (3 male, 7 female) with spastic diplegic or quadriplegic cerebral palsy (15.6 years, SD 1.8) and 10 subjects (3 male, 7 female) with typical development (14.9 years, SD 1.4) cycled on a stationary recumbent cycle at 30 and 60 revolutions per minute if able. Three-dimensional piezoelectric force transducers measured pedal forces. Data were analyzed using two-way ANOVAs. Findings Subjects with cerebral palsy spent a smaller percentage (P < .001, r2 = .09, power = 1.0) of the revolution applying positive force (pushing into the pedal during the extension phase) and a greater percentage (P < .001, r2 = .09, power = 1.0) of the revolution applying negative force (pulling away from the pedal during the flexion phase). There was no effect of cadence and no interaction effect. Interpretation These findings compliment our earlier findings of altered joint kinematics and muscle activity indicating that subjects with cerebral palsy and typical development have different cycling strategies. Methods to increase the duration of the positive force may allow subjects with CP to cycle more successfully and cycle vigorously enough to reach a heart rate necessary for improving fitness. PMID:17950505

The predictive effect of empathy and social norms on adolescents' implicit and explicit stigma responses.

PubMed

Silke, Charlotte; Swords, Lorraine; Heary, Caroline

2017-11-01

Research indicates that adolescents who experience mental health difficulties are frequently stigmatised by their peers. Stigmatisation is associated with a host of negative social and psychological effects, which impacts a young person's well-being. As a result, the development of effective anti-stigma strategies is considered a major research priority. However, in order to design effective stigma reduction strategies, researchers must be informed by an understanding of the factors that influence the expression of stigma. Although evidence suggests that empathy and social norms have a considerable effect on adolescents' social attitudes and behaviours, research has yet to examine whether these factors significantly influence adolescents' responses toward their peers with mental health difficulties. Thus, this study aims to examine whether empathy (cognitive and affective) and peer norms (descriptive and injunctive) influence adolescents' implicit and explicit stigmatising responses toward peers with mental health problems. A total of 570 (221 male and 348 female; 1 non-specified) adolescents, aged between 13 and 18 years (M = 15.51, SD = 1.13), participated in this research. Adolescents read vignettes describing male/female depressed and 'typically developing' peers. Adolescents answered questions assessing their stigmatising responses toward each target, as well as their empathic responding and normative perceptions. A sub-sample of participants (n=173) also completed an IAT assessing their implicit stigmatising responses. Results showed that descriptive norms exerted a substantial effect on adolescents' explicit responses. Cognitive empathy, affective empathy and injunctive norms exerted more limited effects on explicit responses. No significant effects were observed for implicit stigma. Overall, empathy was found to have limited effects on adolescents' explicit and implicit stigmatising responses, which may suggest that other contextual variables moderate the effects of dispositional empathy on responding. In conclusion, these findings suggest that tackling the perception of negative descriptive norms may be an effective strategy for reducing explicit stigmatising responses among adolescents. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Development of the Neural Substrates of Cognitive Control in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders

PubMed Central

Solomon, Marjorie; Yoon, Jong; Ragland, J. Daniel; Niendam, Tara; Lesh, Tyler A.; Fairbrother, Wonja; Carter, Cameron S.

2013-01-01

Background Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) involve impairments in cognitive control. In typical development (TYP), neural systems underlying cognitive control undergo substantial maturation during adolescence. Development is delayed in adolescents with ASD. Little is known about the neural substrates of this delay. Method We used event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and a cognitive control task involving overcoming a prepotent response tendency to examine the development of cognitive control in young (ages 12–15; n = 13 with ASD and n = 13 with TYP) and older (ages 16–18; n= 14 with ASD and n = 14 with TYP) adolescents with whole-brain voxel-wise univariate and task-related functional connectivity analyses. Results Older ASD and TYP showed reduced activation in sensory and premotor areas relative to younger ones. The older ASD group showed reduced left parietal activation relative to TYP. Functional connectivity analyses showed a significant age by group interaction with the older ASD group exhibiting increased functional connectivity strength between the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC) and the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), bilaterally. This functional connectivity strength was related to task performance in ASD, whereas that between DLPFC and parietal cortex (BA 9 and BA 40) was related to task performance in TYP. Conclusions Adolescents with ASD rely more on “reactive” cognitive control, involving last minute conflict detection and control implementation by the ACC and VLPFC, versus “proactive” cognitive control requiring processing by DLPFC and parietal cortex. Findings await replication in larger longitudinal studies that examine their functional consequences and amenability to intervention. PMID:24209777

Third world programs confront adolescent fertility.

PubMed

1978-08-01

Recently, there have been efforts to identify workable youth programs and effective research projects that could deal with the problem of adolescent fertility. Typical objectives identified at various conferences concerned with this problem included the following: 1) focus attention on the adverse medical and socioeconomic efforts of early pregnancy; 2) draw attention to the current dimensions of adolescent fertility and its changing patterns; 3) encourage development of programs; and 4) impress decision makers with the importance of programs for adolescents. These conferences express a sense of urgency in developing programs before teen-age pregnancy reaches epidemic proportions. Most of the projects already underway are still pilot efforts and have an impact on a very small sector of the population. Yet, they are positive steps toward a solution of the rising problems of adolescent fertility and help to identify workable solutions. A few of these projects -- underway in Colombia, Argentina, Chile, Cost Rica, Guatemala and Mexico -- are reviewed. The consensus of all conferences held to date has been that cross-cultural interchanges is crucial to the spread of programs and ideas that can be adapted to local conditions. 2 key recommendations have emerged from a meeting of donor and support agencies held in Washington, D.C. in May: 1) a major conference should take place during the International Year of the Child (1979) that would focus on early sexual activity and fertility and 2) an Adolescent Fertility Council should be appointed. An Adolescent Fertility Council would provide a structure to correlate and stimulate interaction, while recognizing that country and culture specific programs are essential.

Paradoxical effects of injection stress and nicotine exposure experienced during adolescence on learning in a serial multiple choice (SMC) task in adult female rats.

PubMed

Renaud, Samantha M; Pickens, Laura R G; Fountain, Stephen B

2015-01-01

Nicotine exposure in adolescent rats has been shown to cause learning impairments that persist into adulthood long after nicotine exposure has ended. This study was designed to assess the extent to which the effects of adolescent nicotine exposure on learning in adulthood can be accounted for by adolescent injection stress experienced concurrently with adolescent nicotine exposure. Female rats received either 0.033 mg/h nicotine (expressed as the weight of the free base) or bacteriostatic water vehicle by osmotic pump infusion on postnatal days 25-53 (P25-53). Half of the nicotine-exposed rats and half of the vehicle rats also received twice-daily injection stress consisting of intraperitoneal saline injections on P26-53. Together these procedures produced 4 groups: No Nicotine/No Stress, Nicotine/No Stress, No Nicotine/Stress, and Nicotine/Stress. On P65-99, rats were trained to perform a structurally complex 24-element serial pattern of responses in the serial multiple choice (SMC) task. Four general results were obtained in the current study. First, learning for within-chunk elements was not affected by either adolescent nicotine exposure, consistent with past work (Pickens, Rowan, Bevins, and Fountain, 2013), or adolescent injection stress. Thus, there were no effects of adolescent nicotine exposure or injection stress on adult within-chunk learning typically attributed to rule learning in the SMC task. Second, adolescent injection stress alone (i.e., without concurrent nicotine exposure) caused transient but significant facilitation of adult learning restricted to a single element of the 24-element pattern, namely, the "violation element," that was the only element of the pattern that was inconsistent with pattern structure. Thus, adolescent injection stress alone facilitated violation element acquisition in adulthood. Third, also consistent with past work (Pickens et al., 2013), adolescent nicotine exposure, in this case both with and without adolescent injection stress, caused a learning impairment in adulthood for the violation element in female rats. Thus, adolescent nicotine impaired adult violation element learning typically attributed to multiple-item learning in the SMC task. Fourth, a paradoxical interaction of injection stress and nicotine exposure in acquisition was observed. In the same female rats in which violation-element learning was impaired by adolescent nicotine exposure, adolescent nicotine experienced without adolescent injection stress produced better learning for chunk-boundary elements in adulthood compared to all other conditions. Thus, adolescent nicotine without concurrent injection stress facilitated adult chunk-boundary element learning typically attributed to concurrent stimulus-response discrimination learning and serial-position learning in the SMC task. To the best of our knowledge, the current study is the first to demonstrate facilitation of adult learning caused by adolescent nicotine exposure. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Paradoxical Effects of Injection Stress and Nicotine Exposure Experienced During Adolescence on Learning in a Serial Multiple Choice (SMC) Task in Adult Female Rats

PubMed Central

Renaud, Samantha M.; Pickens, Laura R. G.; Fountain, Stephen B.

2015-01-01

Nicotine exposure in adolescent rats has been shown to cause learning impairments that persist into adulthood long after nicotine exposure has ended. This study was designed to assess the extent to which the effects of adolescent nicotine exposure on learning in adulthood can be accounted for by adolescent injection stress experienced concurrently with adolescent nicotine exposure. Female rats received either 0.033 mg/hr nicotine (expressed as the weight of the free base) or bacteriostatic water vehicle by osmotic pump infusion on postnatal days 25-53 (P25-53). Half of the nicotine-exposed rats and half of the vehicle rats also received twice-daily injection stress consisting of intraperitoneal saline injections on P26-53. Together these procedures produced 4 groups: No Nicotine / No Stress, Nicotine / No Stress, No Nicotine / Stress, and Nicotine / Stress. On P65-99, rats were trained to perform a structurally complex 24-element serial pattern of responses in the serial multiple choice (SMC) task. Four general results were obtained in the current study. First, learning for within-chunk elements was not affected by either adolescent nicotine exposure, consistent with past work (Pickens, Rowan, Bevins, & Fountain, 2013), or adolescent injection stress. Thus, there were no effects of adolescent nicotine exposure or injection stress on adult within-chunk learning typically attributed to rule learning in the SMC task. Second, adolescent injection stress alone (i.e., without concurrent nicotine exposure) caused transient but significant facilitation of adult learning restricted to a single element of the 24-element pattern, namely, the “violation element,” that was the only element of the pattern that was inconsistent with pattern structure. Thus, adolescent injection stress alone facilitated violation element acquisition in adulthood. Third, also consistent with past work (Pickens et al., 2013), adolescent nicotine exposure, in this case both with and without adolescent injection stress, caused a learning impairment in adulthood for the violation element in female rats. Thus, adolescent nicotine impaired adult violation element learning typically attributed to multiple-item learning in the SMC task. Fourth, a paradoxical interaction of injection stress and nicotine exposure in acquisition was observed. In the same female rats in which violation-element learning was impaired by adolescent nicotine exposure, adolescent nicotine experienced without adolescent injection stress produced better learning for chunk-boundary elements in adulthood compared to all other conditions. Thus, adolescent nicotine without concurrent injection stress facilitated adult chunk-boundary element learning typically attributed to concurrent stimulus-response discrimination learning and serial-position learning in the SMC task. To the best of our knowledge, the current study is the first to demonstrate facilitation of adult learning caused by adolescent nicotine exposure. PMID:25527003

Eating disorder emergencies: understanding the medical complexities of the hospitalized eating disordered patient.

PubMed

Cartwright, Martina M

2004-12-01

Eating disorders are maladaptive eating behaviors that typically develop in adolescence and early adulthood. Psychiatric maladies and comorbid conditions, especially insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, frequently co-exist with eating disorders. Serious medical complications affecting all organs and tissues can develop and result in numerous emergent hospitalizations. This article reviews the pathophysiologies of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and orthorexia nervosa and discusses the complexities associated with the treatment of medical complications seen in these patients.

White matter microstructural changes in adolescent anorexia nervosa including an exploratory longitudinal study.

PubMed

Vogel, Katja; Timmers, Inge; Kumar, Vinod; Nickl-Jockschat, Thomas; Bastiani, Matteo; Roebroek, Alard; Herpertz-Dahlmann, Beate; Konrad, Kerstin; Goebel, Rainer; Seitz, Jochen

2016-01-01

Anorexia nervosa (AN) often begins in adolescence, however, the understanding of the underlying pathophysiology at this developmentally important age is scarce, impeding early interventions. We used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to investigate microstructural white matter (WM) brain changes including an experimental longitudinal follow-up. We acquired whole brain diffusion-weighted brain scans of 22 adolescent female hospitalized patients with AN at admission and nine patients longitudinally at discharge after weight rehabilitation. Patients (10-18 years) were compared to 21 typically developing controls (TD). Tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) were applied to compare fractional anisotropy (FA) across groups and time points. Associations between average FA values of the global WM skeleton and weight as well as illness duration parameters were analyzed by multiple linear regression. We observed increased FA in bilateral frontal, parietal and temporal areas in AN patients at admission compared to TD. Higher FA of the global WM skeleton at admission was associated with faster weight loss prior to admission. Exploratory longitudinal analysis showed this FA increase to be partially normalized after weight rehabilitation. Our findings reveal a markedly different pattern of WM microstructural changes in adolescent AN compared to most previous results in adult AN. This could signify a different susceptibility and reaction to semi-starvation in the still developing brain of adolescents or a time-dependent pathomechanism differing with extend of chronicity. Higher FA at admission in adolescents with AN could point to WM fibers being packed together more closely.

Social Phobia and Subtypes in the National Comorbidity Survey-Adolescent Supplement: Prevalence, Correlates, and Comorbidity

PubMed Central

Burstein, Marcy; He, Jian-Ping; Kattan, Gabi; Albano, Anne Marie; Avenevoli, Shelli; Merikangas, Kathleen R.

2011-01-01

Objective Social phobia typically develops during the adolescent years, yet no nationally representative studies in the United States have examined the rates and features of this condition among youth in this age range. The objectives of this investigation are to: (1) present the lifetime prevalence, sociodemographic and clinical correlates, and comorbidity of social phobia in a large, nationally representative sample of U.S. adolescents; (2) examine differences in the rates and features of social phobia across the proposed DSM-5 social phobia subtypes. Method The National Comorbidity Survey Replication-Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A) is a nationally representative face-to-face survey of 10,123 adolescents aged 13–18 years in the continental U.S. Results Approximately 9% of adolescents met criteria for any social phobia in their lifetime. Of these adolescents, 55.8% were affected with the generalized subtype and 44.2% exhibited non-generalized social phobia. Only 0.7% met criteria for the proposed DSM-5 performance only subtype. Generalized social phobia was more common among female adolescents and risk for this subtype increased with age. Adolescents with generalized social phobia also experienced an earlier age of onset, higher levels of disability and clinical severity, and a greater degree of comorbidity relative to adolescents with non-generalized forms of the disorder. Conclusions This study indicates that social phobia is a highly prevalent, persistent, and impairing psychiatric disorder among adolescent youth. Results of this study also provide evidence for the clinical utility of the generalized subtype and highlight the importance of considering the heterogeneity of social phobia in this age group. PMID:21871369

Emotion Recognition and Perspective Taking: A Comparison between Typical and Incarcerated Male Adolescents

PubMed Central

Morosan, Larisa; Badoud, Deborah; Zaharia, Alexandra; Brosch, Tobias; Eliez, Stephan; Bateman, Anthony; Heller, Patrick; Debbané, Martin

2017-01-01

Background Previous research suggests that antisocial individuals present impairment in social cognitive processing, more specifically in emotion recognition (ER) and perspective taking (PT). The first aim of the present study was to investigate the recognition of a wide range of emotional expressions and visual PT capacities in a group of incarcerated male adolescents in comparison to a matched group of community adolescents. Secondly, we sought to explore the relationship between these two mechanisms in relation to psychopathic traits. Methods Forty-five male adolescents (22 incarcerated adolescents (Mage = 16.52, SD = 0.96) and 23 community adolescents (Mage = 16.43, SD = 1.41)) participated in the study. ER abilities were measured using a dynamic and multimodal task that requires the participants to watch short videos in which trained actors express 14 emotions. PT capacities were examined using a task recognized and proven to be sensitive to adolescent development, where participants had to follow the directions of another person whilst taking into consideration his perspective. Results We found a main effect of group on emotion recognition scores. In comparison to the community adolescents, the incarcerated adolescents presented lower recognition of three emotions: interest, anxiety and amusement. Analyses also revealed significant impairments in PT capacities in incarcerated adolescents. In addition, incarcerated adolescents’ PT scores were uniquely correlated to their scores on recognition of interest. Conclusions The results corroborate previously reported impairments in ER and PT capacities, in the incarcerated adolescents. The study also indicates an association between impairments in the recognition of interest and impairments in PT. PMID:28122048

Resting state fMRI reveals a default mode dissociation between retrosplenial and medial prefrontal subnetworks in ASD despite motion scrubbing.

PubMed

Starck, Tuomo; Nikkinen, Juha; Rahko, Jukka; Remes, Jukka; Hurtig, Tuula; Haapsamo, Helena; Jussila, Katja; Kuusikko-Gauffin, Sanna; Mattila, Marja-Leena; Jansson-Verkasalo, Eira; Pauls, David L; Ebeling, Hanna; Moilanen, Irma; Tervonen, Osmo; Kiviniemi, Vesa J

2013-01-01

In resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) decreased frontal-posterior functional connectivity is a persistent finding. However, the picture of the default mode network (DMN) hypoconnectivity remains incomplete. In addition, the functional connectivity analyses have been shown to be susceptible even to subtle motion. DMN hypoconnectivity in ASD has been specifically called for re-evaluation with stringent motion correction, which we aimed to conduct by so-called scrubbing. A rich set of default mode subnetworks can be obtained with high dimensional group independent component analysis (ICA) which can potentially provide more detailed view of the connectivity alterations. We compared the DMN connectivity in high-functioning adolescents with ASDs to typically developing controls using ICA dual-regression with decompositions from typical to high dimensionality. Dual-regression analysis within DMN subnetworks did not reveal alterations but connectivity between anterior and posterior DMN subnetworks was decreased in ASD. The results were very similar with and without motion scrubbing thus indicating the efficacy of the conventional motion correction methods combined with ICA dual-regression. Specific dissociation between DMN subnetworks was revealed on high ICA dimensionality, where networks centered at the medial prefrontal cortex and retrosplenial cortex showed weakened coupling in adolescents with ASDs compared to typically developing control participants. Generally the results speak for disruption in the anterior-posterior DMN interplay on the network level whereas local functional connectivity in DMN seems relatively unaltered.

