scholarly journals The Mini-Mental Examination for Children (MMC): Evidence of validity for children with learning difficulties

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 427-435
Author(s):  
Larissa de Souza Salvador ◽  
Ricardo Moura ◽  
Fernanda Oliveira Ferreira ◽  
Peterson Marco Oliveira Andrade ◽  
Maria Raquel Santos Carvalho ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The Mini-Mental Examination for Children (MMC) is a widely used tool for assessing global cognitive deficits, however,is still unknown whether MMC is sensitive for investigating cognitive profiles associated with learning difficulties (LD). Objective: Here we investigate the feasibility of using the MMC for screening school-aged children with learning difficulties in spelling and math. Methods: The MMC and other neurophysiological tests were administered to a sample of 168 children, aged 7 to 12 years. The sample was subdivided into a Control group and LD group (Math Difficulties, Spelling Difficulties, Math and Spelling Difficulties). Diagnostic accuracy was assessed with ROC analysis. Convergent and divergent validity was assessed using correlation analysis. Results: Performance on the MMC was associated with nonverbal intelligence, age and school achievement. The LD group had significantly lower performance on the MMC than the Control group. Performance on the MMC discriminated LD children with a global accuracy of around 0.80. Associations between the MMC and the other neuropsychological variables were higher for finger gnosis (r=0.40) and generally higher for early elementary school grades. The MMC proved satisfactory for identifying LD children with good accuracy. Nonverbal intelligence, and perceptual/motor abilities play an important role in MMC performance. Conclusion: The MMC could be a useful instrument for screening children with LD.

2018 ◽  
Vol 118 (2) ◽  
pp. 182-195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olli Paakkari ◽  
Minna Torppa ◽  
Jari Villberg ◽  
Lasse Kannas ◽  
Leena Paakkari

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore Finnish adolescents’ subjective health literacy (HL) in association to school achievement, learning difficulties, educational aspirations, and family affluence. Design/methodology/approach Nationally representative data were collected in Finland as a part of the international Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study. The respondents consisted in total of 3,833 adolescents (7th and 9th graders) from 359 schools. The Health Literacy for School-aged Children instrument was applied to measure adolescents’ subjective HL, while the Family Affluence Scale was used to measure adolescents’ socioeconomic status. Information was gathered on school achievement, learning difficulties, and educational aspirations. Findings Approximately one-third of the adolescents manifested a high level of HL, around 60 per cent had a moderate level of HL, and about one-tenth had low HL. The HL level was lower for boys than for girls, and lower for 7th graders than for 9th graders. In the total sample, the strongest explanatory variables for HL were school achievement in the first language, and educational aspirations. Originality/value This study provides the first nationally representative examination of adolescents’ subjective HL levels, and how these vary across age and gender groups. In drawing conclusions and presenting suggestions for HL interventions, it is important to verify the nature of the HL examined in any given study, and how it was researched.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 103
Author(s):  
Elisabetta Lombardi ◽  
Daniela Traficante ◽  
Roberta Bettoni ◽  
Ilaria Offredi ◽  
Mirta Vernice ◽  
...  

Reading and writing skills influence the social status of students, exerting effects not only on learning, but also on wellbeing. This study aimed to assess the impact of diagnosis of specific learning disorder on well-being in secondary-school students, comparing students with a diagnosis of specific learning disorder (SLD-group), students showing learning difficulties without diagnosis (LD-group) and students without learning difficulties (control-group). Students were tested with neuropsychological screening tests in order to identify learning difficulties and were further assessed by means of psychological and school well-being questionnaires. The results show that LD group perceive themselves as having a low sense of mastery and autonomy, less interest and engagement in daily activities and low peer social support than their schoolmates. This result highlights, for the LD group, a low well-being experience, which is not observed in the SLD and control groups. On the contrary, SLD group students do not differ from control group students in any dimensions except for the perceived parents’ support and involvement in school life, in which the SLD group show the highest scores. This work underlines the importance of having a diagnosis as it seems to work as a protective factor for both the psychological and school well-being of the student.


Author(s):  
Mohamed Abdelkader Souissi ◽  
Achraf Ammar ◽  
Omar Trabelsi ◽  
Jordan M. Glenn ◽  
Omar Boukhris ◽  
...  

