Visual but not spatial working memory deficit in children with spina bifida

Twenty children with spina bifida and twenty controls were assessed on a battery of visuospatial working memory tests. Children with spina bifida performed as well as the control group in the visuospatial test and in the forward and backward versions of the Corsi test, but were impaired in the 'House Visual Span.' This test, designed in our lab, provides specific information regarding visual ability to discriminate between pictorial targets and lures, and requires specific visual processing of stimuli. These results are discussed in terms of working memory models and are viewed as supporting the distinction between the visual and spatial components of working memory.     

Assessing the factorial invariance of Harter's self-concept measures: comparing preadolescents with and without spina bifida using child,parent, and teacher report

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the structure of children's self-concept, as rated by children themselves on the Self-Perception Profile for Children (SPPC; Harter, 1985), and the structure of children's competence, as rated by their parents on the Rating Scale of Child's Actual Behavior (PRS) and teachers on the Rating Scale of Child's Actual Behavior (TRS; Harter, 1985), are similar across samples of children with and without spina bifida (children were 8 and 9 years of age; n = 68 in each sample). Using confirmatory factor analyses, results revealed that a multidimensional model for the SPPC and the TRS fit the data well for both samples. On the other hand, the model for both mothers' and fathers' PRS ratings did not fit the data for the spina bifida sample. Further tests of factorial invariance conducted on the SPPC and TRS revealed that the spina bifida and able-bodied samples tended to have the same pattern and magnitude of factor loadings for both instruments. There was some invariance, however, in the amount of unique error variance accounted for across samples. These results bolster our confidence in using the SPPC and TRS to compare children with and without spina bifida.     

Executive functioning and psychological adjustment in children and youth with spina bifida

Children and adolescents with spina bifida are at risk for poor neuropsychological functioning and psychological outcomes. The relationship between executive functioning and psychological adjustment is an area worthy of investigation in this population. The current study assessed executive functioning and psychological outcomes in a group of children and adolescents with spina bifida (SBM) (n = 51) and nondisabled controls (n = 45). A mediation model was hypothesized, such that Metacognition, as measured by the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF), mediated the relationship between group status (spina bifida versus nondisabled controls) and psychological outcomes. Results indicated that metacognitive skills fully explained the relationship between group and internalizing and depressive symptoms as reported by mothers. In particular, specific components of the BRIEF Metacognition composite were most responsible for this relationship, including Initiate, Working Memory, and Plan/Organize. The study limitations include its cross-sectional nature that precludes drawing conclusions about causality. The results have implications for treatment interventions for children and adolescents with spina bifida and typically developing individuals.     

Spatial knowledge of children with spina bifida in a virtual large-scale space

The spatial knowledge of 18 children with spina bifida and 18 healthy control children (matched according to sex, age, and verbal IQ) was investigated in a computer-simulated environment. All children had to learn a route through a virtual floor system containing 18 landmarks. Controlling for cognitive abilities, the results revealed that children with spina bifida showed impaired route knowledge but not an impaired landmark knowledge. Thus the results suggest that children with spina bifida are not impaired in all large-scale abilities similarly. The impairments of the children with spina bifida are more accentuated in more behaviour based measurements, which indicates a relation to the reduced mobility of the children with spina bifida.     

Children with spina bifida perceive visual illusions but not multistable figures

We compared 32 children with spina bifida and 32 age-matched controls on two classes of illusory perception, one involving visual illusions and the other, multistable figures. Children with spina bifida were as adept as age peers in the perception of visual illusions concerned with size, length, and area, but were impaired in the perception of multistable figures that involved figure-ground reversals, illusory contours, perspective reversing, and paradoxical figures. That children with spina bifida reliably perceive illusions that rely on inappropriate constancy scaling of size, length, and area suggests that their brain dysmorphologies do not prevent the acquisition of basic perceptual operations that enhance the local coherence of object perception. That they do not perceive multistable figures suggests that their visual perception impairments may involve not object processing so much as poor top-down control from higher association areas to representations in the visual cortex.     

