Latent Profiles of Students at Social-Emotional Risk: Heterogeneity Among Peer-Rejected Students in Early Elementary School

A latent profile analysis was applied to explore heterogeneity in the social and classroom behaviors of 224 peer-rejected elementary school students (56% White, 68% male, Grades 1–4, Mage = 8.1 years). Profile indicators included teacher ratings of social skills and problem behaviors on the Social Skills Improvement System (SSIS) and peer nominations of prosocial, aggressive, and withdrawn behavior. Four profiles emerged. Two profiles where characterized by elevated externalizing problems by peer and teacher report, one with multiple co-occurring difficulties (multiproblem, 21% of the sample) and one characterized primarily by aggression (domineering, 32% of the sample). Another profile was characterized by deficits in social skills and viewed by teachers as internalizing and disruptive (internalizing-dysregulated, 26% of the sample.) The final profile was nondistinct on teacher ratings but defined by low rates of prosocial behavior by peers (teacher preferred, 21% of the sample.) Group comparisons revealed that students in the multiproblem and internalizing-dysregulated profile classes had lower-quality relationships with teachers and more academic difficulties than students in the other two profile classes. The findings are discussed in terms of implications for identifying peer-rejected students for Tier 2 interventions and tailoring those interventions to enhance impact.

Structural and diffusion weighted brain imaging biomarkers for ADHD and its symptomology in very young (4–7-year-old) children

The current study aimed to identify the key neurobiology of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), as it relates to ADHD diagnostic category and symptoms of hyperactive/impulsive behavior and inattention. To do so, we adapted a predictive modeling approach to identify the key structural and diffusion weighted brain imaging measures, and their relative standing with respect to teacher ratings of executive function – EF (measured by the Metacognition Index of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function– BRIEF), negativity and emotion regulation – ER, (measured by the Emotion Regulation Checklist, ERC), in a critical young age range (ages 4 to 7, mean age 5.52 years, 82.2% Hispanic/Latino), where initial contact with educators and clinicians typically take place. Teacher ratings of EF and ER were predictive of both ADHD diagnostic category and symptoms of hyperactive/impulsive behavior and inattention. Among the neural measures evaluated, the current study identified the critical importance of the largely understudied diffusion weighted imaging measures for the underlying neurobiology of ADHD and its associated symptomology. Specifically, our analyses implicated the inferior frontal gyrus, the pericallosal sulcus, and the caudate as critical predictors of ADHD diagnostic category and its associated symptomology, above and beyond teacher ratings of EF and ER. Collectively, the current set of findings have implications for theories of ADHD, the relative utility of neurobiological measures with respect to teacher ratings of EF and ER, and the developmental trajectory of its underlying neurobiology.

Network Analyses of Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) Symptoms in Children

Based on parent and teacher ratings of their children, this study used regularized partial correlation network analysis (EBIC glasso) to examine the structure of DSM-5 Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) symptoms. Parent and teachers (N = 934) from the general community in Malaysia completed questionnaires covering DSM-5 ODD symptoms. The most central ODD symptom for parent ratings was anger, followed by argue. For teacher ratings, it was anger, followed by defy. For both parent and teacher ratings, the networks revealed at least medium effect size connections for temper and argue, defy and argue, blames others and annoy, and spiteful and angry. Overall, the findings were highly comparable across parent and teacher ratings, and they showed a novel understanding of the structure of the ODD symptoms. The clinical implications of the findings for assessment and treatment of ODD are discussed.

Executive Function Measurement in Urban Schools: Exploring the Links between Performance-Based Metrics and Teacher Ratings

When compared to research centered on the executive function development of white, middle-class children, relatively little is known about their non-white, lower-SES peers. In an effort to harmonize how executive functions are measured within under-represented contexts, the present study compares the utility of computerized performance-based tasks with teacher ratings of children’s classroom behavior using the Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC, 2nd edition, Reynolds & Kamphaus, 2004) . The sample included older children who were mostly ethnic minority students from high-poverty backgrounds (N = 243; Mage = 9.28 years, SDage = 0.80; nfemale = 125; nAfricanAmerican = 216, nLatinAmerican = 15, nAsianAmerican = 6). Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling tested for links between computerized performance-based executive function tasks and teacher ratings of everyday executive function. The results indicate good reliability for teacher ratings with this sample, with stronger links between a unified conceptualization of executive function compared to a diverse one. The findings suggest that these metrics are appropriate for a wide range of children and that ratings of everyday behavior might tap more into overall rather than specific executive function skills. These findings encourage continued questioning surrounding the organization of executive functions in older children from diverse backgrounds and their utility for general theories of cognitive development.