Do we really need a new definition of dyslexia? A commentary.

We provide a commentary on current debates about the definition of dyslexia. We agree with others that dyslexia is best thought of as a dimensional disorder with the best established causal risk factor being a deficit in phonological processing. Dyslexia is particularly common in children from families with a history of dyslexia and in children with preschool language difficulties. We argue that definitions may differ depending upon their purpose. Traditional discrepancy definitions may be useful for research purposes, but when considering the provision of educational services discrepancy definitions are not useful since all children with reading difficulties require reading intervention regardless of their level of IQ.

Clinical practice patterns for assessing children with learning difficulties: survey of eye health care professionals.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Understanding what aspects of vision or binocular vision may affect learning, and how these are assessed, is important for the eye health care professional assessing children with learning difficulties. It is vital that visual dysfunction is identified or excluded in these patients to ensure targeted and timely intervention. BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate similarities and differences between eye care professionals in the knowledge, attitudes and practice patterns, when evaluating children with learning difficulties. METHODS: This study was a cross-occupational, cross-sectional, predominantly quantitative internet-based survey. Ophthalmologists, optometrists, and orthoptists working in Australia were eligible to participate. A questionnaire comprising of 31 multiple-choice questions with up to 19 additional branching questions was distributed using REDCap in September 2022. RESULTS: A total of 130 responses were analysed (6 ophthalmologists, 84 orthoptists and 40 optometrists of whom 9 were practicing behavioural vision care). Most respondents assessed distance visual acuity (95%), near stereoacuity (85%), presence of strabismus (88%) and ocular movements (91%). Near vision was assessed less often (65%). Optometrists were most likely to measure colour vision (p < 0.002), accommodation and undertake a subjective refraction (each p < 0.001). Ophthalmologists were least likely to measure convergence (p = 0.041) but more likely to undertake a cycloplegic refraction (p = 0.044). More optometrists practicing behavioural vision care reported testing binocular vision (p = 0.026), fusional vergence (p < 0.001), saccades (p = 0.066), and smooth pursuit (p = 0.050) than other professions. There was a positive correlation between frequency and confidence level when assessing children with learning difficulties (ρ = 0.64). Respondents referred to paediatricians (39%), speech pathologists (30%), educational psychologists (29%) and general practitioners (29%). CONCLUSION: Despite similarities across occupations, there were differences in testing the vision and binocular functions of children with learning difficulties. Future research should aim to establish minimum standards for assessing this patient cohort to ensure consistent and relevant assessment.

Relationship between dyslexia awareness and stigma among nursing students in Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Dyslexia-a learning disorder characterized by difficulty in word-level reading skills-can negatively impact nursing students' practice, which can, in turn, affect patient safety. Individuals with dyslexia are often stigmatized. There is a need to explore dyslexia awareness among nursing students and its relationship with stigma in Saudi Arabia. Objective: This study aimed to assess the dyslexia awareness levels among nursing students and its relation to stigma. Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted on 154 nursing students at King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia. Data were collected by asking the students to virtually complete the Knowledge and Beliefs about Developmental Dyslexia Scale (KBDDS) and the Consciousness Questionnaire-Learning Disabilities (SCQ-LD) from February to March 2021. Data were analyzed using chi-square tests to test significance and Cramer's V to determine the strength of the relationships among the categorical variables. Results: The overall dyslexia awareness level was moderate. Most participants believed that people had negative assumptions about individuals with dyslexia and that they judged and treated them differently. A moderately strong positive association was revealed between knowledge of the stigma surrounding dyslexia and knowledge of dyslexia itself (p <0.001). Conclusions: Increased dyslexia awareness is correlated with greater anticipation that dyslexic individuals will be stigmatized. Therefore, dyslexia awareness should be raised among nursing students. Students or nurses with dyslexia should also be encouraged to learn appropriate coping strategies to ensure patient safety.

Care and three-year outcomes of children with Benign Epilepsy with Centro-Temporal Spikes in England.

