Mental development of children from paired mothers with epilepsy: assessing remote teratogenic effects and predictors of developmental disorders

Objective: to study teratogenic effect – the long-term pregnant mother-taken antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) related consequences on paired child mental, social and intellectual development.Material and methods. There were enrolled 80 subjects: 40 children aged 3–9 years and paired mothers suffering from epilepsy for 3 to 35 years. Thirteen and 27 patients had generalized and focal epilepsy, respectively. Seven mothers were in prolonged remission without taking AEDs, 23 were on monotherapy and 10 were on polytherapy. Child research methods: T. Achenbach's clinical CBCL (The Child Behavior Checklist) scales (for children aged under 5 and 6–18 years), a questionnaire for detecting attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and other behavioral disorders modified by N.N. Zavadenko, Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC), Luria batteries of neuropsychological tests adapted by J.M. Glozman (for children aged 3–6 and 7–12 years).Results. Neuropsychological study and assessment of intelligence revealed problems in the development of praxis, speech, gnostic functions and memory, as well as disproportion in the development of verbal and non-verbal structures of intelligence. The most common behavioral disorders in children were impulsivity, distraction, difficulties in controlling and organizing movements. The most affected spheres were praxis (motor awkwardness, fine motor disorders of the hands) and speech.Conclusion. The proposed hypothesis that the teratogenic effect of taking AEDs may result in unevenness or delay in developing mental functions in a child was confirmed.

Are Students of Secondary Schools of Seven Districts Different on Their Self-Estimates of Multiple Intelligences? A Case Study of Southern Districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Self-assessment of intelligence is a personal belief of ability, which is counted for an important portion of success in life. With 905 students of secondary schools of seven districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a survey study was conducted in order to find out students’ self-estimates and the differences of self-estimates on multiple intelligences. Data were collected from the subjects through a valid and reliable inventory. For a selection of the sample, a stratified, random, and proportion allocation technique was used; tests of between-subject effects, analysis of variance, and post hoc were applied as an inferential statistical test. The result of the study revealed that students of Lakki Marwat estimated their logical/mathematical, intrapersonal, verbal/linguistic, and visual/spatial intelligence to be higher than those of the students in the other districts. Students of Bannu rated their musical intelligences higher than that of the students of other districts. Students of Hango estimated their bodily/kinesthetic intelligence higher than that of the students of other districts. Students of Kohat estimated their existential intelligence higher than that of the students of other districts. Researchers suggested that schools should give such an environment of learning to the students where all the intelligences can be focused and promoted.

AN OBSERVATIONAL STUDY ON ASSESSMENT OF “INTELLIGENCE QUOTIENT” IN DIFFERENT PRAKRUTHI INDIVIDUALS

Prakruthi is the innate constitution of an individual based on Dosha predominance determined at the time of con- ception which cannot be changed from birth till the death. Siblings of the same parents are not identical with each other in their physical strength, intellectual development, behaviour and reaction to various conditions of environ- ment. Intelligence is a property of mind that is related to abilities, such as the capacity to reason, to plan, to solve problems, to think abstractly, to comprehend ideas, to use language, and to learn. Keywords: Prakruthi, IQ

Application of modern methods for diagnosing the intellectual abilities of students in identifying of giftedness

The development and study of methods of diagnostics of intellectual abilities, as well as analysis of the possibilities of practical application of the results of IQ tests are currently urgent tasks in the field of educational and developmental psychology, as well as in a relatively new field - cognitive neuroscience. The data of intellectual tests in a generalized form are used in various areas of practical activity: to assess the results and forecast in the teaching of schoolchildren and students, to identify the age dynamics of the development of intelligence, to assess lots of factors that affect the formation of intellectual abilities, etc. In particular, the assessment of intelligence using standardized tests, for which modern norms have been obtained, is needed as one of the methods of identifying intellectual giftedness of secondary school students. Investigations on defining the role of g-factor in the development of other cognitive abilities and its relationship with academic achievement are also actual. The article provides an overview of modern research on the role of intelligent diagnostics in identifying giftedness and in predicting high professional achievements. The analysis of the connections between general intelligence and cognitive and non-cognitive abilities is carried out and the value of the IQ indicator for the realization of the personal potential in creative activity is considered. The modern standardization, the norms of intelligence tests and their effectiveness in the task of intellectual giftedness are discussed.