Language laterality in autism spectrum disorder and typical controls: a functional, volumetric, and diffusion tensor MRI study.

PubMed

Knaus, Tracey A; Silver, Andrew M; Kennedy, Meaghan; Lindgren, Kristen A; Dominick, Kelli C; Siegel, Jeremy; Tager-Flusberg, Helen

2010-02-01

Language and communication deficits are among the core features of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Reduced or reversed asymmetry of language has been found in a number of disorders, including ASD. Studies of healthy adults have found an association between language laterality and anatomical measures but this has not been systematically investigated in ASD. The goal of this study was to examine differences in gray matter volume of perisylvian language regions, connections between language regions, and language abilities in individuals with typical left lateralized language compared to those with atypical (bilateral or right) asymmetry of language functions. Fourteen adolescent boys with ASD and 20 typically developing adolescent boys participated, including equal numbers of left- and right-handed individuals in each group. Participants with typical left lateralized language activation had smaller frontal language region volume and higher fractional anisotropy of the arcuate fasciculus compared to the group with atypical language laterality, across both ASD and control participants. The group with typical language asymmetry included the most right-handed controls and fewest left-handers with ASD. Atypical language laterality was more prevalent in the ASD than control group. These findings support an association between laterality of language function and language region anatomy. They also suggest anatomical differences may be more associated with variation in language laterality than specifically with ASD. Language laterality therefore may provide a novel way of subdividing samples, resulting in more homogenous groups for research into genetic and neurocognitive foundations of developmental disorders. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Adolescent Students and Their Experiences of Dealing with Pregnancy: A Mexican Mixed-Method Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Atienzo, Erika E.; Campero, Lourdes; Marín, Eréndira; González, Guillermo

2017-01-01

In impoverished communities in Mexico, most adolescent mothers do not attend school; but typically, they become pregnant once they dropped out. Understanding the experiences of adolescents who have had a pregnancy and continue in school is complicated since few manage to do it. The goal of this study is to describe experiences within the family…

Preparing Adolescents for Success in School: A School-Based Indicated Prevention Model for Adolescents in the Alternative High School Setting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watson, Donnie W.; McCuller, William J.; Bisesi, Lorrie; Tanamly, Susie; Sim, Tiffanie; Kavich, Julia-Anna

2004-01-01

Adolescents enrolled in alternative school settings evidence risk behaviors at a higher rate compared to students attending regular high schools. Histories of substance use, juvenile delinquency, high school expulsion, poor school attendance, and HIV-risk behaviors are typical. These youth are particularly vulnerable to HIV-risk behaviors and…

How Mental Health Interviews Conducted Alone, in the Presence of an Adult, a Child or Both Affects Adolescents' Reporting of Psychological Symptoms and Risky Behaviors.

PubMed

Herrera, Aubrey V; Benjet, Corina; Méndez, Enrique; Casanova, Leticia; Medina-Mora, Maria Elena

2017-02-01

The normative process of autonomy development in adolescence involves changes in adolescents' information management typically characterized by decreasing disclosure and increasing concealment. These changes may have an important impact on the early detection and timely treatment of mental health conditions and risky behavior. Therefore, the objective was to extend our understanding of how these developmental changes in adolescent disclosure might impact adolescent mental health interviews. Specifically, we estimated the effects of third party presence and type of third party presence (adult, child, or both) on adolescents' reports of psychiatric symptoms, substance use, suicidal behavior, and childhood adversity. In this representative sample of 3005 adolescents from Mexico City (52.1 % female), administered the World Mental Health Composite International Diagnostic Interview (WMH-CIDI-A), adult presence influenced reporting the most; in their presence, adolescents reported more ADHD, parental mental illness and economic adversity, but less panic disorder, PTSD, drug use and disorder, and suicidal behavior. The presence of children was associated with increased odds of reporting conduct disorder, opportunity for drug use, parental criminal behavior, neglect, and the death of a parent. While adolescent information management strategies are normative and even desirable as a means of gaining emotional autonomy, they may also interfere with timely detection and treatment or intervention for mental health conditions and risky behaviors. Research and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Occupational level of the father and alcohol consumption during adolescence; patterns and predictors

PubMed Central

Droomers, M; Schrijvers, C; Casswell, S; Mackenbach, J

2003-01-01

Study objective: This paper describes and attempts to explain the association between occupational level of the father and high alcohol consumption among a cohort of New Zealand adolescents from age 11 to 21. Design: Data were obtained from the longitudinal Dunedin multidisciplinary health and development study. At each measurement wave, those who then belonged to the quartile that reported the highest usual amount of alcohol consumed on a typical drinking occasion were categorised as high alcohol consumers. Potential predictors of high alcohol consumption included environmental factors, individual factors, and educational achievement measured at age 9, 11, or 13. Longitudinal logistic GEE analyses described and explained the relation between father's occupation and adolescent alcohol consumption. Setting: Dunedin, New Zealand. Participants: About 1000 children were followed up from birth in 1972 until adulthood. Main results: A significant association between fathers' occupation and adolescent alcohol consumption emerged at age 15. Overall adolescents from the lowest occupational group had almost twice the odds of being a large consumer than the highest occupational group. The association between father's occupation and high alcohol consumption during adolescence was explained by the higher prevalence of familial alcohol problems and friends approving of alcohol consumption, lower intelligence scores, and lower parental attachment among adolescents from lower occupational groups. Conclusions: Socioeconomic background affects adolescent alcohol consumption substantially. This probably contributes to cumulation of disadvantage. Prevention programmes should focus on adolescents from lower socioeconomic groups and make healthier choices the easier choices by means of environmental change. PMID:12933777

How functional connectivity between emotion regulation structures can be disrupted: preliminary evidence from adolescents with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury.

PubMed

Newsome, Mary R; Scheibel, Randall S; Mayer, Andrew R; Chu, Zili D; Wilde, Elisabeth A; Hanten, Gerri; Steinberg, Joel L; Lin, Xiaodi; Li, Xiaoqi; Merkley, Tricia L; Hunter, Jill V; Vasquez, Ana C; Cook, Lori; Lu, Hanzhang; Vinton, Kami; Levin, Harvey S

2013-09-01

Outcome of moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) includes impaired emotion regulation. Emotion regulation has been associated with amygdala and rostral anterior cingulate (rACC). However, functional connectivity between the two structures after injury has not been reported. A preliminary examination of functional connectivity of rACC and right amygdala was conducted in adolescents 2 to 3 years after moderate to severe TBI and in typically developing (TD)control adolescents, with the hypothesis that the TBI adolescents would demonstrate altered functional connectivity in the two regions. Functional connectivity was determined by correlating fluctuations in the blood oxygen level dependent(BOLD) signal of the rACC and right amygdala with that of other brain regions. In the TBI adolescents, the rACC was found to be significantly less functionally connected to medial prefrontal cortices and to right temporal regions near the amygdala (height threshold T = 2.5, cluster level p < .05, FDR corrected), while the right amygdala showed a trend in reduced functional connectivity with the rACC (height threshold T = 2.5, cluster level p = .06, FDR corrected). Data suggest disrupted functional connectivity in emotion regulation regions. Limitations include small sample sizes. Studies with larger sample sizes are necessary to characterize the persistent neural damage resulting from moderate to severe TBI during development.

Normative development of white matter tracts: similarities and differences in relation to age, gender, and intelligence.

PubMed

Clayden, Jonathan D; Jentschke, Sebastian; Muñoz, Mónica; Cooper, Janine M; Chadwick, Martin J; Banks, Tina; Clark, Chris A; Vargha-Khadem, Faraneh

2012-08-01

The white matter of the brain undergoes a range of structural changes throughout development; from conception to birth, in infancy, and onwards through childhood and adolescence. Several studies have used diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) to investigate these changes, but a consensus has not yet emerged on which white matter tracts undergo changes in the later stages of development or what the most important driving factors are behind these changes. In this study of typically developing 8- to 16-year-old children, we use a comprehensive data-driven approach based on principal components analysis to identify effects of age, gender, and brain volume on dMRI parameters, as well as their relative importance. We also show that secondary components of these parameters predict full-scale IQ, independently of the age- and gender-related effects. This overarching assessment of the common factors and gender differences in normal white matter tract development will help to advance understanding of this process in late childhood and adolescence.

[Migraine in children and adolescents-brain and muscle? : Another example of why children are not small adults].

PubMed

Landgraf, M N; König, H; Hannibal, I; Langhagen, T; Bonfert, M V; Klose, B; Rahmsdorf, B; Giese, R M; Straube, A; von Kries, R; Albers, L; Ebinger, F; Ertl-Wagner, B; Kammer, B; Körte, I; Sollmann, N; Krieg, S; Heinen, F

2017-12-01

Migraine as primary headache is a life-long disease which is relevant for the quality of life and is based on complex genetics. It often starts in childhood with symptoms typical for the specific age. These show different nuances compared to the migraine symptoms in adults, for example, regarding (bilateral/unilateral) localization of the acute migraine headache. Only over the course of years-during adolescence and young adulthood-do the more specific symptoms as defined by the International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD 3 beta) develop. In this article we focus on the clinical specifics of children and adolescents with migraine. We elaborately refer to the trigeminocervical complex (TCC) because it forms a conceptual bridge for the understanding of migraine, for psychoeducation, and for therapeutic options. We pragmatically discuss options and limits of treatments.

Sentence Comprehension in Adolescents with down Syndrome and Typically Developing Children: Role of Sentence Voice, Visual Context, and Auditory-Verbal Short-Term Memory.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miolo, Giuliana; Chapman, Robins S.; Sindberg, Heidi A.

2005-01-01

The authors evaluated the roles of auditory-verbal short-term memory, visual short-term memory, and group membership in predicting language comprehension, as measured by an experimental sentence comprehension task (SCT) and the Test for Auditory Comprehension of Language--Third Edition (TACL-3; E. Carrow-Woolfolk, 1999) in 38 participants: 19 with…

Brief Report: Conveying Subjective Experience in Conversation: Production of Mental State Terms and Personal Narratives in Individuals with High Functioning Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bang, Janet; Burns, Jesse; Nadig, Aparna

2013-01-01

Mental state terms and personal narratives are conversational devices used to communicate subjective experience in conversation. Pre-adolescents with high-functioning autism (HFA, n = 20) were compared with language-matched typically-developing peers (TYP, n = 17) on production of mental state terms (i.e., perception, physiology, desire, emotion,…

Brief Report: Investigating Relations between Self-Concept and Performance in Reading and Math for School-Aged Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCauley, James B.; Zajic, Matthew C.; Oswald, Tasha M.; Swain-Lerro, Lindsey E.; McIntyre, Nancy C.; Harris, Michelle A.; Trzesniewski, Kali; Mundy, Peter C.; Solomon, Marjorie

2018-01-01

A typically developing student's perceptions of his or her own capabilities (academic self-concept), is predictive of later academic achievement. However, little is known about academic self-concept in youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). To understand whether students math self-concept and reading self-concept predicted their performance,…

The Relationship between Early Neural Responses to Emotional Faces at Age 3 and Later Autism and Anxiety Symptoms in Adolescents with Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neuhaus, Emily; Jones, Emily J. H.; Barnes, Karen; Sterling, Lindsey; Estes, Annette; Munson, Jeff; Dawson, Geraldine; Webb, Sara J.

2016-01-01

Both autism spectrum (ASD) and anxiety disorders are associated with atypical neural and attentional responses to emotional faces, differing in affective face processing from typically developing peers. Within a longitudinal study of children with ASD (23 male, 3 female), we hypothesized that early ERPs to emotional faces would predict concurrent…

Age-associated changes in rich-club organisation in autistic and neurotypical human brains

PubMed Central

Watanabe, Takamitsu; Rees, Geraint

2015-01-01

Macroscopic structural networks in the human brain have a rich-club architecture comprising both highly inter-connected central regions and sparsely connected peripheral regions. Recent studies show that disruption of this functionally efficient organisation is associated with several psychiatric disorders. However, despite increasing attention to this network property, whether age-associated changes in rich-club organisation occur during human adolescence remains unclear. Here, analysing a publicly shared diffusion tensor imaging dataset, we found that, during adolescence, brains of typically developing (TD) individuals showed increases in rich-club organisation and inferred network functionality, whereas individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) did not. These differences between TD and ASD groups were statistically significant for both structural and functional properties. Moreover, this typical age-related changes in rich-club organisation were characterised by progressive involvement of the right anterior insula. In contrast, in ASD individuals, did not show typical increases in grey matter volume, and this relative anatomical immaturity was correlated with the severity of ASD social symptoms. These results provide evidence that rich-club architecture is one of the bases of functionally efficient brain networks underpinning complex cognitive functions in adult human brains. Furthermore, our findings suggest that immature rich-club organisation might be associated with some neurodevelopmental disorders. PMID:26537477

Adolescents with Developmental Dyscalculia Do Not Have a Generalized Magnitude Deficit - Processing of Discrete and Continuous Magnitudes.

PubMed

McCaskey, Ursina; von Aster, Michael; O'Gorman Tuura, Ruth; Kucian, Karin

2017-01-01

The link between number and space has been discussed in the literature for some time, resulting in the theory that number, space and time might be part of a generalized magnitude system. To date, several behavioral and neuroimaging findings support the notion of a generalized magnitude system, although contradictory results showing a partial overlap or separate magnitude systems are also found. The possible existence of a generalized magnitude processing area leads to the question how individuals with developmental dyscalculia (DD), known for deficits in numerical-arithmetical abilities, process magnitudes. By means of neuropsychological tests and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) we aimed to examine the relationship between number and space in typical and atypical development. Participants were 16 adolescents with DD (14.1 years) and 14 typically developing (TD) peers (13.8 years). In the fMRI paradigm participants had to perform discrete (arrays of dots) and continuous magnitude (angles) comparisons as well as a mental rotation task. In the neuropsychological tests, adolescents with dyscalculia performed significantly worse in numerical and complex visuo-spatial tasks. However, they showed similar results to TD peers when making discrete and continuous magnitude decisions during the neuropsychological tests and the fMRI paradigm. A conjunction analysis of the fMRI data revealed commonly activated higher order visual (inferior and middle occipital gyrus) and parietal (inferior and superior parietal lobe) magnitude areas for the discrete and continuous magnitude tasks. Moreover, no differences were found when contrasting both magnitude processing conditions, favoring the possibility of a generalized magnitude system. Group comparisons further revealed that dyscalculic subjects showed increased activation in domain general regions, whilst TD peers activate domain specific areas to a greater extent. In conclusion, our results point to the existence of a generalized magnitude system in the occipito-parietal stream in typical development. The detailed investigation of spatial and numerical magnitude abilities in DD reveals that the deficits in number processing and arithmetic cannot be explained with a general magnitude deficiency. Our results further indicate that multiple neuro-cognitive components might contribute to the explanation of DD.

Adolescents with Developmental Dyscalculia Do Not Have a Generalized Magnitude Deficit – Processing of Discrete and Continuous Magnitudes

PubMed Central

McCaskey, Ursina; von Aster, Michael; O’Gorman Tuura, Ruth; Kucian, Karin

2017-01-01

The link between number and space has been discussed in the literature for some time, resulting in the theory that number, space and time might be part of a generalized magnitude system. To date, several behavioral and neuroimaging findings support the notion of a generalized magnitude system, although contradictory results showing a partial overlap or separate magnitude systems are also found. The possible existence of a generalized magnitude processing area leads to the question how individuals with developmental dyscalculia (DD), known for deficits in numerical-arithmetical abilities, process magnitudes. By means of neuropsychological tests and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) we aimed to examine the relationship between number and space in typical and atypical development. Participants were 16 adolescents with DD (14.1 years) and 14 typically developing (TD) peers (13.8 years). In the fMRI paradigm participants had to perform discrete (arrays of dots) and continuous magnitude (angles) comparisons as well as a mental rotation task. In the neuropsychological tests, adolescents with dyscalculia performed significantly worse in numerical and complex visuo-spatial tasks. However, they showed similar results to TD peers when making discrete and continuous magnitude decisions during the neuropsychological tests and the fMRI paradigm. A conjunction analysis of the fMRI data revealed commonly activated higher order visual (inferior and middle occipital gyrus) and parietal (inferior and superior parietal lobe) magnitude areas for the discrete and continuous magnitude tasks. Moreover, no differences were found when contrasting both magnitude processing conditions, favoring the possibility of a generalized magnitude system. Group comparisons further revealed that dyscalculic subjects showed increased activation in domain general regions, whilst TD peers activate domain specific areas to a greater extent. In conclusion, our results point to the existence of a generalized magnitude system in the occipito-parietal stream in typical development. The detailed investigation of spatial and numerical magnitude abilities in DD reveals that the deficits in number processing and arithmetic cannot be explained with a general magnitude deficiency. Our results further indicate that multiple neuro-cognitive components might contribute to the explanation of DD. PMID:28373834

Social phobia and subtypes in the national comorbidity survey-adolescent supplement: prevalence, correlates, and comorbidity.

