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Lung FW, Chen PF, Shen LJ, Shu BC. Families with high-risk characteristics and diagnoses of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, and learning disability in children: A national birth cohort study. Front Psychol 2022; 13:758032. [PMID: 36275285 PMCID: PMC9583264 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.758032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2021] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background A national birth cohort study was used to investigate whether high-risk family factors at 1.5-year-olds can increase the risk of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis when children reach 5.5 years. The pathway relationship of high-risk family factors, children's developmental conditions, risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and diagnosis of intellectual disability (ID), learning disability (LD), and ASD was also investigated. Methods The 1.5-, 3- and 5.5-year-old Taiwan Birth Cohort Study (TBCS) dataset was used (N = 19,185). The high-risk familial factor was measured using five questions assessing whether parents are currently unmarried, unemployed, do not have any social insurance, perceive a “very heavy” economic childcare burden, and at least one of the parents has a disability certification. Developmental conditions were assessed using the Taiwan Birth Cohort Study—Developmental Instrument (TBCS-DI), and ASD risk was measured using the Modified Checklist of Autism in Toddlers. Data on ADHD, ID, LD, and ASD diagnoses were collected at age 5.5. The odds ratio model investigated whether children from families with high-risk factors at 1.5-years were at increased risk of ADHD, ID, LD, or ASD diagnosis at 5.5-years, compared to those children from families without such risks. Structural equation modeling investigated the logistic regression pathway relationship of high-risk familial characteristics, children's developmental conditions, autism screening, and diagnosis. Results In the national birth cohort dataset of 19,185 children, 2070 (10.8%) met at least one of the high-risk familial factors. Children who met one high-risk familial factor had a 1.21-fold increased risk for ADHD diagnosis, 1.36-fold increased risk for LD diagnosis, and 1.80-fold increased risk for ASD diagnosis, compared to children from families without risks. High-risk familial factors directly increased the risk of ADHD and ID diagnosis, and indirectly increased the risk of ADHD, ID, LD, and ASD diagnosis through the mediating factor of children's development. Conclusions Children who met more high-risk familial characteristics were at higher risk of ADHD, ID, LD, and ASD diagnosis. Development at three years was predictive of diagnosis at 5.5 years. Thus, developmental screening at age three is vital for interventions. Preventive, family-focused, and/or child-rearing services for at-risk families are important for improving outcomes for these children and their families.
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Affiliation(s)
- For-Wey Lung
- Calo Psychiatric Center, Pingtung County, Taiwan
- National Defense Medical Center, Graduate Institute of Medical Science, Taipei, Taiwan
- International Graduate Program of Education and Human Development, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
- Institute of Education, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Po-Fei Chen
- Calo Psychiatric Center, Pingtung County, Taiwan
| | - Li-Jong Shen
- Department of Mental and Oral Health, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Bih-Ching Shu
- Institute of Allied Health Sciences, Department of Nursing, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
- *Correspondence: Bih-Ching Shu
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Nicolson RI, Fawcett AJ. Mathematics Disability vs. Learning Disability: A 360 Degree Analysis. Front Psychol 2021; 12:725694. [PMID: 34630237 PMCID: PMC8498324 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.725694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2021] [Accepted: 08/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
A fundamental issue for research in mathematics disability (MD) and reading disability (RD) is: If these disabilities are clearly distinct, why is there so high a level of comorbidity, together with the converse; if these disabilities are so similar, why are there clear differences in underlying causes and aetiology? In order to address this puzzle, we introduce the “360 degree analysis” (360DA) framework and apply it to the overlap between RD and MD. The 360DA process starts by analyzing the issue from four perspectives: theoretical, developmental, affective, and pedagogical. Under 360DA, these analyses are then integrated to provide insights for theory, and for individual assessment and support, together with directions for future progress. The analyses confirm extensive similarities between arithmetic and reading development in terms of rote learning, executive function (EF), and affective trauma, but also major differences in terms of the conceptual needs, the motor coordination needs, and the methods of scaffolding. In terms of theory, commonalities are interpreted naturally in terms of initial general developmental delay followed by domain-independent affective trauma following school failure. Dissociations are interpreted in terms of cerebellar vs. hippocampal learning networks, sequential vs. spatial processing, and language vs. spatial scaffolding, with a further dimension of the need for accurate fixation for reading. The framework has significant theoretical and applied implications.
