How Do Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Children with Developmental Delays Differ on the Child Behavior Checklist 1.5–5 DSM-Oriented Scales?

The Child Behavior Checklist 1.5–5 (CBCL 1.5–5) is applied to identify emotional and behavioral problems on children with developmental disabilities (e.g., autism spectrum disorder [ASD] and developmental delays [DD]). To understand whether there are variations between these two groups on CBCL DSM-oriented scales, we took two invariance analyses on 443 children (228 children with ASD). The first analysis used measurement invariance and multiple-group factor analysis on the test structure. The second analysis used item-level analysis, i.e., differential item functioning (DIF), to discover whether group memberships responded differently on some items even though underlying trait levels were the same. It was discovered that, on the test structure, the Anxiety Problems scale did not achieve metric invariance. The other scales achieved metric invariance; DIF analyses further revealed that there were items that functioned differently across subscales. These DIF items were mostly about children’s reactions to the surrounding environment. Our findings provide implications for clinicians to use CBCL DSM-oriented scales on differentiating children with ASD and children with DD. In addition, researchers need to be mindful about how items were responded differently, even though there were no mean differences on the surface.

Technical Overview and Evaluation of Heartune App: Mapping Music to Heartbeat for Recreational or Medical Purposes (Whitepaper)

This paper aims to verify the feasibility of utilizing the novel application Heartune as a supplemental treatment for Autism, Alzheimers, Depression/anxiety and developmental delays using passive music therapy. The studies and meta-analyses discussed within this whitepaper illustrate the ability of music therapy in general to benefit the wellbeing and behavioural tendencies of those diagnosed with the aforementioned illnesses, and hence the results obtained by this whitepaper justify the utilization of Heartune as a source for the supplemental treatment for over 100 million patients worldwide. Music therapy has been proven to help several children with developmental delays and Autism especially considering the behavioural changes caused by music therapy. Moreover, the therapy has led researchers to conclude that within the average duration of a song ~3 minutes, the user’s heartbeat can change up to 12%, indicating that the application can be utilised to change the heartbeat and hence the user's mood up to a certain extent. The concluding remarks do state that the application is complementary to the current treatment of the patients and does not in any manner propose a complete recovery from the given illness but proposes to reduce the impacts it has on the lives of the patients.

Mild Choline Deficiency and MTHFD1 Synthetase Deficiency Interact to Increase Incidence of Developmental Delays and Defects in Mice

Folate and choline are interconnected metabolically. The MTHFD1 R653Q SNP is a risk factor for birth defects and there are concerns that choline deficiency may interact with this SNP and exacerbate health risks. 80–90% of women do not meet the Adequate Intake (AI) for choline. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of choline deficiency on maternal one-carbon metabolism and reproductive outcomes in the MTHFD1-synthetase deficient mouse (Mthfd1S), a model for MTHFD1 R653Q. Mthfd1S+/+ and Mthfd1S+/− females were fed control (CD) or choline-deficient diets (ChDD; 1/3 the amount of choline) before mating and during pregnancy. Embryos were evaluated for delays and defects at 10.5 days gestation. Choline metabolites were measured in the maternal liver, and total folate measured in maternal plasma and liver. ChDD significantly decreased choline, betaine, phosphocholine, and dimethylglycine in maternal liver (p < 0.05, ANOVA), and altered phosphatidylcholine metabolism. Maternal and embryonic genotype, and diet-genotype interactions had significant effects on defect incidence. Mild choline deficiency and Mthfd1S+/− genotype alter maternal one-carbon metabolism and increase incidence of developmental defects. Further study is required to determine if low choline intakes contribute to developmental defects in humans, particularly in 653QQ women.

Pengaruh Terapi Bermain Puzzle Terhadap Perkembangan Motorik Halus Anak Prasekolah : Literature Review