PubMed

Burstein, Marcy; He, Jian-Ping; Kattan, Gabriela; Albano, Anne Marie; Avenevoli, Shelli; Merikangas, Kathleen R

2011-09-01

Social phobia typically develops during the adolescent years, yet no nationally representative studies in the United States have examined the rates and features of this condition among youth in this age range. The objectives of this investigation were to: (1) present the lifetime prevalence, sociodemographic and clinical correlates, and comorbidity of social phobia in a large, nationally representative sample of U.S. adolescents; and (2) examine differences in the rates and features of social phobia across the proposed DSM-5 social phobia subtypes. The National Comorbidity Survey Replication-Adolescent Supplement is a nationally representative face-to-face survey of 10,123 adolescents 13 to 18 years of age in the continental United States. Approximately 9% of adolescents met criteria for any social phobia in their lifetime. Of these adolescents, 55.8% were affected with the generalized subtype and 44.2% exhibited nongeneralized social phobia. Only 0.7% met criteria for the proposed DSM-5 performance-only subtype. Generalized social phobia was more common among female adolescents and risk for this subtype increased with age. Adolescents with generalized social phobia also had a younger age of onset, higher levels of disability and clinical severity, and a greater degree of comorbidity relative to adolescents with nongeneralized forms of the disorder. This study indicates that social phobia is a highly prevalent, persistent, and impairing psychiatric disorder among adolescent youth. Results of this study also provide evidence for the clinical utility of the generalized subtype and highlight the importance of considering the heterogeneity of social phobia in this age group. Copyright © 2011 American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Assessing Advanced Theory of Mind in Children and Adolescents with High-Functioning Autism: The Spanish Version of the Stories of Everyday Life.

PubMed

Lera-Miguel, Sara; Rosa, Mireia; Puig, Olga; Kaland, Nils; Lázaro, Luisa; Castro-Formieles, Josefina; Calvo, Rosa

2016-01-01

Most individuals with autism spectrum disorders often fail in tasks of theory of mind (ToM). However, those with normal intellectual functioning known as high functioning ASD (HF-ASD) sometimes succeed in mentalizing inferences. Some tools have been developed to more accurately test their ToM abilities. The aims of this study were to examine the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of Stories of Everyday Life Test (SEL) in a sample of 29 children and adolescents with HF-ASD and 25 typically developing controls and to compare their performance. The Spanish-SEL demonstrated good internal consistency, strong convergence with clinical severity and another ToM test, and adequate discriminant validity from intellectual capability and age, identifying the condition of 70 % of participants.

Alcohol Use and Cerebral White Matter Compromise in Adolescence

PubMed Central

Elofson, Jonathan; Gongvatana, Win; Carey, Kate B.

2013-01-01

Alcohol use is typically initiated during adolescence, a period known to be critical in neurodevelopment. The adolescent brain may be particularly susceptible to the harmful effects of alcohol. While the cognitive deficits associated with alcohol use during adolescence have been well-documented, the neural substrates underlying these effects remain inadequately understood. Cerebral white matter has been suggested as a primary site of alcohol-related damage and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) allows for the quantification of white matter integrity in vivo. This review summarizes results from both cross-sectional and longitudinal studies employing DTI that indicate that white matter tracts, particularly those thought to be involved in executive functioning, continue to develop throughout adolescence and into adulthood. Numerous DTI studies reveal a positive correlation between white matter integrity and neurocognitive performance and, in adults, the detrimental effects of prolonged alcohol-dependence on white matter integrity. We provide a comprehensive review of the DTI studies exploring the relationship between alcohol use and white matter integrity in adolescents. Results from most of these studies suggest that alcohol use is associated with reduced white matter integrity, particularly in the superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF), and some evidence suggests that this relationship may be influenced by sex. We conclude by highlighting confounds and limitations of the available research and suggesting directions for future research. PMID:23583835

Sex-related differences in auditory processing in adolescents with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder: A magnetoencephalographic study.

PubMed

Tesche, Claudia D; Kodituwakku, Piyadasa W; Garcia, Christopher M; Houck, Jon M

2015-01-01

Children exposed to substantial amounts of alcohol in utero display a broad range of morphological and behavioral outcomes, which are collectively referred to as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). Common to all children on the spectrum are cognitive and behavioral problems that reflect central nervous system dysfunction. Little is known, however, about the potential effects of variables such as sex on alcohol-induced brain damage. The goal of the current research was to utilize magnetoencephalography (MEG) to examine the effect of sex on brain dynamics in adolescents and young adults with FASD during the performance of an auditory oddball task. The stimuli were short trains of 1 kHz "standard" tone bursts (80%) randomly interleaved with 1.5 kHz "target" tone bursts (10%) and "novel" digital sounds (10%). Participants made motor responses to the target tones. Results are reported for 44 individuals (18 males and 26 females) ages 12 through 22 years. Nine males and 13 females had a diagnosis of FASD and the remainder were typically-developing age- and sex-matched controls. The main finding was widespread sex-specific differential activation of the frontal, medial and temporal cortex in adolescents with FASD compared to typically developing controls. Significant differences in evoked-response and time-frequency measures of brain dynamics were observed for all stimulus types in the auditory cortex, inferior frontal sulcus and hippocampus. These results underscore the importance of considering the influence of sex when analyzing neurophysiological data in children with FASD.

Effectiveness of a pragmatic school-based universal intervention targeting student resilience protective factors in reducing mental health problems in adolescents.

PubMed

Dray, Julia; Bowman, Jenny; Campbell, Elizabeth; Freund, Megan; Hodder, Rebecca; Wolfenden, Luke; Richards, Jody; Leane, Catherine; Green, Sue; Lecathelinais, Christophe; Oldmeadow, Christopher; Attia, John; Gillham, Karen; Wiggers, John

2017-06-01

Worldwide, 10-20% of adolescents experience mental health problems. Strategies aimed at strengthening resilience protective factors provide a potential approach for reducing mental health problems in adolescents. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a universal, school-based intervention targeting resilience protective factors in reducing mental health problems in adolescents. A cluster randomised controlled trial was conducted in 20 intervention and 12 control secondary schools located in socio-economically disadvantaged areas of NSW, Australia. Data were collected from 3115 students at baseline (Grade 7, 2011), of whom 2149 provided data at follow up (Grade 10, 2014; enrolments in Grades 7 to 10 typically aged 12-16 years; 50% male; 69.0% retention). There were no significant differences between groups at follow-up for three mental health outcomes: total SDQ, internalising problems, and prosocial behaviour. A small statistically significant difference in favour of the control group was found for externalising problems. Findings highlight the continued difficulties in developing effective, school-based prevention programs for mental health problems in adolescents. ANZCTR (Ref no: ACTRN12611000606987). Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Adolescents with Hearing Loss and the International Classification of Functioning, Health, and Disability: Children & Youth Version

PubMed Central

English, Kris; Pajevic, Emily

2016-01-01

In 2007, the World Health Organization published a set of International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) codes designed for children and youth (ICF-CY version). The ICF-CY considers typical developmental changes associated with childhood while describing health status and the effects of intervention. In this article we will describe how a specific intervention (transition planning for adolescents) can be documented with the ICF-CY. Transition planning in health care prepares adolescents and their families for the transfer from pediatric to adult health services and has been demonstrated to be an effective practice for adolescents with many types of chronic health conditions (e.g., cystic fibrosis, epilepsy, diabetes). Audiology has not yet addressed transition planning for adolescents with hearing loss; therefore, we propose using the ICF-CY to design a pathway of care. The ICF-CY can standardize transition planning to the benefit of both teen patients and audiologists: teens and their families would gradually acquire necessary knowledge and skills, and audiologists would develop a meaningful data set to help further inform our pediatric practices, as well as give more structure, depth, and accountability to our role in rehabilitation. PMID:27489402

Non-verbal sensorimotor timing deficits in children and adolescents who stutter

PubMed Central

Falk, Simone; Müller, Thilo; Dalla Bella, Simone

2015-01-01

There is growing evidence that motor and speech disorders co-occur during development. In the present study, we investigated whether stuttering, a developmental speech disorder, is associated with a predictive timing deficit in childhood and adolescence. By testing sensorimotor synchronization abilities, we aimed to assess whether predictive timing is dysfunctional in young participants who stutter (8–16 years). Twenty German children and adolescents who stutter and 43 non-stuttering participants matched for age and musical training were tested on their ability to synchronize their finger taps with periodic tone sequences and with a musical beat. Forty percent of children and 90% of adolescents who stutter displayed poor synchronization with both metronome and musical stimuli, falling below 2.5% of the estimated population based on the performance of the group without the disorder. Synchronization deficits were characterized by either lower synchronization accuracy or lower consistency or both. Lower accuracy resulted in an over-anticipation of the pacing event in participants who stutter. Moreover, individual profiles revealed that lower consistency was typical of participants that were severely stuttering. These findings support the idea that malfunctioning predictive timing during auditory–motor coupling plays a role in stuttering in children and adolescents. PMID:26217245

A Multidimensional Model of Mothers’ Perceptions of Parent Alcohol Socialization and Adolescent Alcohol Misuse

PubMed Central

Ennett, Susan T.; Jackson, Christine; Cole, Veronica T.; Haws, Susan; Foshee, Vangie A.; Reyes, Heathe Luz McNaughton; Burns, Alison Reimuller; Cox, Melissa J.; Cai, Li

2015-01-01

We assessed a multidimensional model of parent alcohol socialization in which key socialization factors were considered simultaneously to identify combinations of factors that increase or decrease risk for development of adolescent alcohol misuse. Of interest was the interplay between putative risk and protective factors, such as whether the typically detrimental effects on youth drinking of parenting practices tolerant of some adolescent alcohol use are mitigated by an effective overall approach to parenting and parental modeling of modest alcohol use. The sample included 1,530 adolescents and their mothers; adolescents’ mean age was 13.0 (SD = .99) at the initial assessment. Latent profile analysis was conducted of mothers’ reports of their attitude toward teen drinking, alcohol-specific parenting practices, parental alcohol use and problem use, and overall approach to parenting. The profiles were used to predict trajectories of adolescent alcohol misuse from early to middle adolescence. Four profiles were identified: two profiles reflected conservative alcohol-specific parenting practices and two reflected alcohol-tolerant practices, all in the context of other attributes. Alcohol misuse accelerated more rapidly from grade 6 through 10 in the two alcohol-tolerant compared with conservative profiles. Results suggest that maternal tolerance of some youth alcohol use, even in the presence of dimensions of an effective parenting style and low parental alcohol use and problem use, is not an effective strategy for reducing risky adolescent alcohol use. PMID:26415053

Cerebral motor function in very premature-at-birth adolescents: a brain stimulation exploration of kangaroo mother care effects.

PubMed

Schneider, Cyril; Charpak, Nathalie; Ruiz-Peláez, Juan G; Tessier, Réjean

2012-10-01

  Given that prematurity has deleterious effects on brain networking development beyond childhood, the study explored whether an early intervention such as Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) in very preterm preemies could have influenced brain motor function up to adolescence.   Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was applied over the primary motor cortex (M1) of 39 adolescents born very prematurely (<33 weeks' gestational age, 21 having received KMC after birth, 18 Controls with no KMC) and nine adolescents born at term (>37 weeks' gestational age, >2500 g) to assess the functional integrity of motor circuits in each hemisphere (motor planning) and between hemispheres (callosal function).   All TMS outcomes were similar between KMC and term adolescents, with typical values as in healthy adults, and better than in Controls. KMC adolescents presented faster conduction times revealing more efficient M1 cell synchronization (p < 0.05) and interhemispheric transfer time (p < 0.0001), more frequent inhibitory processes with a better control between hemispheres (p < 0.0001).   The enhanced synchronization, conduction times and connectivity of cerebral motor pathways in the KMC group suggests that the Kangaroo Mother Care positively influenced the premature brain networks and synaptic efficacy up to adolescence. © 2012 The Author(s)/Acta Paediatrica © 2012 Foundation Acta Paediatrica.

Impairment in face processing in autism spectrum disorder: a developmental perspective.

PubMed

Greimel, Ellen; Schulte-Rüther, Martin; Kamp-Becker, Inge; Remschmidt, Helmut; Herpertz-Dahlmann, Beate; Konrad, Kerstin

2014-09-01

Findings on face identity and facial emotion recognition in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are inconclusive. Moreover, little is known about the developmental trajectory of face processing skills in ASD. Taking a developmental perspective, the aim of this study was to extend previous findings on face processing skills in a sample of adolescents and adults with ASD. N = 38 adolescents and adults (13-49 years) with high-functioning ASD and n = 37 typically developing (TD) control subjects matched for age and IQ participated in the study. Moreover, n = 18 TD children between the ages of 8 and 12 were included to address the question whether face processing skills in ASD follow a delayed developmental pattern. Face processing skills were assessed using computerized tasks of face identity recognition (FR) and identification of facial emotions (IFE). ASD subjects showed impaired performance on several parameters of the FR and IFE task compared to TD control adolescents and adults. Whereas TD adolescents and adults outperformed TD children in both tasks, performance in ASD adolescents and adults was similar to the group of TD children. Within the groups of ASD and control adolescents and adults, no age-related changes in performance were found. Our findings corroborate and extend previous studies showing that ASD is characterised by broad impairments in the ability to process faces. These impairments seem to reflect a developmentally delayed pattern that remains stable throughout adolescence and adulthood.

Gamma rhythms link prefrontal interneuron dysfunction with cognitive inflexibility in Dlx5/6+/− mice

PubMed Central

Cho, Kathleen K.A.; Hoch, Renee; Lee, Anthony T.; Patel, Tosha; Rubenstein, John L.R.; Sohal, Vikaas S.

2015-01-01

SUMMARY Abnormalities in GABAergic interneurons, particularly fast-spiking interneurons (FSINs) that generate gamma (γ; ~30-120 Hz) oscillations, are hypothesized to disrupt prefrontal cortex (PFC)-dependent cognition in schizophrenia. Although γ rhythms are abnormal in schizophrenia, it remains unclear whether they directly influence cognition. Mechanisms underlying schizophrenia's typical post-adolescent onset also remain elusive. We addressed these issues using mice heterozygous for Dlx5/6, which regulate GABAergic interneuron development. In Dlx5/6+/− mice, FSINs become abnormal following adolescence, coinciding with the onset of cognitive inflexibility and deficient task-evoked γ oscillations. Inhibiting PFC interneurons in control mice reproduced these deficits, whereas stimulating them at γ-frequencies restored cognitive flexibility in adult Dlx5/6+/− mice. These pro-cognitive effects were frequency-specific and persistent. These findings elucidate a mechanism whereby abnormal FSIN development may contribute to the post-adolescent onset of schizophrenia endophenotypes. Furthermore, they demonstrate a causal, potentially therapeutic, role for PFC interneuron-driven gamma oscillations in cognitive domains at the core of schizophrenia. PMID:25754826

Are Teens "Post-Gay"? Contemporary Adolescents' Sexual Identity Labels

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Russell, Stephen T.; Clarke, Thomas J.; Clary, Justin

2009-01-01

Recent reports suggest that historically typical sexual identity labels--"gay," "lesbian" and "bisexual"--have lost meaning and relevance for contemporary adolescents. Yet there is little empirical evidence that contemporary teenagers are "post-gay." In this brief study we investigate youths' sexual identity…

Effects of Sampling Context on Spontaneous Expressive Language in Males with Fragile X Syndrome or Down Syndrome

PubMed Central

Kover, Sara T.; McDuffie, Andrea; Abbeduto, Leonard; Brown, W. Ted

2012-01-01

Purpose This study examined the impact of sampling context on multiple aspects of expressive language in males with fragile X syndrome in comparison to males with Down syndrome or typical development. Method Participants with fragile X syndrome (n = 27), ages 10 to 17 years, were matched groupwise on nonverbal mental age to adolescents with Down syndrome (n = 15) and typically developing 3- to 6-year-olds (n = 15). Language sampling contexts were an interview-style conversation and narration of a wordless book, with scripted examiner behavior. Language was assessed in terms of amount of talk, MLU of communication unit (MLCU), lexical diversity, fluency, and intelligibility. Results Participants with fragile X syndrome had lower MLCU and lexical diversity than participants with typical development. Participants with Down syndrome produced yet lower MLCU. A differential effect of context among those with fragile X syndrome, Down syndrome, and typical development emerged for the number of attempts per minute, MLCU, and fluency. For participants with fragile X syndrome, autism symptom severity related to the number of utterances produced in conversation. Aspects of examiner behavior related to participant performance. Conclusions Sampling context characteristics should be considered when assessing expressive language in individuals with neurodevelopmental disabilities. PMID:22232386

Trajectories of cognitive development during adolescence among youth at-risk for schizophrenia.

PubMed

Dickson, Hannah; Cullen, Alexis E; Jones, Rebecca; Reichenberg, Abraham; Roberts, Ruth E; Hodgins, Sheilagh; Morris, Robin G; Laurens, Kristin R

2018-04-23

Among adults with schizophrenia, evidence suggests that premorbid deficits in different cognitive domains follow distinct developmental courses during childhood and adolescence. The aim of this study was to delineate trajectories of adolescent cognitive functions prospectively among different groups of youth at-risk for schizophrenia, relative to their typically developing (TD) peers. Using linear mixed models adjusted for sex, ethnicity, parental occupation and practice effects, cognitive development between ages 9 and 16 years was compared for youth characterised by a triad of well-replicated developmental antecedents of schizophrenia (ASz; N = 32) and youth with a least one affected relative with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder (FHx; N = 29), relative to TD youth (N = 45). Participants completed measures of IQ, scholastic achievement, memory and executive function at three time-points, separated by approximately 24-month intervals. Compared to TD youth, both ASz and FHx youth displayed stable developmental deficits in verbal working memory and inhibition/switching executive functions. ASz youth additionally presented with stable deficits in measures of vocabulary (IQ), word reading, numerical operations, and category fluency executive function, and a slower rate of growth (developmental lag) on spelling from 9 to 16 years than TD peers. Conversely, faster rates of growth relative to TD peers (developmental delay) were observed on visual and verbal memory, and on category fluency executive function (ASz youth only) and on matrix reasoning (IQ) and word reading (FHx youth only). These differential patterns of deviation from normative adolescent cognitive development among at-risk youth imply potential for cognitive rehabilitation targeting of specific cognitive deficits at different developmental phases. © 2018 The Authors. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

Experiencing type 2 diabetes mellitus: qualitative analysis of adolescents' concept of illness, adjustment, and motivation to engage in self-care behaviors.