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Chang LY, Lin YH, Lin SJ, Chiang TL. Cohort Profile: Taiwan Birth Cohort Study (TBCS). Int J Epidemiol 2021; 50:1430-1431i. [PMID: 34263321 DOI: 10.1093/ije/dyab048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Ling-Yin Chang
- Institute of Health Behaviors and Community Sciences, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Hsuan Lin
- Surveillance, Research and Health Education Division, Health Promotion Administration, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taiwan
| | - Shio-Jean Lin
- Department of Pediatrics, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Tung-Liang Chiang
- Institute of Health Policy and Management, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
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Chen C, Chen P, Chang C, Wang C, Hsieh Y, Huang H, Hong W. An illustration‐based developmental motor screening questionnaire for young children: Development and a Rasch analysis. INFANT AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/icd.2229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Chia‐Ling Chen
- Graduate Institute of Early Intervention, College of Medicine Chang Gung University Taoyuan Taiwan
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou Taoyuan Taiwan
| | - Po‐Hsi Chen
- Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling Institute for Research Excellence in Learning Sciences, National Taiwan Normal University Taipei Taiwan
| | - Chien‐Ju Chang
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies National Taiwan Normal University Taipei Taiwan
| | - Chia‐Chi Wang
- Graduate Institute of Early Intervention, College of Medicine Chang Gung University Taoyuan Taiwan
- Department of Nursing MacKay Children's Hospital Taipei Taiwan
| | - Yu‐Wei Hsieh
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou Taoyuan Taiwan
- Department of Occupational Therapy and Graduate Institute of Behavioral Sciences Chang Gung University Taoyuan Taiwan
- Healthy Aging Research Center Chang Gung University Taoyuan Taiwan
| | - Hsiang‐Han Huang
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou Taoyuan Taiwan
- Department of Occupational Therapy and Graduate Institute of Behavioral Sciences Chang Gung University Taoyuan Taiwan
| | - Wei‐Hsien Hong
- Department of Sports Medicine China Medical University Taichung Taiwan
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Abstract
This study collected age-of-acquisition (AoA) norms for 19,716 simplified Chinese words provided by 1765 native speakers of Mandarin Chinese. Analysis of demographic factors revealed both gender and cohort differences in ratings and thus differences in trajectory of vocabulary development, suggesting the utility of AoA ratings to investigate individual differences and societal changes in levels of academic achievement. Moreover, consistent with past analysis conducted with English words, AoA ratings accounted for an extra portion of variance in lexical processing above and beyond the most prominent predictor, word frequency. Further analysis suggested that AoA ratings might be more predictive of processing low frequency words relative to high frequency words. Cross-language comparison also indicated that future research should explore the unique factors implicated in the processing of Chinese words.
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Lung FW, Shu BC, Chiang TL, Lin SJ. Measurement of Social Communication, Emotion and Cognitive Development from 6 Months to 8 Years Old: In a Taiwan Birth Cohort Study. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 2020; 51:868-875. [PMID: 32219680 DOI: 10.1007/s10578-020-00982-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate (1) the reliability and validity of the Taiwan Birth Cohort Study-Developmental Instrument (TBCS-DI) 8-year-old scale; (2) the pathway relationship among the cognitive, emotional and social-communication dimensions of the TBCS-DI 8-year-old scale; (3) the predictive validity and association of the TBCS-DI dimensions at 6, 18, 36, and 66 months, with the dimensions of the 8-year-old scale. The Taiwan Birth Cohort Study dataset of 19,516 children followed from 6 months to the age of eight was used. The TBCS-DI 8-year-old scale showed good reliability and validity. A recursive relationship of emotion as the basis, affecting cognition and later social communication was found. Children's 18-month development was able to predict the development of children at 8 years, implying that 18 months may be a critical age for screening and intervention. Clinical intervention should also take into consideration the cultural disparity of emotional development in Asian countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- For-Wey Lung
- Calo Psychiatric Center, Pingtung County, Taiwan.,Graduate Institute of Medical Science, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Bih-Ching Shu
- Institute of Allied Health Sciences, Department of Nursing, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, No. 1 Da-Hsueh Rd, Tainan, 701, Taiwan.