PURPOSE: Benign Epilepsy with Centro-Temporal Spikes (BECTS) is a pediatric epilepsy with typically good seizure control. Although BECTS may increase patients' risk of developing neurological comorbidities, their clinical care and short-term outcomes are poorly quantified. METHODS: We retrospectively assessed adherence to National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines relating to specialist referral, electroencephalogram (EEG) conduct and annual review in the care of patients with BECTS, and measured their seizure, neurodevelopmental and learning outcomes at three years post-diagnosis. RESULTS: Across ten centers in England, we identified 124 patients (74 male) diagnosed with BECTS between 2015 and 2017. Patients had a mean age at diagnosis of 8.0 (95% CI = 7.6-8.4) years. 24/95 (25%) patients were seen by a specialist within two weeks of presentation; 59/100 (59%) received an EEG within two weeks of request; and 59/114 (52%) were reviewed annually. At three years post-diagnosis, 32/114 (28%) experienced ongoing seizures; 26/114 (23%) had reported poor school progress; 15/114 (13%) were diagnosed with a neurodevelopmental disorder (six autism spectrum disorder, six attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder); and 10/114 (8.8%) were diagnosed with a learning difficulty (three processing deficit, three dyslexia). Center-level random effects models estimated neurodevelopmental diagnoses in 9% (95% CI: 2-16%) of patients and learning difficulty diagnoses in 7% (95% CI: 2-12%). CONCLUSIONS: In this multicenter work, we found variable adherence to NICE guidelines in the care of patients with BECTS and identified a notable level of neurological comorbidity. Patients with BECTS may benefit from enhanced cognitive and behavioral assessment and monitoring.

PUF60-related developmental disorder: A case series and phenotypic analysis of 10 additional patients with monoallelic PUF60 variants.

PUF60-related developmental disorder (also referred to as Verheij syndrome), resulting from haploinsufficiency of PUF60, is associated with multiple congenital anomalies affecting a wide range of body systems. These anomalies include ophthalmic coloboma, and congenital anomalies of the heart, kidney, and musculoskeletal system. Behavioral and intellectual difficulties are also observed. While less common than other features associated with PUF60-related developmental disorder, for instance hearing impairment and short stature, identification of specific anomalies such as ophthalmic coloboma can aid with diagnostic identification given the limited spectrum of genes linked with this feature. We describe 10 patients with PUF60 gene variants, bringing the total number reported in the literature, to varying levels of details, to 56 patients. Patients were recruited both via locally based exome sequencing from international sites and from the DDD study in the United Kingdom. Eight of the variants reported were novel PUF60 variants. The addition of a further patient with a reported c449-457del variant to the existing literature highlights this as a recurrent variant. One variant was inherited from an affected parent. This is the first example in the literature of an inherited variant resulting in PUF60-related developmental disorder. Two patients (20%) were reported to have a renal anomaly consistent with 22% of cases in previously reported literature. Two patients received specialist endocrine treatment. More commonly observed were clinical features such as: cardiac anomalies (40%), ocular abnormalities (70%), intellectual disability (60%), and skeletal abnormalities (80%). Facial features did not demonstrate a recognizable gestalt. Of note, but remaining of unclear causality, we describe a single pediatric patient with pineoblastoma. We recommend that stature and pubertal progress should be monitored in PUF60-related developmental disorder with a low threshold for endocrine investigations as hormone therapy may be indicated. Our study reports an inherited case with PUF60-related developmental disorder which has important genetic counseling implications for families.

Dysfunctions associated with the intraparietal sulcus and a distributed network in individuals with math learning difficulties: An ALE meta-analysis.

