STRUCTURAL COMPARISON OF INTELLIGENCE OF POLISH AND AMERICAN CHILDRENS OF MIDCHILDHOOD

The present study is devoted to the examination of the factor structure of intelligence measured with WISC and WISC-R derived from the testing of the sample of Polish children. The differences in the structure of intelligence that was measured with WISC and WISC-R (developed by Pietrulewicz) were investigated for a group of 30 Polish fourth-grade students (mean age 10.6). Consistent with the results of a number of other investigations, the results of this study demonstrate the considerable factorial similarity of two scales derived through the use of WISC and WISC-R and these results appear to be consistent with the results of American studies that indicate the superiority of the two-factor solution with non-Anglo-American children. Consistent with American findings, the WISC Verbal, Performance, and Full Scale IQs were higher than those on the WISC-R. On both measures, structural results favor for two-factor solution, which approximates Wechsler’s Verbal and Performance scales. A third factor, failed to simulate Freedom from Distractibility, accounted for approximately 10% of the explained variance. On this factor, Coding was heavily weighted, but Arithmetic and Digit Span loadings ranged from modest to negative. Results provide support for the application of the Wechsler intelligence tests for children in cross-cultural settings and for interpreting the third factor according to the dynamics of specific cultures. Today WISC-R continue to be applied still in Poland for diagnostic and research purposes. Despite limitations of the present study which include the small sample size and the restriction of demographic information to rural-urban differences the results of the present study indicate that replicative studies may clarify further the characteristics of the third factor with varying populations and cultures, while still generating hypotheses with regard to formulations for enhancing learning opportunities for individual children irrespective of their ethnicity or ecological backgrounds.

Intelligence and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders

Background The studies on intelligence in individuals with fetal alcohol exposure are conflicting. Some have found a relevant impairment in this population, while others found results that were consistent with the population at large. Objectives Describe the results of studies on intelligence in individuals with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. Methods Indexed articles of the last 10 years were selected for an integrative literature review. After inclusion and exclusion criteria were satisfied 37 articles were selected. Results General intelligence, both verbal and non-verbal, is impaired in people who are prenatally exposed to alcohol. There is a tendency to a greater reduction in the Freedom from Distractibility/Working Memory Index of Wechsler Scales. Conclusions Reduction in intelligence seems to occur on a continuum similar to the fetal alcohol spectrum. The reduction of the Freedom from Distractibility/Working Memory Index appears to be a reflection of a greater impairment of mathematical ability.

Does Working Memory Impact Functional Outcomes in Individuals With ADHD: A Qualitative and Comprehensive Literature Review

Objective: Working Memory (WM) is a domain of executive functioning often impaired in individuals with ADHD. Although assumed to cause difficulties across functioning, the scope of impairments from WM deficits in ADHD has not been investigated. The aim of this study was to examine outcomes associated with WM deficits in ADHD. Method: We conducted a search of the scientific literature on WM deficits, and Freedom From Distractibility (FFD), in ADHD using PubMed and PsycInfo databases. Results: The final sample included 11 controlled studies of WM/FFD deficits in ADHD with operationalized assessment of outcomes in academic, social, and emotional areas. WM assessment was divided into auditory-verbal memory (AVM) and spatial-visual memory (SWM). Seven studies examined WM deficits in academic functioning, eight studies assessed WM deficits in social functioning, and three assessed WM deficits in psychopathology. Conclusion: The majority of the literature suggests that WM deficits affect primarily academic functioning.

