Phonological and semantic verbal fluency test: Scoring criteria and normative data for clustering and switching strategies for Colombian children and adolescents.

BACKGROUND: Verbal fluency tests (VFT) are highly sensitive to cognitive deficits. Usually, the score on VFT is based on the number of correct words produced, yet it alone gives little information regarding underlying test performance. The implementation of different strategies (cluster and switching) to perform efficiently during the tasks provide more valuable information. However, normative data for clustering and switching strategies are scarce. Moreover, scoring criteria adapted to Colombian Spanish are missing. AIMS: (1) To describe the Colombian adaptation of the scoring system guidelines for clustering and switching strategies in VFT; (2) to determine its reliability; and (3) to provide normative data for Colombian children and adolescents aged 6-17 years. METHODS & PROCEDURES: A total of 691 children and adolescents from Colombia completed phonological (/f/, /a/, /s/, /m/, /r/ and /p/) and semantic (animals and fruits) VFT, and five scores were calculated: total score (TS), number of clusters (NC), cluster size (CS), mean cluster size (MCS) and number of switches (NS). The intraclass correlation coefficient was used for interrater reliability. Hierarchical multiple regressions were conducted to investigate which strategies were associated with VFT TS. Multiple regressions were conducted for each strategy, including as predictors age, age2 , sex, mean parents' education (MPE), MPE2 and type of school, to generate normative data. OUTCOMES & RESULTS: Reliability indexes were excellent. Age was associated with VFT TS, but weakly compared with strategies. For both VFT TS, NS was the strongest variable, followed by CS and NC. Regarding norms, age was the strongest predictor for all measures, while age2 was relevant for NC (/f/ phoneme) and NS (/m/ phoneme). Participants with higher MPE obtained more NC, and NS, and larger CS in several phonemes and categories. Children and adolescents from private school generated more NC, NS and larger CS in /s/ phoneme. CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS: This study provides new scoring guidelines and normative data for clustering and switching strategies for Colombian children and adolescents between 6 and 17 years old. Clinical neuropsychologists should include these measures as part of their everyday practice. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: What is already known on the subject VFT are widely used within the paediatric population due to its sensitivity to brain injury. Its score is based on the number of correct words produced; however, TS alone gives little information regarding underlying test performance. Several normative data for VFT TS in the paediatric population exist, but normative data for clustering and switching strategies are scarce. What this paper adds to existing knowledge The present study is the first to describe the Colombian adaptation of the scoring guidelines for clustering and switching strategies, and provided normative data for these strategies for children and adolescents between 6 and 17 years old. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? Knowing VFT's performance, including strategy development and use in healthy children and adolescents, may be useful for clinical settings. We encourage clinicians to include not only TS, but also a careful analysis of strategies that may be more informative of the underlying cognitive processes failure than TS.

Prevalence of Low Scores on Executive Functions Tests in a Spanish-Speaking Pediatric Population from 10 Latin American Countries and Spain.

Pediatric neuropsychologists and researchers commonly interpret a low score as a cognitive weakness. The purpose of the study was to determine the prevalence of low scores for three neuropsychological tests used to evaluate executive function in 4,595 healthy children from Latin-America and Spain. Results showed that low scores are common when multiple neuropsychological outcomes are evaluated in healthy individuals. Clinicians should consider the higher probability of low scores in a given individual when evaluating executive functions using various sets of scores to reduce false-positive diagnoses of cognitive deficits in a child.

Parental styles in the process of raising children with disruptive disorders / Estilos parentales en el proceso de crianza de niños con trastornos disruptivos

RESUMEN El presente artículo aborda desde el concepto de estilos parentales la función de crianza de los padres que tienen hijos con trastornos disruptivos, tema enmarcado dentro de un proyecto de investigación que tuvo por objetivo evaluar la efectividad de un programa de intervención neuropsicológico y psicosocial de niños con diagnóstico de trastornos comportamentales entre 9 y 12 años. Se empleó una metodología fenomenológica desde un enfoque cualitativo. Entre los resultados, sobresalen la relación entre el fortalecimiento de los estilos parentales, desde una autoridad y afecto firmes, y un desarrollo emocional y social más estable en sus hijos. En conclusión, los comportamientos disruptivos se agravan por causa de estilos parentales ambivalentes, permisivos o autoritarios.

ABSTRACT The present article discusses from the concept of parenting styles the parenting function of parents who have children with disruptive disorders, a topic framed within a research project that aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a program of neuropsychological and psychosocial intervention of children with Diagnosis of behavioral disorders, between 9 and 12 years. A phenomenological methodology was used from a qualitative approach. The results highlight the relationship between strengthening parenting styles, from firm authority and affection, and more stable emotional and social development in their children. In conclusion, disruptive behaviors are aggravated by ambivalent, permissive and/or authoritarian parental styles.

Relación entre depresión y atención en pacientes con traumatismo craneoencefálico leve / Relationship between depression and attention in patients with mild craneoencephalic trauma

El objetivo de este estudio descriptivo correlacional, era explorar la relación que existe entre la depresión y la atención en pacientes con traumatismo craneoencefálico leve (TCEL). Se aplicaron las ediciones en castellano del Test de Colores y Palabras de Stroop y del Inventario de Depresión de Beck-II a una muestra de 64 participantes hispanoparlantes entre 19 y 61 años, del Neurobehavioral Institute of Miami que asistieron entre junio 2003 y junio 2004, y a familiares. Se aplicaron pruebas t, chi cuadrado y correlación de Pearson de la estadística descriptiva. Se encontró que en los controles saludables no hay una relación significativa entre depresión y atención, mientras que en los pacientes con TCEL se identificó una relación en la condición color-palabra.