PubMed

Salamon, Katherine S; Brouwer, Amanda M; Fox, Michelle M; Olson, Kimberly A; Yelich-Koth, Sara L; Fleischman, Katie M; Hains, Anthony A; Davies, W Hobart; Kichler, Jessica C

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the perspectives of adolescents diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in terms of how youths conceptualized the effect of T2DM on daily life, adjustment to the illness, and motivation related to diabetes self-care management. The aims of the study were to gather essential information in order to develop appropriate intervention techniques and inform future studies intended to understand the psychosocial experiences of youths with T2DM. Eight adolescents diagnosed with T2DM were recruited from an outpatient pediatric diabetes clinic at a Midwestern children's hospital. A qualitative interview was developed, which was scheduled to last about 30 to 45 minutes. Data were analyzed using the consensual qualitative research methodology, wherein qualitative coders developed core ideas and themes related to the adolescent experience of T2DM. Three main themes were identified, including how the youths conceptualized the impact of T2DM, adjustment to self-care, and motivation to perform self-care behaviors. Knowledge related to the cause of T2DM and adjustment to completing self-care behaviors was varied among youths. Few adolescents spoke about motivation sources, although when mentioned, it typically involved witnessing negative health consequences in family members or friends with T2DM. The data represent essential initial information related to youths with T2DM, which will help guide in developing future studies designed to understand the psychosocial experiences of youths with T2DM and appropriate intervention techniques. Future research that aims to increase internal and external motivation may be able to subsequently impact adherence to self-care behaviors.

Altered Reward Function in Adolescent Depression: What, When, and How?

PubMed Central

Forbes, Erika E.; Dahl, Ronald E.

2011-01-01

Background Conceptual models and recent evidence indicate that neural response to reward is altered in depression. Taking a developmental approach to investigating reward function in adolescent depression can elucidate the etiology, pathophysiology, and course of depression, a disorder that typically begins during adolescence and has high rates of recurrence. Methods This conceptual review describes the what, when, and how of altered reward function in adolescent depression. With the goal of generating new, testable hypotheses within a developmental affective neuroscience framework, we critically review findings and suggest future directions. Peer-reviewed empirical papers for inclusion in this critical review were obtained by searching PubMed, PsycInfo, and ScienceDirect for the years 1990–2010. Results A pattern of low striatal response and high medial prefrontal response to reward is evident in adolescents and adults with depression. Given the salience of social stimuli for positive affect and depression, reward function might be especially disrupted in response to social rewards. Because of changes in the dopamine system and reward function with aging, altered reward function in depression might be more evident during adolescence than later in life; however, low reward function may also be a stable characteristic of people who experience depression. Mechanisms of altered reward function in depression could include disrupted balance of corticostriatal circuit function, with disruption occurring as aberrant adolescent brain development. Conclusions Future studies should examine responses to social rewards; employ longitudinal and prospective designs; and investigate patterns of functional connectivity in reward circuits. Understanding altered reward function in depression has potential implications for treatment development. A more rigorous approach to investigating anhedonia, threat-reward interactions, and comorbid anxiety will be valuable to future progress in describing the role of reward function in the pathophysiology of depression. PMID:22117893

Spatial and temporal analysis center of pressure displacement during adolescence: Clinical implications of developmental changes.

PubMed

Quatman-Yates, Catherine; Bonnette, Scott; Gupta, Resmi; Hugentobler, Jason A; Wade, Shari L; Glauser, Tracy A; Ittenbach, Richard F; Paterno, Mark V; Riley, Michael A

2018-04-01

This study aimed to provide insight into the development of postural control abilities in youth. A total of 276 typically developing adolescents (155 males, 121 females) with a mean age of 13.23 years (range of 7.11-18.80) were recruited for participation. Subjects performed two-minute quiet standing trials in bipedal stance on a force plate. Center of pressure (COP) trajectories were quantified using Sample Entropy (SampEn) in the anterior-posterior direction (SampEn-AP), SampEn in the medial-lateral direction (SampEn-ML), and Path Length (PL) measures. Three separate linear regression analyses were conducted to predict the relationship between age and each of the response variables after adjusting for individuals' physical characteristics. Linear regression models showed an inverse relationship between age and entropy measures after adjusting for body mass index. Results indicated that chronological age was predictive of entropy and path length patterns. Specifically, older adolescents exhibited center of pressure displacement (smaller path length) and less complex, more regular center of pressure displacement patterns (lower SampEn-AP and SampEn-ML values) compared to the younger children. These findings support prior studies suggesting that developmental changes in postural control abilities may continue throughout adolescence and into adulthood. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Hippocampal Functioning and Verbal Associative Memory in Adolescents with Congenital Hypothyroidism

PubMed Central

Wheeler, Sarah M.; McLelland, Victoria C.; Sheard, Erin; McAndrews, Mary Pat; Rovet, Joanne F.

2015-01-01

Thyroid hormone (TH) is essential for normal development of the hippocampus, which is critical for memory and particularly for learning and recalling associations between visual and verbal stimuli. Adolescents with congenital hypothyroidism (CH), who lack TH in late gestation and early life, demonstrate weak verbal recall abilities, reduced hippocampal volumes, and abnormal hippocampal functioning for visually associated material. However, it is not known if their hippocampus functions abnormally when remembering verbal associations. Our objective was to assess hippocampal functioning in CH using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Fourteen adolescents with CH and 14 typically developing controls (TDC) were studied. Participants studied pairs of words and then, during fMRI acquisition, made two types of recognition decisions: in one they judged whether the pairs were the same as when seen originally and in the other, whether individual words were seen before regardless of pairing. Hippocampal activation was greater for pairs than items in both groups, but this difference was only significant in TDC. When we directly compared the groups, the right anterior hippocampus was the primary region in which the TDC and CH groups differed for this pair memory effect. Results signify that adolescents with CH show abnormal hippocampal functioning during verbal memory processing. PMID:26539162

The Stability of Self-Reported Anxiety in Youth with Autism Versus ADHD or Typical Development.

PubMed

Schiltz, Hillary; McIntyre, Nancy; Swain-Lerro, Lindsay; Zajic, Matthew; Mundy, Peter

2017-12-01

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are at risk for anxiety symptoms. Few anxiety measures are validated for individuals with ASD, and the nature of ASD raises questions about reliability of self-reported anxiety. This study examined longitudinal stability and change of self-reported anxiety in higher functioning youth with ASD (HFASD) compared to youth with symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and typical development (TD) using the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (March, 2012; March et al. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 36(4):554-565, 1997). Diagnostic groups demonstrated comparable evidence of stability for most dimensions of anxiety. The HFASD group displayed higher anxiety than both comparison groups, especially physical symptoms. These findings have implications for identification and measurement of anxiety in ASD.

Working memory in children and adolescents with Down syndrome: evidence from a colour memory experiment.

PubMed

Laws, Glynis

2002-03-01

This paper reports information on the visual and verbal short-term memory of individuals with Down syndrome. Colour memory in 16 children and adolescents with Down syndrome was compared with that of 16 typically developing children matched for receptive vocabulary. It was suggested that focal colours should be remembered more successfully than non-focal colours on the basis that the former could be remembered using a verbal recoding strategy. However, children with Down syndrome, for whom a deficit in verbal short-term memory makes the use of such a strategy unlikely, should remember focal and non-focal colours equally well. More importantly, if individuals with Down syndrome have more developed visual memory abilities than control children, they should outperform them in recognising non-focal colours. Although the group with Down syndrome demonstrated significantly better Corsi blocks performance than controls, and displayed similar levels of colour knowledge, no advantage for colour memory was found. Non-focal colours were remembered by individuals with Down syndrome as successfully as focal colours but there was no indication of a visual memory advantage over controls. Focal colours were remembered significantly more successfully than non-focal colours by the typically developing children. Their focal colour memory was significantly related to digit span, but only Corsi span was related to focal colour memory in the group with Down syndrome.

Self-injurious implicit attitudes among adolescent suicide attempters versus those engaged in nonsuicidal self-injury.

PubMed

Dickstein, Daniel P; Puzia, Megan E; Cushman, Grace K; Weissman, Alexandra B; Wegbreit, Ezra; Kim, Kerri L; Nock, Matthew K; Spirito, Anthony

2015-10-01

Suicide is among the most important mental health issues affecting adolescents today despite much research on its detection and prevention. Beyond suicide attempts (SAs), clinicians are increasingly confronted with another, potentially related problem: non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI)-defined as the deliberate destruction of body tissue without intent to die. NSSI may increase risk for making an SA by sevenfold, but many studies examining this link have involved youths engaging in both NSSI and SAs. Thus, there is a need to compare homogeneous groups of adolescents engaged in NSSI-only or SA-only, but not both, to advance what is known about each form of self-harm. The self-injurious implicit association task (SI-IAT) is a particularly important computerized behavioral task to study such adolescents because the SI-IAT provides objective behavioral data about problems for which people may lack insight or be motivated to conceal, such as SAs and NSSI. We evaluated implicit associations with cutting and death/suicide using the computerized SI-IAT in three mutually exclusive groups: (1) adolescents who made an SA but had never engaged in NSSI (n = 47); (2) adolescents who engaged in NSSI but had never made an SA (n = 46); and (3) typically developing control (TDC) adolescents without history of psychiatric problems (n = 43). Nonsuicidal self-injury participants had stronger identification with cutting versus no cutting than either SA or TDC participants. Contrary to our hypothesis, NSSI participants had stronger identification with suicide/death versus life than either SA or TDC participants. Strong implicit attitudes towards suicide/death among adolescents with NSSI without a prior SA suggest that clinicians should not dismiss NSSI as not serious. Further work is required to elucidate the mechanism by which youths engaged in NSSI acquire these stronger identifications and make a first-time SA to develop novel treatment and prevention strategies blocking this transformation, ultimately reducing youth suicide. © 2015 Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

Emotional face recognition in adolescent suicide attempters and adolescents engaging in non-suicidal self-injury.

PubMed

Seymour, Karen E; Jones, Richard N; Cushman, Grace K; Galvan, Thania; Puzia, Megan E; Kim, Kerri L; Spirito, Anthony; Dickstein, Daniel P

2016-03-01

Little is known about the bio-behavioral mechanisms underlying and differentiating suicide attempts from non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) in adolescents. Adolescents who attempt suicide or engage in NSSI often report significant interpersonal and social difficulties. Emotional face recognition ability is a fundamental skill required for successful social interactions, and deficits in this ability may provide insight into the unique brain-behavior interactions underlying suicide attempts versus NSSI in adolescents. Therefore, we examined emotional face recognition ability among three mutually exclusive groups: (1) inpatient adolescents who attempted suicide (SA, n = 30); (2) inpatient adolescents engaged in NSSI (NSSI, n = 30); and (3) typically developing controls (TDC, n = 30) without psychiatric illness. Participants included adolescents aged 13-17 years, matched on age, gender and full-scale IQ. Emotional face recognition was evaluated using the diagnostic assessment of nonverbal accuracy (DANVA-2). Compared to TDC youth, adolescents with NSSI made more errors on child fearful and adult sad face recognition while controlling for psychopathology and medication status (ps < 0.05). No differences were found on emotional face recognition between NSSI and SA groups. Secondary analyses showed that compared to inpatients without major depression, those with major depression made fewer errors on adult sad face recognition even when controlling for group status (p < 0.05). Further, compared to inpatients without generalized anxiety, those with generalized anxiety made fewer recognition errors on adult happy faces even when controlling for group status (p < 0.05). Adolescent inpatients engaged in NSSI showed greater deficits in emotional face recognition than TDC, but not inpatient adolescents who attempted suicide. Further results suggest the importance of psychopathology in emotional face recognition. Replication of these preliminary results and examination of the role of context-dependent emotional processing are needed moving forward.

External Mechanical Work and Pendular Energy Transduction of Overground and Treadmill Walking in Adolescents with Unilateral Cerebral Palsy

PubMed Central

Zollinger, Marie; Degache, Francis; Currat, Gabriel; Pochon, Ludmila; Peyrot, Nicolas; Newman, Christopher J.; Malatesta, Davide

2016-01-01

Purpose: Motor impairments affect functional abilities and gait in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy (CP). Improving their walking is an essential objective of treatment, and the use of a treadmill for gait analysis and training could offer several advantages in adolescents with CP. However, there is a controversy regarding the similarity between treadmill and overground walking both for gait analysis and training in children and adolescents. The aim of this study was to compare the external mechanical work and pendular energy transduction of these two types of gait modalities at standard and preferred walking speeds in adolescents with unilateral cerebral palsy (UCP) and typically developing (TD) adolescents matched on age, height and body mass. Methods: Spatiotemporal parameters, external mechanical work and pendular energy transduction of walking were computed using two inertial sensors equipped with a triaxial accelerometer and gyroscope and compared in 10 UCP (14.2 ± 1.7 year) and 10 TD (14.1 ± 1.9 year) adolescents during treadmill and overground walking at standard and preferred speeds. Results: The treadmill induced almost identical mechanical changes to overground walking in TD adolescents and those with UCP, with the exception of potential and kinetic vertical and lateral mechanical works, which are both significantly increased in the overground-treadmill transition only in UCP (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Adolescents with UCP have a reduced adaptive capacity in absorbing and decelerating the speed created by a treadmill (i.e., dynamic stability) compared to TD adolescents. This may have an important implication in rehabilitation programs that assess and train gait by using a treadmill in adolescents with UCP. PMID:27148062

External Mechanical Work and Pendular Energy Transduction of Overground and Treadmill Walking in Adolescents with Unilateral Cerebral Palsy.

PubMed

Zollinger, Marie; Degache, Francis; Currat, Gabriel; Pochon, Ludmila; Peyrot, Nicolas; Newman, Christopher J; Malatesta, Davide

2016-01-01

Motor impairments affect functional abilities and gait in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy (CP). Improving their walking is an essential objective of treatment, and the use of a treadmill for gait analysis and training could offer several advantages in adolescents with CP. However, there is a controversy regarding the similarity between treadmill and overground walking both for gait analysis and training in children and adolescents. The aim of this study was to compare the external mechanical work and pendular energy transduction of these two types of gait modalities at standard and preferred walking speeds in adolescents with unilateral cerebral palsy (UCP) and typically developing (TD) adolescents matched on age, height and body mass. Spatiotemporal parameters, external mechanical work and pendular energy transduction of walking were computed using two inertial sensors equipped with a triaxial accelerometer and gyroscope and compared in 10 UCP (14.2 ± 1.7 year) and 10 TD (14.1 ± 1.9 year) adolescents during treadmill and overground walking at standard and preferred speeds. The treadmill induced almost identical mechanical changes to overground walking in TD adolescents and those with UCP, with the exception of potential and kinetic vertical and lateral mechanical works, which are both significantly increased in the overground-treadmill transition only in UCP (P < 0.05). Adolescents with UCP have a reduced adaptive capacity in absorbing and decelerating the speed created by a treadmill (i.e., dynamic stability) compared to TD adolescents. This may have an important implication in rehabilitation programs that assess and train gait by using a treadmill in adolescents with UCP.

White matter microstructural changes in adolescent anorexia nervosa including an exploratory longitudinal study

PubMed Central

Vogel, Katja; Timmers, Inge; Kumar, Vinod; Nickl-Jockschat, Thomas; Bastiani, Matteo; Roebroek, Alard; Herpertz-Dahlmann, Beate; Konrad, Kerstin; Goebel, Rainer; Seitz, Jochen

2016-01-01

Background Anorexia nervosa (AN) often begins in adolescence, however, the understanding of the underlying pathophysiology at this developmentally important age is scarce, impeding early interventions. We used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to investigate microstructural white matter (WM) brain changes including an experimental longitudinal follow-up. Methods We acquired whole brain diffusion-weighted brain scans of 22 adolescent female hospitalized patients with AN at admission and nine patients longitudinally at discharge after weight rehabilitation. Patients (10–18 years) were compared to 21 typically developing controls (TD). Tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) were applied to compare fractional anisotropy (FA) across groups and time points. Associations between average FA values of the global WM skeleton and weight as well as illness duration parameters were analyzed by multiple linear regression. Results We observed increased FA in bilateral frontal, parietal and temporal areas in AN patients at admission compared to TD. Higher FA of the global WM skeleton at admission was associated with faster weight loss prior to admission. Exploratory longitudinal analysis showed this FA increase to be partially normalized after weight rehabilitation. Conclusions Our findings reveal a markedly different pattern of WM microstructural changes in adolescent AN compared to most previous results in adult AN. This could signify a different susceptibility and reaction to semi-starvation in the still developing brain of adolescents or a time-dependent pathomechanism differing with extend of chronicity. Higher FA at admission in adolescents with AN could point to WM fibers being packed together more closely. PMID:27182488

Longitudinal associations from neurobehavioral disinhibition to adolescent risky sexual behavior in boys: direct and mediated effects through moderate alcohol consumption.