| | - Tung-Liang Chiang
- Institute of Health Policy and Management, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Shio-Jean Lin
- Genetic Counseling Center, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan
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Reliability and validity of Handwriting Test for Preschool Children (HT-PRE): A new tool to assess the handwriting ability of preschool children aged 5-6 years old in Mainland China. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0229786. [PMID: 32119715 PMCID: PMC7051084 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0229786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2019] [Accepted: 02/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Handwriting ability is related to many neuronal functions, such as visual-perceptual skills, orthographic coding, motor planning and execution, kinesthetic feedback and visual-motor coordination. To date, there is no specific assessment tool for to assess preschool children's handwriting ability in Mainland China. Our study aimed to develop a tool to assess the handwriting ability of children aged 5-6 years old in Mainland China and to analyze its reliability and validity. METHODS The investigation comprised three phases: 1) original tool generation, 2) tool revision, 3) reliability analysis (i.e., interrater, test-retest) and validity analysis (i.e., content, criterion). RESULTS The sample included a total of 482 children. The internal consistency (Cronbach alpha) was 0.74. The test-retest correlation coefficients ranged from 0.38 to 0.80. As expected, our data showed an improving trend in handwriting, and differences in respect to age and gender. When compared with the 'handwriting difficulty' group, each subtest score of children in the 'normal' group showed significant differences (p < 0.05). The correlation validity, compared with the visual-motor integration development test (VMI), was 0.17-0.52. CONCLUSION The Handwriting Test for Preschool Children (HT-PRE), which is a newly developed handwriting screening tool for preschool children aged 5-6 years old in Mainland China, has displayed a very good internal consistency, acceptable test-retest reproducibility, and good criterion-based validity, and has also shown good application prospects for handwriting difficulty screening in a clinical setting.
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Lung FW, Shu BC, Chiang TL, Lin SJ. The impermanent effect of waste incineration on children's development from 6 months to 8 years: A Taiwan Birth Cohort Study. Sci Rep 2020; 10:3150. [PMID: 32081913 PMCID: PMC7035311 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-60039-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2019] [Accepted: 02/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Incineration is a solution to waste problems; however, it has adverse effects on human health. Our study aimed to investigate the direct and indirect effects of living near an incinerator and breastfeeding on children's development at 6, 18, 36 and 66 months, and 8 years of age. The Taiwan Birth Cohort Study dataset used included randomized community data on 19,519 children from 6 months to 8 years old. The Taiwan Birth Cohort Study Developmental Instrument was used to measure children's development at different developmental ages. The results of our study showed that living within 3 km of an incinerator had a negative effect on children's 6-month development, however the effect dissipated after 18 months. Having been breastfed and living in the city had a more persistent and pervasive positive effect on children's development. Conversely, living in the city had an adverse effect on children's social-communication and emotional development when they were 8 years old; possibly due to the Chinese cultural characteristic of collectivism. Further follow-up of the long-term interactive effects of proximity to an incinerator and breastfeeding on children's development and health is needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- For-Wey Lung
- Calo Psychiatric Center, Pingtung County, Taiwan.,Graduate Institute of Medical Science, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Bih-Ching Shu
- Institute of Allied Health Sciences, Department of Nursing, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
| | - Tung-Liang Chiang
- Institute of Health Policy and Management, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Shio-Jean Lin
- Genetic Counseling Center, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan
