Word recognition and cognitive profiles of Chinese pre-school children at risk for dyslexia through language delay or familial history of dyslexia

For many adults, the risk of atherosclerosis can be reduced by intervention and treatment of known risk factors. Direct proof that similar intervention will be effective in children is not available. However, evidence suggests that prevention beginning in childhood will lead to a decrease in incidence of heart disease later in life. The majority of families are eager to take steps to prevent heart disease in their children, especially if there is a family history of early heart disease. It is the role of the pediatrician to identify those children at risk for early heart disease and to initiate advice on reducing risk factors.

Download Full-text

T26. VISUO-TACTILE TRANSFER AND AUDIO-VISUAL INTEGRATION IMPAIRMENT AS A NEW VULNERABILITY MARKER IN CHILDREN-AT-RISK OF SCHIZOPHRENIA, BIPOLAR DISORDER OR RECURRENT DEPRESSIVE DISORDER

Schizophrenia Bulletin ◽

10.1093/schbul/sbaa029.586 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 46 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S241-S241

Author(s):

Martin Roy ◽

Elsa Gilbert ◽

Michel Maziade ◽

Pierre Marquet

Keyword(s):

At Risk ◽

Bipolar Disorder ◽

Sensory Modality ◽

Multisensory Perception ◽

Children At Risk ◽

Self Development ◽

History Of ◽

Sensory Defect ◽

Almost All ◽

User Friendly

Abstract Background Major psychiatric disorders (MPD) such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and recurrent major depression have shared neurodevelopmental vulnerability due to early neuronal and sensory defect as revealed by sensory and cognitive endophenotypes observed in our cohorts (e.g. Gagné et al., Schizophr. Res., 2019). There is considerable evidence that a harmonious self-development - known to be disrupted in MPDs - requires a synchronized multisensory perception and an adequate integration of sensory afferences (e.g. tactile, visual, auditory and proprio / interoception) with cognition. Early impairment in intermodal transfer (IMT) and multisensory integration (MSI) may jeopardize a stable and unified self’s and world’s representation and then would undermine self-development and represent a risk factor for MPD. IMT is the capability to transfer a percept coming exclusively from a sensory modality (e.g. tactile) to another modality (e.g. visual). MSI is the ability to integrate sensory inputs from different modalities (e.g. visual and auditory) to have a better information processing. This study shows that impairment in IMT/MSI may be a vulnerability marker in children genetically at-risk. Methods Sample: Forty-four offspring (21 girls) of patients suffering from a MPD and thus genetically at-risk for MPD (GatR) aged from 9–15 years old (mean age = 12.06) were recruited from the cohort study INTERCEPT through the HoPE program of the CIUSSS de la Capitale-Nationale. Twenty-five controls (19 girls) with no family history of MPD and no DSM-V disorder aged from 9–15 years old (mean age = 12.87) were recruited using advertisements or control bank. IMT Task: Each condition has 12 trials and the shapes are hidden from sight during palpation. MSI Task: - Simple reaction time (RT) task comprising 80 trials with unimodal stimuli (Auditory OR Visual) and 40 trials with AV (Auditory and Visual simultaneously) multimodal stimuli presented randomly. Results IMT task: When compared to controls, GatR were impaired in the three conditions (T-T: 9.77 vs. 10.32, T-V: 9.89 vs. 9.96, V-T: 9,11 vs. 9.92) with significant impairments both for T-T (t(60.53) = 2.18, p = 0.017) and V-T (t (57.28) = 2.33, p = 0.012) conditions. MSI task: GatR showed a deficit in MSI for almost all RT ranges (except for a peak at 185 ms), while control participants showed MSI facilitation for ranges from 150 to 200 ms. Discussion Developmentally genetically high-risk children would show significant impairments both in IMT and MSI that might enter into the group of indicators of brain dysfunctions, or risk endophenotypes, that both children at risk and adult patients carry (Paccalet et al., Schizophr. Res., 2016; Maziade, New Eng J Medicine, 2017). In addition, the two tasks would be valid and sensitive to the early sensory alterations in self-development. Finally, the battery is brief, user-friendly and playful for children.

Download Full-text

Novel Stimuli for Obtaining Nasalance Measures from Young Children

The Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal ◽

10.1597/1545-1569_1996_033_0067_nsfonm_2.3.co_2 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 33 (1) ◽

pp. 67-73 ◽

Cited By ~ 30

Author(s):

Thomas Watterson ◽

Julie Hinton ◽

Stephen Mcfarlane

Keyword(s):

At Risk ◽

Statistical Analysis ◽

Young Children ◽

Correlation Coefficient ◽

Communication Disorders ◽

Velopharyngeal Insufficiency ◽

Children At Risk ◽

Significant Difference ◽

History Of ◽

The Mean

The use of novel stimuli for obtaining nasalance measures in young children was the focus of this study. The subjects were 20 children without a history of communication disorders and 20 children at risk for velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI). Each subject recited three passages; the standard Zoo Passage, and two novel stimuli that were named the Turtle Passage and the Mouse Passage. Like the Zoo Passage, the Turtle Passage contained no normally nasal consonants. The Mouse Passage was about 11% nasal consonants, which is similar to the Rainbow Passage. Statistical analysis showed no significant difference between the mean nasalance for the Zoo Passage and the Turtle Passage for either the subjects without risk of VPI (15.4% vs 15.7%) or for those at risk (30.4% vs 28.8%). Nasalance measures for the Mouse Passage were significantly higher than for either the Zoo Passage or the Turtle Passage. Listeners rated the stimuli on a 5-point equal-appearing intervals scale. The correlation coefficient between listener judgments of hypernasality and nasalance was significant for the Zoo Passage (r = 0.70) and for the Turtle Passage (r = 0.51) but not significant for the Mouse Passage (r = 0.32). Using cut-off scores of 22% for nasalance and 2.25 for hypernasality, the sensitivity for the Zoo Passage was 0.72, and for the Turtle Passage, 0.83.

Download Full-text

Observations on the Use of SCAN to Identify Children at Risk for Central Auditory Processing Disorder

Language Speech and Hearing Services in Schools ◽

10.1044/0161-1461.2801.43 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 28 (1) ◽

pp. 43-49 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Maria F. Emerson ◽

Kami K. Crandall ◽

J. Anthony Seikel ◽

Gail D. Chermak

Keyword(s):

At Risk ◽

Auditory Processing ◽

School Setting ◽

Auditory Processing Disorder ◽

Central Auditory Processing ◽

Auditory Processing Disorders ◽

Children At Risk ◽

Central Auditory Processing Disorder ◽

History Of ◽

Audiometric Test

The SCAN: A Screening Test for Auditory Processing Disorders was designed for administration in a quiet school test setting, although it is also administered by audiologists in the audiometric booth in a study seeking to screen for the presence of central auditory processing disorder (CAPD) in children with a history of otitis media (OM), 14 children with a history of OM and an equal number without this risk factor for CAPD (non-OM) were tested in a school setting using the SCAN and the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised (PPVT-R). Forty-three percent of the OM group failed the SCAN, as did 29% of the non-OM group; hence, the groups were not differentiated using the SCAN. To prove the effects of environment on test results, a second experiment was conducted in which six additional children were administered the SCAN in both a school setting and an audiometric test booth. Individual data revealed that subjects performed more poorly on the SCAN administered in the school setting than in audiometric test booth. The marked difference in SCAN scores between the two environments raises methodological concerns regarding the use of this instrument for indentification of children at risk for central auditory processing disorders.

Download Full-text