Math learning difficulty (MLD) is a learning disorder characterized by persistent impairments in the understanding and application of numbers independent of intelligence or schooling. The current study aims to review existing neuroimaging studies to characterize the neurobiological basis in MLD for their quantity and arithmetic dysfunctions. We identified a total of 24 studies with 728 participants through the literature. Using the activation likelihood estimate (ALE) method, we found that the most consistent neurobiological dysfunction in MLD was observed in the right intraparietal sulcus (IPS) with distinct patterns of the anterior and posterior aspects. Meanwhile, neurobiological dysfunctions were also observed in a distributed network including the fusiform gyrus, inferior temporal gyrus, insula, prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, and claustrum. Our results suggest a core dysfunction in the right anterior IPS and left fusiform gyrus with atypically upregulated functions in brain regions for attention, working memory, visual processing, and motivation, serving as the neurobiological basis of MLD.

Poor School Academic Performance and Benign Epilepsy with Centro-Temporal Spikes.

BACKGROUND: Poor academic performance of students with epilepsy seems to be a multifactorial problem related to difficulties in reading, writing, math, and logic skills. Poor school and academic performances refer to learning problems in a specific academic area due to learning disorders and learning difficulties not excluding the ability to learn in a different manner during school and academic life. Sometimes, school, academic difficulties, and Rolandic epilepsy can coexist together, and there may be comorbidities. Consequently, the risk of impaired academic performance in people with epilepsy is high. METHODS: This review analyzed the relationship between Benign Epilepsy with Centro-Temporal Spikes (BECTS) and poor school and academic performance (PSAP) in children and adolescents (aged 6 to 19), and in adults (aged 20 to no age limit). The PRISMA guideline was used to guide our review strategy. RESULTS: This research shows that Benign Epilepsy with Centro-Temporal Spikes (BECTS) and poor school and academic performances are strongly correlated. An early onset age, as well as a long persistence of seizures, correlate more closely with PSAP. On the other hand, it appears that good pharmacological control of seizures and remission from the acute phase of the pathology support better school performance. CONCLUSIONS: This review highlights how neuropsychological aspects are also involved in patients with BECTS and PSAP, both in the greater predisposition to the establishment of other neuropsychiatric conditions and in the possibility that stigma conditions and poor academic results may have repercussions on the adaptation and functioning of these subjects. Global management of the subject with BECTS and PSAP is essential, which also pays attention to the aspects of social and scholastic inclusion, both to achieve age-appropriate educational and behavioral objectives, to give the necessary tools for the growth of the individual, and to allow a serene transition to adulthood, favoring autonomous learning and better outcomes.

Speech perception in noise in children with learning difficulties: A scoping review.

BACKGROUND: Children with learning difficulties (LD) face multiple challenges in classrooms settings while having to meet various auditory demands, such as understanding verbal instructions in the presence of background noise. These challenges pose a risk for academic failure, underachievement, and underemployment. Well-developed skills regarding speech perception in noise promote learning, communication, and academic success. These skills need further investigation to promote evidence-based practice and intervention within the audiological and educational fields. OBJECTIVE: To identify and review published literature on the speech perception in noise abilities of children with LDs. DESIGN: A systematic search strategy was used to identify literature on five electronic databases using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). Literature from 2011 to 2021 reporting on speech perception in noise in children with LDs was included. RESULTS: Of 1295 articles identified, five articles met the inclusion criteria and were included in this scoping review. All studies used comparative study designs to determine the speech perception in noise skills of children with LDs. Results indicated that children with LDs have poorer speech perception in noise skills when compared to typically developing children. Trisyllabic words were better perceived in noise than monosyllabic and disyllabic words. CONCLUSION: Children with LDs require greater signal-to-noise ratios if they are to be given the same academic opportunities as typically developing (TD) children. Future studies can investigate the functional outcomes of children with LDs to promote evidence-based practice and intervention.

