A Validated WISC-V Short-Form to Estimate Intellectual Functioning in Very Preterm Children at Early School Age

Very preterm children (gestational age < 32 weeks) frequently show neurodevelopmental difficulties (Inattention/dysexecutiveness) throughout their life-stages. A scarcity of resources, along with this population’s cognitive vulnerability, makes the neuropsychological evaluation of these children both complicated and time-consuming. This study aimed to develop a specific and valid Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fifth Edition (WISC-V) short-form to estimate intellectual functioning in this population. Eighty-four very preterm children (39 female; mean age = 6.50; SD: 0.06) were assessed with the WISC-V. Short-forms were developed following two independent strategies: a) multiple linear regressions for each index; b) correlational analyses between scores on all administered subtests and Full-Scale IQ. Validity of short-forms was analyzed. A short-form (Vocabulary, Matrix Reasoning, Picture Span, and Symbol Search) that satisfied 2/3 validation criteria was proposed. This validated short-form could facilitate the identification of cognitive difficulties in very preterm children, so that they could benefit from early care and support services, avoiding long assessment procedures.

Education of Children with Borderline Intellectual Functioning - Specificity and Areas of Support

A characteristic feature of each class in a public school is the presence of children with a borderline intellectual functioning. This article presents the specificity of the functioning of children with the above-mentioned intellectual potential.

Apathy in Parkinson’s Disease: A Retrospective Study of Its Prevalence and Relationship With Mood, Anxiety, and Cognitive Function

Apathy is thought to be an important clinical feature of Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, its prevalence ranges greatly across studies because of differing definitions, assessment tools, and patient inclusion criteria. Furthermore, it remains unclear how the presentation of apathy in PD is related to mood disorder and/or cognitive impairment. This study sought to examine the prevalence of a pure apathy syndrome in PD, distinct from both depression and anxiety, and reveal its associated cognitive profile. A retrospective study was performed on 177 PD patients who had completed measures of apathy [Apathy Evaluation Scale (AES)] and mood functioning [Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)] and had undergone extensive neuropsychological assessment, using measures of intellectual functioning, memory, executive function, attention, language, visual processing, and cognitive speed; 14.7% of the sample indicated clinically significant levels of apathy, but this nearly always co-presented with depression and/or anxiety, with cases of “pure” apathy very rare (2.8%). On extensive cognitive assessment, patients with mood disorder performed worse on a measure of non-verbal intellectual functioning, but patients with additional apathy or apathy only demonstrated no further losses. The syndrome of apathy in PD greatly overlaps with that of depression and anxiety, suggesting that apathy in PD may be in large an epiphenomenon of mood disorder, with no specific neuropsychological features.