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Lung FW, Chen PF, Shu BC. Performance of Wisconsin Card Sorting Test in five-year-old children in Taiwan: Relationship to intelligence and cognitive development. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0202099. [PMID: 30161263 PMCID: PMC6116933 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0202099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2017] [Accepted: 07/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective (1) To develop the norm of Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), (2) to investigate the pathway of the indices for WCST performances and (3) the association between WCST, intelligence quotient (IQ), and parent-report measures of children’s development in typically developing five-year-olds in the community. Method Fifty-three children were recruited from community health centers. The WCST, Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-Revised (WPPSI-R), and Taiwan Birth Cohort Study- Developmental Instrument (TBCS-DI) was used to measure children's executive function, IQ and parent report of children's development respectively. Results Mean categories achieved (CA) was 2.02 (standard deviation [SD] = 1.41), and percent conceptual level response (PCLR) was 29.85(SD = 18.36) in five year-olds. The WCST indices showed a pathway relationship of PCLR being negatively associated with perseverative error (PE), and PE and non- perseverative error being negatively associated with CA. Association among the PCLR index of the WCST, cognitive domain of the TBCS-DI, and performance IQ and verbal IQ of the WPPSI-R was found. Conclusion Regular improvement with age was found compared to the norm of six-year-olds in a previous study of children from the same region. The number sorting criteria was more difficult thus they continued to perform persistent errors of color or form when sorting. Association was found among the professional administered IQ, computerized WCST, and a parent report developmental instrument. Showing parent report is an accurate reflection of children's cognitive development at this age.
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Affiliation(s)
- For-Wey Lung
- Calo Psychiatric Center, Pingtung County, Xinpi Township, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Medical Science, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei City, Taiwan
| | - Po-Fei Chen
- Calo Psychiatric Center, Pingtung County, Xinpi Township, Taiwan
| | - Bih-Ching Shu
- Institute of Allied Health Sciences and Department of Nursing, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan City, Taiwan
- * E-mail:
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Matta Abizeid C, Tabsh Nakib A, Younès Harb C, Ghantous Faddoul S, Albaret JM. Handwriting in Lebanese bigraphic children: Standardization of the BHK Scale. JOURNAL OF OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY, SCHOOLS, & EARLY INTERVENTION 2017. [DOI: 10.1080/19411243.2017.1335260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Jean-Michel Albaret
- Toulouse NeuroImaging Center (ToNIC), Université de Toulouse, Inserm, France
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11
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Huyck JJ, Wright BA. Transient sex differences during adolescence on auditory perceptual tasks. Dev Sci 2017; 21:e12574. [PMID: 28585226 DOI: 10.1111/desc.12574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2016] [Accepted: 03/22/2017] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Many perceptual abilities differ between the sexes. Because these sex differences have been documented almost exclusively in adults, they have been attributed to sex-specific neural circuitry that emerges during development and is maintained in the mature perceptual system. To investigate whether behavioral sex differences in perception can also have other origins, we compared performance between males and females ranging in age from 8 to 30 years on auditory temporal-interval discrimination and tone-in-noise detection tasks on which there are no sex differences in adults. If sex differences in perception arise only from the establishment and subsequent maintenance of sex-specific neural circuitry, there should be no sex differences during development on these tasks. In contrast, sex differences emerged in adolescence but resolved by adulthood on two of the six conditions, with signs of a similar pattern on a third condition. In each case, males reached mature performance earlier than females, resulting in a sex difference in the interim. These results suggest that sex differences in perception may arise from differences in the maturational timing of common circuitry used by both sexes. They also imply that sex differences in perceptual abilities may be more prevalent than previously thought based on adult data alone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Jones Huyck
- Speech Pathology and Audiology Program, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio, USA
| | - Beverly A Wright
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders and Knowles Hearing Center, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