The academic journey of students with specific learning difficulties undertaking pre-registration nursing programmes in the UK: A retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of nursing students with specific learning difficulties enrolled on pre-registration nursing programmes and the impact that this diagnosis has on their programme outcomes are currently unknown. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this paper is to report on data that explored and compared the academic journey of students with and without learning difficulties on pre-registration nursing degree programmes. DESIGN: A retrospective cohort design. SETTINGS: One university in the UK offering BSc Honours Degree programmes in Adult and Mental Health Nursing. PARTICIPANTS: Pre-registration adult and mental health nursing students (n = 1152) enrolled in the programmes between 2012 and 2016. METHODS: Pearson's Correlation, ANOVA and crosstabulation were used to identify the differences and associations between each group of students with the outcome variables grade percent average and programme completion. RESULTS: A total of 12.5% of the students were identified as having a diagnosed specific learning difficulty and were entitled to reasonable adjustments. The analysis shows that their grade percent average and completion rates are equivalent to students without a specific learning difficulty. CONCLUSIONS: The differences between students with a specific learning difficulty and those without are small across the variables measured. Reasonable adjustments appear to mitigate the learning difficulties that students with specific learning difficulties have. Educators need to continue to promote ways of identifying students with specific learning difficulties as early as possible in the student's academic journey. Responsive adjustments in teaching and assessment in theory and practice components should be implemented to ensure that all students' opportunities to succeed are maximised.

Applying an Individual Word-Problem Intervention to a Small-Group Setting: A Pilot Study's Evidence of Improved Word-Problem Performance for Students Experiencing Mathematics Difficulty.

The purpose of this pilot study was to determine whether positive results from a word-problem intervention implemented one-to-one contributed to similar outcomes when implemented in small groups of three to four students. Third-grade students experiencing mathematics difficulty (N = 76) were randomly assigned to word-problem intervention (n = 56) or business-as-usual comparison (n = 20). Intervention occurred for 13 weeks, 3 times per week, 30 min per session. Multilevel models revealed the intervention condition significantly outperformed the BaU on a proximal word-problem outcome, corroborating results from our prior individual intervention. When comparing student performance in the individual versus small-group intervention, findings suggest students received added benefit from the individual intervention. The word-problem intervention successfully translated to a small-group setting, which holds important implications for educators working with students in supplemental, targeted, or Tier 2 mathematics intervention settings.

Medida socioeducativa, ambiente escolar e alojamento psíquico / Socio-educational measure school environment and psychic lodging / Medida socioeducativa, entorno escolar y alojamento psíquico

Este artigo discorre sobre adolescentes que foram alfabetizados em prazos bastante curtos, quando internados para cumprimento de medida socioeducativa, após terem fracassado recorrentemente no curso regular de escolarização. A investigação buscou compreender os sentidos do êxito tardio em ambiente de privação de liberdade. Participaram do estudo 15 adolescentes de quatro unidades da Fundação CASA, que não possuíam competência de leitura e escrita quando de sua internação. Para tanto, os adolescentes foram entrevistados; alguns produziram desenhos, que foram examinados. O trabalho amparou-se na psicanálise, centralmente em Donald W. Winnicott. Conclui-se que há necessidade de o ambiente educativo se apresentar como espaço continente para as dificuldades e para processos identificatórios, podendo apresentar-se como um "alojamento" em que o "paradoxo limite e espaço" e as ressignificações ganham o sentido de amparo psíquico que, dentre outras coisas, interfere na aprendizagem e pode ou não chegar a ser curativo (Au).

This article discusses adolescents who were taught to read and write within a very short time when interned in compliance with a socio-educational measure, after recurrent failures on regular school courses. The investigation seeks to understand the meanings of late success in an environment of freedom deprivation. 15 adolescents from four Fundação Casa units participated, who were unable to read and write on their internment. To this end, the adolescents were interviewed and some produced drawings, which were examined. The work was supported by psychoanalysis, especially Donald W. Winnicott. It was concluded that there is a need for the educational environment to present itself as a containing space for difficulties and for identificatory processes, able to show itself as "lodging" where the "limit and space paradox" and resignifications gain the meaning of psychic support which, among other things, affects learning and may or may not be ultimately curative (AU).