In Indonesia, abaut 16% of children under five year’s experience developmental delays in fine motor skills. A lack of stimulation causes the delay by the playing media. A Puzzle game is one of the games, which is beneficial to stimulate fine motor skills To find out the effect of puzzle play therapy on the fine motor development of preschool children. A literature review of Quasy Eksperiment studies was used. The searching prpces for articles using the PubMed, Garuda Portal, and Google Schoolar database. Articles were selected that matched the inclusion criteria and appraised using DISCREN instrument. There were five articles included in this study. Two studies used the Denver II to measure fine motor skills, Whereas three used the KPSP instrument ( Indonesia child developmental and monitoring screening). Those studies were analyzed by using either the Wilcoxon test or t-test. All studies concluded a similisr result thst puzzle play therapy has a significant effect on preschool children’s motor development. This study found the effect of puzzle games on the fine motor development of preschool children.Keywords: Puzzle Play Therapy, fine motor development, Preschoolers AbstrakDi Indonesia, sekitar 16% anak balita mengalami keterlambatan perkembangan motorik halus. Kurangnya stimulasi menyebabkan penundaan oleh media bermain. Game Puzzle merupakan salah satu game yang bermanfaat untuk merangsang motorik halus. Mengetahui pengaruh terapi bermain puzzle terhadap perkembangan motorik halus anak prasekolah. Tinjauan literatur studi Quasy Eksperiment digunakan. Proses pencarian artikel menggunakan database PubMed, Garuda Portal, dan Google Schoolar. Artikel dipilih yang sesuai dengan kriteria inklusi dan dinilai menggunakan instrumen DISCREN. Ada lima artikel yang termasuk dalam penelitian ini. Dua penelitian menggunakan Denver II untuk mengukur keterampilan motorik halus, sedangkan tiga penelitian menggunakan instrumen KPSP (penyaringan perkembangan dan pemantauan anak Indonesia). Studi-studi tersebut dianalisis dengan menggunakan uji Wilcoxon atau uji-t. Semua penelitian menyimpulkan hasil yang serupa bahwa terapi bermain puzzle berpengaruh signifikan terhadap perkembangan motorik anak prasekolah. Penelitian ini menemukan pengaruh permainan puzzle terhadap perkembangan motorik halusanak prasekolah.n.Kata kunci: Terapi bermain puzzle, perkembangan motorik halus, anak prasekolah.

Case Report: Propranolol Therapy for Infantile Tremor Syndrome in a Child With Vitamin B12 Deficiency

Vitamin B12 deficiency in childhood presents with a wide variety of symptoms including anemia, failure to thrive and developmental delays. It is a diagnostic consideration in children who are exclusively breastfed or have minimal solid intake, especially if their mother is vegetarian or has underlying vitamin B12 deficiency. Infantile tremor syndrome (ITS) has been associated with vitamin B12 deficiency. ITS presents with neurological symptoms such as developmental delays and tremors. The tremors seen in ITS can be profound and interfere with daily functioning. Different therapies have been tried for those tremors without much evidence or information regarding their efficacy and dosing regimens. We present the case of a 13-month-old girl with vitamin B12 deficiency who developed ITS with significant tremors after initiation of vitamin B12 therapy. She was treated with propranolol which resulted in significant improvement in her tremors. This case highlights the efficacy and safety of propranolol for the treatment of ITS in the context of vitamin B12 deficiency.

Neurodevelopmental outcomes of infants secondary to in utero exposure to maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection: A national prospective study in Kuwait

Background An increasing proportion of women are being infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) during pregnancy. Intrauterine viral infections induce an increase in the levels of proinflammatory cytokines, which inhibit the proliferation of neuronal precursor cells and stimulate oligodendrocyte cell death, leading to abnormal neurodevelopment. Whether a maternal cytokine storm can affect neonatal brain development is unclear. The objective of the present study is to assess neurodevelopmental outcomes in neonates born to mothers with SARS-CoV-2 infections during pregnancy. Methods In this prospective cohort study, the neurodevelopment status of infants (N=298) born to women with SARS-CoV-2 infections during pregnancy was assessed at 10-12 months post-discharge using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire, 3rd edition (ASQ-3). The ASQ-3 scores were classified into developmental delays (cutoff score: ≤2 standard deviations (SDs) below the population mean) and no delay (score >2 SDs above the population mean). Results Approximately 10% of infants born to mothers with SARS-CoV-2 infections during pregnancy showed developmental delays. Two of 298 infants tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, and both had normal ASQ-3 scores. The majority of the pregnant women had SARS-CoV-2 infection during their third trimester. The risk of developmental delays among infants was higher in those whose mothers had SARS-CoV-2 infections during the first (P=0.039) and second trimesters (P=0.001) than in those whose mothers had SARS-CoV-2 infections during the third trimester. Infants born at <31 weeks gestation were more prone to developmental delays than those born at >31 weeks gestation (10% versus 0.8%; P=0.002). Conclusion The findings of the study highlight the need for long-term neurodevelopmental assessment of infants born to mothers with SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Prevention of developmental delays among children at public healthcare facilities of Pakistan: protocol for a cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

Objectives: This cluster Randomized Controlled Trial (cRCT) aims to evaluate the effectiveness of an integrated ECD package in preventing developmental delays among children aged two years, in public health care centers, as compared to a control arm. Methods: This is a parallel, two-arm, cluster randomized controlled trial. 768 mother-child pairs (‘dyads’) attending any of the 24-public health centers in two districts of Pakistan will be recruited, with an average of 32 participants per cluster. In the intervention arm, ECD based counselling sessions will be delivered to mother–child dyads by trained staff at public health care centers. Our primary outcome is reduction in prevalence of two or more developmental delays among children, from 38% to 23% in the intervention arm. Unit of randomization will be public health care center. 24 eligible clusters recruited will be randomized into intervention and control arms, using 1:1 allocation. Discussion: The integrated model of child care into primary health care has the potential to provide a feasible and sustainable model for improving child developmental scale. Key words: Early Child Development; Prevention; Developmental Delays; Public healthcare facilities