Contrasting deficits on executive functions in Chinese delinquent adolescents with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder symptoms and/or reading disability

Application of a Bayesian Network Learning Model to Predict Longitudinal Trajectories of Executive Function Difficulties in Elementary School Students

Executive function is the mental ability to modulate behavior or thinking to accomplish a task. This is developmentally important for children's academic achievements and ability to adjust to school. We classified executive function difficulties (EFDs) in longitudinal trajectories in Korean children from 7 to 10 years old. We found predictors of EFDs using latent class growth analysis and Bayesian network learning methods with Panel Study data. Three types of latent class models of executive function difficulties were identified: low, intermediate, and high EFDs. The modeling performance of the high EFD group was excellent (AUC = .91), and the predictors were the child's gender, temperamental emotionality, happiness, DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) anxiety problems, and the mother's depression as well as coparenting conflict recognized by the mother. The results show that using latent class growth analysis and Bayesian network learning are helpful in classifying the longitudinal EFD patterns in elementary school students. Furthermore, school-age EFD is affected by emotional problems in parents and children that continue from early life. These findings can support children's development and prevent risk by preclassifying children who may experience persistent EFD and tracing causes.

Examining Distinctive Working Memory Profiles in Chinese Children With Predominantly Inattentive Subtype of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and/or Reading Difficulties

Although evidence has shown that both RD and ADHD-I children suffer from working memory problems, inconsistencies in impaired modalities have been reported. This study aimed to (1) compare the three WM domains (i.e., verbal WM, visual-spatial WM, and behavioral WM) among pure ADHD-I, pure RD, comorbid ADHD-I+RD, and typical control groups and (2) examine the impact of comorbidity on the three WM domains. A Chinese sample of participants from Hong Kong included 29 children in the ADHD-I group, 78 children in the RD group, 31 children in the comorbid group (ADHD-I+RD), and 64 children in the TD control group. All participants completed the assessments individually. The findings showed that the children with ADHD-I and/or RD exhibited diverse cognitive profiles. In particular, RD was associated with verbal and visual-spatial working memory deficits, while ADHD-I was associated with behavioral working memory deficits. Interestingly, the comorbid condition demonstrated additive deficits of the two disorders but with greater deficits in behavioral working memory. These findings support the cognitive subtype hypothesis and provide a clearer picture of the distinctive working memory profiles of different groups, allowing for the development of intervention programs in the future.

Personality, Behavior Characteristics, and Life Quality Impact of Children with Dyslexia

Dyslexia is one of the most common neurobehavioral disorders. Children with dyslexia usually suffer from negative, behavior personality problems, and impacted life quality. We aimed to identify family environment factors for dyslexia, and to evaluate the personality, behavior characteristics and life quality of children with dyslexia. A total of 60 children diagnosed with dyslexia and 180 normal children that were aged 7-12 who speak Chinese were recruited from four primary schools in Shantou City, China. Self-designed questionnaire, children's edition of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ), Conners' Parent Rating Scale (CPRS), and Quality of Life scale for children and adolescents (QLSCA) were employed for investigation. Multiple logistic regressions show that antenatal training (OR = 0.36), higher household income, higher parents' educational levels, and parents engaging in white-collar jobs were negatively associated with dyslexia; while, family members also suffering from dyslexia (OR = 12.17), lower frequency of communication between parents and children, and worse parent-child relationship were positively associated with dyslexia. Children with dyslexia scored higher in psychoticism and neuroticism (p = 0.040, 0.008), but lower in extroversion and dissimulation than normal children (p = 0.025, 0.007) in the EPQ test. They tended to be more introversion (68.3% vs. 43.0%), psychoticism (25.0% vs. 13.3%), and neuroticism (46.7% vs. 18.8%) than the controls. In addition, children with dyslexia had higher scores in conduct problem, learning problem, hyperactivity, and Conners' index of hyperactivity (CIH) in CPRS test; and, lower scores of psychosocial function, physical and mental health, and satisfaction of living quality in QLSCA test (all p < 0.05). Several family environment and parenting factors were associated with children's dyslexia significantly. Children with dyslexia had the personality of psychoticism, neuroticism, introversion, and more behavioral problems. Dyslexia significantly impacted the children's quality of life. Our findings provide multiple perspectives for early intervention of dyslexia in children, particularly in family factors and the parenting environment.

Improved Educational Achievement as a Path to Desistance

In this article we present a summary of the literature on the associations between learning difficulties/disabilities and juvenile delinquency. This literature is almost a hundred years old, but, although reportedly demonstrating the low academic achievement-delinquency connection, contains numerous unanswered questions regarding the frequency, strength, direction, stability, and causality of these associations. We then use this literature to contextualize the research taking place at the Houston Learning Disabilities (LD) Hub, a member of the LD Centers and Hubs Network, supported by National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). In doing so, we present our previous studies and our current research. We conclude by discussing a number of shortcomings in the literature, some-but far from all-of which we hope to address in our ongoing work.