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Catino E, Di Trani M, Giovannone F, Manti F, Nunziata L, Piccari F, Sirchia V, Vannucci L, Sogos C. Screening for Developmental Disorders in 3- and 4-Year-Old Italian Children: A Preliminary Study. Front Pediatr 2017; 5:181. [PMID: 28900613 PMCID: PMC5581879 DOI: 10.3389/fped.2017.00181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2017] [Accepted: 08/09/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The "Osserviamo" project, coordinated by the Municipality of Rome and the Department of Pediatrics and Child Neuropsychiatry of Sapienza University, aimed to validate an Italian version of the Ages and Stages Questionnaire-3 and to collect, for the first time in Italy, data on developmental disorders in a sample of 4,000 children aged 3 and 4 years. The present paper presents the preliminary results of the "Osserviamo" project. METHODS 600 parents of children between 39 and 50 months of age (divided in two age stages: 42 and 48 months) were contacted from 15 kindergarden schools. RESULTS 23.35% of the whole sample scored in the risk range of at least one developmental area of the Ages and Stages Questionnaire-3rd Edition (ASQ-3) and 7.78% scored in the clinical range. Specifically, 23.97% of the children in the 42-month age stage scored in the risk range and 5.79% scored in the clinical range. Males scored lower than females in the fine motor skills and personal-social development domains. Moreover, 22.79% of the children in the 48-month age stage scored in the risk range, while 9.55% scored in the clinical range. Males scored lower than females in fine motor skills. CONCLUSION Italian validation of the ASQ-3 and recruitment of all 4,000 participants will allow these data on the distribution of developmental disorders to be extended to the general Italian pediatric population. One main limitation of the study is the lack of clinical confirmation of the data yielded by the screening programme, which the authors aim to obtain in later stages of the study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Catino
- Department of Child Neurology and Psychiatry, Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - Michela Di Trani
- Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - Federica Giovannone
- Department of Child Neurology and Psychiatry, Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - Filippo Manti
- Department of Child Neurology and Psychiatry, Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - Letizia Nunziata
- Department of Child Neurology and Psychiatry, Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Piccari
- Department of Child Neurology and Psychiatry, Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - Virginia Sirchia
- Department of Child Neurology and Psychiatry, Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - Lucia Vannucci
- Department of Child Neurology and Psychiatry, Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - Carla Sogos
- Department of Child Neurology and Psychiatry, Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy
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Urban and Education Disparity for Autism Spectrum Disorders in Taiwan Birth Cohort Study. J Autism Dev Disord 2016; 47:599-606. [DOI: 10.1007/s10803-016-2980-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Flatters I, Hill LJB, Williams JHG, Barber SE, Mon-Williams M. Manual control age and sex differences in 4 to 11 year old children. PLoS One 2014; 9:e88692. [PMID: 24523931 PMCID: PMC3921207 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0088692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2013] [Accepted: 01/10/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
To what degree does being male or female influence the development of manual skills in pre-pubescent children? This question is important because of the emphasis placed on developing important new manual skills during this period of a child's education (e.g. writing, drawing, using computers). We investigated age and sex-differences in the ability of 422 children to control a handheld stylus. A task battery deployed using tablet PC technology presented interactive visual targets on a computer screen whilst simultaneously recording participant's objective kinematic responses, via their interactions with the on-screen stimuli using the handheld stylus. The battery required children use the stylus to: (i) make a series of aiming movements, (ii) trace a series of abstract shapes and (iii) track a moving object. The tasks were not familiar to the children, allowing measurement of a general ability that might be meaningfully labelled ‘manual control’, whilst minimising culturally determined differences in experience (as much as possible). A reliable interaction between sex and age was found on the aiming task, with girls' movement times being faster than boys in younger age groups (e.g. 4–5 years) but with this