PubMed

Riggs, Nathaniel R; Tate, Eleanor B; Ridenour, Ty A; Reynolds, Maureen D; Zhai, Zu W; Vanyukov, Michael M; Tarter, Ralph E

2013-10-01

This longitudinal study tested the hypothesis that neurobehavioral disinhibition (ND) in childhood, mediated by alcohol use, portends risky sexual behavior (number of sexual partners) in midadolescence. Participants were 410 adolescent boys. Neurobehavioral disinhibition was assessed at 11.3 years of age. Frequency and quantity of alcohol use on a typical drinking occasion were assessed at 13.4 years of age at first follow-up, and sexual behavior at 16.0 years at second follow-up. Quantity of alcohol consumed on a typical drinking occasion, but not frequency of alcohol use, mediated the relation between ND and number of sexual partners. These findings indicate that number of sexual partners in midadolescence is predicted by individual differences in boys' psychological self-regulation during childhood and moderate alcohol consumption in early adolescence, and that ND may be a potential target for multi-outcome public health interventions. Copyright © 2013 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Reward Improves Cancellation and Restraint Inhibition Across Childhood and Adolescence

PubMed Central

Sinopoli, Katia J.; Schachar, Russell; Dennis, Maureen

2011-01-01

Inhibitory control allows for the regulation of thought and action, and interacts with motivational variables, such as reward, to modify behavior adaptively as environments change. We examined the effects of reward on two distinct forms of inhibitory control, cancellation and restraint. Typically developing children and adolescents completed two versions of the stop signal task (cancellation and restraint) under three reward conditions (neutral, low reward, and high reward), where rewards were earned for successful inhibitory control. Rewards improved both cancellation and restraint inhibition, with similar effects of reward on each form of inhibitory control. Rewards did not alter the speed of response execution in either task, suggesting that rewards specifically altered inhibition processes without influencing processes related to response execution. Adolescents were faster and less variable than children when executing and inhibiting their responses. There were similar developmental effects of reward on the speed of inhibitory control, but group differences were found in terms of accuracy of inhibition in the restraint task. These results clarify how reward modulates two different forms of regulatory behavior in children and adolescents. PMID:21744952

Adolescent female murderers: characteristics and treatment implications.

PubMed

Roe-Sepowitz, Dominique

2007-07-01

This study examines individual and family characteristics of a population of 29 adolescent females charged with homicide or attempted homicide in the juvenile justice system. The purpose of this study is to contribute to the limited knowledge about adolescent females charged with homicide. Data were collected including the MAYSI-2, a risk classification instrument, and social, educational and family histories. Findings include high rates of reported substance use, delinquent peers, early indicators of mental health problems, and limited control and supervision by parents. The most common weapon used was a car and the most common victim was a known person. A comparison was conducted on girls charged with homicide during the commission of another crime or committed during a conflict. The conflict group was found to victimize friends and family significantly more often than the crime group. The crime group showed higher use of alcohol and drugs, used a gun more and had co-offenders at a higher rate. A profile was developed to describe the typical adolescent female homicide offender found in this study. Treatment recommendations and future research were discussed. ((c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved).

The Relationship between Class Attitudes towards Peers with a Disability and Peer Acceptance, Friendships and Peer Interactions of Students with a Disability in Regular Secondary Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Petry, Katja

2018-01-01

Students with a disability in inclusive classes often face problems with peer acceptance, friendships and peer interactions. In this paper, the relationship between these difficulties in social participation and the attitudes that typically developing adolescents hold towards peers with a disability at the level of the class was explored. A…

fMRI Activation during Response Inhibition and Error Processing: The Role of the DAT1 Gene in Typically Developing Adolescents and Those Diagnosed with ADHD

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Braet, Wouter; Johnson, Katherine A.; Tobin, Claire T.; Acheson, Ruth; McDonnell, Caroline; Hawi, Ziarah; Barry, Edwina; Mulligan, Aisling; Gill, Michael; Bellgrove, Mark A.; Robertson, Ian H.; Garavan, Hugh

2011-01-01

The DAT1 gene codes for the dopamine transporter, which clears dopamine from the synaptic cleft, and a variant of this gene has previously been associated with compromised response inhibition in both healthy and clinical populations. This variant has also been associated with ADHD, a disorder that is characterised by disturbed dopamine function as…

The Etiology of Science Performance: Decreasing Heritability and Increasing Importance of the Shared Environment from 9 to 12 Years of Age

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haworth, Claire M. A.; Dale, Philip S.; Plomin, Robert

2009-01-01

During childhood and adolescence, increases in heritability and decreases in shared environmental influences have typically been found for cognitive abilities. A sample of more than 2,500 pairs of twins from the Twins Early Development Study was used to investigate whether a similar pattern would be found for science performance from 9 to 12…

Social Cognition Dysfunction in Adolescents with 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome (Velo-Cardio-Facial Syndrome): Relationship with Executive Functioning and Social Competence/Functioning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Campbell, L. E.; McCabe, K. L.; Melville, J. L.; Strutt, P. A.; Schall, U.

2015-01-01

Background: Social difficulties are often noted among people with intellectual disabilities. Children and adults with 22q.11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS) often have poorer social competence as well as poorer performance on measures of executive and social-cognitive skills compared with typically developing young people. However, the relationship…

Update on Diagnosis, Management, and Prevention of Hepatitis B Virus Infection

DTIC Science & Technology

1999-04-01

indicate that up to 25% of persons who acquire HBV infection as infants and young children develop either hepatocellular carcinoma or cirrhosis...compared to 15% of adolescents and young adults who acquire chronic HBV infection (6, 67). The risk of hepatocellular carcinoma diminishes with... hepatocellular carcinoma , which typically appears 25 to 30 years after the onset of infection. VOL. 12, 1999 HEPATITIS B VIRUS INFECTION 355 Antigen

The effect of social rank feedback on risk taking and associated reward processes in adolescent girls

PubMed Central

Bunge, Silvia A.; Bell, Orly N.; Kriegsfeld, Lance J.; Kayser, Andrew S.; Dahl, Ronald E.

2017-01-01

Abstract The onset of adolescence is associated with an increased tendency to engage in risky behaviors and a developmental shift toward peers that contributes to increased prioritization for learning about and achieving social status. There is relatively little understanding about the specific links between these adolescent-typical phenomena, particularly regarding their neural underpinnings. Based on existing models that suggest the role of puberty in promoting adolescent status-seeking and risk-taking tendencies, we investigated the relation of pubertal hormones with behavioral and neural responses to status-relevant social information in the context of risk taking. We used a probabilistic decision task in which 11- to 13-year-old girls chose to take a risk, or not, while receiving either social rank or monetary performance feedback. While feedback type did not differentially influence risk-taking behavior, whole-brain imaging results showed that activation in the anterior insula was increased for risk taking in the social rank feedback condition compared to the monetary feedback condition. This heightened activation was more pronounced in girls with higher estradiol levels. These findings suggest that brain processes involved in adolescent risky decisions may be influenced by the desire for social-status enhancement and provide preliminary evidence for the role of pubertal hormones in enhancing this adolescent-typical social sensitivity. PMID:27614768

Error-Monitoring in Response to Social Stimuli in Individuals with Higher-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder

PubMed Central

McMahon, Camilla M.; Henderson, Heather A.

2014-01-01

Error-monitoring, or the ability to recognize one's mistakes and implement behavioral changes to prevent further mistakes, may be impaired in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Children and adolescents (ages 9-19) with ASD (n = 42) and typical development (n = 42) completed two face processing tasks that required discrimination of either the gender or affect of standardized face stimuli. Post-error slowing and the difference in Error-Related Negativity amplitude between correct and incorrect responses (ERNdiff) were used to index error-monitoring ability. Overall, ERNdiff increased with age. On the Gender Task, individuals with ASD had a smaller ERNdiff than individuals with typical development; however, on the Affect Task, there were no significant diagnostic group differences on ERNdiff. Individuals with ASD may have ERN amplitudes similar to those observed in individuals with typical development in more social contexts compared to less social contexts due to greater consequences for errors, more effortful processing, and/or reduced processing efficiency in these contexts. Across all participants, more post-error slowing on the Affect Task was associated with better social cognitive skills. PMID:25066088

Adolescent Egocentrism in a Learning Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bester, G.

2013-01-01

Imaginary audience, personal fable, and over-estimation of responsibilities are typical characteristics of egocentric behaviour during adolescence. The aim of the research was to establish how these egocentric characteristics manifest themselves in a learning context. An empirical investigation was carried out involving 316 learners from Grade 8…

Treatment Response to an Intensive Summer Treatment Program for Adolescents with ADHD

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sibley, Margaret H.; Smith, Bradley H.; Evans, Steven W.; Pelham, William E.; Gnagy, Elizabeth M.

2012-01-01

Objective: There are presently almost no empirically validated treatments for adolescents with ADHD. However, in childhood, behavioral treatments for ADHD typically include behavioral parent training, classroom interventions, and intensive child-directed interventions. Method: The present investigation examines treatment gains following an 8-week…

Assessment of muscle endurance of the knee extensor muscles in adolescents with spastic cerebral palsy using a submaximal repetitions-to-fatigue protocol.

PubMed

Eken, Maaike M; Dallmeijer, Annet J; Doorenbosch, Caroline A; Dekkers, Hurnet; Becher, Jules G; Houdijk, Han

2014-10-01

To compare muscle endurance in adolescents with spastic cerebral palsy (CP) with typically developing (TD) peers using a submaximal repetitions-to-fatigue (RTF) protocol. Cross sectional. Human motion laboratory. Adolescents with spastic CP (n=16; Gross Motor Function Classification System levels I or II) and TD adolescents (n=18) within the age range of 12 to 19 years old. Not applicable. Each participant performed 3 RTF tests at different submaximal loads, ranging from 50% to 90% of their maximal voluntary knee extension torque. The relation between the number of repetitions (repetition maximum [RM]) and imposed submaximal relative (percent of maximal voluntary torque [%MVT]) and absolute (Nm/kg) torque was quantified. To compare adolescents with CP with TD adolescents, a mixed linear model was used to construct load endurance curves. Surface electromyography of quadriceps muscles was measured to assess changes in normalized amplitude and median frequency (MF) as physiological indicators of muscle fatigue. Adolescents with CP showed a larger decrease in %MVT per RM than TD adolescents (P<.05). TD adolescents showed substantial higher absolute (Nm/kg) load endurance curves than adolescents with CP (P<.001), but they did not show a difference in slope. Electromyographic normalized amplitude increased significantly (P<.05) in the quadriceps muscles in all tests for both groups. Electromyographic MF decreased significantly (P<.05) in tests with the low and medium loads. Electromyographic responses did not differ between groups, indicating that similar levels of muscle fatigue were reached. Adolescents with CP show slightly lower muscle endurance compared with TD adolescents on a submaximal RTF protocol, which is in contrast with earlier findings in a maximal voluntary fatigue protocol. Accordingly, adolescents with CP have a reduced capacity to endure activities at similar relative loads compared with TD adolescents. Copyright © 2014 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Counseling activity in single-session online counseling with adolescents: an adherence study.

PubMed

Chardon, Lydia; Bagraith, Karl S; King, Robert John

2011-09-01

While online counseling is increasingly utilized, little is known about what counseling work takes place in the online environment. The aim of this study was to quantify online counseling activity by determining counselors' adherence to the widely used model in which they had been trained. Transcripts (n=85) of online counseling with adolescents were evaluated, using a standardized and psychometrically sound instrument. We found that, while counseling in 53% of transcripts progressed through each of the key stages of counseling, the focus of most sessions was information gathering; and goal exploration and action planning were typically superficial and often absent. Possible reasons for low counseling depth are discussed and recommendations made for the further development of online counseling.

TRACING THE TIMING OF “CAREER” ACQUISITION IN A CONTEMPORARY YOUTH COHORT*

PubMed Central

Mortimer, Jeylan T.; Vuolo, Mike; Staff, Jeremy; Wakefield, Sara; Xie, Wanling

2008-01-01

Contemporary youth typically experience considerable floundering and uncertainty in their transition from school to work. This paper examines patterns of schooling and working during adolescence and the transition to adulthood that hasten or delay an important subjective marker of transition to adulthood: acquiring a job that is recognized as a “career.” We use Youth Development Study data, obtained from a prospective longitudinal study of 9th graders. Estimation of discrete-time logit models shows that adolescent work patterns during high school, as well as the cumulative investments they make in work and schooling in the years following, significantly influence this milestone. Time-varying predictors, including job characteristics and parenthood, also affect the process of movement into “careers”. PMID:18542713

Brief Report: Bullying and Anxiety in High-Functioning Adolescents with ASD.

PubMed

van Schalkwyk, Gerrit; Smith, Isaac C; Silverman, Wendy K; Volkmar, Fred R

2018-05-01

Youth with ASD are more likely to experience bullying than their typically developing peers. This risk has not been studied in youth with ASD transitioning to college. We examined the occurrence of bullying in 35 high functioning youth with ASD who were preparing to attend college. We also examined youth anxiety and ASD symptoms. Fifty-one percent of the sample reported being recent victims of bullying; 31% of parents reported their child was a victim of bullying. Parent report of bullying correlated significantly with ratings of youth social anxiety symptoms. These findings suggest that bullying is an issue of concern for higher functioning, older adolescents with ASD, and that their own reports may be particularly important in identifying its occurrence.

Toward Dysfunctional Connectivity: A Review of Neuroimaging Findings in Pediatric Major Depressive Disorder

PubMed Central

Hulvershorn, Leslie; Cullen, Kathryn; Anand, Amit

2011-01-01

Child and adolescent psychiatric neuroimaging research typically lags behind similar advances in adult disorders. While the pediatric depression imaging literature is less developed, a recent surge in interest has created the need for a synthetic review of this work. Major findings from pediatric volumetric and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and resting state functional connectivity studies converge to implicate a corticolimbic network of key areas that work together to mediate the task of emotion regulation. Imaging the brain of children and adolescents with unipolar depression began with volumetric studies of isolated brain regions that served to identify key prefrontal, cingulate and limbic nodes of depression-related circuitry elucidated from more recent advances in DTI and functional connectivity imaging. Systematic review of these studies preliminarily suggests developmental differences between findings in youth and adults, including prodromal neurobiological features, along with some continuity across development. PMID:21901425

Functional magnetic resonance imaging of story listening in adolescents and young adults with Down syndrome: evidence for atypical neurodevelopment.

PubMed

Jacola, L M; Byars, A W; Hickey, F; Vannest, J; Holland, S K; Schapiro, M B

2014-10-01

Previous studies have documented differences in neural activation during language processing in individuals with Down syndrome (DS) in comparison with typically developing individuals matched for chronological age. This study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to compare activation during language processing in young adults with DS to typically developing comparison groups matched for chronological age or mental age. We hypothesised that the pattern of neural activation in the DS cohort would differ when compared with both typically developing cohorts. Eleven persons with DS (mean chronological age = 18.3; developmental age range = 4-6 years) and two groups of typically developing individuals matched for chronological (n = 13; mean age = 18.3 years) and developmental (mental) age (n = 12; chronological age range = 4-6 years) completed fMRI scanning during a passive story listening paradigm. Random effects group comparisons were conducted on individual maps of the contrast between activation (story listening) and rest (tone presentation) conditions. Robust activation was seen in typically developing groups in regions associated with processing auditory information, including bilateral superior and middle temporal lobe gyri. In contrast, the DS cohort demonstrated atypical spatial distribution of activation in midline frontal and posterior cingulate regions when compared with both typically developing control groups. Random effects group analyses documented reduced magnitude of activation in the DS cohort when compared with both control groups. Activation in the DS group differed significantly in magnitude and spatial extent when compared with chronological and mental age-matched typically developing control groups during a story listening task. Results provide additional support for an atypical pattern of functional organisation for language processing in this population. © 2013 MENCAP and International Association of the Scientific Study of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Brief Report: A Comparison of the Preference for Viewing Social and Non-social Movies in Typical and Autistic Adolescents.

PubMed

Dubey, Indu; Ropar, Danielle; de C Hamilton, Antonia F

2017-02-01

The recently proposed Social Motivation theory (Chevallier et al., Trends in cognitive sciences 16(4):231-239, 2012) suggests that social difficulties in Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) might be caused by a difference in the motivation to engage with other people. Here we compared adolescents with (N = 31) and without (N = 37) ASC on the Choose-a-Movie paradigm that measures the social seeking. The results showed a preference for viewing objects over smiling faces in ASC, which is in line with the theory of low social motivation. However, typical adolescents did not show any stimuli preferences, raising questions about developmental changes in social motivation. Age was found to play a significant role in moderating the choice behaviour of the participants. We discuss the implications of these findings in detail.

Functional Assessment and Treatment of Migraine Reports and School Absences in an Adolescent with Asperger's Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arvans, Rebecca K.; LeBlanc, Linda A.

2009-01-01

Psychological interventions for migraines typically include biofeedback training, stress-management training, or relaxation training and are implemented without consideration of environmental variables that might maintain migraines or complaints of migraines. An adolescent with daily reports of migraines that negatively impacted school attendance…

Prevention of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents: Critical appraisal of the evidence base (in German)

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Despite careful planning and implementation, overweight/obesity prevention interventions in children and adolescents typically show no, inconsistent or merely weak effects. Such programs usually aim at behavior changes, rarely also at environmental changes, that draw upon conventional wisdom regardi...

A Critical Analysis of the Child and Adolescent Wellness Scale (CAWS)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weller-Clarke, Alandra

2006-01-01

Current practice for assessing children and adolescents rely on objectively scored deficit-based models and/or informal assessments to determine how maladaptive behaviors affect performance. Social-emotional assessment instruments are used in schools and typically provide information related to behavioral and emotional deficits, but provide little…

Newly homeless youth typically return home.

PubMed

Milburn, Norweeta G; Rosenthal, Doreen; Rotheram-Borus, Mary Jane; Mallett, Shelley; Batterham, Philip; Rice, Eric; Solorio, Rosa

2007-06-01

Newly homeless adolescents from Melbourne, Australia (n = 165) and Los Angeles, United States (n = 261) were surveyed and followed for 2 years. Most newly homeless adolescents returned home (70% U.S., 47% Australia) for significant amounts of time (39% U.S., 17% Australia more than 12 months) within 2 years of becoming homeless.

