Can Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder be differentiated by motor and balance deficits?

There is an ongoing debate regarding the diagnostic overlap between Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). Differential diagnosis is important because of treatment implications. Children aged 7–10 years (47 ADHD, 30 FASD, 39 controls) participated. The Movement Assessment Battery for Children (M-ABC) and the Clinical Observations of Motor and Postural Skills (COMPS) were used. Force plate and electromyography data were collected during static balance and balance perturbation. On the M-ABC both children with ADHD and FASD had more motor problems than controls. The ADHD-Combined and the ADHD-Predominantly Inattentive subgroups were similarly affected in their fine motor skills. On the COMPS, the majority of children in both groups performed in the normal range, but for those children clinically affected, it was the children with ADHD who were more likely to be severely impaired. The children with ADHD were characterized by early onset latencies of the tibialis anterior muscles and increased amplitudes of the gastrocnemius muscles. Difficulty scaling muscle force reflecting medial cerebellar involvement may be the key problem in ADHD. Cerebellar involvement in the postural instability in FASD awaits further study.     

Training mildly retarded individuals to control their anger through the use of cognitive-behavior therapy techniques

Four mildly retarded adults with chronic anger problems were treated with a cognitive-behavioral approach similar to stress-inoculation training. The treatment techniques included a simplified version of rational-emotive therapy (RET), coping self-statements, relaxation training, biofeedback, coping imagery, behavioral rehearsal, and assertiveness training. The treatment techniques varied in each case so as to meet the needs of the individual clients. The emphasis was on the development of self-control as opposed to control through external contingencies, such as rewards and punishments. There were decreases in the frequency of anger outbursts in all four clients. Violent behavior, such as hitting and kicking others, and destruction of property, was totally eliminated. In addition, the clients reported decreases in anxiety and stress-related symptoms. Although experimental research is needed in this area, these preliminary findings suggest that at least some mildly retarded individuals can be taught self-control through a cognitive-behavioral approach.     

Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised and luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery for Children: intercorrelations for normal youngsters

The relationship between scores on the PPVT-R and Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery for Children was examined utilizing 86 normal children, including 55 females and 31 males from middle-class families. Correlation coefficients were computed between the standard scores obtained on the PPVT-R and the T scores from the summary scales on the Luria-Nebraska. Significant relationships were predicted between the PPVT-R and the Receptive scale on the Luria-Nebraska. Significant but small correlations were found between the PPVT-R and this scale as well as the Intelligence, Visual, Arithmetic, Memory scales on the Luria-Nebraska.     

False-positive maintenance of self-injurious behavior by access to tangible reinforcers.

Results of a functional analysis indicated that the hand mouthing of a woman with developmental disabilities was maintained by multiple sources of control (sensory stimulation and access to a leisure item). Further assessment revealed that access to several other items also produced high rates of hand mouthing. However, direct observation conducted in the woman's home indicated that none of these items was delivered contingent upon hand mouthing. When the consequence observed most frequently in the home was incorporated into the functional analysis, rates of hand mouthing were no higher than they were during an alone condition. We concluded that hand mouthing, although maintained by automatic reinforcement, was also susceptible to social contingencies when exposed to them during assessment, thereby producing a partially false-positive outcome.     

INCREASING HABILITATIVE SERVICES FOR PERSONS WITH PROFOUND HANDICAPS: AN APPLICATION OF STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS TO STAFF MANAGEMENT

We evaluated a structural analysis methodology for enhancing the utility of a staff management program. In Experiment 1, a structural analysis of direct-care staff behavior in a mental retardation facility revealed differences in work patterns over time. Specific times were identified when few basic care duties were necessary and staff engaged in nonwork activity. In Experiment 2, a management program was implemented to increase staff members' training activities during periods identified through the structural analysis. The program was accompanied by increases in training activities and decreases in nonwork behavior. The improvements were maintained during a 43-week period while the most labor-intensive component of the program was withdrawn. Staff acceptability measures indicated a positive response to the management intervention, although responses varied across components within the multifaceted program. The increased training was accompanied by beneficial changes among clients with profound handicaps. Results are discussed regarding practical considerations for improving staff performance and for adopting innovations resulting from applied research.     

Sex differences in nonverbal communication

An experiment was conducted to determine the relationship between sex-role attitudes, affiliation, and dominance and nonverbal communication styles in men and women in same- and opposite-sex dyads. Women were found to elicit more warmth and men more anxiety from their partners. Evidence was found for a possible monitoring mechanism through which women adjust their nonverbal communications to fit the male in the interaction. Liberalism in sex-role attitudes was found to correlate with nonverbal warmth in men. The nonverbal presentations of men and women in the microprocesses of dyadic interaction were found to relate significantly to the macrostructure of societal sex roles.This research was supported by NSF Grant GS36814. The author wishes to express her special thanks to Harmon Hosch, Vivian Shayne, David Fineman, and Lee Braff for their help in the experiment and data analysis. An abbreviated version of this paper was presented at the meeting of the American Sociological Association, San Francisco, August 1975.     

A group version of the Stroop Color and Word Test

Summary: The uses of the Stroop Color and Word Test have been limited because of the lack of a standardized form, particularly one which could be used for both individual and group administrations as demanded by the requirements of a research project. The present version of the test counted the number of items completed by the subject in a 45-second time period. In the individual version the subject said the words out loud while in the group version he said the words to himself. Results indicated that the two versions were equivalent to each other as well as to forms requiring the subject to read a whole page of items. It was felt that a group form would greatly enhance the research capabilities of the Stroop Test.     

Focal and nonfocal processing of color and form

Langley Porter Neuropychtatrte Institute, University of California, San Francisco. Californta 94122 Response latencies to color are usually shorter than those to form. but sometimes this difference is absent or reversed. Three experiments investigated whether these differences result from differential susceptibility of color and form to extra focal processing. Experiment I showed shorter same-difference latencies to color than to form when two stimuli were presented simultaneously. This difference disappeared or reversed when the two stimuh appeared sequentially. Experiment II. using a multistimulus matching task, found that differences between response latencies to form and color were minimal at the center of the display and increased peripherally. Experiment III showed that eye movements were more frequent in matching forms than colors. Tasks that produced many eye movements had long average latencies, but the relationship between eye movements and latency was not a simple one. There was evidence both for parallel and serial strategies tn the use of the eyes to gather information. The results of these experiments are considered in relation to a theory of distributed attention.     

Sex differences in student—teacher interactions in the college classroom

An observational analysis of student—teacher interactions in 60 college classes revealed sex differences in student behaviors. Male students were the majority sex more often than females in classes taught by male lecturers; there was no sex difference for classes taught by female lecturers. Male students engaged in proportionately more student—teacher interactions than female students in male-taught classes; there was no sex difference in female-taught classes. Neither male nor female professors appeared to respond differentially to male and female students. Possible causes and implications of these findings are discussed.Portions of this paper were presented at the biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Denver, April 1975.