pattern reversing in older children (10–11 years). The improved performance in older boys on the aiming task is consistent with prior evidence of a male advantage for gross-motor aiming tasks, which begins to emerge during adolescence. A small but reliable sex difference was found in tracing skill, with girls showing a slightly higher level of performance than boys irrespective of age. There were no reliable sex differences between boys and girls on the tracking task. Overall, the findings suggest that prepubescent girls are more likely to have superior manual control abilities for performing novel tasks. However, these small population differences do not suggest that the sexes require different educational support whilst developing their manual skills.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian Flatters
- Institute of Psychological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom
| | - Liam J. B. Hill
- Institute of Psychological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
| | - Justin H. G. Williams
- Department of Mental Health, University of Aberdeen, Royal Cornhill Hospital, Aberdeen, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Sally E. Barber
- Bradford Institute for Health Research, Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Bradford, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom
| | - Mark Mon-Williams
- Institute of Psychological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom
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Cohen Hubal EA, de Wet T, Du Toit L, Firestone MP, Ruchirawat M, van Engelen J, Vickers C. Identifying important life stages for monitoring and assessing risks from exposures to environmental contaminants: results of a World Health Organization review. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol 2013; 69:113-24. [PMID: 24099754 PMCID: PMC5355211 DOI: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2013.09.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2013] [Accepted: 09/27/2013] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
We propose a harmonized set of age bins for assessing risks from chemical exposure. The set of early life age groups will facilitate consistency with recent guidance. The age bins allow results from longitudinal birth cohort studies to be combined. Region-specific exposure factors and monitoring data are needed to apply the bins.
In this paper, we summarize exposure-related issues to consider in determining the most appropriate age ranges and life stages for risk assessment. We then propose a harmonized set of age bins for monitoring and assessing risks from exposures to chemicals for global use. The focus is on preconception through adolescence, though the approach should be applicable to additional life stages. A two-tiered set of early life age groups is recommended. The first tier involves the adoption of guidance similar to the childhood age groups recommended by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, whereas the second tier consolidates some of those age groups to reduce the burden of developing age-specific exposure factors for different regions. While there is no single “correct” means of choosing a common set of age groups to use internationally in assessing early life exposure and risk, use of a set of defined age groups is recommended to facilitate comparisons of potential exposures and risks around the globe, the collection of data and analyses of aggregate exposure and cumulative risk. Application of these age groups for robust assessment of exposure and risk for specific populations will require region-specific exposure factors as well as local environmental monitoring data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elaine A Cohen Hubal
- National Center for Computational Toxicology, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, USA.
| | - Thea de Wet
- Centre for Anthropological Research and Department of Anthropology and Development Studies, The University of Johannesburg, Auckland Park, South Africa.
| | - Lilo Du Toit
- Centre for Rural Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
| | - Michael P Firestone
- Regulatory Support & Science Policy Division, Office of Children's Health Protection (MC 1107T), Office of the Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Room 1130 EPA West Building, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20460, USA.
| | - Mathuros Ruchirawat
- Office of Research, Chulabhorn Research Institute, 54 Kamphaeng-phet 6 Road, Laksi, Bangkok 10210, Thailand.
| | - Jacqueline van Engelen
- Center for Sustainability, Environment and Health, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), PO Box 1, 3720 BA Bilthoven, The Netherlands.
| | - Carolyn Vickers
- International Programme on Chemical Safety, World Health Organization, 20 Avenue Appia, CH-1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland.