The purpose of the present study was to investigate which of two strategies, Video Feedback with Pedagogical Activity (VF-PA) or Video Feedback (VF), would be more beneficial for the remote error correction of the snatch weightlifting technique during the confinement period. Thirty-five school aged children with at least three months of weightlifting experience were randomized to one of three training conditions: VF-PA, VF or the Control group (CONT). Subjects underwent test sessions one week before (T0) and one day after (T1) a six-session training period and a retention test session a week later (T2). During each test session, the Kinovea version 0.8.15 software measured the kinematic parameters of the snatch performance. Following distance learning sessions (T1), the VF-PA improved various kinematic parameters (i.e., barbell horizontal displacements, maximum height, looping and symmetry) compared with T0 (p < 0.5; Cohen’s d = 0.58–1.1). Most of these improvements were maintained during the retention test (T2) (p<0.01, Cohen’s d = 1.2–1.3) when compared withT0. However, the VF group improved only twoparameters (i.e., barbell symmetry and horizontal displacement) at T1 (p < 0.05; Cohen’s d = 0.9), which were not maintained at T2. Better horizontal displacement and looping values were registered during the retention test in the VF-PA group compared with theCONT group (p < 0.05, Cohen’s d = 1.49–1.52). The present findings suggest combining video feedback with pedagogical activity during the pandemic induced online coaching or physical education to improve movement learning in school aged children.


Author(s):  
Alena Yu. Dimitrieva ◽  
Vladimir M. Kenis

Background. Mobile flat foot etiology and its correlations with postural imbalance remain topical issues for now, especially in children with generalized joint hypermobility. Additionally, it is poorly known that complaints prevail in children with mobile flat foot and joint hypermobility, and whether existing complaints are associated with foot deformation.Objective. The aim of the study is to estimate medium-term effects of body balance trainings on the height of longitudinal arch of the foot and on the complaints structure in primary school-aged children with generalized joint hypermobility.Methods. The study included 114 primary school-aged children (7–11 years old) with mobile symptomatic flat foot who were divided into four groups: I — control group of children who did not perform training; II — children who performed standard complex of rehabilitation exercises recommended for flat foot; III — children who performed a specially designed complex of exercises for body balance training; IV — children exercised on unstable platform. The foot examination included: clinical assessment of feet shape and position (FPI-6 scale), visual and manual mobility tests, computer scanning with calculation of anthropometric indices (basic anthropometric parameters were calculated from scanned foot images). Clinical evaluation of balance was carried out according to the BESS (Balance Error Scoring System) scale and computer pedobarometry. Assessment of complaints structure was carried out according to the Oxford Child Foot Condition Questionnaire.Results. Children of control group significantly increased the number of errors in performing tests compared to the baseline data (p = 0.034) according to the BESS scale. No statistically significant changes were obtained in children of the second group (p = 0.08). Total number of errors committed by children of third and fourth groups on unstable platform decreased by 2.9 times and 3.4 times, respectively (p = 0.022 and p = 0.044). Decrease in partial load on medial longitudinal arch of foot in step cycle in average by 2.0–3.5 times compared to baseline parameters was revealed in children of third and fourth groups. Moreover, children of third and fourth groups have shown improvement in parameters regarding the shape and position of the feet by average of 1.3–1.7 times higher compared to the parameters of the feet of children performing standard complex of rehabilitation exercises (p = 0.036).Conclusion. This study has shown the efficacy of body balance training in increasing the height of longitudinal arch of the foot and good dynamics in the structure of complaints in primary school-aged children with generalized joint hypermobility and symptomatic mobile flat foot.


