Attentional disengagement in adults with Williams syndrome

Williams syndrome (WS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by a distinctive behavioral and cognitive profile, including widespread problems with attention. However, the specific nature of their attentional difficulties, such as inappropriate attentional allocation and/or poor attentional disengagement abilities, has yet to be elucidated. Furthermore, it is unknown if there is an underlying difficulty with the temporal dynamics of attention in WS or if their attentional difficulties are task-dependent, because previous studies have examined attention in established areas of deficit and atypicality (specifically, visuospatial and face processing). In this study, we examined attentional processing in 14 adults with WS (20–59 years) and 17 typically developing controls (19–39 years) using an attentional blink (AB) paradigm. The AB is the decreased ability to detect a second target when it is presented in close proximity to an initial target. Overall, adults with WS had an AB that was prolonged in duration, but no different in magnitude, compared with typically developing control participants. AB performance was not explained by IQ, working memory, or processing speed in either group. Thus, results suggest that the attention problems in WS are primarily due to general attentional disengagement difficulties rather than inappropriate attentional allocation.     

Effects of Parental Soothing Behavior on Stress Levels of 2–8 Year Old Children During Voiding Cystourethrograms by Phase of Procedure

Using the example of a voiding cystourethrogram (VCUG), a painful radiological procedure, this study investigated whether parental soothing behavior (reassuring comments like “it’s almost over” or “You’re O.K.” and soothing by “sh, sh”) in one phase of the procedure influenced the child’s distress in the following phase. The sample was comprised of 68 2–8 year-old children and the accompanying parent(s). Child and parental behavior during the VCUG was coded using a standardized rating scale (CAMPIS-R). Parental reassurance during the anticipatory phase significantly increased the child’s distress of the following phase, while parental “sh, sh” significantly reduced it. Both parental behaviors showed no significant effect on the child’s distress of the following phase when applied during the procedure itself. Results underline the importance of differentiating between anticipatory and procedural phases of the VCUG. Counselling methods for parents on more appropriate strategies to assist their children during procedural phases of the VCUG are necessary.     

Eating disorder examination questionnaire and clinical impairment assessment questionnaire: general population and clinical norms for young adult women in Sweden

Optimal use of assessment instruments for the detection and diagnosis of eating disorders (ED) depends on the availability of normative data. The aim of this work was to, for the first time, collect norms for both the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) and the newly developed Clinical Impairment Assessment (CIA) Scale from a general population of young women in Sweden, as well as from a clinical population of ED patients in Sweden. Participants were composed of both a randomized sample from the general population of women aged 18–30 years (N = 760) as well as from a clinical population aged 18–66 years (N = 2383). Data for the clinical population was extracted from the Stepwise database. Mean scores, standard deviations and percentile ranks for the global for the EDE-Q (as well as its subscales) and the CIA are presented. Prevalence figures of key eating disorder behaviors are also reported. Comparisons are made between the results in the present study with other existing normative studies on the EDE-Q and the CIA. The present study contributes to improving the accuracy of the interpretation of scores of the widely used self-report measure of ED, the EDE-Q, and the CIA, both of which play important roles in for diagnosis, prevention and intervention of ED.     

Can the home environment promote resilience for children born very preterm in the context of social and medical risk?

Relationships between the home environment and early developmental outcomes were examined in 166 children born very preterm in one tertiary maternity hospital to explore whether a more optimal home environment could promote resilience. In particular, we explored whether this effect was apparent over and above social risk and children's biological risk, as measured by cerebral white matter abnormality (WMA) evaluated using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at term-corrected age and length of hospital stay (LOS), and whether the effect of the home environment differed according to WMA. The home environment and social-emotional outcomes were assessed at 2years' corrected age using the Home Screening Questionnaire (HSQ) and the Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment (ITSEA). Children's cognitive and motor development was assessed using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development II. A more optimal home environment was associated with better cognitive and social-emotional development after adjusting for social risk, WMA, and LOS. Neonatal cerebral WMA moderated the relationship between the home environment and dysregulation problems only, such that the home environment had less effect on dysregulation for children with mild or moderate to severe WMA. The need to support parents to create an optimal home environment is discussed.