Children who experience adversities in the pre-perinatal period are at increased risk of developing impairment later in life, despite the absence of overt brain and neurological abnormalities. ...However, many of these children exhibit sequelae several years after a period of normal appearance. As a result, the need for reliable developmental assessments for the early detection of infants at high risk of adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes has emerged. The Griffiths Mental Developmental Scales have a promising but poorly explored prognostic ability. This longitudinal study evaluated the predictive power of the Griffiths Mental Developmental Scales at 12 and 24 months on the cognitive and neuropsychological profile at 6 years of age in a sample of 70 children with a history of prematurity or perinatal asphyxia but without brain and neurological abnormalities. We found that the Griffiths Mental Developmental Scales at 24 months had good predictive ability on the intelligence quotient at 6 years and the capacity to predict some neuropsychological performances. On the other hand, the Griffiths Mental Developmental Scale at 12 months was not associated with the performance at 6 years or 24 months.
Conclusion
: Data on brain development converge to indicate that the first two years of age represent a critical stage of development, particularly for children experiencing mild pre-perinatal adversities who are thought to exhibit white matter dysmaturity. For this reason, this age is crucial for identifying which children are at major risk, leaving enough time to intervene before overt deficits become apparent. Brain development in the first 2 years could explain the limited reliability of early neurodevelopmental testing.
What is Known:
• Pre-perinatal adversities increase the risk of developing neurodevelopmental disorders.
• The predictive ability of the Griffith scale is poorly explored in low-grade conditions.
What is New:
• The predictive ability of the Griffith scale has been investigated in low-risk children.
• A complete neuropsychological profile could offer a more accurate prediction than the intellectual quotient.
In children with cerebral palsy (CP), fine motor skills limit forearm supination and active extension of the elbow, wrist, or fingers. Therapeutic interventions focusing on improving the ranges at ...these joints while facilitating active movements are the key to augmenting fine motor skills.
This pilot study examines if children with CP (with UE involvement) exposed to the Novel Hand Rehabilitation (NHR) Board will demonstrate 1) changes in spasticity and passive ROM of forearm and wrist/finger muscles, and 2) improvement in fine motor abilities.
The forearm and wrist/fingers of children with spastic CP (N = 15; M = 7, F = 8) aged 49-72 months (65.33±6.355 months) were positioned on the NHR board till their tolerance limit or a minimum duration of 30 minutes. The outcome measures, i.e., spasticity (Modified Ashworth Scale), passive range of motion (PROM) of wrist and fingers, and fine motor skills (PDMS-2 - Fine motor scale), were recorded.
The spasticity of forearm pronators (0.001) and wrist flexors (0.008) reduced significantly, but not in wrist extensors. Post-intervention improvements in wrist extension (p = 0.005) and ulnar deviation ROM (p = 0.007) were significant. In thumb, changes were non-significant for the CMC flexion, but extension (0.003) and abduction (0.001) as well as MCP extension (0.004) were significant. The post-intervention MCP extension ROM for the 2nd (0.001), 3rd (0.007), and 4th fingers (0.014) were also substantial, but not for PIP and DIP joints. The post-intervention percentage change in the Grasping and Visual-motor integration subtests of PDMS-2 was 11.03% (p = 0.002) and 5.09% (p = 0.001) respectively.
The immediate effects on fine motor skills in children with CP after the NHR board application were positive and encouraging. Hence, the NHR board can be recommended as an intervention to improve the fine motor abilities of children with CP.
A staging system for development of gladiola (Gladiolus × grandiflorus) that relies on simple, visual, non‐destructive criteria is proposed. Four field trials were conducted during the spring 2010, ...autumn/winter 2011 and winter 2011 at Santa Maria, RS, Brazil, with different gladiola cultivars, in order to observe the developmental stages of the above‐ground parts and their dry matter. The developmental cycle, which starts at dormant corm and ends with plant senescence, is divided into four developmental phases: dormancy phase, sprouting phase (from filiform roots appearance to sheaths appearance), vegetative phase (from emergence of the first leaf tip to emergence of the final leaf tip on the stem) and reproductive phase (from heading to plant senescence). The developmental stages that were identified during the dormancy phase and during the sprouting phases are coded as S stages: S0 = dormant corm, S1 = appearance of roots, S2.1 = first sheath, S2.2 = second sheath and S2.3 = third sheath. Vegetative phase is coded as V stages: VE = emergence of the sheaths above ground, V1 = first leaf, V2 = second leaf, Vn = nth leaf and VF = flag leaf. Leaf tip is the marker for V1–VF. The developmental stages during the reproductive phases are coded as R stages: R1 = heading, R2 = blooming, R3 = onset of flowering, R4 = end of anthesis, R5 = end of florets senescence and R6 = plant senescence (leaves and floret axis are brown). Sub‐stages have also been assigned between R1 and R2 and between R3 and R4. Illustrations (photographs) of each developmental stage taken from field pot‐grown plants are provided and the proposed scale was tested with field observations. These criteria are straight forward and allow for quick determination of development stage. This system can be used by both farmers and for experimental trials.
Abstract Objective To develop, standardize, and validate a developmental scale for children, 3–4 years old, attending Anganwadis (Integrated Child Development Scheme) in India, as a follow-up ...assessment, using a normative approach. Study Design and Setting After the development of the 12-item Developmental Assessment Tool for Anganwadis (DATA-II), its internal consistency as well as face, content, and construct validities were studied in 100 children in Anganwadis and were found to be appropriate. A total of 385 children with a mean (standard deviation) age of 43.05 (5.02) months from randomly selected 36 Anganwadis were recruited for its standardization. Raw scores were converted to standardized T scores. Scoring pattern for domains and aggregate developmental scores were formulated. Results Except for four items in the original scale, all the items were endorsed by parents suggesting a good content validity, and Kuder–Richardson Formula 20 coefficient of 0.80 suggested a high internal consistency. Factor analysis replicated the six-factor structure explaining 76.5% of variance. An aggregated developmental score based on the standardized T scores demonstrated that a DATA-II score between 29 and 33 suggested “at risk” for developing developmental delays. A score of 28 or less suggested already delayed milestones. A score of 19–28 suggested a “mild delay,” 8–18 suggested a “moderate delay,” and 7 or less suggested a “severe delay” in development. Conclusion The DATA-II is a measure for use in Anganwadis for identifying children at risk or with developmental delays during the first follow-up assessment, in India, for appropriate referrals and interventions.
To investigate the results of Gesell Developmental Scale in follow-up of preterm infants and to determine possible high-risk factors for poor long-term neurological outcome.
A preterm infants' ...questionnaire was designed, and a retrospective study was conducted on the clinical data of 181 preterm infants (corrected age 2-12 months) and their mothers. The developmental quotient (DQ) scores were determined by the Gesell Developmental Scale and statistically analyzed.
Compared with those with a birth weight (BW) of ≥1 500 g, the preterm infants with a BW of <1 500 g had significantly reduced DQ scores of adaptability, gross motor movement, and fine movement (P<0.05). Compared with those with a gestational age (GA) of ≥32 weeks, the preterm infants with a GA of <32 weeks had significantly reduced DQ scores of adaptability, gross motor movement, fine movement, and social contact (P<0.05). DQ scores on five Gesell subscales were significantly positively correlated with GA and BW (P<0.05). The DQ scores on Gesell sub
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