Este artículo discurre sobre los adolescentes que han sido alfabetizados en plazos bastante cortos cuando fueron internados para el cumplimiento de una medida socioeducativa, después de que hubiesen fracasado recurrentemente en el recorrido normal de la escolarización. La investigación trató de comprender los sentidos del éxito tardío en un entorno de privación de la libertad. Participaron del estudio quince adolescentes de cuatro unidades de la Fundação CASA ("Fundación CASA"), los cuales no poseían competencia de lectura y escritura cuando fueron internados. Para ello, se entrevistaron a los adolescentes; algunos produjeron dibujos, los cuales fueron examinados. El trabajo se amparó en el psicoanálisis, sobre todo en Donald W. Winnicott. Se concluyó que hay la necesidad de que el entorno educativo se presente como un espacio continente para las dificultades y para los procesos identificatorios, apareciendo como un "alojamiento" en que la "paradoja límite y espacio" y las resignificaciones ganan el sentido de auxilio psíquico. Eso, entre otras cosas, interfiere en el aprendizaje y puede o no llegar a ser curativo (AU).

Relationship between mothers'/caregivers' reported learning difficulty and internalizing symptoms (anxiety and depression) of children aged 5-17 years in Ghana.

BACKGROUND: Children with learning difficulties are vulnerable to internalizing symptoms, particularly anxiety and depression. However, only few studies have examined this relationship in low-and-middle-income countries using a nationally representative data. AIMS: This study aimed to examine the relationship between learning difficulty and internalizing symptoms of children aged 5-17 years in Ghana while controlling for covariates. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: We analyzed children's data using mothers'/caregivers' reports from the 2017/2018 Ghana Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey Six (MICS 6). Data of 8,958 children aged 5-17 years were used for the analysis. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: About 20% of the children had some learning difficulties whereas 5% could not learn at all. Learning difficulty was associated with symptoms of anxiety and depression of children. Specifically, children who had some learning difficulties had higher odds of feeling anxious [APOR = 1.28, 95% CI:1.11, 1.49, p = 0.001] while those with some difficulties [APOR=1.24, 95% CI:1.07, 1.44, p = 0.004] and a lot of difficulties or could not learn at all [APOR=1.74, 95% CI:1.28, 2.37, p < 0.01] had higher odds of feeling depressed. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS: The findings call on stakeholders in education and health to prioritize the mental health of all school-going children, particularly those with learning difficulties in Ghana.

Developing Adaptive Serious Games for Children With Specific Learning Difficulties: A Two-phase Usability and Technology Acceptance Study.

BACKGROUND: Specific learning difficulties (SpLD) include several disorders such as dyslexia, dyscalculia, and dysgraphia, and the children with these SpLD receive special education. However, the studies and the educational material so far focus mainly on one specific disorder. OBJECTIVE: This study's primary goal is to develop comprehensive training material for different types of SpLD, with five serious games addressing different aspects of the SpLD. The second focus is measuring the impact of adaptive difficulty level adjustment in the children's and their educators' usability and technology acceptance perception. Receiving feedback from the children and their educators, and refining the games according to their suggestions have also been essential in this two-phase study. METHODS: A total of 10 SpLD educators and 23 children with different types of SpLD tested the prototypes of the five serious games (ie, Word game, Memory game, Category game, Space game, and Math game), gave detailed feedback, answered the System Usability Scale and Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) questionnaires, and applied think-aloud protocols during game play. RESULTS: The games' standard and adaptive versions were analyzed in terms of average playtime and the number of false answers. Detailed analyses of the interviews, with word clouds and player performances, were also provided. The TAM questionnaires' average and mean values and box plots of each data acquisition session for the children and the educators were also reported via System Usability Scale and TAM questionnaires. The TAM results of the educators had an average of 8.41 (SD 0.87) out of 10 in the first interview and an average of 8.71 (SD 0.64) out of 10 in the second interview. The children had an average of 9.07 (SD 0.56) out of 10 in the first interview. CONCLUSIONS: Both the educators and the children with SpLD enjoyed playing the games, gave positive feedback, and suggested new ways for improvement. The results showed that these games provide thorough training material for different types of SpLD with personalized and tailored difficulty systems. The final version of the proposed games will become a part of the special education centers' supplementary curriculum and training materials, making new enhancements and improvements possible in the future.

