Bidirectional Associations of Childhood Stuttering With Behavior and Temperament

Purpose Behavior and temperament (e.g., emotional reactivity, self-regulation) have been considered relevant to stuttering and its developmental course, but the direction of this relation is still unknown. Knowledge of behavior difficulties and temperament in childhood stuttering can improve screening and intervention. The current study examined both directions of the relationship between stuttering and behavior difficulties and temperament and between persistent stuttering and behavior difficulties and temperament across childhood. Method This study was embedded in the Generation R Study, a population-based cohort from fetal life onward in the Netherlands. We analyzed data from 145 children (4.2%) with a history of stuttering (118 recovered, 27 persistent) and 3,276 children without such a history. Behavior and temperament were repeatedly assessed using parental questionnaires (Child Behavior Checklist) and Infant/Child Behavior Questionnaire between 0.5 and 9 years of age. Multiple logistic and linear regression analyses were performed. Results Six-month-old children who were less able to “recover from distress,” indicating poor self-regulation, were more likely to develop persistent stuttering later in childhood (odds ratio = 2.05, 95% confidence interval (CI) [1.03, 4.05], p = .04). In the opposite direction, children with a history of stuttering showed more negative affectivity (β = 0.19, 95% CI [0.02, 0.37], p = .03) at 6 years of age than children without such a history. Stuttering persistence was associated with increased internalizing behaviors (β = 0.38, 95% CI [0.03, 0.74], p = .04) and higher emotional reactivity (β = 0.53, 95% CI [0.09, 0.89], p = .02) at the age of 9 years. Conclusions Behavior and temperament were associated with stuttering persistency—seemingly as both predictor and consequence—but did not predict a history of stuttering. We suggest that children who persist in stuttering should be carefully monitored, and if behavioral or temperamental problems appear, treatment for these problems should be offered. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.16869479

The Problem May Not Be as Complex as You Think: A Conversation With Joe Wehby

Dr. Joseph (Joe) Wehby currently is the Chair of the Department of Special Education at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College of Education and Human Development. In addition, he is a researcher at the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center and the Director of the National Center for Leadership in Intensive Intervention. He has received more than US$30 million in federal grants for research and training. Much of his research efforts have focused on evaluating the effectiveness of multicomponent mental health and academic tutoring interventions for students with significant behavior difficulties. He shares his reflections on his career in providing training and support to those students who require intensive interventions. He also discusses what he sees as the future of the field and offers suggestions for those entering the field.

Youth Chronic Endogenous Depression in Disorders of the Affective and Schizophrenic Spectrum

Background: chronic endogenous depression in youth has a number of features associated with their severe atypia, work and social maladjustment, deterioration in the quality of life, high risk of suicidal and self-injurious behavior, difficulties in choosing therapy, difficulty in diagnosis and nosological evaluation. Until now, no special research has been done on chronic endogenous depression among young people of this age.Purpose of research: to identify psychopathological features and dynamics of endogenous depression developed in youth, to work out a clinical typology. Patients: 62 young patients (16–25 years old) were clinically and psychopathologically examined, who were first admitted to FSBSI MHRC, within the period of 2017 to 2020 suffering from chronic endogenous depression state for more than two years. Clinically significant somatic, neurological, and mental pathology defined the criteria for exclusion.Methods: for the research the clinical-psychopathological and psychometric methods were used. The patients were examined by the psychometric method upon admission to the hospital and at the stage of reduction of psychopathological disorders upon discharge: the HDRS, SANS and SOPS scales included.Results and conclusion: the clinical picture of youth chronic endogenous depression is characterized by pronounced polymorphism, atypia, erosion of the thymic component, and the dominance of negative affectivity. Based on the analysis of psychopathological characteristics of endogenous depression in youth, two typological varieties were identified: unitary depressions (type I) and supplementary depressions (type II). Among the type II depressions, 2 subtypes were distinguished: with neurosis-like disorders and with psychopathic-like disorders.

Systematic Intervention for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Integration in Regular School Classes: A Naturalistic Study

Objective of the present study was the assessment of the effect of a systematic community intervention offered at an early age to 32 children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), 2 to 5 year after completion of treatment while attending public school classes. The intervention had been offered at a community Day Centre and lasted 3 years. On assessment all children showed clinical improvement and significant results on Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) and Vineland Adaptive Scales and 13 scored below criteria for autism on Autism Diagnostic Observation Scale-2 (ADOS-2). Most performed adequately at school whilst 12 required academic assistance. No major disruptive behavior difficulties were reported.

