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Although many studies have reported the cognitive profiles in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the interactions between ADHD symptoms and the patients' cognitive profiles have not been carefully examined through the network analysis. Here, in this study, we systematically analyzed the ADHD patents' symptoms and cognitive profiles, and identified a set of interactions between ADHD symptoms and cognitive domains using the network approach. A total of 146 children with ADHD, 6 to 15 years of age, were included in the study. All participants were assessed by the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition (WISC-IV) test. The patients' ADHD symptoms were evaluated by the Vanderbilt ADHD parent and teacher rating scales. GraphPad Prism 9.1.1 software was used for descriptive statistics and R 4.2.2 was used for network model construction. The ADHD children in our sample showed lower scores for full scale intelligence quotient (FSIQ), verbal comprehension index (VCI), processing speed index (PSI) and working memory index (WMI). Among all the ADHD core symptoms and comorbid symptoms, the academic ability, inattention symptoms and mood disorder showed direct interaction with the cognitive domains of WISC-IV. In addition, oppositional defiant of the ADHD comorbid symptoms, and perceptual reasoning of the cognitive domains exhibited the highest strength centrality in the ADHD-Cognition network based on parent ratings. Classroom behaviors of the ADHD functional impairment, and verbal comprehension of the cognitive domains exhibited the highest strength centrality in the network based on teacher ratings. We highlighted the importance of considering the interactions between the ADHD symptoms and cognitive properties when designing the intervention plans for the ADHD children.

The influence of specific autism spectrum disorder (ASD) deficits in Intelligence Quotients (IQ), Indexes and subtests from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-III was investigated in 445 school-aged children: ASD (N = 224) and other neurodevelopmental disorders (N = 221), matched by Full-Scale IQ and chronological age. ASD have lower scores in the VIQ than PIQ. The core distinctive scores between groups are Processing Speed Index and “Comprehension” and “Coding” subtests with lower results in ASD. ASD group with normal/high IQ showed highest score on “Similarities” subtest whereas the lower IQ group performed better on “Object Assembly”. The results replicated our previous work on adaptive behaviour, showing that adaptive functioning is positively correlated with intellectual profile, especially with the Communication domain in ASD.

Stakeholders are debating the value of cognitively focused instruction for students who have not benefited from a skills-based approach. Much of the discussion, however, is occurring without recognition of research that has been conducted in the past 2 decades. In this article, we reviewed the research. Electronic databases and hard copies of scholarly journals were searched; 239 references were identified; and 50 pertinent studies were analyzed to determine the effects of cognitively focused instruction—delivered alone or in combination with academic instruction—on students described as demonstrating poor academic achievement, learning disabilities, or specific cognitive deficits. Findings suggest that several cognitive interventions accelerated low-achieving students academic progress. Nevertheless, when the research is taken as a whole—when the pertinent studies and the interventions they describe are considered with regard to their content, quality, and results—we conclude that it does not support the use of cognitively focused instruction at this time. Implications for future research are discussed.

Background Maternal folic acid (FA) supplementation before and in early pregnancy prevents neural tube defects (NTD), but it is uncertain whether continuing FA after the first trimester has benefits on offspring health. We aimed to evaluate the effect of FA supplementation throughout pregnancy on cognitive performance and brain function in the child. Methods Follow-up investigation of 11-year-old children, residing in Northern Ireland, whose mothers had participated in a randomised trial of Folic Acid Supplementation in the Second and Third Trimesters (FASSTT) in pregnancy and received 400 μg/day FA or placebo from the 14th gestational week. Cognitive performance (Full Scale Intelligence Quotient, Verbal Comprehension, Working Memory, Perceptual Reasoning, and Processing Speed) was assessed using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children. Neuronal function was assessed using magnetoencephalographic (MEG) brain imaging. Results Of 119 mother-child pairs in the FASSTT trial, 68 children were assessed for neurocognitive performance at 11-year follow-up (Dec 2017 to Nov 2018). Children of mothers randomised to FA compared with placebo scored significantly higher in two Processing Speed tests, i.e. symbol search (mean difference 2.9 points, 95% CI 0.3 to 5.5, p  = 0.03) and cancellation (11.3 points, 2.5 to 20.1, p  = 0.04), whereas the positive effect on Verbal Comprehension was significant in girls only (6.5 points, 1.2 to 11.8, p  = 0.03). MEG assessment of neuronal responses to a language task showed increased power at the Beta (13–30 Hz, p  = 0.01) and High Gamma (49–70 Hz, p  = 0.04) bands in children from FA-supplemented mothers, suggesting more efficient semantic processing of language. Conclusions Continued FA supplementation in pregnancy beyond the early period currently recommended to prevent NTD can benefit neurocognitive development of the child. MEG provides a non-invasive tool in paediatric research to objectively assess functional brain activity in response to nutrition and other interventions. Trial registration ISRCTN ISRCTN19917787 . Registered on 15 May 2013.