Co-morbidities in Chinese children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and reading disabilities

The co-morbidity of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and reading disorder (RD) is more frequent than expected. This investigation assessed the potential uniqueness of the co-morbidity of ADHD and RD and extended existing findings to the Chinese language. A parallel group design with a post hoc analysis of group differences was employed to compare 4 groups of children (30 with ADHD, 33 with RD, 28 with ADHD + RD, and 30 typically developing) regarding their reading comprehension, attention, reading-related abilities, and cognitive abilities. The findings indicated that children with RD and/or ADHD symptom(s) exhibited diverse cognitive profiles, and the distinguishing factor contributed to different inhibitions. Additionally, Chinese-speaking children with the co-morbid symptoms of RD and ADHD demonstrated greater deficits in auditory working memory and rapid naming than did the pure-deficit groups. Furthermore, although problems with phonological awareness were similar between the 2 groups, the deficiency of orthographic knowledge was more severe in children with RD than in the co-morbid group. The ADHD + RD group's cognitive and reading-related abilities displayed a relatively complicated pattern that should be considered in the diagnosis of either RD or ADHD and their remediation design.

Hot and Cool Executive Functions in Adolescence: Development and Contributions to Important Developmental Outcomes

Despite significant theoretical advancement in the area of child neuropsychology, limited attention has been paid to the developmental features of adolescence. The present study intends to address this issue in relation to executive function (EF). EF refers to the psychological processes that underlie goal-directed behavior; recent studies separate cool EF (psychological process involves pure logic and critical analysis) and hot EF (psychological process driven by emotion). Although neurological findings suggest that adolescence is a sensitive period for EF development, data on comparing the developmental progression in hot or cool EFs is highly missing. Moreover, while evidence has confirmed the relationships between EF and day-to-day functioning, whether and how hot and cool EFs contribute to core developmental outcomes in adolescence is still remained unknown. The current study aims to enhance our understanding of the development and impacts of hot and cool EFs in adolescence. A total of 136 typically developing adolescents from age 12 to 17 completed four cool EF tasks including Backward digit span, Contingency naming test, Stockings of Cambridge, and Stroop Color and Word test, and one hot task on Cambridge gambling task. Data on academic performance and psychological adjustment was also collected. Results showed that cool and hot EF exhibited different patterns of age-related growth in adolescence. Specifically, cool EF ascended with age while hot EF showed a bell-shaped development. Moreover, there were correlations among cool EF measures but no association between cool and hot EFs. Further, cool EF was a better predictor of academic performance, while hot EF uniquely related to emotional problems. The results provide evidence for the association among cool EF tests and the differentiation of hot and cool EFs. The bell-shaped development of hot EF might suggest a period of heightened risk-taking propensity in middle adolescence. Given the plastic nature of EF, especially over adolescence, the current findings may have practical implications for future EF identification and training.

Recognizing Psychiatric Comorbidity With Reading Disorders

Reading disorder (RD), a specific learning disorder (SLD) of reading that includes impairment in word reading, reading fluency, and/or reading comprehension, is common in the general population but often is not comprehensively understood or assessed in mental health settings. In education settings, comorbid mental and associated disorders may be inadequately integrated into intervention plans. Assessment and intervention for RD may be delayed or absent in children with frequently co-occurring mental disorders not fully responding to treatment in both school and mental health settings. To address this oversight, this review summarizes current knowledge regarding RDs and common comorbid or co-occurring disorders that are important for mental health and school settings. We chose to highlight RD because it is the most common SLD, and connections to other often comorbid disorders have been more thoroughly described in the literature. Much of the literature we describe is on decoding-based RD (or developmental dyslexia) as it is the most common form of RD. In addition to risk for academic struggle and social, emotional, and behavioral problems, those with RD often show early evidence of combined or intertwined Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition childhood disorders. These include attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression, disruptive, impulse-control, and conduct disorders, autism spectrum disorders, and other SLDs. The present review highlights issues and areas of controversy within these comorbidities, as well as directions for future research. An interdisciplinary, integrated approach between mental health professionals and educators can lead to comprehensive and targeted treatments encompassing both academic and mental health interventions. Such targeted treatments may contribute to improved educational and health-related outcomes in vulnerable youth. While there is a growing research literature on this association, more studies are needed of when to intervene and of the early and long-term benefits of comprehensive intervention.