Reading and spelling skills of prematurely born children in light of the underlying cognitive factors.

Prematurity is a serious risk factor for learning difficulties. Within the academic skills reading has the greatest impact on the prospects of the students; therefore, studying the reading skills in the risk populations is very important. The aim of our study was to investigate reading and spelling skills of prematurely born children. Our target group consisted of 8-11-year-old children (n = 23) who were born preterm with very low birthweights (VLBW). For comparison 57 full-term children (27 good readers and 30 dyslexics) were included in the study sample. To assess the reading and spelling abilities the Hungarian version of the 3DM (Dyslexia Differential Diagnosis) was used. Cognitive abilities were tested using the Hungarian adaptation of the WISC-IV and the Rey Complex Figure Test. The data were analyzed with a novel statistical approach using the R program. In the cognitive measures the mean performances of all three groups fell within the normal range. In the WISC-IV Full-scale IQ as well as in some other cognitive measures the good readers significantly outperformed both the dyslexics and the preterms. The findings of the study did not confirm our expectation that VLBW prematurity should lead to developmental disadvantages in the acquisition of reading and spelling skills since in the reading and spelling performances of the good readers and the preterms did not differ, while both the good readers and the preterms scored higher than the dyslexics. The results suggest that the cognitive assets of the preterm children contributing to their reading and spelling performances were their good spatial-visual memory, working memory, and processing speed. The identification of the cognitive mechanisms underlying reading and spelling abilities is of crucial importance for designing intervention for children with deficits in these academic skills.

Dyslexia debated, then and now: a historical perspective on the dyslexia debate.

The 'dyslexia debate' is resilient. In the media, a key component of the debate is the notion that dyslexia does not exist, popularised by a series of vociferous commentators. For them, dyslexia is an invention of overly-concerned parents, supported by a clique of private educational psychologists willing to offer a diagnosis - for a fee - even where no condition exists. In academic circles, especially psychology, dyslexia critiques are also present. In these, the principal argument is that the term 'dyslexia' is unhelpful - more an emotive word designed to attract funding, than a clearly defined scientific condition. Such arguments stand against other research in psychology, and discussion has become contentious. Largely missing from both sides of the debate, however, is a historical perspective. In this article, the origins of the dyslexia debate are traced, showing how queries about the term's efficacy have marked dyslexia's history since it was first identified in the 1870s. Through this tracing, this account seeks to move discussion beyond the existing either/or binary of dyslexia's existence.

Do Learning Disabilities Affect Testicular Cancer Survival: A National Cohort Study Between 2001 and 2015.

BACKGROUND: Some 1.5 million people in the UK have a learning disability (LD). This vulnerable group derives less benefit from population-based education programs. They are prone to underenrolment in screening programs and may lack the ability to perform self-examination. OBJECTIVE: To identify patients with LD in England and assess their testicular cancer (TC) survival in comparison to the general population. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Patient records were identified from the Hospital Episode Statistics database. All patients resident in England with a diagnosis of mental debility, "developmental disorder of scholastic skills", or attending under the specialty of LD between April 1, 2001 and June 30, 2015 were included. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: We measured survival outcomes according to the Kaplan-Meier method and used log-rank tests to assess survival difference between demographic groups. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: Of 158138 male patients with LD, 331 had TC and 32 died of cancer. LD patients had a poorer prognosis, with 10-yr TC-specific survival of 88.4% (95% confidence interval [CI] 84.5-92.4%) in the LD group versus 96.8% (95% CI 96.6-97.1%) in the non-LD group. LD patients also had lower all-cause survival rates. The 10-yr survival rate was 77.6% (95% CI 72.2-83.3%) for LD patients versus 89.9% (95% CI 89.4-90.3%) for non-LD patients, while the corresponding 5-yr rates were 84% (95% CI 79.9-88.4%) versus 92.2% (95% CI 91.8-92.5%). CONCLUSIONS: Education regarding self-examination for TC must be provided in a format suitable for those with LD. Carers for male patients with LD should be informed about testicular examination and sinister signs. PATIENT SUMMARY: Testicular cancer patients who also have a learning disability (LD) have a one in nine chance of dying, compared to a one in 36 chance for testicular cancer patients without LD. This is because patients with LD are less likely to detect the disease at an earlier stage.