Author(s):  
Vivi Leona Amelia ◽  
Agus Setiawan ◽  
Sukihananto Sukihananto

Background: Indonesia is the second highest country for dengue prevalence, and the cases has rapidly increased in the last 45 years. Compared to other age groups, the age group of children is the highest dengue fever prevalence. The attitude of dengue prevention is important for child which related to their skill to preventing the dengue fever by themselves. A game is one of the way to teach the children for a new information, it is also including the dengue prevention material Objective: This study want to identify the attitude of the children about dengue prevention and develop an educational game to teach a new information about dengue prevention. Methods: This study uses quasi-experimental design with pre and posttest with control group. The participants are a school-aged children with age 10-12 years old. With total 92 participants, and 46 for each group. Results: The results show a significantly increasing score at children attitude of dengue prevention before and after intervention except the strategy to closing the water storage (p=0.008), the other strategy that gets a significantly increasing such as fever and fever management (p=0.000), draining the water storage (p=0.001), checking the water storage (p=0.000), recycling (p=0.000), chemistry agent (p=0.000), biology agent (p=0.000), self protection (p=0.001), immune system (0.000). There are different attitude between control and intervention groups (p=0.000). Conclusion: The conclusion is the dengue board game can be an educational game media to give dengue prevention information to children, also can improving the attitude of dengue prevention.   Keywords: Board Game, Dengue Prevention Strategy, School-Aged Children


Author(s):  
Mohammed Abdul Rahman Al - Jagoub

The objective of this study was to develop an achievement test to measure the skills of literary tasting. It consists of (30) multiple choice types, which were applied to a sample of the stability test According to the KR 20 equation, the study used semi-experimental research methodology. The sample consisted of (120) male and female students of the 10th grade at Gulf Arab Secondary School for Boys and Al-Hira Secondary School for Girls in Sharjah. The people were chosen deliberately, (60) students, experimental subjects studied the material using active learning strategies, and the control group studied the same material in the normal way. After analyzing the data, the results of the study indicated that the students in the experimental group achieved a higher level of control group students Statistical analysis showed differences in the level of literary taste at the statistical significance level (α = 0.05); due to the active learning strategies, the total mathematical mean of the experimental group performance was on the post taste test (26.60) For the control group (20.90). The value of P (58.05), the value of the significance level (0.00), that is less than (0.05), which indicates that there are significant differences between the experimental group and the control group for the benefit of the experimental group, and the value of (P) Between the sex and the group was (1.00), which is not statistically significant value, where its significance (0.32), and does not indicate the existence of an effect of interaction between the teaching method and sex. The study concluded with recommendations calling on teachers to use active learning strategies in the teaching of literary knowledge. And focus on those strategies when writing Arabic language books for the secondary stage.


Author(s):  
Khadega M. Badraldien

The results of several studies have shown that children with learning difficulties suffer from low selfesteem compared to normal children, which may affect their integration with their normal peers, social adaptation, and their academic superiority in subsequent years. Positive education is one of the modern strategies in education which is intended to focus on the positive and desirable behavior of the child rather than focusing on the negative or bad behavior. The present study aimed to find out the effectiveness of a program based on the strategy of positive educationin the development of self-esteem for children who suffer from learning difficulties. The study used the pre-academic skills scale to diagnose and sort children with learning difficulties and the self-esteem scale to determine the level of appreciation for children with learning difficulties for themselves before and after the implementation of the program. Overall, the results of the study indicated that the positive education program helped in developing children’s self-esteem and appreciation for themselves. The results showed that children of the experimental group had better selfesteem than the control group, and the positive education program had a significant impact on the development of self-confidence and self image. The results also indicated that the experimental group was better in integration and social interaction than the control group. The study recommended using the strategy of positive education not only with normal children but also with those with learning difficulties. The study also recommended that parents' and teachers' awareness of the importance of positive education and its impact on the growth of the child's personality and abilities should be enhanced. 


2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (70) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dariusz Gierczuk ◽  
Jerzy Sadowski