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Filgueiras A, Pires P, Maissonette S, Landeira-Fernandez J. Psychometric properties of the Brazilian-adapted version of the Ages and Stages Questionnaire in public child daycare centers. Early Hum Dev 2013; 89:561-76. [PMID: 23507472 DOI: 10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2013.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2012] [Revised: 11/03/2012] [Accepted: 02/12/2013] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Well-designed screening assessment instruments that can evaluate child development in public daycare centers represent an important resource to help improve the quality of these programs, as an early detection method for early developmental delay. The Ages and Stages Questionnaire, 3rd edition (ASQ-3), comprises a series of 21 questionnaires designed to screen developmental performance in the domains of communication, gross motor skills, fine motor skills, problem solving, and personal-social ability in children aged 2 to 66 months. The purpose of the present work was to translate and adapt all of the ASQ-3 questionnaires for use in Brazilian public child daycare centers and to explore their psychometric characteristics with both Classical Test Theory and Rating Scale analyses from the Rasch model family. A total of 18 Ages & Stages Questionnaires - Brazilian translation (ASQ-BR) questionnaires administered at intervals from 6 to 60 months of age were analyzed based on primary caregiver evaluations of 45,640 children distributed in 468 public daycare centers in the city of Rio de Janeiro. The results indicated that most of the ASQ-BR questionnaires had adequate internal consistency. Exploratory factor analyses yielded a one-factor solution for each domain of all of the ASQ-BR questionnaires. The only exception was the personal-social domain in some of the questionnaires. Item Response Theory based on Rating Scale analysis (infit and outfit mean squares statistics) indicated that only 44 of 540 items showed misfit problems. In summary, the ASQ-BR questionnaires are psychometrically sound developmental screening instruments that can be easily administered by primary caregivers.
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Saraiva L, Rodrigues LP, Cordovil R, Barreiros J. Influence of age, sex and somatic variables on the motor performance of pre-school children. Ann Hum Biol 2013; 40:444-50. [DOI: 10.3109/03014460.2013.802012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
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Lung FW, Chiang TL, Lin SJ, Shu BC. Incinerator pollution and child development in the taiwan birth cohort study. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2013; 10:2241-57. [PMID: 23727903 PMCID: PMC3717734 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph10062241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2012] [Revised: 04/22/2013] [Accepted: 05/24/2013] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the direct and indirect effects of environmental pollutants on child development and parental concerns. It focused on the pathway relationships among the following factors: living within three kilometers of an incinerator, breastfeeding, place of residence, parental concerns about development, and parent-perceived child development. The Taiwan Birth Cohort Study (TBCS) dataset includes randomized community data on 21,248 children at six, 18, and 36 months of age. The Parental Concern Checklist and the Taiwan Birth Cohort Study-Developmental Instrument were used to measure parental concern and parent-perceived child development. Living within three kilometers of an incinerator increased the risk of children showing delayed development in the gross motor domain at six and 36 months. Although breastfeeding is a protective factor against uneven/delayed developmental disability (U/DDD), children living near an incinerator who were breastfed had an increased risk of U/DDD compared with those who did not live near incinerators. The presence of a local incinerator affected parent-perceived child development directly and indirectly through the mediating factor of breastfeeding. Further follow-up of these children to investigate the long-term effects of specific toxins on their development and later diagnostic categorization is necessary.
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Affiliation(s)
- For-Wey Lung
- Taipei City Hospital, Songde Branch, Taipei 110, Taiwan; E-Mail:
- Department of Psychiatry, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 114, Taiwan
| | - Tung-Liang Chiang
- Institute of Health Policy and Management, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei 106, Taiwan; E-Mail:
| | - Shio-Jean Lin
- Department of Pediatrics, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan; E-Mail:
| | - Bih-Ching Shu
- Institute of Allied Health Sciences and Department of Nursing, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan
- Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mails: ; ; Tel.: +886-6-235-3535 (ext. 5822); Fax: +886-6-237-7550