Timing is key to providing modified assessments for students with specific learning difficulties.

INTRODUCTION: Medical students who are diagnosed with a specific learning difficulty (SpLD) will typically receive a reasonable adjustment within examinations in the form of modified assessment provision (MAP). This study investigated whether the timing of SpLD diagnosis and subsequent implementation of MAP has an impact on performance in applied medical knowledge multiple choice question (MCQ) assessments. METHOD: The MCQ performance of 108 students diagnosed with SpLD who received a MAP was monitored and compared with 1960 students who received an unmodified assessment, over 5 years of a medical program. Students who received a SpLD diagnosis in the latter years of the program were identified as not receiving a MAP in assessments prior to diagnosis. RESULTS: Differences were found between declaration and diagnosis, with 44.4% of students who declared and 48.1% who did not declare subsequently receiving a diagnosis. Students with SpLD who receive a MAP increase their applied medical knowledge assessment performance, although there is a delay of up to a year for this impact to reach significance. CONCLUSION: Early diagnosis of SpLD is necessary to ensure the intended benefit is received from MAP.

Epilepsy in neurofibromatosis type 1: Diffuse cerebral dysfunction?

INTRODUCTION: Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is accompanied by epileptic seizures in 4-7% of patients. We examined clinical, electrophysiological, and radiological features associated with epilepsy in our NF1 series in order to identify risk factors. METHODS: We reviewed data of 641 pediatric patients with NF1 diagnosis according to National Institutes of Health (NIH) criteria in Hacettepe University records from January 2008-August 2018. Demographic features, NF1-related clinical and imaging characteristics, age at onset of epilepsy, seizure semiology, and frequency, electroencephalogram (EEG) findings, and response to treatment were noted. RESULTS: Twenty-six patients with NF1, 15 male, 11 female, had epilepsy. Age at seizure onset was 6 months to 13 years. Seizure semiology was focal with impaired awareness (n = 9, 34%), focal aware motor (n = 2, 8%), focal to bilateral tonic-clonic (n = 3, 12%), generalized tonic-clonic (n = 7, 28%), absence (n = 3, 12%), infantile spasms (n = 1), and unclassified type (n = 1). None had a history of status epilepticus. The EEG findings were normal for age in ten patients (38%). Others had focal (n = 8, 30%), generalized (n = 7, 27%), or multifocal (n = 1, 4%) discharges. On brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) signal intensity changes typical for NF1 (neurofibromatosis bright objects, NBOs) were the most common finding (80%), followed by normal MRI (20%). There was no relation between the localization of NBOs and discharges on EEG. Seventeen patients (65%) were seizure-free at the time of the study; 11 of them still under medication including four on multiple antiepileptic drugs. The rate of learning problems and NBO were significantly higher in patients with NF1 with epilepsy compared to those without. DISCUSSION: Epilepsy in NF1 is associated with relatively infrequent seizures and good response to treatment. Learning disorders are markedly frequent in this group, irrespective of the severity of epilepsy. The absence of correlation between the localizations of epileptiform discharges and lesions on MRI support the role of cellular or synaptic mechanisms rather than structural causes in the pathogenesis of epilepsy.

Children With Mathematical Learning Difficulties Are Sluggish in Disengaging Attention.