Specific language deficiencies in children with early onset hydrocephalus

Specific language abilities of children with early onset hydrocephalus were compared to nonhydrocephalic comparison groups. Ninety children, aged 5 to 7 years, composed six subject groups: three groups having a history of hydrocephalus due to spina bifida, prematurity-intraventricular hemorrhage, or aqueductal stenosis. and three comparison groups of children with spina bifida who had never been shunted, premature children with no hydrocephalus, and normal controls. Group performance scores were compared on measures of phonological awareness, semantics, fluency, and word retrieval. Children with hydrocephalus performed below their peers on all measures. These results indicate that early onset hydrocephalus has a substantial adverse impact on the development of a wide range of specific language abilities.     

Impact of Spina Bifida on Parental Caregivers: Findings from a Survey of Arkansas Families

The well-being of caregivers of children with spina bifida and other conditions is an important topic. We interviewed the primary caregivers of 98 children aged 0–17 years with spina bifida sampled from a population-based birth defects registry in Arkansas and the caregivers of 49 unaffected children. Measures of caregiver well-being were compared between the groups and by level of lesion (sacral, lower lumbar, and upper lumbar/thoracic). We performed linear and logistic regression analysis to test the associations controlling for other characteristics. Among caregivers of children with spina bifida, the average number of hours of sleep was significantly less than reported by other caregivers and was associated with lesion level among children less than 7 years of age. Significant associations, often varying by child age, were also found for the caregiver’s reports of lower Quality of Well-Being (QWB) score, often feeling blue, rarely feeling happy, fair or poor health, lack of leisure days, and not hosting friends, but no significant association was found with not visiting friends. The intensive long-term care required by children with spina bifida, particularly by those with higher lesions, can negatively impact caregiver health and well-being. Support for these caregivers is needed.     

Optimism,appraisals, and coping in the adjustment of mothers and their children with spina bifida

Families of children with physical disabilities show substantial differences in the levels of adjustment of both the children and their parents. These differences result, in part, from the complex interplay of family and child adaptation resources, such as coping and social support. In order to identify factors which may differentiate levels of adjustment among families with children with physical disabilities, this study examined relationships among optimism, primary and secondary appraisals of and coping with child-related stressors, maternal psychological adjustment, and child adjustment in 29 families with a child with spina bifida without mental retardation and 28 comparison families with a nondisabled child. For the spina bifida group, primary appraisals were related to the use of avoidant coping strategies, and these coping strategies were related to maternal psychological adjustment and child internalizing behavior problems. No significant differences between the groups in terms of the nature of the relationships or in the levels of the variables were found with the exception that mothers of children with spina bifida were less optimistic than comparison mothers. These data support the importance of coping in understanding the psychological adjustment of mothers faced with a chronic stressor in the family.     

Children's Memory for Locations Visited: Importance of Movement and Choice

In 2 experiments, the effect of active or passive mobility and active or passive choice experiences on children's memory for locations visited while retrieving puzzle pieces hidden in a large room were examined. In the first experiment, fifty-two 6- and 7-year-old children were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 training conditions: active choice-active movement, active choice-passive movement, passive choice-active movement, and passive choice-passive movement. After 3 training trials, all children were tested in the active choice-active movement condition. A 2 (movement) x 2 (choice) factorial multivariate analysis of variance revealed a significant main effect for movement. Children who had moved actively to find the puzzle pieces in the training trials had (a) a greater percentage correct, (b) more correct visits between errors, and (c) a later visit of first error than children who had been passively pushed in a wheelchair. Making active choices in training did not significantly affect performance. A second experiment used identical procedures but tested 32 children with mobility dif-difficulties who regularly used a wheelchair because of either cerebral palsy or spina bifida. Children from this group who moved actively during training to retrieve the puzzle pieces also performed better on testing. Implications of the results for children with disabilities and for developmental theory are discussed.     

Impairment of a motor skill in children with spina bifida cystica and hydrocephalus: an exploratory study.

Twenty 7-10 year old children with spina bifida cystica and hydrocephalus and 20 normals matched for age, sex and IQ were compared on a 12-trial target task, first used by Connolly, Brown & Bassett (1968). Analysis of the results, in which particular attention was paid to statistical method and to ways of analysing individual differences, showed a significant impairment in dotting speed in the spina bifida group, although both groups improved with practice. In a second experiment immediately following the first, visual monitoring of this task was restricted. The spina bifida children were initially more affected than the controls but able to recover. The findings are discussed in relation to neurological abnormalities in the spina bifida group.     