Relative Power in Sibling Relationships across Adolescence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lindell, Anna K.; Campione-Barr, Nicole

2017-01-01

During childhood, older siblings typically hold a more powerful position in their relationship with their younger siblings, but these relationships are thought to become more egalitarian during adolescence as siblings begin to prepare for their relationships as adults and as younger siblings become more socially and cognitively competent. Little…

Intrinsic Functional Connectivity of Amygdala-Based Networks in Adolescent Generalized Anxiety Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roy, Amy K.; Fudge, Julie L.; Kelly, Clare; Perry, Justin S. A.; Daniele, Teresa; Carlisi, Christina; Benson, Brenda; Castellanos, F. Xavier; Milham, Michael P.; Pine, Daniel S.; Ernst, Monique

2013-01-01

Objective: Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) typically begins during adolescence and can persist into adulthood. The pathophysiological mechanisms underlying this disorder remain unclear. Recent evidence from resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (R-fMRI) studies in adults suggests disruptions in amygdala-based circuitry; the…

Urban Adolescents' Postschool Aspirations and Awareness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scanlon, David; Saxon, Karyn; Cowell, Molly; Kenny, Maureen E.; Perez-Gualdron, Leyla; Jernigan, Maryam

2008-01-01

The young adult years (approximately the age when one leaves high school to age 23) are pivotal to adult life success. They are the years when adolescents typically assume dramatic increases in responsibility for self-direction in areas such as socialization, independent living, citizenship, employment, education, and mental and physical health.…

Determinants of tobacco-related health literacy: A qualitative study with early adolescents.

PubMed

Parisod, Heidi; Axelin, Anna; Smed, Jouni; Salanterä, Sanna

2016-10-01

Today's adolescents are used to a constant information flow, but many face difficulties in processing health-related information due to low health literacy. There is still need for deeper understanding on the determinants of health literacy in relation to adolescents to guide the development of health literacy instruments and interventions. The purpose of this study was to explore, from the perspective of early adolescents, the determinants of health literacy in the context of tobacco-related health communication. A qualitative descriptive study. Two schools located in the south of Finland. One school represented a typical Finnish public school with students following general curriculum and the other represented a Finnish public school with students with special educational needs. Purposively selected sample of 10-13-year-old early adolescents (n=39) from the two schools to obtain a varied group of early adolescents representing different kinds of literacy levels. We conducted 10 focus groups with early adolescents and analyzed the data using the theoretical thematic analysis method. We used a combination of the determinants presented in three adolescent-specific health literacy models as the theoretical framework of deductive analysis. The remaining data extracts were coded inductively. We sorted the codes under sub-themes that represented different determinants of health literacy. These were further divided between three themes: "personal", "external", and "mediating" determinants. Finally, we named the themes with an expression that embodied the early adolescents' views and experiences. Early adolescents' descriptions revealed that the list of determinants presented in the three adolescent-specific health literacy models is not comprehensive enough. Early adolescents brought up how their motives, self-efficacy, and role expectations determine their health literacy in addition to the other personal determinants presented in the previous models. Their descriptions also suggest that external determinants include interpersonal relations with authorities, idols and random people, and the socio-cultural atmosphere as new factors. New mediating determinants that have a separate influence on health literacy were recognized based on early adolescents' descriptions as well. Our findings give a new, adolescent-oriented insight on the determinants of adolescents' health literacy. Based on the findings, there are additional personal, external, and mediating determinants that are not included in the current adolescent-specific health literacy models. These newly found determinants require attention and further exploration. The acquired knowledge can be used for strengthening existing adolescent-specific health literacy models, and as a basis of health literacy instrument and intervention development. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Design, Implementation, and Evaluation of the Adolescents and Surveillance System for the Obesity Prevention Project.

PubMed

Tabacchi, Garden; Bianco, Antonino; Alessi, Nicola; Filippi, Anna Rita; Napoli, Giuseppe; Jemni, Monèm; Censi, Laura; Breda, João; Schumann, Nathali Lehmann; Firenze, Alberto; Vitale, Francesco; Mammina, Caterina

2016-03-01

The Adolescents Surveillance System for Obesity prevention (ASSO) Project aimed at developing standardized and web-based tools for collecting data on adolescents' obesity and its potential determinants. This has been implemented and piloted in the local area of Palermo city, Italy. The aim of the present study is to provide an overview of the Project's design, implementation, and evaluation, highlighting all the aspects for a potential scale-up of the surveillance system on the whole national territory and abroad, as a sustainable and effective source of data.The overall structure and management, the ASSO-toolkit, the ASSO-NutFit software, and all developed and used procedures for recruiting, training, and data collecting/analyzing are addressed. An interim evaluation has been performed through a feasibility study; a final Project evaluation has been performed reporting the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) and the attributes that a surveillance system should have.This article provides a detailed overview of the Project and highlights that ASSO can be considered a valid, logical, coherent, efficient, and sustainable surveillance system that is consistent with countries' needs and priorities.The system developed by the ASSO Project provides high-quality data and complies with several characteristics typical of a suitable surveillance system. It has a potential of being adopted within the National Health Service and other countries' Health Services for monitoring adolescents' obesity and its determinants, such as food intakes, behaviors, physical activity, and fitness profiles.

The neural correlates of mental arithmetic in adolescents: a longitudinal fNIRS study.

PubMed

Artemenko, Christina; Soltanlou, Mojtaba; Ehlis, Ann-Christine; Nuerk, Hans-Christoph; Dresler, Thomas

2018-03-10

Arithmetic processing in adults is known to rely on a frontal-parietal network. However, neurocognitive research focusing on the neural and behavioral correlates of arithmetic development has been scarce, even though the acquisition of arithmetic skills is accompanied by changes within the fronto-parietal network of the developing brain. Furthermore, experimental procedures are typically adjusted to constraints of functional magnetic resonance imaging, which may not reflect natural settings in which children and adolescents actually perform arithmetic. Therefore, we investigated the longitudinal neurocognitive development of processes involved in performing the four basic arithmetic operations in 19 adolescents. By using functional near-infrared spectroscopy, we were able to use an ecologically valid task, i.e., a written production paradigm. A common pattern of activation in the bilateral fronto-parietal network for arithmetic processing was found for all basic arithmetic operations. Moreover, evidence was obtained for decreasing activation during subtraction over the course of 1 year in middle and inferior frontal gyri, and increased activation during addition and multiplication in angular and middle temporal gyri. In the self-paced block design, parietal activation in multiplication and left angular and temporal activation in addition were observed to be higher for simple than for complex blocks, reflecting an inverse effect of arithmetic complexity. In general, the findings suggest that the brain network for arithmetic processing is already established in 12-14 year-old adolescents, but still undergoes developmental changes.

Associations between IQ, total and regional brain volumes, and demography in a large normative sample of healthy children and adolescents.

PubMed

Lange, Nicholas; Froimowitz, Michael P; Bigler, Erin D; Lainhart, Janet E

2010-01-01

In the course of efforts to establish quantitative norms for healthy brain development by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (Brain Development Cooperative Group, 2006), previously unreported associations of parental education and temporal and frontal lobe volumes with full scale IQ and its verbal and performance subscales were discovered. Our findings were derived from the largest, most representative MRI sample to date of healthy children and adolescents, ages 4 years 10 months to 18 years 4 months. We first find that parental education has a strong association with IQ in children that is not mediated by total or regional brain volumes. Second, we find that our observed correlations between temporal gray matter, temporal white matter and frontal white matter volumes with full scale IQ, between 0.14 to 0.27 in children and adolescents, are due in large part to their correlations with performance IQ and not verbal IQ. The volumes of other lobar gray and white matter, subcortical gray matter (thalamus, caudate nucleus, putamen, and globus pallidus), cerebellum, and brainstem do not contribute significantly to IQ variation. Third, we find that head circumference is an insufficient index of cerebral volume in typically developing older children and adolescents. The relations between total and regional brain volumes and IQ can best be discerned when additional variables known to be associated with IQ, especially parental education and other demographic measures, are considered concurrently.

Large-Scale Hypoconnectivity Between Resting-State Functional Networks in Unmedicated Adolescent Major Depressive Disorder.

PubMed

Sacchet, Matthew D; Ho, Tiffany C; Connolly, Colm G; Tymofiyeva, Olga; Lewinn, Kaja Z; Han, Laura Km; Blom, Eva H; Tapert, Susan F; Max, Jeffrey E; Frank, Guido Kw; Paulus, Martin P; Simmons, Alan N; Gotlib, Ian H; Yang, Tony T

2016-11-01

Major depressive disorder (MDD) often emerges during adolescence, a critical period of brain development. Recent resting-state fMRI studies of adults suggest that MDD is associated with abnormalities within and between resting-state networks (RSNs). Here we tested whether adolescent MDD is characterized by abnormalities in interactions among RSNs. Participants were 55 unmedicated adolescents diagnosed with MDD and 56 matched healthy controls. Functional connectivity was mapped using resting-state fMRI. We used the network-based statistic (NBS) to compare large-scale connectivity between groups and also compared the groups on graph metrics. We further assessed whether group differences identified using nodes defined from functionally defined RSNs were also evident when using anatomically defined nodes. In addition, we examined relations between network abnormalities and depression severity and duration. Finally, we compared intranetwork connectivity between groups and assessed the replication of previously reported MDD-related abnormalities in connectivity. The NBS indicated that, compared with controls, depressed adolescents exhibited reduced connectivity (p<0.024, corrected) between a specific set of RSNs, including components of the attention, central executive, salience, and default mode networks. The NBS did not identify group differences in network connectivity when using anatomically defined nodes. Longer duration of depression was significantly correlated with reduced connectivity in this set of network interactions (p=0.020, corrected), specifically with reduced connectivity between components of the dorsal attention network. The dorsal attention network was also characterized by reduced intranetwork connectivity in the MDD group. Finally, we replicated previously reported abnormal connectivity in individuals with MDD. In summary, adolescents with MDD show hypoconnectivity between large-scale brain networks compared with healthy controls. Given that connectivity among these networks typically increases during adolescent neurodevelopment, these results suggest that adolescent depression is associated with abnormalities in neural systems that are still developing during this critical period.

Research Review: altered reward function in adolescent depression: what, when and how?

PubMed

Forbes, Erika E; Dahl, Ronald E

2012-01-01

Conceptual models and recent evidence indicate that neural response to reward is altered in depression. Taking a developmental approach to investigating reward function in adolescent depression can elucidate the etiology, pathophysiology and course of depression, a disorder that typically begins during adolescence and has high rates of recurrence. This conceptual review describes the what, when and how of altered reward function in adolescent depression. With the goal of generating new, testable hypotheses within a developmental affective neuroscience framework, we critically review findings and suggest future directions. Peer-reviewed empirical papers for inclusion in this critical review were obtained by searching PubMed, PsycInfo and ScienceDirect for the years 1990-2010. A pattern of low striatal response and high medial prefrontal response to reward is evident in adolescents and adults with depression. Given the salience of social stimuli for positive affect and depression, reward function might be especially disrupted in response to social rewards. Because of changes in the dopamine system and reward function with aging, altered reward function in depression might be more evident during adolescence than later in life; however, low reward function may also be a stable characteristic of people who experience depression. Mechanisms of altered reward function in depression could include disrupted balance of corticostriatal circuit function, with disruption occurring as aberrant adolescent brain development. Future studies should examine responses to social rewards; employ longitudinal and prospective designs; and investigate patterns of functional connectivity in reward circuits. Understanding altered reward function in depression has potential implications for treatment development. A more rigorous approach to investigating anhedonia, threat-reward interactions and comorbid anxiety will be valuable to future progress in describing the role of reward function in the pathophysiology of depression. © 2011 The Authors. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry © 2011 Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

Large-Scale Hypoconnectivity Between Resting-State Functional Networks in Unmedicated Adolescent Major Depressive Disorder

PubMed Central

Sacchet, Matthew D; Ho, Tiffany C; Connolly, Colm G; Tymofiyeva, Olga; Lewinn, Kaja Z; Han, Laura KM; Blom, Eva H; Tapert, Susan F; Max, Jeffrey E; Frank, Guido KW; Paulus, Martin P; Simmons, Alan N; Gotlib, Ian H; Yang, Tony T

2016-01-01

Major depressive disorder (MDD) often emerges during adolescence, a critical period of brain development. Recent resting-state fMRI studies of adults suggest that MDD is associated with abnormalities within and between resting-state networks (RSNs). Here we tested whether adolescent MDD is characterized by abnormalities in interactions among RSNs. Participants were 55 unmedicated adolescents diagnosed with MDD and 56 matched healthy controls. Functional connectivity was mapped using resting-state fMRI. We used the network-based statistic (NBS) to compare large-scale connectivity between groups and also compared the groups on graph metrics. We further assessed whether group differences identified using nodes defined from functionally defined RSNs were also evident when using anatomically defined nodes. In addition, we examined relations between network abnormalities and depression severity and duration. Finally, we compared intranetwork connectivity between groups and assessed the replication of previously reported MDD-related abnormalities in connectivity. The NBS indicated that, compared with controls, depressed adolescents exhibited reduced connectivity (p<0.024, corrected) between a specific set of RSNs, including components of the attention, central executive, salience, and default mode networks. The NBS did not identify group differences in network connectivity when using anatomically defined nodes. Longer duration of depression was significantly correlated with reduced connectivity in this set of network interactions (p=0.020, corrected), specifically with reduced connectivity between components of the dorsal attention network. The dorsal attention network was also characterized by reduced intranetwork connectivity in the MDD group. Finally, we replicated previously reported abnormal connectivity in individuals with MDD. In summary, adolescents with MDD show hypoconnectivity between large-scale brain networks compared with healthy controls. Given that connectivity among these networks typically increases during adolescent neurodevelopment, these results suggest that adolescent depression is associated with abnormalities in neural systems that are still developing during this critical period. PMID:27238621

Processing of musical structure by high-functioning adolescents with autism spectrum disorders.

PubMed

Quintin, Eve-Marie; Bhatara, Anjali; Poissant, Hélène; Fombonne, Eric; Levitin, Daniel J

2013-01-01

Enhanced pitch perception and memory have been cited as evidence of a local processing bias in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). This bias is argued to account for enhanced perceptual functioning ( Mottron & Burack, 2001 ; Mottron, Dawson, Soulières, Hubert, & Burack, 2006 ) and central coherence theories of ASD ( Frith, 1989 ; Happé & Frith, 2006 ). A local processing bias confers a different cognitive style to individuals with ASD ( Happé, 1999 ), which accounts in part for their good visuospatial and visuoconstructive skills. Here, we present analogues in the auditory domain, audiotemporal or audioconstructive processing, which we assess using a novel experimental task: a musical puzzle. This task evaluates the ability of individuals with ASD to process temporal sequences of musical events as well as various elements of musical structure and thus indexes their ability to employ a global processing style. Musical structures created and replicated by children and adolescents with ASD (10-19 years old) and typically developing children and adolescents (7-17 years old) were found to be similar in global coherence. Presenting a musical template for reference increased accuracy equally for both groups, with performance associated to performance IQ and short-term auditory memory. The overall pattern of performance was similar for both groups; some puzzles were easier than others and this was the case for both groups. Task performance was further found to be correlated with the ability to perceive musical emotions, more so for typically developing participants. Findings are discussed in light of the empathizing-systemizing theory of ASD ( Baron-Cohen, 2009 ) and the importance of describing the strengths of individuals with ASD ( Happé, 1999 ; Heaton, 2009 ).

Differences in age-dependent neural correlates of semantic processing between youths with autism spectrum disorder and typically developing youths.

PubMed

Chen, Pin-Jane; Gau, Susan Shur-Fen; Lee, Shu-Hui; Chou, Tai-Li

2016-12-01

Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have aberrant neural activity during semantic judgments. We aimed to examine age-dependent neural correlates of semantic processing in boys with ASD as compared to typically developing boys (TD). We used functional MRI to investigate 37 boys with ASD (mean age = 13.3 years, standard deviation = 2.4) and 35 age-, sex-, Intelligence quotient (IQ)- and handedness-matched TD boys (mean age = 13.3 years, standard deviation = 2.7) from age 8 to 18 years. Participants had to indicate whether pairs of Chinese characters presented visually were related in meaning. Group (ASD, TD) × Age (Old, Young) ANOVA was used to examine the difference of age-related changes. Direct comparisons between the adolescent group and the child group were also performed. The behavioral results showed that the ASD group had lower accuracy in the related condition relative to the TD group. The neuroimaging results showed greater activation in the cuneus and less activation in the left inferior frontal gyrus in boys with ASD than TD boys. Children with ASD produced greater activation in the cuneus than TD children. Adolescents with ASD showed reduced left IFG activation as compared to TD adolescents. Our findings suggest that TD boys may engage more in higher-level processing of retrieving or selecting semantic features while boys with ASD may rely more on lower-level visual processing during semantic judgments. The findings imply different functional organizations of the semantic system between the two groups. Autism Res 2016, 9: 1263-1273. © 2016 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The influence of sex steroids on structural brain maturation in adolescence.

PubMed

Koolschijn, P Cédric M P; Peper, Jiska S; Crone, Eveline A

2014-01-01

Puberty reflects a period of hormonal changes, physical maturation and structural brain reorganization. However, little attention has been paid to what extent sex steroids and pituitary hormones are associated with the refinement of brain maturation across adolescent development. Here we used high-resolution structural MRI scans from 215 typically developing individuals between ages 8-25, to examine the association between cortical thickness, surface area and (sub)cortical brain volumes with luteinizing hormone, testosterone and estradiol, and pubertal stage based on self-reports. Our results indicate sex-specific differences in testosterone related influences on gray matter volumes of the anterior cingulate cortex after controlling for age effects. No significant associations between subcortical structures and sex hormones were found. Pubertal stage was not a stronger predictor than chronological age for brain anatomical differences. Our findings indicate that sex steroids are associated with cerebral gray matter morphology in a sex specific manner. These hormonal and morphological differences may explain in part differences in brain development between boys and girls.

Aetiological influences on stability and change in emotional and behavioural problems across development: a systematic review.