Background: In utero exposure to antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) can result in several different teratogenic effects including major malformations, dysmorphic facial features, and learning and behavioural problems. It is estimated that there is a 2–3-fold increase in the risk of malformations compared with the general population. The risk of cognitive impairment and behavioural problems is less clear. Objective: To report the frequency and specificity of individual dysmorphic features and to relate the dysmorphic facial phenotype to developmental outcome. Methods: A retrospective study of 375 children born to 219 mothers with epilepsy. The age of the study group ranged from 6 months to 16 years. Each child underwent a physical examination and a battery of neuropsychological tests. Dysmorphic features were scored from photographs on a blind basis by a panel of dysmorphologists. Results: A total of 274 children were exposed to AEDs (63 to valproate, 94 to carbamazepine, 26 to phenytoin, 15 to other monotherapies, and 76 to polytherapy). Major malformations were identified in 14% of children exposed to valproate in utero, 5% exposed to carbamazepine, and 4% in the non-exposed group. Overall, 47% of exposed children were correctly identified as having been exposed to AEDs in utero. There was a significant correlation between verbal intelligence quotient and dysmorphic facial features in the valproate exposed children only. Conclusion: Children exposed to valproate have more distinctive facial features, but a subtle and distinctive facial phenotype is also seen in children exposed to carbamazepine. Nearly half (45%) of unexposed children had some of the facial features associated with AED exposure, showing that many of these features may be seen as part of normal variation and that the diagnosis of the fetal anticonvulsant syndrome is difficult to make on the basis of facial gestalt alone. Developmental surveillance should be offered to children with prenatal exposure to AEDs, particularly those with exposure to high doses of valproate.

Using the Japanese version of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition (WISC-III), 26 girls with high-functioning (IQ ≥ 70) pervasive developmental disorders (HFPDD) (mean age, 8.2 years) were compared with 116 boys with HFPDD (mean age, 9.0 years). Compared with the boys, the girls scored significantly higher on the Processing Speed index, Coding, and Symbol Search, but scored significantly lower on Block Design. Although both groups showed weakness on Comprehension in the verbal domain, the girls’ subtest profile in the performance domain was relatively even and significantly different from the boys’, which was characterized by a peak on Block Design. Such differences should be replicated, and possible behavioral, neurological, and genetic links to these sex differences should be clarified.

A large‐scale (N = 552) controlled multivariate prospective 14‐year longitudinal study of a developmental cascade embedded in a developmental system showed that information‐processing efficiency in infancy (4 months), general mental development in toddlerhood (18 months), behavior difficulties in early childhood (36 months), psychometric intelligence in middle childhood (8 years), and maternal education either directly or indirectly (or both) contribute to academic achievement in adolescence (14 years).

Atypical responses to sensory stimuli are a new criterion in DSM-5 for the diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) but are also reported in other developmental disorders. Using the Short Sensory profile (SSP) and Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised we compared atypical sensory behaviour (hyper- or hypo-reactivity to sensory input or unusual sensory interests) in children aged 10–14 years with ( N  = 116) or without an ASD but with special educational needs (SEN; N  = 72). Atypical sensory behaviour was reported in 92 % of ASD and 67 % of SEN children. Greater sensory dysfunction was associated with increased autism severity (specifically restricted and repetitive behaviours) and behaviour problems (specifically emotional subscore) on teacher and parent Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaires but not with IQ.

Motor and social difficulties are often found in children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and with developmental coordination disorder (DCD), to varying degrees. This study investigated the extent of overlap of these problems in children aged 7–10 years who had a diagnosis of either ASD or DCD, compared to typically-developing controls. Children completed motor and face processing assessments. Parents completed questionnaires concerning their child’s early motor and current motor and social skills. There was considerable overlap between the ASD and DCD groups on the motor and social assessments, with both groups more impaired than controls. Furthermore, motor skill predicted social functioning for both groups. Future research should consider the relationships between core symptoms and their consequences in other domains.

Purpose: In this article, the authors sought to determine whether the precise age of implantation (AOI) remains an important predictor of spoken language outcomes in later childhood for those who received a cochlear implant (CI) between 12 and 38 months of age. Relative advantages of receiving a bilateral CI after age 4.5 years, better pre-CI-aided hearing, and longer CI experience were also examined. Method: Sixty children participated in a prospective longitudinal study of outcomes at 4.5 and 10.5 years of age. Twenty-nine children received a sequential second CI. Test scores were compared with normative samples of hearing age mates, and predictors of outcomes were identified. Results: Standard scores on language tests at 10.5 years of age remained significantly correlated with age of first cochlear implantation. Scores were not associated with receipt of a second, sequentially acquired CI. Significantly higher scores were achieved for vocabulary as compared with overall language, a finding not evident when the children were tested at younger ages. Conclusion: Age-appropriate spoken language skills continued to be more likely with younger AOI, even after an average of 8.6 years of additional CI use. Receipt of a second implant between ages 4 and 10 years and longer duration of device use did not provide significant added benefit. (Contains 7 tables and 3 figures.)