Gray and White Matter Volumes and Cognitive Dysfunction in Drug-Naïve Newly Diagnosed Pediatric Epilepsy

Epilepsy patients often have cognitive dysfunction even at early stages of disease. We investigated the relationship between structural findings and neuropsychological status in drug-naïve newly diagnosed pediatric epilepsy patients. Thirty newly diagnosed pediatric epilepsy patients and 25 healthy control subjects aged 7~16 years were enrolled, who were assessed by the Korean version of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (K-WISC-III), the Stroop test, and the trail making test (TMT). Optimized voxel-based morphometry (VBM) was performed for both Gray Matter (GM) and White Matter (WM) volumes. Lower performance levels of verbal intelligence quotient, freedom from distractibility, and executive function were observed in epilepsy group. Interestingly, poor performance in these cognitive subdomains was correlated with regional VBM findings involving both GM and WM volumes, but with different patterns between groups. GM volumes revealed clear differences predominantly in the bilateral frontal regions. These findings indicate that certain cognitive functions may be affected in the early stage of epilepsy, not related to the long-standing epilepsy or medication, but more related to the neurocognitive developmental process in this age. Epilepsy can lead to neuroanatomical alterations in both GM and WM, which may affect cognitive functions, during early stages even before commencement of AED medication.

HIPERKINEZINIŲ SUTRIKIMŲ TURINČIŲ VAIKŲ INTELEKTO STRUKTŪRA

Straipsnyje aprašomas tyrimas, kuriuo siekta įvertinti Lietuvos pradinio mokyklinio amžiaus vaikų, turinčių hiperkinezinių sutrikimų, intelekto struktūros ypatumus. Tyrime dalyvavo 29 septynerių–dešimties metų vaikai, kuriems diagnozuotas hiperkinezinis sutrikimas. Tyrimo dalyviai atliko lietuviškąją Wechslerio intelekto testo vaikams – trečio leidimo versiją (WISC-III). Patvirtinančioji bei tiriančioji faktorių analizė parodė, kad hiperkinezinių sutrikimų turinčių vaikų intelekto struktūra, nustatyta WISC-III testu, nesiskiria nuo reprezentacinėje vaikų imtyje nustatytos intelekto struktūros. Klinikinės vaikų imties rezultatų vidurkių profilis buvo palygintas su WISC-III Lietuvos standartizacinės imties rezultatais. Nustatyta, kad hiperkinezinių sutrikimų turinčių vaikų WISC-III atlikimui būdinga žemas Atsparumo trukdžiams balas bei AKIS profilis (žemi Aritmetikos, Kodavimo, Informacijos ir Skaičių eilės subtestų balai), atspindintys dėmesio koncentracijos, atminties, nuoseklaus girdimosios informacijos apdorojimo ir žinių kaupimo sunkumus. Santykinai geri Panašumų, Paveikslėlių išdėstymo, Kubelių kompozicijos rezultatai leidžia teigti, kad operavimas sąvokomis, analizės ir sintezės gebėjimai, takusis intelektas yra hiperkinezinių sutrikimų turinčių vaikų galios. Kadangi didelei daliai klinikinės imties vaikų be hiperkinezinio sutrikimo buvo diagnozuotas gretutinis specifinis mokymosi gebėjimų raidos sutrikimas, palyginome vaikų, turinčių vien hiperkinezinį sutrikimą, ir vaikų, turinčių abi minėtas diagnozes, gebėjimų profilius. Pasirodė, kad nors hiperkinezinį sutrikimą bei gretutinį specifinį mokymosi gebėjimų raidos sutrikimą turinčių vaikų intelektiniai gebėjimai menkesni, gretutinis mokymosi gebėjimų raidos sutrikimas beveik neturi įtakos hiperkinezinių sutrikimų turinčių vaikų intelektinių gebėjimų profiliui.Pagrindiniai žodžiai: hiperkineziniai sutrikimai, intelekto struktūra, WISC-III, gretutinis mokymosi gebėjimų raidos sutrikimas. Intelligence Structure in Children with Hyperkinetic DisordersRakickienė L., Girdzijauskienė S. SummaryThe Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children – Third edition (WISC-III) has been widely used to assess the intellectual abilities of children with hyperkinetic disorders by both researchers and practitioners. The characteristic features of the WISC-III profile of this clinical group have been described by several authors (Anastopoulos et al., 1994; Assessmany et al., 2001; Snow and Sapp, 2000; Mayes and Calhoun, 2006; Ek et al., 2007). However, the issue of the WISC-III construct validity in this particular clinical group was scarcely addressed. It remains possible that in hyperkinetic children with poor attention this long and attention-demanding test measures other constructs than in general population. The objective of this study was to examine the structure of intelligence in primary school children diagnosed with hyperkinetic disorders. 29 children (23 boys and 6 girls) aged seven to ten years, participated in the study. All the children were diagnosed with a hyperkinetic disorder, and ten of them had a comorbid diagnosis of specific learning disabilities. The participants of the study completed the Lithuanian version of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children – Third edition (WISC-III) (2002). The Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the construct validity of WISC-III when used in hyperkinetic children: one factor model (general intelligence) fits the data satisfactorily, while two factor (Verbal IQ, Performance IQ) and four factor (Verbal Comprehension, Perceptual Organisation, Freedom from Distractibility, Processing Speed) models fit the data very well. However, the exploratory factor analysis revealed a different factor structure without the Processing Speed factor, more similar to WISC-R. It also showed that Object Arrangement is a problematic subtest when used with hyperkinetic children as it does not fit with any of the three factors. We suggest that its performance could be determined by emotional variables rather than by cognitive ones. The WISC-III profile of hyperkinetic children as a group was characterized by the low Freedom from Distractibility score and ACID profile (low Arithmetic, Coding, Information and Digit span scores). The mean scores of these subtests and factors were significantly lower than the standardization sample mean, which is 10 for subtest scores and 100 for factor scores: M = 8.4, t = –3.215, p < 0.01 for Information; M = 8.5, t = –5.998, p < 0.01 for Coding; M = 8.4, t = –3.194, p < 0.01 for Arithmetic; M = 6.9, t = –5.998, p < 0.01 for Digit Span; M = 86.17, t = –5.393, p < 0.01 for Freedom from Distractibility. These peculiarities of hyperkinetic children’s WISC-III performance are explained by difficulties in attention, short-term memory, sequential auditory processing and factual knowledge. Satisfactory results of Similarities, Picture Completion and Block Design suggest relative strengths of using concepts, ability to analyse and synthesize information, and fluid intelligence. It has been proposed that comorbid specific learning disabilities may affect the cognitive performance of hyperkinetic children. For this reason, the effect of a comorbid learning disability was also assessed. The results showed that, although the intellectual abilities of hyperkinetic children with a comorbid learning disability are lower, the comorbid learning disability does not change the hyperkinetic children’s intelligence profile.Keywords: hyperkinetic disorders, intelligence structure, WISC-III, specific learning disabilities.