PubMed

Hannigan, L J; Walaker, N; Waszczuk, M A; McAdams, T A; Eley, T C

2017-01-01

Emotional and behavioural problems in childhood and adolescence can be chronic and are predictive of future psychiatric problems. Understanding what factors drive the development and maintenance of these problems is therefore crucial. Longitudinal behavioural genetic studies using twin, sibling or adoption data can be used to explore the developmental aetiology of stability and change in childhood and adolescent psychopathology. We present a systematic review of longitudinal, behavioural genetic analyses of emotional and behavioural problems between ages 0 to 18 years. We identified 58 studies, of which 19 examined emotional problems, 30 examined behavioural problems, and 9 examined both. In the majority of studies, stability in emotional and behavioural problems was primarily genetically influenced. Stable environmental factors were also widely found, although these typically played a smaller role. Both genetic and environmental factors were involved in change across development. We discuss the findings in the context of the wider developmental literature and make recommendations for future research.

Aetiological influences on stability and change in emotional and behavioural problems across development: a systematic review

PubMed Central

Hannigan, L.J.; Walaker, N.; Waszczuk, M.A.; McAdams, T.A.; Eley, T.C.

2016-01-01

Emotional and behavioural problems in childhood and adolescence can be chronic and are predictive of future psychiatric problems. Understanding what factors drive the development and maintenance of these problems is therefore crucial. Longitudinal behavioural genetic studies using twin, sibling or adoption data can be used to explore the developmental aetiology of stability and change in childhood and adolescent psychopathology. We present a systematic review of longitudinal, behavioural genetic analyses of emotional and behavioural problems between ages 0 to 18 years. We identified 58 studies, of which 19 examined emotional problems, 30 examined behavioural problems, and 9 examined both. In the majority of studies, stability in emotional and behavioural problems was primarily genetically influenced. Stable environmental factors were also widely found, although these typically played a smaller role. Both genetic and environmental factors were involved in change across development. We discuss the findings in the context of the wider developmental literature and make recommendations for future research. PMID:28337341

Shared social and emotional activities within adolescent romantic and non-romantic sexual relationships.

PubMed

Williams, Lela Rankin; Russell, Stephen T

2013-05-01

Typically, "non-romantic" sexual relationships are assumed to be casual; however, the emotional and social distinctions between romantic and non-romantic contexts are not well understood, particularly in adolescence. Data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) was used to compare shared emotional (e.g., telling partner that they love her/him) and social (e.g., going out in a group) activities within romantic and non-romantic sexual relationships. Adolescents who reported exclusively romantic sexual relationships (n = 1,891) shared more emotional, but not social, activities with their partners than adolescents who were in non-romantic sexual relationships (n = 315; small effect size, r = .07-.13), akin to adolescents who experienced both relationship types (n = 519; small-to-medium effect size, r = .18-.38). Girls shared more emotional and social activities with their partners than boys when in romantic relationships (small effect size, r = .06-.10); there were no significant gender differences within non-romantic sexual relationships. Findings suggest that gendered scripts remain for sexual relationships that are romantic but not for those that are non-romantic. Notably, for the majority of adolescents, non-romantic relationships still held many emotional and social dimensions typical of romantic relationships and differences between relationship types were small. Although non-romantic relationships were less intimate than romantic sexual relationships, there was remarkable heterogeneity within this relationship type. Caution is advised when working with adolescents engaged in "casual" sexual relationships. Understanding the complexity of adolescent sexual relationships is critical for the advancement of effective sex education programming.

Bullying-related behaviour in a mainstream high school versus a high school for autism: Self-report and peer-report.

PubMed

Begeer, Sander; Fink, Elian; van der Meijden, Sandra; Goossens, Frits; Olthof, Tjeert

2016-07-01

This study examined the frequency of bullying, victimisation and defending behaviours among children with autism spectrum disorder and normal intelligence, using both self-report and peer-report information. Peer-report and self-report data were collected on a single classroom of 26 early adolescent boys attending a special school for children with autism and compared with 23 typically developing boys attending a single mainstream secondary school. Results showed that self- and peer-reported bully and victimisation rates did not differ between boys with autism spectrum disorder and typically developing boys. However, self-reported defending behaviour was less likely to be reported by boys in the autism spectrum disorder school compared to boys in the mainstream school, although there was no such difference for peer-reported defending. © The Author(s) 2015.

[Development and family environment in compulsive neurotic children and adolescents: a retrospective and comparative study].

PubMed

Ernst, H; Klosinski, G

1989-09-01

In a retrospective study the patient histories of 113 children and adolescents who received outpatient (89 cases) or inpatient (24 cases) treatment from 1973 to 1984 in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Tübingen with the diagnosis "compulsive neurosis" were examined in terms of the criteria personality development, family structure, frequency of certain forms and contents of compulsory behavior, significance and symbolism of the compulsive behavior within the family dynamics. In addition, a comparison was made with the other patients (n = 8,774) receiving child and adolescent psychiatric treatment during this period. The ratio of boys to girls was 7.3. The average age was 13.8 years in the boys and 12.6 years in the girls. The youngest patient was four years old. Compulsive washing was the predominant compulsive behavior in all age groups. Compulsive fears were most frequently manifested in fears about the mother, followed by poisoning and hypochondriac fears. Compulsive impulses were only found from prepuberty. In the girls they were always directed to killing the mother. The analysis of personality development revealed that there were indications of special features in the anal phase in only three cases. On the other hand, special events of pathoplastic significance were found in half of the patients. In about 33%, anancastic characteristics were present in the parents (eight parents were manifestly subject to compulsive neurosis). Conflict avoidance and ambitious demands on the children concerned were typical in the families. In contrast to the reference population, the compulsively neurotic children and adolescents were of average intelligence, frequently attended higher schools and belonged to a higher social class.

Developmentally sensitive markers of personality functioning in adolescents: Age-specific and age-neutral expressions.

PubMed

Debast, Inge; Rossi, Gina; Feenstra, Dineke; Hutsebaut, Joost

2017-04-01

Criterion D of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM-5 ; American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2013) refers to a possible onset of personality disorders (PDs) in adolescence and in Section II the development/course in adolescence is described by some typical characteristics for several PDs. Yet, age-specific expressions of PDs are lacking in Section III. We urgently need a developmentally sensitive assessment instrument that differentiates developmental and contextual changes on the one hand from expressions of personality pathology on the other hand. Therefore we investigated which items of the Severity Indices for Personality Problems-118 (SIPP-118) were developmentally sensitive throughout adolescence and adulthood and which could be considered more age-specific markers requiring other content or thresholds over age groups. Applying item response theory (IRT) we detected differential item functioning (DIF) in 36% of the items in matched samples of 639 adolescents versus 639 adults. The DIF across age groups mainly reflected a different degree of symptom expressions for the same underlying level of functioning. The threshold for exhibiting symptoms given a certain degree of personality dysfunction was lower in adolescence for areas of personality functioning related to the Self and Interpersonal domains. Some items also measured a latent construct of personality functioning differently across adolescents and adults. This suggests that several facets of the SIPP-118 do not solely measure aspects of personality pathology in adolescents, but likely include more developmental issues. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Consumption patterns of sweet drinks in a population of Australian children and adolescents (2003-2008).

PubMed

Jensen, Britt W; Nichols, Melanie; Allender, Steven; de Silva-Sanigorski, Andrea; Millar, Lynne; Kremer, Peter; Lacy, Kathleen; Swinburn, Boyd

2012-09-12

Intake of sweet drinks has previously been associated with the development of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents. The present study aimed to assess the consumption pattern of sweet drinks in a population of children and adolescents in Victoria, Australia. Data on 1,604 children and adolescents (4-18 years) from the comparison groups of two quasi-experimental intervention studies from Victoria, Australia were analysed. Sweet drink consumption (soft drink and fruit juice/cordial) was assessed as one day's intake and typical intake over the last week or month at two time points between 2003 and 2008 (mean time between measurement: 2.2 years). Assessed using dietary recalls, more than 70% of the children and adolescents consumed sweet drinks, with no difference between age groups (p = 0.28). The median intake among consumers was 500 ml and almost a third consumed more than 750 ml per day. More children and adolescents consumed fruit juice/cordial (69%) than soft drink (33%) (p < 0.0001) and in larger volumes (median intake fruit juice/cordial: 500 ml and soft drink: 375 ml). Secular changes in sweet drink consumption were observed with a lower proportion of children and adolescents consuming sweet drinks at time 2 compared to time 1 (significant for age group 8 to <10 years, p = 0.001). The proportion of Australian children and adolescents from the state of Victoria consuming sweet drinks has been stable or decreasing, although a high proportion of this sample consumed sweet drinks, especially fruit juice/cordial at both time points.

Elasticity in portion selection is predicted by severity of anorexia and food type in adolescents.

PubMed

Herzog, M; Douglas, C R; Kissileff, H R; Brunstrom, J M; Halmi, K A

2016-08-01

The size of portions that people select is an indicator of underlying mechanisms controlling food intake. Fears of eating excessive portions drive down the sizes of portions patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) can tolerate eating significantly below those of healthy controls (HC) (Kissileff et al., 2016). To determine whether patients with AN will also reduce the sizes of typical or ideal portions below those of controls, ANOVA was used to compare maximum tolerable, typical, and ideal portions of four foods (potatoes, rice, pizza, and M&M's) in the same group of 24 adolescent AN patients and 10 healthy adolescent controls (HC), on which only the maximal portion data were previously reported. Typical and ideal portion sizes did not differ on any food for AN, but for HC, typical portions sizes (kcals) became larger than ideal as the energy density of the food increased, and were significant for the most energy dense food. Ideal portions of low energy dense foods were the same for AN as for in HC. There was a significant 3-way (group × food × portion type) interaction, such that HC selected larger maximum than typical portions only for pizza. We therefore proposed that individuals of certain groups, depending on the food, can be flexible in the amounts of food chosen to be eaten. We call this difference between maximum-tolerable, and typical portion sizes selected "elasticity." Elasticity was significantly smaller for AN patients compared to HC for pizza and was significantly inversely correlated with severity of illness. This index could be useful for clinical assessment of AN patients, and those with eating problems such as in obesity and bulimia nervosa and tracking their response to treatment. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Frontoparietal function in young people with dysthymic disorder (DSM-5: Persistent depressive disorder) during spatial working memory.

PubMed

Vilgis, Veronika; Chen, Jian; Silk, Timothy J; Cunnington, Ross; Vance, Alasdair

2014-05-01

Dysthymic disorder (DD) is a depressive disorder characterised by persistent low and/or irritable mood and has been identified as a major risk factor for developing major depressive disorder (MDD). MDD and DD have been associated with executive function difficulties of working memory and attention. Little is known about how executive function networks in the brain are affected in children and adolescents with MDD and even less in DD. This study used fMRI and two spatial working memory paradigms to investigate associated brain function in young people with DD and an age-, gender- and IQ- matched typically developing group. Nineteen male patients with DD (mean age 11.2±1.5 years) diagnosed according to DSM-IV criteria and 16 typically developing boys (mean age 10.5±1.1 years) performed a mental rotation and a delay-match to sample (DMTS) task while undergoing fMRI. All participants were medication-naïve at the time of testing. Compared to typically developing young people, the DD group showed less activation in left frontal regions including left ventro- and dorsolateral prefrontal cortices (PFC) during mental rotation. Medial frontal regions including dorsomedial PFC, anterior cingulate cortex and frontal pole also showed relatively reduced activation. During the DMTS task patients showed significantly more activation in the right precuneus and posterior cingulate cortex. This was a cross-sectional study with a small sample limiting the generalizability of the results. The results complement previous findings in adults with MDD that have shown differential activation of left PFC regions during working memory tasks. Additionally, altered function of cortical midline structures in young patients with DD was identified. This supports findings in children, adolescents and adults with MDD suggesting that the pathophysiology of depressive disorders extends to DD as a risk factor for MDD and exhibits continuity over the lifespan. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Building positive self-image in adolescents in foster care: the use of role models in an interactive group approach.

PubMed

Yancey, A K

1998-01-01

In a previous article (Yancey, 1992), the literature on identity development in individuals from socially devalued racial and ethnic groups was summarized. It was postulated that the social maladaptation of adolescents in residential group foster care is reflective of identity disturbances created by the negative images of African-Americans and Latinos perpetuated by the dominant society and unfiltered by optimal parental racial/ethnic socialization. The present article describes the development of a pilot preventive mental health intervention, the PRIDE (Personal and Racial/ethnic Identity Development and Enhancement) program, designed to provide components of parenting that are necessary for promoting positive self-image in ethnically marginalized adolescents and that are typically lacking in the group foster care milieu. PRIDE utilizes successful, ethnically relevant role models in interactive group sessions to create a significant cognitive and emotional experience for teens. While the utility of role modeling for at-risk youth is widely accepted, there is little research on the packaging, delivery, and influence of this intervention modality. This study demonstrates the feasibility of a "hybrid" role-modeling approach (intermediate in intensity of exposure and cost between one-to-one mentoring and career-day programs). Implications for further research on this type of intervention are discussed.

What is the status of food literacy in Australian high schools? Perceptions of home economics teachers.

PubMed

Ronto, Rimante; Ball, Lauren; Pendergast, Donna; Harris, Neil

2017-01-01

The high school setting has been identified as an ideal setting to teach adolescents about healthy dietary behaviours. This study explored home economics teachers' (HETs) views on the role of high schools in enhancing adolescents' food literacy and promoting healthy dietary behaviours. Semi-structured interviews with 22 HETs were conducted. The interview questions focused on the perceived strengths/opportunities and the limitations/barriers in enhancing adolescents' food literacy and healthy dietary behaviours in Australian high schools. Thematic data analysis was used to identify five key themes from the interview transcripts: (1) the standing of food-related life skills; (2) food literacy in the Australian school curriculum; (3) emphasis on resources; (4) learning through school canteens; and (5) building a school to home and community nexus. Overall, HETs reported that home economics was regarded by parents and other school staff to be less important than Maths or English for adolescents to learn in Australian high schools. Some teachers indicated that their schools offered one year compulsory teaching of food related studies which is typically delivered in the leaning areas of Technologies or Health and Physical Education (HPE). However, HETs stated that the time was insufficient to develop sustainable food-related life skills and introduce broader concepts of food literacy such as environmental sustainability. The lack of financial resources and non-supportive school food environments, including school canteens, were reportedly major factors that prevented food literacy education and healthy dietary behaviours of adolescents. Increasing the status of food literacy education in schools would support adolescents to develop food-related life skills and mobilise them as agents of dietary behaviour change in the home setting. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reprint of "Investigating ensemble perception of emotions in autistic and typical children and adolescents".

PubMed

Karaminis, Themelis; Neil, Louise; Manning, Catherine; Turi, Marco; Fiorentini, Chiara; Burr, David; Pellicano, Elizabeth

2018-01-01

Ensemble perception, the ability to assess automatically the summary of large amounts of information presented in visual scenes, is available early in typical development. This ability might be compromised in autistic children, who are thought to present limitations in maintaining summary statistics representations for the recent history of sensory input. Here we examined ensemble perception of facial emotional expressions in 35 autistic children, 30 age- and ability-matched typical children and 25 typical adults. Participants received three tasks: a) an 'ensemble' emotion discrimination task; b) a baseline (single-face) emotion discrimination task; and c) a facial expression identification task. Children performed worse than adults on all three tasks. Unexpectedly, autistic and typical children were, on average, indistinguishable in their precision and accuracy on all three tasks. Computational modelling suggested that, on average, autistic and typical children used ensemble-encoding strategies to a similar extent; but ensemble perception was related to non-verbal reasoning abilities in autistic but not in typical children. Eye-movement data also showed no group differences in the way children attended to the stimuli. Our combined findings suggest that the abilities of autistic and typical children for ensemble perception of emotions are comparable on average. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Ensemble perception of emotions in autistic and typical children and adolescents.

PubMed

Karaminis, Themelis; Neil, Louise; Manning, Catherine; Turi, Marco; Fiorentini, Chiara; Burr, David; Pellicano, Elizabeth

2017-04-01

Ensemble perception, the ability to assess automatically the summary of large amounts of information presented in visual scenes, is available early in typical development. This ability might be compromised in autistic children, who are thought to present limitations in maintaining summary statistics representations for the recent history of sensory input. Here we examined ensemble perception of facial emotional expressions in 35 autistic children, 30 age- and ability-matched typical children and 25 typical adults. Participants received three tasks: a) an 'ensemble' emotion discrimination task; b) a baseline (single-face) emotion discrimination task; and c) a facial expression identification task. Children performed worse than adults on all three tasks. Unexpectedly, autistic and typical children were, on average, indistinguishable in their precision and accuracy on all three tasks. Computational modelling suggested that, on average, autistic and typical children used ensemble-encoding strategies to a similar extent; but ensemble perception was related to non-verbal reasoning abilities in autistic but not in typical children. Eye-movement data also showed no group differences in the way children attended to the stimuli. Our combined findings suggest that the abilities of autistic and typical children for ensemble perception of emotions are comparable on average. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

ESCAP Expert Paper: New developments in the diagnosis and treatment of adolescent anorexia nervosa--a European perspective.

PubMed

Herpertz-Dahlmann, Beate; van Elburg, Annemarie; Castro-Fornieles, Josefina; Schmidt, Ulrike

2015-10-01

Anorexia nervosa is a potentially life-threatening disorder with a typical onset in adolescence and high rates of medical complications and psychiatric comorbidity. This article summarizes issues relating to classification in DSM-5 and presents a narrative review of key evidence-based medical and behavioral interventions for adolescent AN and subthreshold restricting eating disorders, mainly, but not exclusively published between 2012 and 2014. In addition, it systematically compares the clinical guidelines of four European countries (Germany, Spain, The Netherlands, and United Kingdom) and outlines common clinical practice, in relation to treatment settings, nutritional rehabilitation, family-oriented and individual psychotherapy, and psychopharmacological treatment. With the exception of family-based treatment, which is mainly evaluated and practiced in Anglo-American countries, the evidence base is weak, especially for medical interventions such as refeeding and pharmacological intervention. There is a need for common European research efforts, to improve the available evidence base and resulting clinical guidance.