An Evaluation of an Integrated Stuttering and Parent-Administered Self-Regulation Program for Early Developmental Stuttering Disorders

Purpose This study reports findings from a clinical trial that implemented an early stuttering treatment program integrated with evidence-based parenting support (EBPS) to children who stutter (CWS) with concomitant self-regulation challenges manifested in elevated attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (eADHD) symptoms and compared those outcomes to CWS receiving stuttering treatment without EBPS. Method Participants were 76 preschool CWS and their parent(s). Thirty-six of these children presented with eADHD and were quasirandomized into two groups: stuttering treatment only (eADHD standard ) or stuttering treatment integrated with EBPS (eADHD integrated ). The remaining children did not meet criteria for eADHD symptoms and received stuttering treatment only (No-eADHD standard ). Pre, post, and 3-month follow-up measures of stuttering treatment outcomes as well as treatment effects on measures of child behavior difficulties and parenting practices were examined. Results Significant reduction in stuttering was found for all groups. However, the eADHD integrated group showed a greater reduction in stuttering frequency than the eADHD standard group, and at follow-up, stuttering frequencies in the eADHD integrated group matched those of children in the No-eADHD standard group, while stuttering in the eADHD standard group remained significantly higher. Children with eADHD symptoms who received the integrated program also required significantly less stuttering intervention time than those children with eADHD symptoms who received stuttering treatment only. Families in the eADHD integrated group reported large and significant improvements in child behavior and parenting practices. Conclusion This study provides support for an early treatment program for CWS. The integrated stuttering and self-regulation management program for CWS with eADHD symptoms proved successful for fluency and behavioral improvements, which were sustained at follow-up.

114 Distributional Decomposition: A Novel Method for Understanding Inequities in Child Growth, Behavior and Development

Background Income related inequities in child health are well-established, with children from lower income households showing increased risk of obesity, behavior problems, and delayed development. To facilitate clinical diagnosis, outcomes are conventionally measured in dichotomous terms. However, inequities may exist along the entire range of distribution, with implications for population health. Objectives Our primary objective was to examine differences in the distribution of three measures of child health by income: body mass index (BMI), behavior difficulties and development. Design/Methods This was a cross sectional study of children enrolled in a primary care practice-based research cohort. Our study included generally healthy children recruited from age 0-5 years. Dependent variables were 1) BMI z-score (zBMI) at 5 years; 2) behavior: total score on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), measured at 3-5 years; 3) development: total score on the Infant Toddler Checklist (ITC), measured at 18-24 months. Independent variable was parent-reported annual household income (< $100,000 vs ≥ $100000). We then used distributional decomposition, which uses mathematical re-weighting to construct a counterfactual distribution that describes the distribution of the lower income group based on the predictor profile (child age, sex, birthweight, prematurity, breastfeeding duration; maternal age, education, immigration status, ethnicity) of the higher income group. Results Our study samples consisted of 1649 (zBMI), 764 (SDQ) and 761 (ITC) children. Mean BMI z-score was 0.16, median total difficulties score was 7, median ITC score was 48. Comparing distributions graphically (Figure 1), children with low income have a higher risk distribution for all outcomes; for example, children with low income were more likely to have BMI z-scores in the underweight and obese ranges. For each outcome, the counterfactual curve lower income children with the predictor profile of their higher income counterparts reduced inequities somewhat, particularly in the normal or low risk range, but not in the high-risk range. However, there were notable unexplained portions of inequity remaining. Conclusion In a cohort of generally healthy children, we found evidence of meaningful income-related inequities in the distribution of child zBMI, behavior difficulties, and development. Population health interventions aiming to mitigate these inequities by addressing common predictors may improve outcomes in the normal range; however targeted clinical interventions are likely required for those in the high-risk range.

0886 Changes in Parent Knowledge and Self-Efficacy and Association With Adherence Following the Steps Towards Achieving Restful Sleep (STARS) Pediatric PAP Therapy Desensitization Program

Introduction Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) presents in 2-5 % of youth and has been consistently linked to sleepiness, cognitive deficits, behavior difficulties, and cardiovascular morbidity. PAP effectively treats OSA, however, nonadherence is the most common cause of PAP treatment failure in children. Few adherence interventions have been empirically studied for youth with OSA. The STARS (Steps Towards Achieving Restful Sleep) Clinic is a behavioral program to optimize child tolerance to PAP therapy through a parent class, and in vivo practice. The goal of the study was to examine parent knowledge and self-efficacy following participation in STARS, and associations with subsequent PAP adherence. Methods A retrospective chart review was conducted for patients in the STARS program. Items queried included patient demographics, diagnostic and treatment characteristics, pre- and post- STARS responses to a parent self-efficacy and knowledge questionnaire, and polysomnography and PAP adherence data. Paired-samples t-tests examined changes in parent self-efficacy and knowledge pre- to post STARS, and regression analyses examined associations between self-efficacy and knowledge with demographics, treatment-related characteristics, and PAP adherence. Results 130 patients completed the STARS program from October 2016 to February 2019. Participants were 8.3 years old ±6.3, 63% male, 57% white, 33% Hispanic, with severe OSA (OAHI =22 ±33). Most participants (87%) had at least one medical comorbidity (e.g, Down Syndrome, 41%). Both parent knowledge and self-efficacy increased significantly from pre- to post- STARS. Approximately 60% of patients were adherent following STARS (defined as ≥4 h use and ≥70% of days used). Higher post- knowledge, but not efficacy score, was significantly associated with better PAP adherence. Conclusion Parent knowledge and self-efficacy for PAP improved following the STARS program, and greater knowledge was associated with better adherence. Future research evaluating the efficacy and effectiveness of the STARS program is needed but preliminary evidence suggests it may be a promising model for improving youth PAP adherence. Support None