Wrestling belongs to the group of sports disciplines with complex movement activities in which an essential role is played by coordination motor abilities (CMA). A high level of coordination improvement since the earliest years positively influences the process of learning new movements as well as enables to make a more effective use of technical and tactical skills during a sports fight. Therefore, the formation of coordination abilities since the earliest years isthe condition of training young wrestlers effectively .The aim of this study was to show the influence of coordination training on the changes in coordination motor abilities (CMA) in Greco-Roman wrestlers aged 13—14. Boys practising Greco-Roman wrestling (n = 32) in the Student Sports Club UKS “Dwójka” in Radom took part in the research. They were divided into two groups that were at the same sports level: the experimental one (n = 16) and the control one (n = 16). As for those groups, no significant differences concerning somatic features (body mass, height and slenderness indices) were noticed at the beginning and at the end of the experiment, which excluded the influence of puberty on the obtained experiment results. Seven CMA (kinesthetic differentiation, rhythmization, time-space orientation, movement combining, motor adjustment, speed of reaction, balance) were evaluated on the basis of 14 indices. For that reason sports-motor tests of various authors were applied. The tests were first checked in the context of reliability and accuracy. The basic research method was a six-month pedagogical experiment. It involved implementing a larger number of means of different coordination complexity (low, medium, high) in the training of the experimental group. The control group took part only in the classical wrestling training. The experiment included 84 training sessions. The applied means equally influenced all examined coordination abilities. The total volume of such exercises in the whole experiment was 180 minutes per each examined ability. Moreover, special coordination exercises in the form of circuit training as well as coordination wrestling games and plays were applied once a week. The total work volume in both groups was the same. It was observed that sportsmen undergoing coordination training obtained higher values of the examined indices of CMA than those from the control group (p < 0.05). The highest significant increase was noted in the case of rhythmization, maintaining body balance and motor adjustment. The increase ranged from 12.6% to 27.5%. The lowest increase was noticed in the case of movement combining, kinesthetic differentiation and time-space orientation. In this case the increase ranged between 4.7% and 7.3%. Statistically significant differences in CMA between theexperimental and the control group were observed after the experiment (p < 0.05). The obtained research results make it possible to draw the following conclusions: 1. The increase in the volume of varied complexity coordination exercises in the training of wrestlers contributed to a considerable improvement in the level of CMA, i. e. by 11.4% on average, whereas in the group performing traditional training the improvement was only by 3%. 2. The gain score of coordination abilities in wrestlers aged 13—14 was the biggest in the case of the following CMA: rhythmization (19.1%), body balance (17.3%), motor adjustment (15.1%) and speed of reaction (11.3%). The smallest gain score was noticed in movement combining (4.7%), kinesthetic differentiation (4.9%) and time-space orientation (7.1%). 3. After the experiment there occurred significant differences in the level of most indices of CMA in the experimental and control group, which shows that there may exist considerable reserves in the area of CMA. Autonomous coordination training ought to become an essential part of the process of training in wrestling.Keywords: Greco-Roman wrestling, coordination training, coordination motor abilities.


Nutrition is one of the main problems in the world, where the number of malnourished patients reaches less than 104 million children and one third of all causes of child mortality worldwide are still caused by malnutrition. Nutrition knowledge in school-aged children is one of the factors determining patterns food consumption and nutritional status. Nutrition education in school-aged children can improve children's nutritional knowledge and play a role in food selection and eating habits. Nutrition education should start from an early age. Nutrition and health education began to be directed at kindergarten and elementary school students, since this age group has a habit of attitude that is relatively easy to be formed. This study aims to determine the effect of nutrition education by story’s telling with pirzi doll media to increase knowledge and attitude of children about balanced nutrition. This study used quasi-experimental design with two group pre and post-test design sampling was carried out with a systematic random sampling. Sample of research were children enrolled in Kindergarten IT Rabbani and IT Menara Fitrah in Ogan Ilir District. There were 37 samples on control group dan 39 samples on experimental group. The results of statistical analysis using Mann-Whitney test. The mean score of knowledge after being given a nutritional education was 26.15 ± 3.10 in the experimental group and in the control group was 26.05± 3.16 (p-value=0.817). The mean score of attitudes after being given a nutritional education was 13.69 ± 1.97 in the experimental group and in the control group was 11.24 ± 3.67 (p-value=0.002). There was no difference in mean score of knowledge between the experimental and control groups after being given a nutritional education. There was a difference in mean values of attitudes between the experimental and control groups after being given a nutritional education.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chunhua Qi

Objective: To explore the application of standardized measures in clinical teaching of medical imaging department. Methods: Forty-eight medical interns in Department of Medical Imaging of our hospital from February 2018 to May 2019 were selected as research objects. They were divided into 2 groups according to random number table method, with 24 cases in each group. Routine education management was performed in clinical teaching for control group, standardized measure management was performed in clinical teaching for observational group. Performance assessment before and after intervention was compared between two groups of medical students. Results: Before intervention, there was no significant difference in assessment result between two groups of medical students (P>0.05). Assessment result after intervention was higher than before intervention in two groups of medical students. Observational group was higher than control group, the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclusions: Implementation of standardized measures in clinical teaching of medical imaging department could significantly improve assessment result of medical students, and its application can be considered in clinical teaching.


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