Development and Pilot Testing of the Dual Task Screen in Healthy Adolescents.

PubMed

Stephens, Jaclyn; Nicholson, Rachel; Slomine, Beth; Suskauer, Stacy

Athletes with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) should refrain from high-risk activities until recovered (symptom free and cognitive and physical exam findings normalize). Studies have suggested that this examination may not be sufficiently sensitive because dual-task paradigms, which typically assess motor performance while a person simultaneously completes a distractor task, can detect residual deficits in athletes who otherwise appear recovered from mTBI. Paradigms used to date are time-intensive procedures conducted in laboratory settings. Here, we report findings from a pilot study of the Dual Task Screen (DTS), which is a brief evaluation with two dual-task paradigms. In 32 healthy female adolescents, the DTS was administered in a mean of 5.63 min in the community, and every participant had poorer dual-condition performance on at least one of the motor tasks. The DTS is a clinically feasible measure and merits additional study regarding utility in adolescents with mTBIs. Copyright © 2018 by the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.

Math Error Types and Correlates in Adolescents with and without Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

PubMed Central

Capodieci, Agnese; Martinussen, Rhonda

2017-01-01

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the types of errors made by youth with and without a parent-reported diagnosis of attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) on a math fluency task and investigate the association between error types and youths’ performance on measures of processing speed and working memory. Method: Participants included 30 adolescents with ADHD and 39 typically developing peers between 14 and 17 years old matched in age and IQ. All youth completed standardized measures of math calculation and fluency as well as two tests of working memory and processing speed. Math fluency error patterns were examined. Results: Adolescents with ADHD showed less proficient math fluency despite having similar math calculation scores as their peers. Group differences were also observed in error types with youth with ADHD making more switch errors than their peers. Conclusion: This research has important clinical applications for the assessment and intervention on math ability in students with ADHD. PMID:29075227

Self-reported stress among adolescent siblings of individuals with autism spectrum disorder and Down syndrome.

PubMed

Shivers, Carolyn M; McGregor, Casey; Hough, Ashlea

2017-11-01

Despite the prevalence of studies showing increased stress among mothers of individuals with autism spectrum disorders, few studies have examined general stress among typically developing siblings. This study used an online survey to compare the levels of self-reported stress between adolescent siblings of individuals with autism spectrum disorder and Down syndrome. Sibling of individuals with autism reported significantly more overall stress than did siblings of individuals with Down syndrome, as well as more stress specifically attributed to the brother/sister with autism. The two groups did not differ on perceived social support from family and friends. In linear regression models, the disability group (autism vs Down syndrome) was significantly related to sibling stress above and beyond target child behavior problems, perceived social support, and demographic factors. These results help shed light on the daily experiences of adolescent siblings of individuals with autism and call for more research into potential interventions to address increased stress levels.

Adolescent bystanders' perspectives of aggression in the online versus school environments.

PubMed

Patterson, Lisa J; Allan, Alfred; Cross, Donna

2016-06-01

Researchers' understanding of bystanders' perspectives in the cyber-environment fails to take young people's perceptions into account and remains imperfect. Interventions encouraging adolescents to help targets of cyber-aggression are therefore typically based upon traditional school-based aggression research. Twenty-four in-depth interviews with Australian 13-16 year-olds revealed two themes that reflect how young bystanders perceive differences between aggression online and at school. The physical presence theme suggests that young bystanders struggle to determine online intentions in the absence of body language, leading to hesitancy in reactions and furthermore make it easier for them to ignore online transgressions and avoid becoming involved. The authority theme indicates young bystanders perceive that, compared to the school environment, the online environment lacks clearly established rules, authority figures and formal reporting mechanisms. These differences indicate that unique strategies should be developed to encourage young bystanders to intervene in cyber-aggression situations. Copyright © 2016 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Longitudinal Profiles of Adaptive Behavior in Fragile X Syndrome

PubMed Central

Quintin, Eve-Marie; Jo, Booil; Lightbody, Amy A.; Hazlett, Heather Cody; Piven, Joseph; Hall, Scott S.; Reiss, Allan L.

2014-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To examine longitudinally the adaptive behavior patterns in fragile X syndrome. METHOD: Caregivers of 275 children and adolescents with fragile X syndrome and 225 typically developing children and adolescents (2–18 years) were interviewed with the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales every 2 to 4 years as part of a prospective longitudinal study. RESULTS: Standard scores of adaptive behavior in people with fragile X syndrome are marked by a significant decline over time in all domains for males and in communication for females. Socialization skills are a relative strength as compared with the other domains for males with fragile X syndrome. Females with fragile X syndrome did not show a discernible pattern of developmental strengths and weaknesses. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first large-scale longitudinal study to show that the acquisition of adaptive behavior slows as individuals with fragile X syndrome age. It is imperative to ensure that assessments of adaptive behavior skills are part of intervention programs focusing on childhood and adolescence in this condition. PMID:25070318

Math Error Types and Correlates in Adolescents with and without Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

PubMed

Capodieci, Agnese; Martinussen, Rhonda

2017-01-01

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the types of errors made by youth with and without a parent-reported diagnosis of attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) on a math fluency task and investigate the association between error types and youths' performance on measures of processing speed and working memory. Method: Participants included 30 adolescents with ADHD and 39 typically developing peers between 14 and 17 years old matched in age and IQ. All youth completed standardized measures of math calculation and fluency as well as two tests of working memory and processing speed. Math fluency error patterns were examined. Results: Adolescents with ADHD showed less proficient math fluency despite having similar math calculation scores as their peers. Group differences were also observed in error types with youth with ADHD making more switch errors than their peers. Conclusion: This research has important clinical applications for the assessment and intervention on math ability in students with ADHD.

Neural and behavioural responses to face-likeness of objects in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder.

PubMed

Akechi, Hironori; Kikuchi, Yukiko; Tojo, Yoshikuni; Osanai, Hiroo; Hasegawa, Toshikazu

2014-01-27

Numerous studies have revealed atypical face processing in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) characterized by social interaction and communication difficulties. This study investigated sensitivity to face-likeness in ASD. In Experiment 1, we found a strong positive correlation between the face-likeness ratings of non-face objects in the ASD (11-19 years old) and the typically developing (TD) group (9-21 years old). In Experiment 2 (the scalp-recorded event-related potential experiment), the participants of both groups (ASD, 12-19 years old; TD, 12-18 years old) exhibited an enhanced face-sensitive N170 amplitude to a face-like object. Whereas the TD adolescents showed an enhanced N170 during the face-likeness judgements, adolescents with ASD did not. Thus, both individuals with ASD and TD individuals have a perceptual and neural sensitivity to face-like features in objects. When required to process face-like features, a face-related brain system reacts more strongly in TD individuals but not in individuals with ASD.

Empathic responsiveness of children and adolescents with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder.

PubMed

Scheeren, Anke M; Koot, Hans M; Mundy, Peter C; Mous, Larissa; Begeer, Sander

2013-10-01

Previous studies have shown reduced empathic responsiveness to others' emotions in preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and an intellectual disability. However, age and intelligence may promote children's empathic responsiveness. Therefore, we examined the empathic responsiveness in normally intelligent school-aged children and adolescents with a clinical diagnosis of ASD (n = 151) and in a typically developing comparison group (n = 50), using structured observations and parent reports. Based on the observations, participants' responses to the emotional displays of an interviewer were surprisingly similar. However, compared with parents from the comparison group, parents of a child with ASD reported significantly fewer empathic responses, particularly when the child received a high score on the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule. Even though parents report a reduced empathic responsiveness in school-aged children and adolescents with ASD, it may be difficult to find these empathic limitations during brief observations in a structured setting. © 2013 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Developmental Steps in Metaphorical Language Abilities: The Influence of Age, Gender, Cognitive Flexibility, Information Processing Speed, and Analogical Reasoning.

PubMed

Willinger, Ulrike; Deckert, Matthias; Schmöger, Michaela; Schaunig-Busch, Ines; Formann, Anton K; Auff, Eduard

2017-12-01

Metaphor is a specific type of figurative language that is used in various important fields such as in the work with children in clinical or teaching contexts. The aim of the study was to investigate the developmental course, developmental steps, and possible cognitive predictors regarding metaphor processing in childhood and early adolescence. One hundred sixty-four typically developing children (7-year-olds, 9-year-olds) and early adolescents (11-year-olds) were tested for metaphor identification, comprehension, comprehension quality, and preference by the Metaphoric Triads Task as well as for analogical reasoning, information processing speed, cognitive flexibility under time pressure, and cognitive flexibility without time pressure. Metaphor identification and comprehension consecutively increased with age. Eleven-year-olds showed significantly higher metaphor comprehension quality and preference scores than seven- and nine-year-olds, whilst these younger age groups did not differ. Age, cognitive flexibility under time pressure, information processing speed, analogical reasoning, and cognitive flexibility without time pressure significantly predicted metaphor comprehension. Metaphorical language ability shows an ongoing development and seemingly changes qualitatively at the beginning of early adolescence. These results can possibly be explained by a greater synaptic reorganization in early adolescents. Furthermore, cognitive flexibility under time pressure and information processing speed possibly facilitate the ability to adapt metaphor processing strategies in a flexible, quick, and appropriate way.

Ten minutes of 1 mA transcranial direct current stimulation was well tolerated by children and adolescents: Self-reports and resting state EEG analysis.

PubMed

Moliadze, Vera; Andreas, Saskia; Lyzhko, Ekaterina; Schmanke, Till; Gurashvili, Tea; Freitag, Christine M; Siniatchkin, Michael

2015-10-01

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a promising and well-tolerated method of non-invasive brain stimulation, by which cortical excitability can be modulated. However, the effects of tDCS on the developing brain are still unknown, and knowledge about its tolerability in children and adolescents is still lacking. Safety and tolerability of tDCS was assessed in children and adolescents by self-reports and spectral characteristics of electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings. Nineteen typically developing children and adolescents aged 11-16 years participated in the study. Anodal and cathodal tDCS as well as sham stimulation were applied for a duration of 10 min over the left primary motor cortex (M1), each with an intensity of 1 mA. Subjects were unable to identify whether they had received active or sham stimulation, and all participants tolerated the stimulation well with a low rate of adverse events in both groups and no serious adverse events. No pathological oscillations, in particular, no markers of epileptiform activity after 1mA tDCS were detected in any of the EEG analyses. In summary, our study demonstrates that tDCS with 1mA intensity over 10 min is well tolerated, and thus may be used as an experimental and treatment method in the pediatric population. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The development of brain network architecture.

PubMed

Wierenga, Lara M; van den Heuvel, Martijn P; van Dijk, Sarai; Rijks, Yvonne; de Reus, Marcel A; Durston, Sarah

2016-02-01

Brain connectivity shows protracted development throughout childhood and adolescence, and, as such, the topology of brain networks changes during this period. The complexity of these changes with development is reflected by regional differences in maturation. This study explored age-related changes in network topology and regional developmental patterns during childhood and adolescence. We acquired two sets of Diffusion Weighted Imaging-scans and anatomical T1-weighted scans. The first dataset included 85 typically developing individuals (53 males; 32 females), aged between 7 and 23 years and was acquired on a Philips Achieva 1.5 Tesla scanner. A second dataset (N = 38) was acquired on a different (but identical) 1.5 T scanner and was used for independent replication of our results. We reconstructed whole brain networks using tractography. We operationalized fiber tract development as changes in mean diffusivity and radial diffusivity with age. Most fibers showed maturational changes in mean and radial diffusivity values throughout childhood and adolescence, likely reflecting increasing white matter integrity. The largest age-related changes were observed in association fibers within and between the frontal and parietal lobes. Furthermore, there was a simultaneous age-related decrease in average path length (P < 0.0001), increase in node strength (P < 0.0001) as well as network clustering (P = 0.001), which may reflect fine-tuning of topological organization. These results suggest a sequential maturational model where connections between unimodal regions strengthen in childhood, followed by connections from these unimodal regions to association regions, while adolescence is characterized by the strengthening of connections between association regions within the frontal and parietal cortex. Hum Brain Mapp 37:717-729, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Genetic Mapping of Brain Plasticity Across Development in Williams Syndrome: ERP Markers of Face and Language Processing

PubMed Central

Mills, D. L.; Dai, L.; Fishman, I.; Yam, A.; Appelbaum, L. G.; Galaburda, A.; Bellugi, U.; Korenberg, J. R.

2014-01-01

In Williams Syndrome (WS), a known genetic deletion results in atypical brain function with strengths in face and language processing. We examined how genetic influences on brain activity change with development. In three studies, ERPs from large samples of children, adolescents, and adults with the full genetic deletion for WS were compared to typically developing controls, and two adults with partial deletions for WS. Studies 1 and 2 identified ERP markers of brain plasticity in WS across development. Study 3 suggested that in adults with partial deletions for WS, specific genes may be differentially implicated in face and language processing. PMID:24219698

Feeding and Eating Disorders: Ingestive Problems of Infancy, Childhood, and Adolescence.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kerwin, MaryLouise E.; Berkowitz, Robert I.

1996-01-01

The fourth edition of the "Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders" (DSM) recognizes that feeding problems of infants and children are not typically the same as eating problems of adolescents, thus the addition of a broad diagnostic category, "Feeding and Eating Disorders of Infancy or Early Childhood." Subtypes are…

The Decline of Academic Motivation during Adolescence: An Accelerated Longitudinal Cohort Analysis on the Effect of Psychological Need Satisfaction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gnambs, Timo; Hanfstingl, Barbara

2016-01-01

Adolescents typically exhibit a marked decline in academic intrinsic motivation throughout their school careers. Following self-determination theory, it is hypothesised that traditional school environments insufficiently satisfy three basic psychological needs of youths during maturation, namely the needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness.…

The Effect of a Self-Monitored Relaxation Breathing Exercise on Male Adolescent Aggressive Behavior

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gaines, Trudi; Barry, Leasha M.

2008-01-01

This study sought to contribute to the identification of effective interventions in the area of male adolescent aggressive behavior. Existing research includes both group- and single-case studies implementing treatments which typically include an anger-management component and its attendant relaxation and stress-reduction techniques. The design of…

A Preliminary Psychometric Analysis of a Measure of Information Technology Literacy Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lombardi, Allison R.; Izzo, Margo V.; Rifenbark, Graham G.; Murray, Alexa; Buck, Andrew; Johnson, Victor

2017-01-01

Information technology (IT) literacy skills are increasingly important for all adolescents to learn, as the majority of post-school pursuits will require at least some amount of computer skills. For adolescents with disabilities, this urgency is perhaps more pronounced, as this subpopulation typically experiences more dismal post-school outcomes…

Peer-Directed, Brief Mindfulness Training with Adolescents: A Pilot Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jennings, Samuel J.; Jennings, Jerry L.

2013-01-01

This pilot study studied the impact of brief mindfulness meditation training with adolescents. Whereas adult mindfulness training programs typically entail weekly 2.5 hour sessions over an eight week period, this program delivered four 50-minute sessions within a three week period. Each session was comprised of two mindfulness exercises delivered…

Goal Setting and Decision Making by At-Risk Youth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Galotti, Kathleen M.; Kozberg, Steven F.; Gustafon, Mary

2009-01-01

Typically, adolescence is a time when individuals begin to make consequential, life-framing decisions. However, much of the decision-making literature focuses on high-risk decisions, such as the use of drugs and alcohol, while much less is known about how adolescents make positive decisions, for example, regarding their educational or career…

Developmental Changes in Dopamine Neurotransmission in Adolescence: Behavioral Implications and Issues in Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wahlstrom, Dustin; Collins, Paul; White, Tonya; Luciana, Monica

2010-01-01

Adolescence is characterized by increased risk-taking, novelty-seeking, and locomotor activity, all of which suggest a heightened appetitive drive. The neurotransmitter dopamine is typically associated with behavioral activation and heightened forms of appetitive behavior in mammalian species, and this pattern of activation has been described in…

The Effect of Maltreatment Type on Adolescent Executive Functioning and Inner Speech

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kirke-Smith, Mimi; Henry, Lucy A.; Messer, David

2016-01-01

There are indications that different types of maltreatment can lead to different cognitive and behavioural outcomes. This study investigated whether maltreatment type was related to executive functioning (EF) abilities and the use of inner speech. Forty maltreated adolescents and a comparison group of 40 non-maltreated typically developing…

Positive Illusions in Adolescents: The Relationship between Academic Self-Enhancement and Depressive Symptomatology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Noble, Rick N.; Heath, Nancy L.; Toste, Jessica R.

2011-01-01

Positive illusions are systematically inflated self-perceptions of competence, and are frequently seen in areas of great difficulty. Although these illusions have been extensively documented in children and adults, their role in typical adolescent emotion regulation is unclear. This study investigated the relationship between positive illusions,…

Trends in the Use of Typical and Atypical Antipsychotics in Children and Adolescents.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Patel, Nick C.; Crismon, M. Lynn; Hoagwood, Kimberly; Johnsrud, Michael T.; Rascati, Karen L.; Wilson, James P.; Jensen, Peter S.

2005-01-01

Objective: To estimate prevalence rates of antipsychotic use in children and adolescents from 1996 to 2001 in three state Medicaid programs (midwestern [MM], southern [SM], and western [WM]) and one private managed care organization (MCO). Method: Prescription claims were used to evaluate antipsychotic prevalence, defined as the number of children…

Behavior and Adaptive Functioning in Adolescents with Down Syndrome: Specifying Targets for Intervention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jacola, Lisa M.; Hickey, Francis; Howe, Steven R.; Esbensen, Anna; Shear, Paula K.

2014-01-01

Adolescents with Down syndrome can demonstrate increased behavior problems as compared with typical peers. Few studies have explored whether behavior impacts adaptive functioning. Caregiver report from the Behavioral Assessment System for Children, 2nd Edition (BASC-2; Reynolds & Kamphaus, 2004) and the Child Behavioral Checklist (CBCL;…