心理旋转训练对5~6岁儿童空间能力和数学能力的影响

采用2（时间：前测/后测）×2（分组：实验组/控制组）的两因素混合实验设计,考察心理旋转游戏训练对5~6岁儿童空间及数学能力的影响。基于心理旋转的可塑性以及空间能力与数学能力之间的密切关系设计心理旋转干预方案,将36名被试分为实验组和控制组进行为期8周共24次的干预研究。研究结果表明：（1）空间能力与数学能力之间显著正相关;（2）心理旋转游戏有效地提高了5~6岁儿童的空间能力和数学能力,该训练方案具有良好的即时效果。     

Secondary conditions in children with disabilities: spina bifida as a case example

This paper examines the concept of secondary conditions and its application in studies of childhood disability focusing on children with spina bifida as a representative group. The "International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health" (World Health Organization, Geneva, 2001) provides a classification of body function/structure, activities, participation and the environment to document dimensions of human functioning in context. The ICF is of value in the study of secondary conditions in two ways: as a conceptual framework for defining impairments, activity limitations and participation restrictions, and the mediating role of the environment in their expression; and as a taxonomy for coding these dimensions of disability. The ICF can yield a profile of a child's difficulties, and documentation of environmental barriers experienced by that child. Research studies with children and adolescents with spina bifida reveal that physical and mental impairments and limitations in performing activities and participating in communal life are experienced as secondary conditions. The significance of secondary conditions is that they are preventable. Identifying the mechanisms associated with their manifestation is thus an important priority for the development of effective prevention programs.     

Postural Stability in Children with High Sacral Level Spina Bifida: Deviations from a Control Group

Abstract

Objective: To assess static and dynamic postural stability changes in children with high sacral level spina bifida.

Methods: Thirty-five children with high sacral level spina bifida and 35 age-matched healthy controls were enrolled. Their lower extremity muscle strengths and static and dynamic postural stability parameters were measured with the use of a dynamometer and the NeuroCom Balance Master^® device, respectively. Functional gait and balance were evaluated using the five times sit-to-stand test (5STS) and the 6-minute walk test (6MWT). Spinal, hip, and ankle deformities of the patient group were measured by radiologic evaluation.

Results: In comparison with controls, patients were found to have lower ankle dorsiflexion and plantar-flexion strength, increased 5STS duration, and decreased 6MWT distance while both static and dynamic postural stability parameters were significantly different. Bilateral ankle muscle strengths were found to be negatively correlated with postural stability parameters. The presence of hydrocephalus or meningomyelocele in the patient group was found to have negative effects on static postural stability.

Conclusion: Static and dynamic postural stability is affected even in children with high sacral level spina bifida who are expected to have best condition in this patient population. The ankle muscle strength is the main factor influencing these changes.     

Mental rotation performance in primary school age children: Are there gender differences in chronometric tests?

In contrast to the well documented male advantage in psychometric mental rotation tests, gender differences in chronometric experimental designs are still under dispute. Therefore, a systematic investigation of gender differences in mental rotation performance in primary-school children is presented in this paper. A chronometric mental rotation task was used to test 449 second and fourth graders. The children were tested in three separate groups each with different stimulus material (animal drawings, letters, or cube figures). The results show that chronometric mental rotation tasks with cube figures – even rotated in picture plane only – were too difficult for children in both age groups. Further analyses with animal drawings and letters as stimuli revealed an overall gender difference in response time (RT) favoring males, an increasing RT with increasing angular disparity for all children, and faster RTs for fourth graders compared to second graders. This is the first study which has shown consistent gender differences in chronometric mental rotation with primary school aged children regarding reaction time and accuracy while considering appropriate stimuli.     

TEACHING SELF-CATHETERIZATION SKILLS TO CHILDREN WITH NEUROGENIC BLADDER COMPLICATIONS

We examined the effects of simulation training on the acquisition of self-catheterization skills in 2 female children with spina bifida. Based on a task analysis, the children were taught to perform on a doll each of the components of preparation, and, using a mirror to locate the urinary meatus, to insert and remove the catheter and to clean-up. Before, during, and after training, the children's performance of the skills on the doll and on themselves was assessed. Results of a multiple baseline design across subjects and skill components showed that doll training facilitated the children's acquisition of self-catheterization skills.     