Classifying children with heavy prenatal alcohol exposure using measures of attention

Deficits in attention are a hallmark of the effects of heavy prenatal alcohol exposure but although such deficits have been described in the literature, no attempt to use measures of attention to classify children with such exposure has been described. Thus, the current study attempted to classify children with heavy prenatal alcohol exposure (ALC) and non-exposed controls (CON), using four measures of attentional functioning: the Freedom from Distractibility index from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children–Third Edition (WISC–III), the Attention Problems scale from the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), and omission and commission error scores from the Test of Variables of Attention (TOVA). Data from two groups of children were analyzed: children with heavy prenatal alcohol exposure and non-exposed controls. Children in the alcohol-exposed group included both children with or without fetal alcohol syndrome. Groups were matched on age, sex, ethnicity, and social class. Data were analyzed using backward logistic regression. The final model included the Freedom from Distractibility index from the WISC–III and the Attention Problems scale from the CBCL. The TOVA variables were not retained in the final model. Classification accuracy was 91.7% overall. Specifically, 93.3% of the alcohol-exposed children and 90% of the control children were accurately classified. These data indicate that children with heavy prenatal alcohol exposure can be distinguished from non-exposed controls with a high degree of accuracy using 2 commonly used measures of attention. (JINS, 2004, 10, 271–277.)