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Van Waelvelde H, Hellinckx T, Peersman W, Smits-Engelsman BCM. SOS: a screening instrument to identify children with handwriting impairments. Phys Occup Ther Pediatr 2012; 32:306-19. [PMID: 22515913 DOI: 10.3109/01942638.2012.678971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Poor handwriting has been shown to be associated with developmental disorders such as Developmental Coordination Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, autism, and learning disorders. Handwriting difficulties could lead to academic underachievement and poor self-esteem. Therapeutic intervention has been shown to be effective in treating children with poor handwriting, making early identification critical. The SOS test (Systematic Screening for Handwriting Difficulties) has been developed for this purpose. A child copies a sample of writing within 5 min. Handwriting quality is evaluated using six criteria and writing speed is measured. The Dutch SOS test was administered to 860 Flemish children (7-12 years). Inter- and intrarater reliability was excellent. Test-retest reliability was moderate. A correlation coefficient of 0.70 between SOS and "Concise Assessment Methods of Children Handwriting" test (Dutch version) confirmed convergent validity. The SOS allowed discrimination between typically developing children and children in special education, males and females, and different age groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hilde Van Waelvelde
- Rehabilitation Sciences and Physiotherapy, Arteveldehogeschool University College and Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
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Lung FW, Chen PF, Shu BC. Predictive and Construct Validity of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development and the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence with the Taiwan Birth Cohort Study Instrument. Psychol Rep 2012; 111:83-96. [DOI: 10.2466/10.04.pr0.111.4.83-96] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the concurrent validity of the parent-report Taiwan Birth Cohort Study Developmental Instrument (TBCS–DI) with the Bayley Scales of Infant Development-Second Edition (BSID–II) and the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-Revised (WPPSI-R) at 6, 18, 36, and 60 months. 100 children were recruited at 6 months, 88 children followed-up at 18 months, 71 at 36 months, and 53 at 60 months. Longitudinally, the parent-report TBCS–DI, with the professional psychological assessments of the BSID–II and the WPPSI–R showed predictive validity. Looking at each time point in cross section, at 6 and 18 months the TBCS–DI had good concurrent validity with the BSID–II, and at 36 and 60 months the TBCS–DI was correlated only with the motor and performance domains of the BSID–II and WPPSI–R. With further investigation, the TBCS–DI may be used both in research and in clinical settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- For-Wey Lung
- Taipei City Psychiatric Center, Taipei City Hospital, Taipei, Department of Psychiatry, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei
| | | | - Bih-Ching Shu
- Institute of Allied Health Sciences and Department of Nursing, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan
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Lee G, McCreary L, Kim MJ, Park CG, Yang S. Individual and Environmental Factors Influencing Questionable Development among Low-income Children: Differential Impact during Infancy versus Early Childhood. J Korean Acad Nurs 2012; 42:1039-49. [DOI: 10.4040/jkan.2012.42.7.1039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Gyungjoo Lee
- College of Nursing, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, USA
| | - Linda McCreary
- College of Nursing, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, USA
| | - Mi Ja Kim
- College of Nursing, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, USA
| | - Chang Gi Park
- Office of Research Facilitation, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, USA
| | - Soo Yang
- College of Nursing, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea
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Lung FW, Chiang TL, Lin SJ, Shu BC, Lee MC. Developing and refining the Taiwan Birth Cohort Study (TBCS): five years of experience. RESEARCH IN DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES 2011; 32:2697-2703. [PMID: 21724363 DOI: 10.1016/j.ridd.2011.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2011] [Revised: 06/09/2011] [Accepted: 06/09/2011] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
The Taiwan Birth Cohort Study (TBCS) is the first nationwide birth cohort database in Asia designed to establish national norms of children's development. Several challenges during database development and data analysis were identified. Challenges include sampling methods, instrument development and statistical approach to missing data. The purpose of this paper is to describe the pilot study underpinning the TBCS, testing of the TBCS developmental instrument and the resolution of methodological challenges. Bayesian analysis fill in missing data, three-step regression analysis for the investigation of mediating and moderating effect, the use of structural equation modeling in a large scale investigation, investigating direct and indirect effects, confounding factors and reciprocal relationships in children's development, and used latent growth model in longitudinal observations are described. The TBCS will provide ongoing longitudinal information regarding the predisposing and maintaining factors affecting the long term outcome of pediatric illnesses.
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Affiliation(s)
- For-Wey Lung
- Department of Medicine, Kaohsiung Armed Forces General Hospital, Taiwan
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