Mother and Child Depressive Symptoms in Youth with Spina Bifida: Additive, Moderator, and Mediator Models

The purpose of the study was to examine the extent to which parenting behaviors influence the relation between maternal and child depressive symptoms in youth with spina bifida and a comparison sample. Previous research has found that maternal depression not only negatively impacts the mother–child relationship, but also places the child at risk for developing depressive symptoms. However, certain parenting behaviors might buffer the association between maternal and youth depression. The influence of maternal depressive symptoms and parenting behavior (i.e., acceptance, behavioral control, psychological control) on youth depressive symptoms were examined in the context of three models: (1) an additive/cumulative risk model, (2) a moderator model, and (3) a mediator model. Data were examined longitudinally at five time points when youth were 8–9 through 16–17 years of age. Results supported an additive/cumulative risk model, but did not support the moderator or mediator models. Low maternal acceptance, high behavioral control, and high psychological control were risk factors for child depressive symptoms at several time points, with maternal depressive symptoms exerting an additional risk at later time points. A group difference between the spina bifida and comparison youth was not supported. Findings indicate that in general, maternal parenting behavior is salient throughout childhood and early adolescence, but maternal depressive symptoms do not exert an influence until mid-adolescence. Family interventions should aim to promote maternal mental health and maternal parenting behaviors to reduce the risk of the development of depressive symptoms in adolescence.     

国人腰骶椎隐裂发生率特点及相关因素

为了探讨腰骶椎隐裂发生率特点及相关因素,回顾分析了1082例螺旋CT检查信息,以12个月为间隔将18岁以下508例共分18小组,比较腰骶椎隐裂发生率有无统计学差异,找出差异的年龄段规律。并统计574例18岁以上隐裂发生率,结果显示0岁～8岁、8岁～14岁、14岁～18岁小组发生率分别为94．0％～97．2％、46．9％～52．4％、19．1％～20．8％,各年龄段内小组发生率无统计学差异,三大组总体发生率递减,有统计学差异,18岁以上为16．0％,由此我们可以把骨性椎弓发育分为三期：0岁～8岁为生理性未闭合期,8岁～14岁为闭合过渡期,14岁以上为闭合稳定期。     

Reaching for Independence: Counseling Implications for Youth With Spina Bifida

Spina bifida, a congenital physical disability, is indirectly associated with difficulties in scholastic achievement, social development, and self‐determination. Environment can have an impact on psychosocial development and impede functioning academically, socially, and vocationally. Counselors must be aware of the societal atmosphere to identify potential difficulties and more efficiently meet the needs of children and adolescents with spina bifida.     

The format of children’s mental images: Penetrability of spatial images

To investigate the format of mental images and the penetrability of mental imagery performance to top-down influences in the form of gravity information, children (4-, 6-, 8- and 10-year-olds) and adults (N = 112) performed mental rotation tasks. A linear increase in response time with rotation angle emerged at 6-years, suggesting that spatial properties are represented in children’s mental images. Moreover, 6-, 8-, and 10-year-olds, but not 4-year-olds or adults, took longer to respond to rotated stimuli pairs when gravity information was incongruent with the direction of rotation rather than congruent. Overall, findings suggest that in contrast to adults’, 6- to 10-year-olds’ mental rotation performance was penetrated by top-down information. This research (a) provides insight into the format of young children’s mental images and (b) shows that children’s mental rotation performance is penetrable by top-down influences.     

Social support and adjustment in chronically ill and handicapped children

The relationship between social support and adjustment was investigated in children with a chronic physical illness or handicap. Mothers of 153 children with juvenile diabetes, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, chronic obesity, spina bifida, or cerebral palsy reported on these children's family support, peer support, externalizing behavior problems, and internalizing behavior problems. Children reported as having high social support from both family and peers showed a significantly better adjustment than those with high social support from only one of these sources. Chronically ill or physically handicapped children without high support from both family and peers were reported to have significantly more behavior problems than children in general. Both family and peer support contributed negatively and independently to the variance in externalizing behavior problems, whereas only peer support did so for internalizing behavior problems. There were no interactions between type of support and either sex or age in predicting adjustment.