Mathematical learning difficulties (MLD) refer to a variety of deficits in math skills, typically pertaining to the domains of arithmetic and problem solving. The present study examined the time course of attentional orienting in MLD children with a spatial cueing task, by parametrically manipulating the cue-target onset asynchrony (CTOA). The results of Experiment 1 revealed that, in contrast to typical developing children, the inhibitory aftereffect of attentional orienting - frequently referred to as inhibition of return (IOR) - was not observed in the MLD children, even at the longest CTOA tested (800 ms). However, robust early facilitation effects were observed in the MLD children, suggesting that they have difficulties in attentional disengagement rather than attentional engagement. In a second experiment, a secondary cue was introduced to the cueing task to encourage attentional disengagement and IOR effects were observed in the MLD children. Taken together, the present experiments indicate that MLD children are sluggish in disengaging spatial attention.

Psicopedagogia: um olhar para a maternagem no desenvolvimento da aprendizagem do sujeito / Psychopedagogy: A look at maternity in the development of the learning of the subject

INTRODUÇÃO: A Psicopedagogia tem como objeto de estudo a aprendizagem. O seu olhar para o não aprender inicia na maternagem por meio de uma investigação minuciosa. OBJETIVO: Sendo assim, o presente artigo tem por objetivo analisar sob um olhar psicopedagógico para a maternagem e o desenvolvimento da aprendizagem do sujeito. A fundamentação teórica da pesquisa foi baseada em autores que discutem sobre o tema nas áreas da Psicopedagogia, Psicologia e Psicanálise: Fernández (2001), Bossa (1994), Winnicott (2014), Paín (1985) e Piaget (1971). MÉTODO: Para investigar sobre a "maternagem no desenvolvimento da aprendizagem do sujeito", foi realizada uma pesquisa qualitativa em forma de entrevista. As entrevistas foram realizadas com dez mães, cinco mães cujos filhos apresentam um desenvolvimento normal na escola, e cinco mães cujos filhos apresentam algum tipo de dificuldade de aprendizagem na escola e procuraram atendimento Psicopedagógico no Centro de Especialização e Reabilitação - CER na Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense - UNESC, no município de Criciúma/SC. Também foi desenvolvido um levantamento bibliográfico referente à aprendizagem. RESULTADOS: Diante deste levantamento e das análises das entrevistas, foi possível perceber que as mães que desenvolveram uma maternagem tranquila contribuíram para que os seus filhos tivessem um bom desempenho escolar. Já as mães que tiveram falhas na maternagem os filhos tiveram consequências na aprendizagem e buscaram atendimento psicopedagógico. CONCLUSÃO: Constatou-se que a maternagem para a Psicopedagogia é uma das funções mais importantes que a mãe pode realizar na vida de um filho, pois ela vai ser a base para o desenvolvimento de suas aprendizagens.

INTRODUCTION: Psychopedagogy has the object of learning study. His look at non-learning begins in the mothering by means of a thorough investigation. OBJECTIVE: Thus, the present article aims to analyze under a psychopedagogical perspective for the mothering and development of the subject's learning. The theoretical basis of the research was based on authors who discuss the subject in the areas of Psychopedagogy, Psychology and Psychoanalysis: Fernández (2001), Bossa (1994), Winnicott (2014), Paín (1985) and Piaget (1971). METHODS: To investigate "mothering in the development of subject learning", a qualitative research was conducted in the form of an interview. The interviews were carried out with ten mothers, five mothers whose children had a normal development at school and five mothers whose children presented some type of learning difficulties at school and sought psychopedagogical assistance at the Specialization and Rehabilitation Center (CER) at the University of Extremadura, Southern Catarinense (UNESC), in the municipality of Criciúma / SC. A bibliographical survey on learning was also developed. RESULTS: In the face of this survey and the analysis of the interviews, it was possible to notice that mothers who developed a quiet motherhood contributed to their children performing well in school. On the other hand, mothers who had failures in mothering had their learning consequences and sought psychopedagogical care. CONCLUSION: It was found that mothering for Psychopedagogy is one of the most important functions that the mother can perform in the life of a child, since it will be the basis for the development of their learning.